waiting a devotional companion through advent

An Invitation into the Season of Preparation

Advent is the season of preparation … and waiting. This year Advent begins on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend and ends on a Saturday evening before Christmas occurs on Sunday. Thus, it is a bit confusing for our regular church calendar as well as our Thanksgiving celebrations! But it does not take away anything from how vital this season is for the deepening of our faith.

Our Faith Formation and Worship Team leaders have asked a variety of people to write reflections based on the daily scriptures for the season of Advent. The writers were able to choose one scripture from three to use for their reflection. All of these reflections are as unique as the people who wrote them — treasure that and celebrate the diversity of our community!

Oftentimes, this season becomes so filled with parties, shopping, and decorating that we lose touch with the concept of reflection and preparation. Hopefully, as you take the time to read these devotions each day, you will be able to spend some time truly considering the importance of your Christian faith.

We have beautiful stories of Jesus’ birth and then do not honestly hear much about him until his very short ministry begins. However, the reality that Jesus was born so that we could understand God ever so much more is very important to our faith. We do not need to focus on his birth or any of the wondrous pieces of that story. We do need to reflect on what his life and ministry has done for our world and for each of us.

Hopefully, you will find the time during this season to be reflective, prayerful, and find ways to deepen your faith. That is honestly the challenge of Advent.

Suzanne Webb

Sunday, November 27, we begin the SEASON OF ADVENT with a plea for HOPE. Hope, like wisdom and the changing of seasons, is luminous and transforming; she willingly lets herself be seen by those who love her and known by those who look for her.

November 27 – First Sunday of Advent – Matthew 24:36 – 44

As we prepare for this Advent season and anticipate the Christmas season with all its beautiful lights, decorations, presents and activities, we are reminded that celebrating the birth of Christ is a prologue to the Easter season when we mourn his death and anticipate his return.

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples that no one knows when this return will be other than God, not even angels or Jesus himself. The early Christians thought the return would be very soon. More than 2000 years later, we are still waiting.

So what should our time of waiting be used for? Some ideas to consider:

  • To remember and consider that God is always with us.
  • To stay alert, pray, work, and help others.
  • To keep our ears, eyes and heart open to hear.
  • To be kind and loving to all God’s people.
  • To protect this earth God gave us to enjoy.
  • To live in hope and anticipate Christ’s return.
  • To look forward, living a life of commitment to the future and the good of all humanity.

Catherine Davis

Monday, November 28 — Genesis 8:1 – 19

In reading this scripture for Advent, I gave thought to how many stories in the Bible are about waiting. Noah and his family waiting for the rain to stop and to discover dry land, the Israelites waiting to reach the Promised Land, Job waiting on God to reveal God’s plan, and Joseph waiting in prison to understand his dreams.

Can you imagine waiting on the ark – the huge floating zoo – the smells, the struggles, the despair. Noah and his family must have had an immense range of emotions as the rain, sea and wind tossed them about. “God, when will we be able to get off this one star rated cruise? I will not have a favorable Yelp review when I get to my tablet on dry ground.” But wait they were required to do. Noah, the Israelites, Job and Joseph all waited for God. Waited for the big reveal. It’s like that timid, shy person coming on stage for American Idol. We hold our breath not expecting much, but we wait, hoping against all hope that something incredible is about to happen. The contestant begins to belt out an anthem and her persona takes on a whole new aura. We no longer are waiting, as God has revealed the surprise.

Advent is just that … a waiting game. It has been told in previous scripture that a child shall be born — God’s child. He will bring salvation to the world. He will be the Prince of peace, a Savior, the Messiah. We must hurry to get ready for this Holy of holies, but yet we still wait. God is not ready to reveal the plan quite yet.

I assume many of God’s chosen did not know how long they would have to wait, they just knew they would need to be patient and wait. As God’s chosen, we are also called to be patient, to wait, to wonder, to hope. Although we wait, there is much to do. Waiting does not mean you sit around and twiddle your thumbs or play Pokemon Go on your phone. Noah and his family didn’t just hang out around the dining room table waiting for the rain to stop. They had animals and an ark to take care of. They waited for God’s plan to be revealed, but they were busy bringing about God’s kingdom to that ark.

