Although I have contributed to advent booklets in previous years, this year did not seem to be "right" for a meditation. I pondered the possibilities, but nothing seemed to stir my mind toward writing. In late September, however, a series of events caused me to remember again that God is a promise-fulfilling God. God's promises are bound up in God's very nature, so the promises come to us on the authority of God.
The most meaningful promises are those which speak to us in the midst of life, bringing us the awareness of God's healing presence in sorrow and grief. Following the end of my ministry to the Southern Seminary Community at the Seminary library, God's promises became alive for me in a new way. A Chinese Christian read Matthew 28:19-20 and became very excited because the promise was directed to him by his name: Lo. The passage specifically says: "Lo, I am with you." Even though our names are not actually in the text, God calls each one of us by name, and this is what the Promise of Advent is all about.
For your promises, O God, we are grateful; especially the fulfilled promise of a Savior who is ever present. Amen.
Paul M. Debusman
Make a Christmas list and a gift budget
remember:John David Hopper (Retired, Czech Republic (CBF)
They were cousins caught up together
In the consummation of a covenant
Elizabeth, the elder
Her spouse struck silent,
And Mary, merely a maiden
Engaged to a country carpenter.
Each woman consented to carry
Within her own womb a wonder,
The miracle and mystery
Of a holy baby boy who was
Announced and named by an angel
John and Jesus
One a prophet, the other the Promised One
Crescent Hill Writer's Support Group
Share some homemade goodies with a friend or, better yet, a stranger
remember: Dan Crawley, Ghana (SBC)
This summer brought the anxiety and anticipation of our second child's birth. With the joy and excitement of preparation came the fear of labor pains. Pregnant women worry about whether everything will be ready physically, mentally, and emotionally when the baby comes.
On August 7th labor began and a midwife assisted the delivery. Visual aids, mental imagery and a cold hand in mine were all that took me though the delivery. That evening an overwhelming gratitude flooded me as I held our baby girl and reflected on the day's experience. My thoughts drifted to Mary and the baby Jesus. We both knew the same anxieties, pain and joy, the fear and the sense of having no control, followed by the overwhelming peace when the baby was healthy.
We don't know the details of Jesus' actual delivery. Mary hoped for everything to turn out well. We do know that she traveled through anticipation, pain of delivery, and peace of fulfillment.
Lord we continue to ask for faith in your fulfillment of promises, through seasons of fear, feeling out of control and overwhelmed. As in labor, we struggle through, eyes focused, awaiting the peace. Amen.
Erin McGee Ferrel
Enjoy an hour of Christmas music by candlelight
Remember: Ann Henry Clemmons, Zaire (ABC)
"Hope, Mama, hope!" It was Advent and Emma was almost two: busy trying to assert her independence, refusing offers of assistance, not quite capable of doing all she wanted to do. I would go about my business and patiently watch as she tried to put on her socks or pour her cereal or whatever task she had decided she should be able to accomplish on her own. And I would wait for the inevitable cry for help – "Hope, Mama, hope me!"
From our earliest days we long for our independence; we strive for it. We do it as individuals; the Israelites did it as a nation. Time after time, forgetting who they were, the Israelites turned away from God. They said in effect, "We don't need you, God, we can do it ourselves." Then when things would go wrong, they would call out to God for help. Finally they were forced into exile where the message of the prophets was that the people must learn not just to cry for help but to hope in their God.
Unlike our own children whom we help to move toward independence, as God's children we should strive for further dependence on God. That is where we find our true selves and our true security. When we cry "hope, God, hope," God reaches toward us, not just with help for the moment, but with hope for now and all eternity.
"O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Be Thou our guard while life shall last, And our eternal home." Thank you, God, for the gift of hope found in Jesus. Amen.
Gaye Tyner Rountree
Pray for foster parents and send a note of encouragement
Remember: Buddy Debright (Mexico--SBC)
The last three years have been the darkest, hardest years I've known. No great tragedy, catastrophe, or cataclysm. Just a struggle with issues which resist resolution.
