Prepare to Listen. As you light the 1st purple candle, pray: Restore our fortunes, O Lord.
Prayerfully Read Mark 13:32-37 32‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ Prayerfully Wonder “And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake” (v37). It’s simple really, “Keep awake!” It’s also serious, given a second time with a warning, “Beware, keep alert.” We might be excited about the day Jesus comes “with great power and glory” (v26), but he cautions his followers: no one knows, not even Jesus, when that time will come, therefore, keep awake. Not infrequently someone claims to know when he’s coming, using the Bible to support their claim. They’ve all been wrong, and foolish are those who listen to them. To help us grasp the certainty that no one knows, Jesus told a short story. “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.” We’re the slaves in charge, each with our own work to do. We’re also, all of us, the doorkeeper on the lookout. The charge to keep awake, says Jesus, is for all of us. Beware and stay alert so that you don’t end up believing the false prophets, who always sound like the true one, except they lie with great cleverness. Keep awake so that you notice when Jesus comes each day in the ordinary. Perhaps it’s only when we notice Jesus in the daily ordinary that we’ll be able to keep hope alive and awake for the day he comes in power and glory. Prayerfully Reflect What could help you stay awake and alert to the quiet and sometimes subtle ways Jesus comes into your world today? Respond to Jesus Jesus, you keep reminding us to keep awake and I keep dozing off. Forgive me. Help me use these few weeks of Advent to practice staying awake and being alert to your presence and promptings to act or simply to wait. May your face shine on me today that I may be saved, Amen. Go live obediently in the world by following Jesus’ command to stay awake.
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Prepare to Listen. As you light the 1st purple candle, pray: Restore our fortunes, O Lord.
Prayerfully Read Mark 13:24-31 24‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Prayerfully Wonder “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.” This is a sight followers of Jesus long for and speculate over, sometimes rather wildly. But we often fail to pay attention to the first word: then. Something happens before Christ’s coming that isn’t what we long for. Suffering, a darkened sun and moon, falling stars, a shaking of the powers of heaven and then. Jesus borrowed traditional words from the prophets (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel) to symbolically describe God’s judgment on the world. But, you may protest, this is Advent, a time to prepare for the joyous occasion of Christ’s birth, surely not a time for doom and gloom. First, Christ’s coming is about judgment on a world that has ignored God’s agenda and demands replacing them with their own. God’s judgment that will bring healing, restoring hope to those who are deprived and oppressed because of the injustices perpetrated by those in power, be they religious or political. Second, today, especially today with the devastation caused by a global pandemic, Jesus’ words remind us that bad things will happen, even to his own. We should expect them and endure them in hope, the hope of the then. We keep hope alive because we know Christ will come with great power and glory, after we’ve endured. Then they shall see. Prayerfully Reflect What caught your attention as you read these verses? Think about that and let it sink into your heart. Respond to Jesus Lord, I know it’s easy to get side-tracked and fail to stay alert as I wait for you to come in glory to restore the world in justice and righteousness. Help me wait patiently and hopefully, discerning what is and what isn’t of and for you. Amen. Go live obediently in the world waiting in hope for the then. Prepare to Listen. In silence and stillness light the first purple candle of Advent and pray: Restore our fortunes, O Lord.
Prayerfully Read Psalm 126 1When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ 3The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 4Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. 5May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Prayerfully Wonder The psalmist begins with a past tense claim; restoration had happened (vv1-3). Yet, half way in he prays for a future restoration (vv4-6). So, which is it—past or future? Perhaps both. Restoration refers to homecoming after decades of exile in Babylon, and had already happened. It was like a dream come true, people were euphoric. Mouths were filled with laughter, tongues with shouts of joy. Praise rang through the land and beyond so even the surrounding nations testified to God’s greatness. But then reality set in. Homecoming had its hardships. Their land was still in the ruins left by the Babylonians decades earlier. Rebuilding a new life needed another restoration, not a return to ‘the good old days,’ but to the newness God alone brings. A newness like the transformation of the desert Negeb after the yearly rains had filled the rivers so that farmers, who’d planted in tears, rejoiced knowing there’d be food. Today we can identify with a homecoming that is still unfinished. Covid-19 put us in an exile of lockdowns, restrictions and limitations that remain ongoing. We long for a homecoming, freedom from fear of this virus and the imposed restrictions. But homecoming, while joyous, comes with new burdens, different hardships. Like Israel, we will say, “When the LORD restored our fortunes,” even as we continue to pray, “Restore our fortunes, O LORD.” Advent is a time to practice patience in waiting for full restoration that will be different to what we once knew. Prayerfully Reflect What word or phrase caught your attention? Reflect on what the Spirit may be saying to you as you seek to be restored. Respond to Jesus You are a God who desires that your people experience exuberant joy. For all those who are experiencing sorrow today, may they be strengthened by your power and love to hope in your promise of a return with joy. Grant us courage to accept the hardships and transformations you alone can bring. In the name of Jesus who came that our joy may be complete, Amen. Go live obediently in the world as you wait in patience to be fully restored. Advent is the season of waiting for the coming of Christ into the world. It's the only season in the church that we focus on two events--Christ's first coming into the world in human flesh as a vulnerable infant and Christ's second coming to restore all creation to its original goodness. We celebrate the first coming and keep awake and alert for the second coming. The daily Advent devotions in this space, beginning on Sunday November 29, train us to be alert and prepare us to celebrate with joy the birth of our Lord.
Devotions will be posted each day from Nov 29 until Christmas day. Join me in praying with Scripture, exercising your heart and your mind. My prayer is that you will experience your own encounter with the Living God in Christ Jesus. For this reason, I have formatted the devotions to help you prayerfully reflect on the Scripture passage. There are 6 movements in each devotion, beginning with space to silently prepare your heart and mind to listen attentively, and ending with a reminder to go out and live the Word. Follow the format if you find it helpful. |
AuthorI am convinced that reading the Christian Bible is essential for our Christian spiritual nourishment. I speak from experience, over 60 years of experience. I also believe we'll never get bored reading the Bible over and over. Each time I read it, I learn something new. Read with me during Advent and learn to wait for Christ with heart and mind alert for his coming. The readings draw on my background of study and teaching the Bible for over 30 years. ArchivesCategories |