Advent Devotional

November 30, First Sunday of Advent


Text: Romans 13:11-14. 11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.


Reflection: The word ‘Advent’ means “coming near” or “almost arrived.” It is a word of anticipation, of hope, as it usually referred to the expected arrival of someone with the power to change the way things were going in a positive way. Something good was about to happen. But that important arrival meant that the place to which it was coming had to make preparations. This very important person would not be coming to places where it would just be business as usual; some changes would have to be made.

When Christians adopted the Advent theme as a prelude to celebrating the coming of Christ into the world, they did so with the idea of preparation in mind. The coming of Jesus would indeed change everything; but that meant that a time of preparation would be observed. It is the kind of preparation that Paul talked about, where believers are to take a look at their own lives to see things that do not fit with the kind of life Jesus brings with him. It is a call to reject things that make us feel good physically but hinder the work of God’s spirit within us and through us. And that is what we will focus on through this Advent season--preparing ourselves for His coming to our places, our churches, our communities, so that he might change things through us.


Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, we are not quite ready for Your coming. Lead us through this season of preparation and hope. Show us where our lives are crowding out Your presence, that we might repent and become people through whom You will come to a world in need. Turn our hearts from self to You and then to others, even as we offer food for the poor and hungry. Amen.


Monday, December 1

Text: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.


Reflection: Christian life is all about two comings. The first of these is what we celebrate on Christmas Day--God the Son came into our world in the person of Jesus, starting life on earth in the same way all of us do, as a newborn child. We celebrate that coming because of what he did while he lived on earth, revealing God to the world. But that is not the coming that Advent is primarily about. Advent was formed and celebrated in order to aid Christians in looking forward to the second coming of Christ, the one the apostle Paul refers to in today’s text. His words are written to those who have already experienced a change in their lives because of their faith in what Jesus did while he was here on earth. Believers are then encouraged to remember that they have been given spiritual gifts--abilities to help them live the Christian life in what can be a difficult environment, as well as to extend the grace of God to other people. And we do this because Jesus is coming to complete our salvation--to take his people into a kingdom that is not marred by violence, oppression, persecution, corruption, sickness, distrust, etc., where we will know perfection of all that is truly human. We are reminded to prepare for that coming kingdom by resisting sinful desires.


Prayer: O Coming King, we ask You today to turn our thoughts more fully toward the things that are yet to come. Even as we stress over issues and problems in our world, turn us toward the One who alone can make all things new. Come to our aid, that we might live kingdom lives here today. Amen.


Tuesday, December 2

Text: Mark 13:33-36. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”


Reflection: It’s not always easy to know that something will happen without also knowing when it will happen. We know that something will have to be in place if we are going to get through the change successfully. Think of Californians, who for decades have been waiting for “the big one”--a massive, catastrophic earthquake. Everything science tells us points to the inevitability of such a thing happening, but without being able to pinpoint just when it will happen. In the meantime, normal life goes on, though preparations are made through such things as building codes, emergency preparedness shelters, rapid response teams that go through drills. Families who take the threat seriously have plans for meeting points, emergency supplies, contact strategies, etc. These plans do not control everyday life once they are made and occasionally reviewed; but they are never entirely out of mind.

The second coming of Christ is something like that--something to be ready for, even though it may not occur for a long time, possibly not in our lifetime. But there are preparations for both the Christian community and for individuals to be aware of. Within the church, each person is to be about their given task, including the leaders who must guard the door, controlling what comes in and what goes out of the church. To everyone, the command to “Watch!” goes out. Be alert, on guard for things that would keep you from being ready for Christ, the head of the house, to return.


Prayer: Lord, today we ask You to remind us of the tasks you assign, such as treating everyone with kindness and grace, feeding the hungry, and clothing the poor, and being attentive to Your Word. Change our hearts daily, we pray, until we love the thought of Your return more than the delights of the present world. Amen.

