Holston Daily Devotional November 29, 2020

Focus Scripture

Isaiah 64:1

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!

Devotion

Advent. How I have longed for this season to arrive – so much so that occasionally Christmas music has been heard playing in my car or office! It has been a trying and difficult year. Last year, I lost my mother on Christmas Day. Our family was so looking forward to reclaiming Christmas this year with the whole family gathered to celebrate the Incarnation while honoring my mom. Now, we are trying to come to terms with not gathering all of us together, none of the normal traditional events to attend, and a cloud of national discord and rising COVID deaths.

Yet, here comes Advent! In the midst of darkness, we begin our journey to Bethlehem where the Light and Hope of the World, the long-awaited promise of God, will come in the form of a human infant. Like the Israelites, I have longed for God to just tear open the heavens, come down and straighten out this whole mess. We need to refocus away from worldly concerns and set our eyes on Bethlehem once more. Hope, Love, Joy and Peace - O God, that you would help us these would replace the doubt, fear and uncertainty we have felt throughout most of this year!

Though this year may seem unprecedented, hope is not. I heard Nadia Bolz-Weber speak earlier this Fall that “Hope in God is not unprecedented. A hope on which I can truly rely has to be a hope for which there is indeed a precedent.” Our hope and faith in God are based on the stories of our faith, where God’s people were in dire circumstances and God helps get them through. Our ancestors leaned on the promises of God, the promise of a Messiah. As Bolz-Weber states: “It has to be a hope that has been worn smooth by the tears and prayers and struggle of our ancestors in faith, through Sarah’s laughter, and Hagar’s steps and Mary’s labor.”

Throughout our history, God has always worked in ways and places to bring about God’s kingdom; though his people were often like us – blinded to God’s presence and how God is moving in the world’s darkness. We read in the Hebrew Bible of God’s people crying out “How long, O God?,” “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down.” These cries and prayers have one thing in common – hope. The hope of knowing that God hears, God is present, and God will see us through. Ecclesiastes 3:15 reminds us that what is has already been. Times like this have happened before – for every period of despair, there is a time of hope.

Last Sunday we celebrated that Christ is king. We celebrated that we serve a living God who is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Advent is a time to prepare our hearts and souls once again for celebrate Emmanuel – God with us. To celebrate the Incarnation – the God who was there at the beginning and who will be there at the end; who chose to put on flesh, dwell among us, all to show us what love is.

May our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Prince of Peace begin a work in your heart and soul this Advent season to bring you from despair to hope, from sadness to joy, from discord to peace and remind you how much you are loved!

Prayer

Prayer based on the Advent hymn “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus”: Come, thou long expected Jesus! Set us free from our sins and fears so that we may find rest this Advent season in you. Move in our hearts. You are the joy of our hearts and the hope we so desperately need. Help us to share your love and peace with others. Be with us as we again journey the road to the manger. In Christ’s name, we pray, Amen.