Following the Star

Pause

Advent is here: the season that beckons us to remember our past and where we came from and yet also compels us to look to the future of the promised Messiah.

In the midst of schedules, homework, church obligations, holiday concerts, parties, and play…

We are called to pause for a moment and focus on God, our Creator and on Christ, the Bringer of Peace.

Listen

The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah:

Look, I am sending my messenger before you. He will prepare your way, a voice shouting in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight.”

Mark 1:1-3

Think

Today we get back to the words of Isaiah that proclaimed the coming of the Lord. With yesterday’s devotion, we thought about what it would be like to proclaim God’s presence in the world to those we love. So how does this work for Jesus? Perhaps we don’t talk about Jesus as much because we can’t quite figure out what to say. God always seems so safe, a little distant and abstract.

Jesus was NOT distant or abstract in the Bible. In fact, he was often in people’s faces and he got involved in their lives when it came to some pretty personal stuff. The amazing thing though is that Jesus never was one to simply judge someone and then leave. Jesus came into this world to be in relationship with others, including you and me.

So what would you say about Jesus? Who is this guy after all? What does Advent have to do with both how we experience Jesus coming onto the scene and how we share this news with others?

Jeff Binder

Pray

Dear Jesus, I pray so often to God, I sometimes forget how to talk to you. When people ask me about you, what should I say? How should I announce your coming into the world? Amen.

Go

May we be comforted by your history of loving us, dear Lord, at peace with your daily presence, and energized for the adventures that lie ahead.