Wedensday, December 3

Text: John 1:1-5. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


Reflection: The words of today’s reading are simple. There are no strange words among them, forcing us to look for a dictionary if we want to understand them. Yet their full meaning continues to challenge us because of the incredible statements these words present. It becomes obvious that “the Word” is a reference to Christ, who has always existed--though not always in a human body. And the author does not want to leave any room for a mistake in our understanding of who this “Word” truly is. It is God, in the fullest sense, a point made clear by connecting him to the creation of everything that exists. Another point on which the author wants us to be clear is that this Word is also “the light,” not just of a select few, but of all mankind. And his way of shining that light is by participating in life. Life in this world can be, and has been, played out in a very dark place for many, many people. Light helps us to see what is present and to see those things that are present for what they really are. Without light we only guess at what is there in the darkness. We’ve all been surprised at what we see when the light comes on in a room, and not just when it is a room with which we are not familiar.

When we observe Advent, our preparation means that we look to Christ to make the things we don’t see become visible, and to help see the things we already know appear as they really are. After all, He should know what these things are--He created them! We allow the life of Jesus to shine on our day, on our encounters with people, and on our challenges. As we do so, we can become the lamps, the flashlights, the candles through which his light can shine for the people around us in our daily lives.


Prayer: Jesus, Son of God, Word made flesh, shed Your light on our lives today. Keep us close to You so that we may see what is in front of us and to see it more clearly than ever before. Let the darkness disappear in our homes, in our communities, and in the lives of people who have lost their way. Amen.


Thursday, December 4

Text: John 1:6-9. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.


Reflection: There’s the real thing, and then there’s the message that tells us about the real thing. And there’s someone who delivers that message. Sometimes the message is well received. Sometimes people are skeptical. Sometimes people are so accustomed to living without something that they don’t want to hear about anything that will change the way they do things, no matter how much better their condition might be if the news they don’t want to hear would be accepted. Such was the case for John the Baptist. Talk about a mixed response! Sometimes people would flock to hear his message about a coming light; yet bearing that same message eventually got him killed!

Yes, we are called to bear witness to the light that is Christ, just like John was, though in very different circumstances and before very different audiences. Some are called to preach, some to make it financially possible for others to go and preach, some are called to search out new places to send the light of Jesus, and still others are given the ability to discern how to take it there. But all of us are called to point to the light, to bring a clearer focus into the world regarding what matters in life. It’s never easy, and visible results are never guaranteed. But recognizing that there is a lot of darkness remaining in our world should not lead us to despair; rather, it should lead us to the source of light, so that we might be better suited for reminding those around us that there really is such a thing as light; there really are answers to the most perplexing questions about life. We don’t have to pretend to be the answer or know the answer in full. We just need to be willing to remind people that there is light, and it’s found in Jesus.


Prayer: Jesus, Light of the World, shine Your truth, Your goodness, and Your beauty into our world through this Advent season. Many will sing familiar songs without much knowledge of their message. Help us to live in such a way that eyes and ears will be open to hear the Word about You. Dispel the darkness remaining in our own lives, so that Your light will bring hope where it has almost died. Amen.


Friday, December 5

Text: Jeremiah 33:14-16. 14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’


Reflection: Belief that a promise will be fulfilled is only as strong as our trust in the one who makes the promise. We want to know by our previous experience with the one making a promise whether we will count on what he or she tells us to expect now--or not. We don’t want to be disappointed by an unfulfilled promise, particularly if the promise requires us to make a significant effort that sacrifices things we might want to do. We don’t want to be left empty-handed, left with neither the things we would have done, nor the good thing that was promised to us.

When God made His promises to Israel the fulfillment was a long time in coming. But throughout the Old Testament, there are repeated examples of God delivering on what He had said, and it is because of that faithfulness to His word that new generations of Israelites were asked to trust Him with future promises. “The days are coming.” They came. We celebrate the coming of that Lord. And it is on the basis of this past performance of God and on His Spirit placed within us that we believe in the promise that Christ will return to make all things new. And so we invest ourselves in the work of the kingdom, in showing kindness to all, in giving what we have to offer to those in need, in keeping ourselves from being drawn away from the promise by the distractions around us.


