Sunday, December 1
Isaiah
2:5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD! (NRSV)
Julian: “Our faith is a light, coming in nature from our endless
day, which is our Father, God;…”[1]
God separated the light from the dark so we could walk in the
light and not be fearful in the dark.
Today is the beginning of Advent, often called our Advent journey. We walk towards the birth of the Christ
child, God’s Son. We walk to celebrate
the birth of the one who came as our saviour.
What would it be like to walk this slow journey with Joseph and
Mary to Bethlehem, City of David, thinking all the time about this child to be
born? It is no ordinary baby and both
parents are fully aware that everything surrounding this birth is
extraordinary. Mother and Father are each informed by angels from God. One is told she will bear a Son, yet she is a
virgin. One is told not to divorce his
wife and to name the child Jesus. They
each must have great faith to see the light in the darkness of all these
months. Yet they still keep going.
Julian gives us a glimpse at faith as one endless day, our life
with God, our light in the world. Our
faith begins and never ends until we walk in the true light of the world, in
the presence of God, Son and Holy Spirit for eternity.
Start your Advent walk today with Christ as your guide. Take time to share the light with another
person. Show the world God working in
the way you walk, the way you talk and the way you allow Christ to guide
you. Remember Christ knows the way to Bethlehem,
he has already been there once before.
Question for thought: Where
is your Bethlehem? Who guides your
journey every day and what is the purpose of today’s portion of your walk?
Monday December 2
1
Thessalonians 1:4-5 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he
has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you
know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. (NRSV)
Julian: “The place which Jesus takes in our soul he will nevermore
vacate, for in us is his home of homes and his everlasting dwelling.” (313)
This is the season of gifts.
It is remarkable that we are a precious gift chosen by God and at the
same time God chose his Son as a gift to us.
We are chosen simply because God made us and God loves us. Once that sinks in to our soul we can also
recognize Jesus in each of us. Julian
says he will never vacate our soul but we become his home of homes. How welcoming are you to Christ in you as a
home?
This is a time of the year when we prepare our homes with lights,
decorations, wonderful food and warm friendships. It should also be a time when we renew our
souls as we remember the message of God’s love in sending the greatest gift,
the Christ child.
Today as you walk in Advent look for a way to share the warmth of
your home for Christ, the warmth of your soul to decorate another person’s life.
Questions for thought: Joseph and Mary are one day closer to
Bethlehem. The road from Nazareth very
likely had others walking to answer the census also. Do you wonder what they thought about this
young couple making the journey while expecting their first child? Think about the conversation between Mary and
Joseph about what they would say to others.
What do you have to say about being chosen by God?
Tuesday December 3
1
Thessalonians 2:11-12
“As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his
children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy
of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” (NRSV)
Julian; “But in our intention we wait for God, and trust
faithfully to have mercy and grace; and this is his own working in us, and in
his goodness he opens the eye of our understanding, by which we have sight,
sometimes more and sometimes less, according to the ability God gives us to
receive.” (279)
We need encouragement to move forward in life and to grow. The disciples encouraged believers to lead a
life worthy of God. Julian felt God’s
encouragement in trust and faithfully waiting for God’s mercy and grace. But waiting can be trying, particularly in
this time of year when everyone is trying to get so much done in addition to
our normal living.
It is possible to get so wrapped up in the wrapping that we
literally forget why we offer the gifts.
It is our intention to see the Holy Spirit more through Advent but too
often we are moving too fast. A question
for each of us may be, “are we leading a life worthy of God, while we are
waiting to see God in Christmas?”
Today, walk; don’t race on your Advent journey. Take a moment to wait patiently and see God
working in you. Take a moment to
understand the vision of Christ in Christmas and to see your own ability to
lead the life God calls you to live in glory now.
Questions for thought: Who will receive the best gift from you this
year? Will the best gift be something
you purchase, or will it be something you cherish?
Wednesday December 4
1
Thessalonians 2:19-20
For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord
Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy! (NRSV)
Julian: “ And for the great endless love that God has for all
mankind, he makes no distinction in love between the blessed soul of Christ and
the least soul that will be saved.” (285)
The least and the lost, those without jobs, without family,
without homes or simple resources become a special focus during Advent. We gather gifts for children in need so they
can celebrate Christmas like children who have everything. We collect cans of food to share with the
hungry, the overflowing food banks, the church pantries and local charities. It
is important to notice those who would not have Christmas if we did not offer
help.