Likewise, in our waiting this Advent season for the Christ child to be born in our midst, we must be active in bringing God’s reign to the earth. What if in our waiting, we cared for the sick, visited those in prison, fed the hungry and clothed the naked? Our waiting would be setting the stage for the miracle that is about to burst into our world. So go ahead and wait, but be active in changing the world for good. Oh, and along the way, catch yourself some Pokemon!

Mark Anderson

Tuesday, November 29 — Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me "Let us go to the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the wonderful music. In the classic holiday song I’ll be Home for Christmas, the singer expresses a deep desire to be with his/her loved ones for the holidays, even “ if only in my dreams.” The song continues with remembrances of snow, mistletoe and presents on the tree as symbols of the season.

Psalm 122, according to biblical commentaries, celebrates the pilgrimage goal of Jerusalem. The Psalmist’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the great Temple expresses a similar theme of wanting to be home i.e., the place where God resides. The Psalmist names many attributes found in Jerusalem, such as being a gathering place for God’s people and thankfulness (v 4), peace, and security (v. 7).

For Christians, the Advent season can become a pilgrimage toward our spiritual home. During the four weeks of Advent, we lift up the ideas of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Instead of the social gatherings of family and friends, or going to the Temple, we, as Christians, seek to draw near to the wondrous Love given to us by God, or as the song says, seeking to be “Where the Love Light gleams.”

The singer travels home to find love. The Psalmist pilgrimages to God’s Holy City and Temple to seek Him. The Christian journey allows us to realize that Love, in all forms, is available in all times and places.

Prayer: Dear God, this Advent season we are reminded that it is not necessary to journey or travel or dream to find you. You are Love and knowing you, we are home.

Jennifer Darnell

Wednesday, November 30 — Psalm 124

The pressures of life are bearing down upon you.

  • Increased demands of your job;
  • Constancy of debt and rising costs;
  • Issues of violence and drugs;
  • Potential serious medical issues;
  • Divisiveness of politics; and
  • Diversity of opinions on race and sexuality.

You are overwhelmed as if caught in a cage unable to break free.

But wait . . . YOU ARE A PART OF GOD’S FAMILY.

Why despair? You can escape from this imprisonment caused by life’s pressures, much as a bird escapes from a cage. HELP comes from the Lord. Trust in the Lord as God’s answers are sure and just. If you but ask God in prayer, God is waiting to answer. HOPE lies in the Lord. Encouragement comes through the Scriptures (God’s word) and this wisdom from God will guide you. STRENGTH is renewed through your relationship with the Lord. Praise the Lord. Be grateful, rejoice and praise the Lord.

No matter what pressures you feel, praise the Lord, for God is ever with you and ready to open the cage. As a child of God, you will be set free to rise and flourish.

Prayer: God, you created me to be a part of your family … to be loved, cherished, nurtured and guided. Yet I too often forget this connection and attempt to bear the pressures of life without including you. Forgive me and help me to open my heart to you. Help me to be freed to be the person you envision. For this ever present opportunity, I praise you. Amen.

Clela Anderson

Thursday, December 1 — Isaiah 4:2 – 6

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah was an inspired and creative wordsmith! Within his scholarly prophesies he could also create a word picture that clearly illustrated for people in all walks of life what must be done to “prepare a way for the LORD.”

Directly referencing Isaiah later in the New Testament, John the Baptist (John 1:23) identified himself as a voice in the wilderness. The same Old Testament voice that John the Baptist knew tells us we must “make a straight highway in the desert for God.” Isaiah’s God spoke of no small gesture or last minute make-do preparation. Valleys will need to be filled in, mountains leveled, and rough uneven ground must be turned into plains. It was a custom of the time to create a special path over which important visitors would arrive. The faithful must prepare the way so God can travel to His people without difficulty.