Prayer: Sometimes waiting is hard, O God. We see many things that are not as they should be in our world, where leaders are more interested in gaining than in ruling with justice; where there are too many who are oppressed, too many who are hungry, too many who have given up on life. Increase our confidence that the days are coming when all shall be right. And until that day, make it so in our own lives by guiding us to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Amen.


Saturday, December 6

Text: Isaiah 6. In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?” And he answered:

“Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”


Reflection: There are times when we need to stop talking and listen, and sometimes what we must listen to is something we do not wish to hear. Isaiah’s vision is one that reminds us of just who God is, and He’s not the doting grandfather who continually overlooks our misdeeds. Why not? Because His work in this world is done by His people. If they will not do it, and turn instead to doing things just like everyone else in the world, He is left without a witness. Or His word will go out as something other than what it really is, misleading rather than inviting others to come to Him and know Him. Do we hear Him; do we perceive the things around us as He does?


Prayer: O Holy and Righteous God, forgive our tendency to forget just how holy You are. We want to make You more like us, rather than become more like You. We need to see You high, and lifted up, that we might see all else more clearly--our needs, our wants, our neighbors, and our purpose. Amen.


Second Sunday of Advent, December 7

Text: Romans 15:4-13. 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.”

10 Again, it says, “Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.” 11 And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.”

12 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


Reflection: Hope. It’s a really good thing, isn’t it? It’s hard to feel good without it, at least not for an extended time. Living without hope leads to despair, a condition that in turn leads to apathy--an attitude of not caring, not feeling. But when there is hope, there is greater joy, greater excitement about life, greater concern for the welfare of others. God designed us to live in hope, in joy, in fellowship with one another. And they all work together.

Jesus came to restore us to that condition, one we forfeit when we turn from God’s ways to follow our own. God’s way, demonstrated so clearly in Jesus, is the way of acceptance of other people; our way is to discriminate and exclude other people whom we do not deem to be like us. We try to justify ourselves by identifying those who are different, and therefore inferior to us. We’ll never know true hope or true joy if that is our way.


Prayer: May the attitudes of our minds and our hearts toward those we encounter today become more and more like the heart and mind of Christ, who accepted all who came to him.


Monday, December 8

Text: Psalm 43:3-5. Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.


Reflection: There are a lot of things in this world that can get us down. Despair is an easy trap into which to fall when we realize how many things are out of our control, and seem to be out of anyone’s control. We lose sight of God’s care for us, His provision for us; we trust in our ability to struggle through the temporary difficulties we face. Sometimes it works for a while. But it seldom works for great lengths of time.

The psalmist recognizes through many painful experiences that if he wants a peace that overcomes his tendency toward despair, it is to be found in the Lord’s presence. He also knows that he sometimes doesn’t feel like going there, even when he knows that’s what he needs. Does that sound familiar? Have you ever been in a state of mind such that you know where an answer is, but you don’t feel like going there to get it? The request in the psalm is that God’s faithful care, His light, will bring the despairing one to the place God dwells. He’s asking God to do what he cannot at present do for himself--take him to where God can work in him and draw out the faith and the trust and the praise that are deep inside, but are covered over at the moment. It’s as though there is a lid on top of the faith that has to come off; and he cannot seem to budge it, no matter how much he wants the contents. He needs the Lord to come near; he needs an Advent. Do you?


Prayer: Father, it’s sometimes difficult to come to You when we most need to do so. We trust You, yet we resist You. We long for what Your coming to us will provide, yet we hesitate to come and ask. At such times, send Your Spirit to overwhelm our resistance, take us to the place where You can heal our broken spirits, encourage our downcast lives, and receive the praise we long to give You. Come to us, O Lord. Amen.