The fourth week of Advent has as its theme: LOVE.
The previous three weeks had as their themes: PROMISE, FAITH, AND HOPE. God had promised to Israel a coming Messiah – the law and the prophets had testified of this. Those who longed for his coming cried out to God for the Advent of the Messiah.
Those who trusted in God had faith to believe the unbelievable; and their hope was that God would do what he had promised.
What they longed for, and looked for, was one who would come to deliver them from their Roman oppression. What they didn’t understand, perceive, or believe, was that God was going to send his Son through a virgin as a baby – hidden from everyone save a few shepherds and a young poor Jewish couple.
All of this was an act of God’s love. He came to bring His Kingdom upon the earth, and to make a way through the obedience of His Son to sow the seed of His Kingdom – a seed, like yeast in the dough that would grow and grow until the whole world confesses Jesus Christ is Lord.
Advent Readings:
Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel ," which translated means, "God with us."
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Luke 2:1-7 (NASB)
1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.
2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
An Advent Meditation,
This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet,
“Out of Egypt I have called my son.” - Matthew 2:15
by Joan Vinall-Cox
It was a dark time -
Mary had wanted to be glad
Joseph had chosen her
but that strange dream ...
and old Elizabeth, swollen with child,
calling her blessed, saying a
Child was growing in her
too, yet she’d never...
except in that strange dream;
and she had swollen
and Joseph,
angry and sad and puzzled,
had planned to hide
her disgrace, but he dreamed too,
and married her but slept apart and would not look at her.
It was a dark time.
It was a dark time -
the rulers had decided
to count them all where
their ancestors had lived
so Joseph and Mary must walk
for days, weeks, and her so
large and tired, and both so
puzzled and hopeful and fearful.
Could the Holy One really have chosen them?
Still they must walk,
as the rulers
demanded, in the cold,
in the darkening time, they must
walk into Bethlehem, this ancient
town, filled with others obeying
the rulers who wanted to count them and did not care
about walking, or a room for a
young woman with her time
pressing on her,
with the Holy One’s Gift demanding
His time on earth,
and no room for this family
It was a dark time.
There was light at His birth -
light in Mary’s eyes and
light in Joseph’s smile and
light flowing out, pulsing out
around the wondrous Child
light that brought the amazed shepherds,
and star light that
brought the Wise Ones from
afar to worship Him
and light that the eyes in
the dark could see, whispering to
a man with too much power
that he was nothing
beside such Light,
and the Holy One sent another
dream to guard the Light, to
hide it in a foreign land
and Mary and Joseph fled
into Egypt, carrying the Light
away from the darkness of
Herod’s massacre of babies.
It was a dark time.
It was a dark time -
waiting in a foreign land,
watching Him grow, and learning
patience and trust, waiting
for a new dream, yearning for
home
and then
out of the dark time,
the dream came.
Here’s the words of a Michael Card song:
The Lord God said when time was full
He would shine His light in the darkness.
He said a virgin would conceive
And give birth to the Promise.
For a thousand years the dreamers dreamt
And hoped to see His love.
But the Promise showed their wildest dreams
Had simply not been wild enough.
The Promise was love
And the Promise was life.
The Promise meant light to the world.
Living proof “Jehovah saves,”
For the name of the Promise was Jesus.
- Michael Card, “The Promise”
I love the words, “For a thousand years the dreamers dreamt and hoped to see His love, but the Promise showed their wildest dreams had simply not been wild enough.”
What is it in your life that you’ve dreamed of concerning God’s promises?
Have you ever thought that your dreams have not been wild enough?
Can you say with Joseph, “I don’t understand how, but I will trust in you Lord?”
A Prayer: “Lord, the beauty of your ways is the mystery of them. You do not do what we would do...you are not safe, but you are trustworthy...you are not tame, but you are kind...you are not controlled, but you are purposeful in all that you do. Yes, Lord, the promise is Jesus...Jesus you are love, you are life...both are what I need in my life today."
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