Advent 9th December

"Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;

And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist." Isaiah 11:1-5

Reading

Psalm 34,
Isaiah 11:1-5, 
Luke 21:25-36

Reflection

Throughout Advent there is an evident sense of longing. It’s a theme that  we can all relate to.

Written in our hearts is a longing for things to be made right – the way they are supposed to be. At the point when Isaiah prophesied, the rebellion of God’s people was leading to their great downfall. But in the midst of ruin, God brought hope. The Davidic dynasty was decimated but God promised that “a shoot would spring from the stem of Jesse.” Jesse was David’s father and this prophecy to Israel promised that there would come another ruler from the line of David who would judge in righteousness and faithfulness. God’s work with his people was not finished. His promise to Abraham would not be broken. God’s people longed for a return to the glory of their kingdom but the promises of God delivered them so much more. The One who came from the “stem of Jesse” did not restore Israel’s kingdom but rather inaugurated the Kingdom of God. What are our longings?. Do we have a longing  and a  desire to be reconciled to God Himself. Any fulfilment outside of a restored relationship with Emmanuel (God with us) will leave us empty and wanting more. Our hope and our true longings are met in the Christ Child— the Holy Child of Bethlehem .

 Prayer 

Loving God. 

As I continue this Advent season, open my eyes  to see in new ways the delight and wonder of your love. In the darkness help me to see the promise of light and peace. 

In the cry of the hungry help me see the possibility of a world where all are fed. 

In my own yearnings and weakness help me to see the hope of Christ. 

And in the eager anticipation of the coming of Jesus, 

may  I embrace the dawn of a new heaven and a new earth. Amen

 

Advent 8th December

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

Readings

Psalm 150,
Isaiah 9:6-7, 

Hebrews 10:5-10

Reflection

Many centuries before this Child was born, God through the prophet Isaiah had promised a king upon whose shoulders would rest the government of the people. Peace, justice and righteousness were all assured under the reign of this successor to the throne of David. These were the promises of Almighty God! Finally, after such a long wait…finally the angels proclaimed, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Finally, the oppression of the enemy would come to an end. Finally, there would be peace on earth! Finally... finally. But  this newborn King, heralded by the angels, would turn out to be a different kind of king.  What kind of King do we expect? This newborn King—our Mighty God and our Prince of Peace—would establish a Kingdom that would last for all eternity. Is this right—is this the king we expect?
This King would turn the world upside down by dying that we might have life. Why was Jesus born? The ultimate paradox: He was born to die! And in that death, and after rising from a tomb that could not hold Him, He conquered death for all who would call on His Name. He truly was “born that man no more may die.” Glory to this newborn King!

Prayer

Lord,

inspire me to live in such a way that my choices each day and my commitment to live in a positive way may transform the negative into something positive, and the ordinariness of daily life into something extraordinary.

Amen. 

Advent 7th December

“Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!" Then he said, "Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:10-14 

Readings:

Psalm 145, 
Isaiah 7:10-14
1 Corinthians 1:18-31

Reflection

Immanuel—God with us. God with us here and God with us now. For in coming to our world as a tiny vulnerable baby, God shows to us his determination and willingness to be alongside us throughout our lives.

Jesus was a surprise...to everyone. Of course we know that His appearance was a surprise to Mary and most certainly Joseph. At this time of year we hear a lot about that. But He was also a surprise to Israel, God's chosen people.  The religious elite, the scribes and Pharisees, did not expect Him to be who He was. John the Baptist, who was His cousin and went before Him to prepare the way, was even surprised by Jesus. John was surprised that Jesus wanted to be baptized by him, and then, later in Jesus' ministry, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One, the Messiah — even though that was John's own message! Jesus was a surprise every step of the way. We need to be prepared to be surprised as we “raise, raise the song on high,” singing, “joy, joy for Christ is born, the babe, the son of Mary.” Let us revel in the fact that God does not work as we think He ought to work, but instead works out His love according to His plan.

Prayer

Jesus, I long for your coming.
The promise of new light and life is before me, give me the faith to believe in your presence this day. Give me the promise and assurance of salvation with no more shame, 

only the light and saving grace of your love. 

May your peace come to my life and may it be evident in my relationships and daily living. 

Amen