Today, as you light the candle for the first week of Advent – Read these following scripture:
Psalm 25:1-7 (NASB)
1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Advent as a season involves both waiting and preparation. I remember the days as a youth between Thanksgiving and Christmas…they seemed to last forever. I saw the busyness of the season, but for a kid most of it didn’t involve me, so I waited. It reminded me to include my own kids in Advent as much as possible as they grew up.
But it also begs the question for our lives: “Why is so difficult at times to wait?”
The Psalmist reminds us that waiting is expectant, hopeful, trusting. The first century Jewish faithful were “waiting” for the Messiah. What they had to go on was the promise of God through the prophets, but many had succumbed to disillusionment and doubt and had little expectations. Isn’t that often our dilemma of faith today also? We have succumbed to doubts, fears, the disillusionments of the world around us and so we have little we expect of God’s coming into our lives.
The words below come from one of my most favorite authors:
“Waiting is essential to the spiritual life. But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting. It is waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for. We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus. We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the Ascension of Jesus we wait for his coming again in glory. We are always waiting in the conviction that we have already seen God’s footsteps.
Waiting for God is an active, alert -- yes, joyful -- waiting. As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes.”
Henri Nouwen,
In Joyful Hope: Meditations for Advent
* In what places of your life have you been waiting for the Lord?
* Is that waiting a hopeful waiting -- or a waiting of despair?
Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Message translate this verse:
1 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. Hebrews 11:1 (MSG)
Let us take a posture of faith and hope – of expectancy that God is always worth waiting for.
A Prayer:
“Lord, in these early days of Advent I so much want to meet you in celebrating Christmas. I long for this season to speak to the depths of my being. This season is about you…You came to us in your incarnation and I want to celebrate that throughout the next four weeks - “glory to you God in the highest”. Lord Immanuel, King of Kings and Prince of Peace, help me to be alert throughout this season in waiting for you. I long for your presence and I need your persevering faith to help me maintain this journey with you.” Amen.
Psalm 25:1-7 (NASB)
1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, For they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; According to Your lovingkindness remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Advent as a season involves both waiting and preparation. I remember the days as a youth between Thanksgiving and Christmas…they seemed to last forever. I saw the busyness of the season, but for a kid most of it didn’t involve me, so I waited. It reminded me to include my own kids in Advent as much as possible as they grew up.
But it also begs the question for our lives: “Why is so difficult at times to wait?”
The Psalmist reminds us that waiting is expectant, hopeful, trusting. The first century Jewish faithful were “waiting” for the Messiah. What they had to go on was the promise of God through the prophets, but many had succumbed to disillusionment and doubt and had little expectations. Isn’t that often our dilemma of faith today also? We have succumbed to doubts, fears, the disillusionments of the world around us and so we have little we expect of God’s coming into our lives.
The words below come from one of my most favorite authors:
“Waiting is essential to the spiritual life. But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting. It is waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for. We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus. We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the Ascension of Jesus we wait for his coming again in glory. We are always waiting in the conviction that we have already seen God’s footsteps.
Waiting for God is an active, alert -- yes, joyful -- waiting. As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes.”
Henri Nouwen,
In Joyful Hope: Meditations for Advent
* In what places of your life have you been waiting for the Lord?
* Is that waiting a hopeful waiting -- or a waiting of despair?
Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The Message translate this verse:
1 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see. Hebrews 11:1 (MSG)
Let us take a posture of faith and hope – of expectancy that God is always worth waiting for.
A Prayer:
“Lord, in these early days of Advent I so much want to meet you in celebrating Christmas. I long for this season to speak to the depths of my being. This season is about you…You came to us in your incarnation and I want to celebrate that throughout the next four weeks - “glory to you God in the highest”. Lord Immanuel, King of Kings and Prince of Peace, help me to be alert throughout this season in waiting for you. I long for your presence and I need your persevering faith to help me maintain this journey with you.” Amen.
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