Advent devo image, blue background with candle outline, week two: joy

Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?

Using the Advent Devo

The Advent Devo walks through the narrative of Jesus’ birth. It begins in the Garden with God’s promise of a Savior and ends with an eager anticipation of Jesus’ promised return. In the middle, God shows His unmistakable faithfulness in sending the promised Rescuer. We see His love for the lowly and outcast as He proclaims the news of His Son to the shepherds. We marvel at His heart to see all nations come and worship His Son through the Magi’s journey.

Even if you know the Advent narrative well, don’t rush past what God has for you in this season. For many, this may be the first time to consider all that God is saying through the birth of His Son. For others, it will be an opportunity to rediscover the way God intimately works in the details of life for His glory and the good of man. For all of us, may this season be one marked by hope, expectation, remembrance, and worship. The King has come and is coming! There is much to celebrate.

Call to Prayer

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Ps. 27:1)

Scripture Reading

Readings: John 1 + Psalm 85:1-7

Read the passages above.
Then spend a moment in quiet stillness before God.
(Click on the link to read each of the passages, or turn there in your Bible)

He came just as he said he would, Part 2…

Four hundred and fifty years of silence had passed since the final words of the prophets. At long last, a cry of deliverance was heard again, uttered from the lips of the Word Made Flesh. This newborn’s cry pierced the midnight sky like a trumpet heralding sin’s demise and the defeat of death forever for all who would believe. The Ancient of Days stepped into time and wrapped Himself in the frailty of human skin. He came, full of pity, compassion, and power, to rescue those lost in darkness and carry them into the kingdom of everlasting light. He came, just as He said He would, to do what we never could.

With hindsight, we see in Jesus the fulfillment of all that the prophets spoke concerning the Messiah. We understand that our Lord has done just what He said He would do in exactly the right way, at exactly the right time. We also see that God is full of compassion. He saw the desperate need of His people. He cared and acted by sending His only Son to save them.

May our hearts be encouraged! Let Advent be a time to reflect on God’s good attributes and His faithfulness to do exactly what He said He would.

Dwelling

“The Ancient of Days stepped into time and wrapped Himself in the frailty of human skin. He came, full of pity, compassion, and power, to rescue those lost in darkness and carry them into the kingdom of everlasting light.” Take some time to consider the significance and reality of The Incarnation (God “enfleshed”). What questions do you have? What do you find marvelous about this mystery?

Prayer

Sure to come Savior, I believe your coming again will mean the righting of all that is wrong; it will complete your rescue plan and fully carry out your redemption. But that sweet comfort makes the waiting all that much harder. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, and redeem your people; come quickly and rescue us. Amen. (prayer based on the Belgic Confession, Question 37).

*Prayer borrowed from Philip Reinders’ Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year

Wonder

Advent begins in the dark. Literally. It is the darkest time of the year. Advent, which begins our church calendar, begins facing this darkness. Advent comes to us as a gift of darkness, emptiness, and says – will you enter this period of waiting with me?

Will you pause to remember and recognize your own emptiness and darkness – and practice longing for the light? These works of art invite us to enter into the wonder and waiting for the Light of the World to dawn on Christmas morn.

MUSIC
(if accessing via email, CLICK these links: Advent Playlist 1 + Advent Playlist 2)


Benediction

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” (Ps. 27:14)