The family of Christ was homeless at Christmas. They travelled away from home with few
resources to meet the request of the authorities. I’m pretty sure God was watching over them on
the entire journey. Remember the blessed
Mary was carrying God’s child, the Son who would change the world. Yet even this precious woman with her child
was not any more important to God than any lost soul that will be saved. There is no distinction in God’s love for any
of humanity.
Walk through Advent thinking of others, that is a good thing. But also walk through Advent thinking how
much the God of the universe loves just you!
You are the glory of God, and God would not be as joyful in this season
of hope without you.
Questions for thought: How will you show love to someone you don’t
know this year? Will you wait to see if
there is a need or step out to find a need?
Thursday
December 5
Isaiah
2:2-3
In days to come the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be
established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the
hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us
go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he
may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (NRSV)
Julian: “For our life is founded on faith with hope and love. This is revealed to whom God wills, and he
plainly teaches and expounds and declares it, with many secret details which
are a part of our faith and belief, which are to be known to God’s glory.”
(189)
There are many who wish to walk an Advent journey, to come to
God’s Holy Mountain and sit to learn.
Sitting for God to teach requires the same action we learned as children
in school. Be present, sit still and
listen to what the teacher has to tell us.
Then we practice it over and over until we master the teaching. When we
learn from God we begin to walk in God’s ways, to walk God’s paths instead of
taking off on our own.
Walking through Advent can be difficult. There are so many distractions to change the
way we normally act to others.
Frustration over getting things done, order in daily life, pleasing too
many people or simply the increase in traffic slowing us down may cause us to
forget the meaning of this season.
Today, breathe and listen to the words God has to teach us. Listen for the ways to walk in the path of
God. As Julian reminds us, “Our life is
founded on faith with hope and love.” Do
not lose that in the distractions. Keep
the real meaning in the forefront.
Questions for thought: What is one way you can be more present to
hear what God has to teach you? Is there a new path you can travel through
Advent because you listen?
Friday December 6
Psalm 16:8-9
I
keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be
moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and
my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. (NRSV)
Julian:
“Now the Son does not stand before the Father on the left like a labourer, but
he sits at the Father’s right hand in endless rest and peace. But this does not
mean that the Son sits on the right hand side as one man sits beside another in
this life, for there is no such sitting, as I see it, in the Trinity; but he
sits at his Father’s right hand, that is to say right in the highest nobility
of the Father’s joy.” (278)
God
is always before us, around us and with us.
It is an interesting thought to keep God at our right hand so we remain
steady in our walk with God. The Psalmist felt that if God were always present
then reaching out for God, as if one reaches for a wall to remain steady,
nothing would make one move in the wrong direction.
My
heart can be glad if I am not concerned about what will happen, my soul can
rejoice in the security of that bulwark of protection all around me. It is much easier to take joy in this journey
when I know all is well.
God
sent the Son, during our time of Advent, on Christmas to show us what it is
like when a person relies so fully on God nothing else matters. Christ now sits at the right hand of God, and
yet is God, as well as Holy Spirit. We
too can sit at the right hand of God, with Christ; it is part of our
inheritance.
Walk
through the days of Advent sharing your life, your treasures and your trust in
God. It will make all the difference in
the joy you experience. You will feel
secure in your decisions, in your living and in your love.
Question
for thought: Do you feel that your walk is steadier because you know God is
there for you all the time?
Saturday December 7
Luke 21:5-6
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with
beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that
you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will
be thrown down.”
Julian: “For since I have set right the greatest of harms, then it
is my will that you should know through this that I shall set right everything
which is less.” (228)
During this season we decorate.
We decorate our homes with bright lights, ideally to remember the light
of Christ coming into the world. It
reminds us of the stars shining in the night to announce the birth of God’s
Son.
We decorate with greenery, evergreen to remind us of the
ever-present Christ with life that continues because God delights in humanity.
We decorate with beautiful trees filled with shiny ornaments or worn pieces of
childhood art. Candles and stockings
adorn fireplaces or hang in special places to be filled with treasures.
The decorations in some areas are so festive a house itself cannot
be seen. Now it is popular for
businesses to set up elaborate cities of lights for cars to drive through. The
issue is where is Advent in all the lights?
It is beautiful, yet the
Temple was God’s house, ornately done to honor God. The Apostle Luke reminds us that Jesus told
us it would all fall down, with not even one stone on another. Those adornments are not the things that
last. Maybe that’s why the decorations
only go up once a year for most people.
Questions for thought: What is lasting in your life? Is it the decorations or what exists the rest
of the year?
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