The Babe, The Son of Mary

December 17                                                                               The Third Sunday of Advent          

Scripture Reading
Read Luke 1:26-38 and reflect on the passage.

The people of God have been waiting for the fulfillment of the promise from Jeremiah 33 for 600 years. Mary is an engaged teenage girl living in a small town in the northern half of Israel. Her people are back from exile, but under Roman rule. Mary is visited by an angel who says, "Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus."

The birth of Christ shows us how unexpected the work of God can be. Imagine Mary's neighbors – watching her stomach grow, how could they have known that the town scandal was in fact the sovereign work of God? Trusting God can be difficult. We can't see the whole picture. God's work in our lives looks different than we expect. Mary learns lessons here that can transform the way we find hope in God. 

Rather than looking around and wondering if God is working, we can grow to trust that God is always faithfully at work redeeming His people. We can't always see or understand how God works, but we can pray with the hope of Mary's powerful prayer.

Consider all the promises from the Bible that God has given to us. As you think back on how God has fulfilled His promises, do you think of Him as predictable, unpredictable, or some of both? What opportunities are before you to trust God and his promises. If He is always faithfully at work redeeming His people, what does that look like for you?

Prayer

God, we praise You for Your incredible promise to Mary. Thank You for Jesus! Grow our trust in You for every part of our lives.

                                                                                                Aaron Thompson and David White

Rejoice! Rejoice!

December 10                                                Second Sunday of Advent                                      

Scripture Reading
Read Jeremiah 33:10-16 and reflect on the passage.

"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah." In the middle of a terrible time, God reveals a future hope and new covenant to His people. Jeremiah encounters the good news of Christ 600 years before it becomes reality. They are under attack and yet there is hope? 

Yes, hope is like that – it comes in the midst of pain, or uncertainty. Hope in this passage is rooted in the action of God. Jesus will be perfectly faithful, where Israel had failed. Here we see the essence of the Gospel – God doing for us what we can't do for ourselves.

The birth of Christ is an incredible picture of God's faithfulness to us. Because God has been faithful to his promises over and over again, we can have real hope. Not a birthday wish or "Good luck with that!" empty feeling, but a solid, historically rooted hope. The prophet Jeremiah shows us that we can be real about the problems in life when we are rooted in the promises of God. We have hope because God keeps His promises!

What is your definition of hope? Is it a deeply rooted thing that assures you or a flimsy wish? When have you experienced God's faithfulness? How does that encourage you to follow God today and into the future? Give yourself some space this week to be reminded of God’s faithfulness. 

Prayer

Dear God, we echo the words of Jeremiah 33:11. We give thanks to You, Lord. You are good and Your love endures forever!

Aaron Thompson and David White