1st Sunday of Advent Stay awake! (Matthew 24:42) It seems that everywhere you look these days you’re being urged to be prepared for something. It could be as practical as our retirement or natural disasters or as outlandish as Armageddon or the so-called zombie apocalypse. And of course, we need to get ready for the holidays. which is probably a mixture of both the practical and the outlandish! And yet in the midst of all the chatter, a quieter, gentler voice invites us, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Ready your heart and your mind. Fix your eyes on the child in the manger. Step aside from the onslaught of materialism for a bit, and prepare to receive the good gifts God has for you this Advent. That’s right. God, your heavenly Father, has many gifts stored up for you. He wants to give you his support and comfort as you walk through your day. He wants to give you peace in the midst of trials. He wants to give you a joy that is based not on fulfilled desires but on his constant presence. He even wants to give you hope and energy when your stamina flags! If you have a hard time imagining this, just think about your own heart. You know how to give gifts to the people you love. It’s almost instinctual! Well, God loves you completely. He has a real affection for you, warts and all, and he wants to show you his love in tangible, concrete ways. Like you, he can’t help himself. He just wants to show you how much you mean to him. So make this Advent a time of eager expectation. Set aside time to talk and listen to God every day. Quiet your heart, and wait for his still small voice to whisper to you. He has good things to say. Go ahead and let yourself be surprised or caught unaware by what he does as you prepare for Jesus’ birth. Believe that he really does want to delight you!
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 06:33:55 +0000
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