Advent 5th December

"I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever And build up your throne to all generations." Psalm 89:3-4

Readings:

Genesis 9:1-17,

Psalm 89
Matthew 1

Reflection

What do you do with a high and holy God who independently makes a promise to those whom He has created? Take a moment to try to find one thing that you and I have to do or be in these two verses from Psalm 89. Is there even one thing that is demanded of us? God says, “I have made … I have sworn … I will establish … and [I] will build up …” It’s all Him. All of it! All God. Then God says to David, “I will establish your seed forever and build your throne to all generations.”

Now before we start questioning God on His promises and bring up the mess that David’s kids made and the divided kingdom and exile and 400 years of silence—perhaps we can ponder that God was completely faithful. The hymn “Once in Royal David’s City” explains it well when we realise that Jesus Himself was from the line of David. Christ and those in Christ are the fulfilment of this promise of God. David’s lineage produced the Messiah who established His throne and “He leads His children on to the place where He is gone.” That friend—would be you and me being led to Heaven by David’s Seed. That Child of Bethlehem is the fulfilment of the Promise and we are a part of the generations that He leads, because God said that it would be so. And God is faithful with all of His promises.

Prayer

Lord God I praise you for creating me and restoring me through Jesus.
Word becoming flesh, Word indwelling
Word transforming, Word restoring
Word challenging, Word healing
Word sharing  my weakness and making me whole

W

Advent 4th December

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.” Numbers 24:17

Readings:

Numbers 24:17,  
Psalm 118:19-29
Revelation 1:1-8

Reflection

“I see Him but not now… I behold Him but not near”. We truly live in the ‘Now and the Not Yet’… What do you look for and hunger for? We are living now but we long for what is to come. The kingdom is here—now– amongst and within us. And yet, we wait, we long for that time when this kingdom will be fulfilled in the glorious light of eternity. the star.

We approach again the Christmas story and it appears without fail and guides us to the familiar place, moving us step by step through the familiar story. The angels, shepherds, hills and manger, all remain the same but we have changed this year – events, situations and circumstances this year have changed us and we are different. Into this difference the angels speak and into our lives the Christ Child comes.

May we make room in our minds and our hearts for Christ this year.  The coming of the Lord was a coming of the Light in the midst of darkness.  And the coming of the Lord always makes us aware of the darkness, because the light dispels the darkness.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel…God is with us but we wait eagerly for his return…shall come to thee, O Israel.

Prayer 

Thank you Creator God for the gift of this day.
From the blazing sunrise through a cloudy winter sky to the setting sunset thank you for your faithfulness.
May I have your sight and insight this day to be aware of your grace lighting up my life. As I wait and watch in silence for your coming may I be filled with a sense of your presence in my life. Amen

Advent 3rd December

Monday 3rd December

“After this, I looked around. The earth was barren, with no form of life. The sun, moon, and stars had disappeared. The mountains were shaking; no people could be seen, and all the birds had flown away. Farmland had become a  desert,  and towns were in ruins. The Lord’s fierce anger  had done all of this.  The Lord said, I have made my decision, and I won’t change my mind. This land will  be destroyed. although not completely.” Jeremiah 4:23-28    

Readings:

Psalm 18
Jeremiah 4:23-28

Romans 13:11-14

Reflection

I am sure  you have been discouraged at some point of your life. When working through a difficult situation you realise you are back to square one and have to start again. Jeremiah paints a prophetic picture of bleakness and desolation. Disaster has struck and some of Jeremiah’s catastrophic words are identical to Genesis 1:1—there is no light. Four times Jeremiah “looked” and could not take his eyes of the ruined land. Deserted wasteland, quaking mountains and swaying hills yet in the midst there is a glimmer of light. When the Lord says “I will not destroy it completely” (v27) there is hope. This note of hope emerges through the Old Testament and finds fulfilment in Jesus.

At some point in our lives we experience periods of dark times— there are times of bereavement, illness, job loss, financial difficulties, family issues..the list seems endless.  We know of others too—their names and faces come to mind. Does it help to know you are not alone in your period of anguish?  Can you join with the prophet Micah “Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light” (Micah 7:8)

Prayer

Comforting God,

I pray for all experiencing darkness and I pray that your light may shine on their pathway and in their hearts, that they may know that even in difficult times you walk alongside them.

Amen

Advent 2 December

2 December - 1 Sunday in Advent

“Don’t suppose that I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning. Heaven and earth may disappear. But I promise you that not even a period or comma will ever disappear from the Law. Everything written in it must happen.  If you reject even the least important command in the Law and teach others to do the same, you will be the least important person in the kingdom of heaven. But if you obey and teach others its commands, you will have an important place in the kingdom.  You must obey God’s commands better than the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law obey them. If you don’t, I promise you that you will never get into the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:17-20

Readings:

Psalm 103: 10-12,
Malachi 2:17-3,3a,5

Matthew 5:17-20

Reflection

Here we see a link between the Old and New Testament. In this passage Jesus makes it perfectly clear that He did not come to abolish the law of the Old Testament. Instead He came to fulfil it. This means that the entire law as articulated in the Old Testament finds its completion in the person and work of Jesus Christ

Indeed our Saviour is the “long-expected Jesus,” foretold and foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament. He is “Israel’s strength and consolation,” as they looked to Him for atonement for their sins, as we do as well. And He is the “joy of every longing heart,” because the only real relief for our deepest longing is a right relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ. May that joy transform us into men and women who rejoice in our Saviour’s first coming and gladly anticipate His second coming.

May that transformation direct our lives and impact our relationships. 

Prayer

Loving God,

I remember your coming again in Jesus Christ,

Your gift to humankind,  your sharing of flesh and blood and honouring of age-old promises.

I thank you for the reminder at this time of the year that you are a God I can depend on. May your Kingdom come—may you will be done.  Amen