Advent is a season of waiting.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
This last month has been hard. Sickness, death and all kinds of struggles. We see violence all around our world. It is so easy to get discouraged. It is no wonder that people decorate for Christmas earlier and earlier. I believe it is a communal cry for peace. We long for the childhood feelings of joy we had at Christmas. All the world was good.
But the Peace and Joy are not in the decorations. They are not in the presents and the food. The Peace and Joy of Christmas are in the Love and Hope received from the Christ. I also think this is the reason so many end Christmas so quickly. The decorations, and presents are over and nothing changed. The struggles and strife is still there.
But Christmas is about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling with us. We love all the family visits at Christmas, but they are over too quickly. Jesus tells the disciples even as He ascends into Heaven “I am with you always.
Satan wants us to give up and write God off. Jesus said only the father knows the time he plans to complete our salvation. Jesus doesn’t even know what time of year it will happen.
We are not good at waiting. We want everything now, but Jesus tells us to trust him. During this Advent season we are again reminded of how faithful God is. He promises to keep his promises. As we look back to the first Christmas we see how the ancients waited. We see how they sometimes in their discouragement stopped watching. But God, calls us back says again wait and tasks us to remind each other of how He has kept His Promises in the past.
Speak God’s Grace to each other every day. Remind each other that His love endures forever. And may His Holy Spirit fill you with confidence in his faithfulness. God has not forgotten us and he is working behind the scenes to complete our salvation.
Pastor Mark
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
This last month has been hard. Sickness, death and all kinds of struggles. We see violence all around our world. It is so easy to get discouraged. It is no wonder that people decorate for Christmas earlier and earlier. I believe it is a communal cry for peace. We long for the childhood feelings of joy we had at Christmas. All the world was good.
But the Peace and Joy are not in the decorations. They are not in the presents and the food. The Peace and Joy of Christmas are in the Love and Hope received from the Christ. I also think this is the reason so many end Christmas so quickly. The decorations, and presents are over and nothing changed. The struggles and strife is still there.
But Christmas is about the Word becoming flesh and dwelling with us. We love all the family visits at Christmas, but they are over too quickly. Jesus tells the disciples even as He ascends into Heaven “I am with you always.
Satan wants us to give up and write God off. Jesus said only the father knows the time he plans to complete our salvation. Jesus doesn’t even know what time of year it will happen.
We are not good at waiting. We want everything now, but Jesus tells us to trust him. During this Advent season we are again reminded of how faithful God is. He promises to keep his promises. As we look back to the first Christmas we see how the ancients waited. We see how they sometimes in their discouragement stopped watching. But God, calls us back says again wait and tasks us to remind each other of how He has kept His Promises in the past.
Speak God’s Grace to each other every day. Remind each other that His love endures forever. And may His Holy Spirit fill you with confidence in his faithfulness. God has not forgotten us and he is working behind the scenes to complete our salvation.
Pastor Mark
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