Whether it was millennia ago or the present day, are we all not required to do the same? For us to experience the fullness of the LORD, hazards in the road must be corrected. Obstacles must be removed. Building a road, literally and figuratively, requires planning and commitment. Advanced preparation starts with readiness of our heart, mind and soul. We will need to add our gifts, talents and resources to the “sweat equity” to make it happen, lest the task remain merely a notation on a to-do list. It is hard work, not easily begun or completed.

Each individual’s road will have specific, varied problems and environments. All will be challenging to the traveler along the way. Fortunately for His people, God in his wisdom and as a Master Architect and Engineer has included expert advice for the taking. Read the directions first!

Though the task of preparing a way for the Lord seems daunting, Isaiah urges us not to be afraid to examine these truths. Don’t question your capabilities; just shout aloud that God’s word will last forever. People are frail. Our bodies, titles, wealth, and acquisitions will wither and fade. Our life’s task is to share with others that the Word of God is the only thing that will last.

The season of Advent is an opportunity to re-commit ourselves to the journey, to the work of preparing a way for the Lord. Isaiah knew the Lord God comes with might. But he also assures us that God will lead us like a gentle shepherd into His arms to take our place with Him. Let us meet Him in the desert … at the end of the road … under the stars … at the manger.

Kathy Davis

Friday, December 2 — Isaiah 30:19 – 26

Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. Isaiah 30:20

Prophets are tricky. How are we supposed to receive their words? Recently, as I idled in my car, there was a guy preaching in the gritty intersection at Grand and Gravois in south St. Louis. He seemed earnestly concerned for all of the souls idling there. Of course I kept my windows up and avoided eye contact. I thought about how there is medication available for his affliction and that if he were truly a prophet, I’d be up the creek for ignoring him.

In his time, Isaiah probably received similar treatment . (What is that adage about how a prophet is never appreciated in his own country?) Yet somehow, his words found their way into our Bible, full of mysteries and alternating currents of God’s wrath and promises: Lovely promises of graciousness, clear direction, and the face of our Teacher finally revealed; grain and cattle, clear-running streams, and the Lord binding our wounds. All very nice were it not for the fact that Isaiah tells us it is the Lord himself dispensing the bread of adversity and the water of affliction. And it is the Lord who inflicted the wounds.

I get a picture of a dark and fearsome Lord, an imperious Father who figures out that smiting is not making his children more righteous. So he promises a new approach — a Teacher to set a clear example for us. What a relief that we don’t have to decipher the mysterious poetry and rantings of prophets, or parse the semantics of the Torah, or tremble in fear of a trip to the Lord’s woodshed. We can look to our Teacher who set the example that shows us what is important, how to live, and how to serve.

Carla Gibbs

Saturday, December 3 — Psalm 72:1 – 7, 18 – 19

In his days may righteousness flourish​ and peace abound, until the moon is no more.​ Psalm 72:7

As I read the Psalm 72 passages, which are primarily petitions for justice and righteousness, I can’t help but think about their relevance in today’s political and economic climate. Although when you read this and the election is past, the debates and differences will continue. Advent is a time of anticipation and expectation. At the moment, I feel dread and hopelessness.

BUT, joy and peace are ours for the asking, for the expectation. Regardless of what’s going on in the world around us, we are blessed by the coming of Christ. If refugees can flee war-torn countries with little to nothing, risking their very lives for a better chance, what do we have to complain about?

The coming of Christ is reflected in God’s earthly leaders who “defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor” (v. 4).

I await our Advent promise with joy.

Prayer: Creator God, inspire us and guide us! Restore hope in our hearts, and help us act with compassion, mercy, and kindness, regardless of any hopelessness we may perceive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Jeanne Heitmann

Check back Sunday, December 4, for week two …

Credits:

Created with images by chrisbulle - "Advent" • rgerber - "sunset mountains afterglow" • quinet - "Strands of light" • karigamb08 - "cemetery peace marble" • Nicolas Alejandro Street Photography - "waiting for the subway" • StockSnap - "airport people waiting" • Freeimages9 - "net metallic metal" • psychotraffic - "pfalstersteine patch away" • kasabubu - "full moon evening sky moonlight"

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