And there have been disappointments: personal relationships, professional decisions that seemed right but were wrong.
Such darkness and difficulty are not new. I knew them when I was ten. The difference is they never took up residence before. Now they seem like permanent house guests.
One of my jobs when I was ten was taking out the garbage—this in the days before Glad Bags and garbage disposals—a smelly, distasteful task. I remembered that onerous job late one night, when in a particularly dark mood. As I turned the corner of our house heading west toward the garbage cans with the garbage sacks in hand, I looked up and saw the planet Venus, brilliant like a diamond, a pure white light, serene, calm, indifferent to my unhappiness.
My unhappiness evaporated. For a time, there was no time. I stood there in awe. This was my first experience of Beauty and (now I know) of Grace. As I write these words in late October, 1997, Venus is the Evening Star. It will be gone by the time you read these words. Venus is always there, though we cannot always see it.
God promises us Grace that will always be there and will always be sufficient, though we may not always feel it. The Evening Star has reminded me of Grace.
Dear God, Help us trust your bright Grace even in the dark times. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Bill Thomason
Do a random act of kindness
Remember: Elizabeth Richards (Asia--CBF)
What was that hardy, little ladybug doing on my window that cold, drizzly day in late October? She kept flying away to do whatever ladybugs do in the rain and then returning to peer at me (or so I imagined) as I kept warm and dry in my rocking chair with hot chocolate and an afghan. I finally quit counting her return trips but continued to wonder about her "mission." I usually associate ladybugs with warming Spring rather than chilly Autumn. That's it! She's a cheery promise of Spring! I had also just planted crocus bulbs...another promise, a rainbow-hued promise of Spring. Those promises are important ones in the midst of Louisville winters. I long for light in the sky instead of the dull, gray which seems to envelop us. So, I'll hold on to memories of ladybugs and crocus bulbs...promises of new life and light to come.
As important as those promises may seem in winter, the Promise for all the seasons of our lives is the One we celebrate during Advent. You remember...and the Lord himself will give you a sign. And He will be called Immanuel...a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord...for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whomever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life...I am the light of the world...Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...I am the resurrection and life. He who believes in me will live...Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you...And I will as the Father and he will give you another Comforter.
These are the promises we can hold on to...winter, spring, summer or fall.
We are grateful, Lord, for the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives. Thank you for the promise of light and new life and comfort that Jesus offers each of us. May we, in turn, be reminders to others of your promises. Amen.
Ginger Miller
Invite a friend or stranger to share a meal with your family
Remember: Calvin Winters (Scandanavia--SBC)
My favorite Old Testament scholar and good friend, J. J. Owens, contends that Isaiah 53 actually begins with verse 13 of Chapter 52: "Behold my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up. I can picture an old Rabbi intoning words of comfort for a weary people hungry for some good news. They had endured much and the hope for a Messiah was a mainstay of their lives. Could he have been trying to tell them the savior might not be exactly the kind of powerful leader they were imagining?
When I was young I always wanted something to look forward to. I became so oriented toward deferred gratification that I was essentially existing for the future and not fully living in, or appreciating, the now. As you can imagine, I set myself up for disappointment time after time. Even Christmas was sometimes spoiled because all the happiness I expected to feel when the big day came just wasn't there. I'm reminded of a cartoon of a little boy sitting amid piles of boxes, wrappings, and toys asking, "Is that all there is?"
As I grew older I learned that few things ever turn out as expected. They may be much better, sometimes much worse, but most always very different from what we imagine.
Jesus was not what the people expected. Many never forgave Him for that. Others understood, partially at least, what He was about and did not find Him lacking. In order to keep the real meaning of Christmas this holiday season, I plan to say each day:
Oh God, help me to avoid as much as possible the intrusive commercial aspects of this blessed time. Help me to celebrate Christ's birth and life by following His example throughout this day and the days to come, for it is in His name I pray. Amen.
Elaine Parker
Make a list of your blessings and give thanks for them
Remember: Sam Simpson (New York City--SBC)
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Last updated November 27, 1997