WEEKLY ADVENT READING

WEEK ONE: The Hope of the Messiah

Ann Swindell

Advent has arrived, and with it, an opportunity for us—as God’s people—to rehearse and remember the story of Christ’s first coming so that we can better prepare our hearts for his second coming.

In this, the first week of Advent, we focus on the hope that Christ brings to his people. To do that, we are going to consider a powerful passage in Luke 2:22-39. Take time to read that passage today.

In this Scripture, we see that after Jesus’ birth, his parents followed the Law and presented him to the Lord in the temple (Luke 2:22-32). The Holy Spirit was on a devout man named Simeon at the temple, and when he saw the baby Jesus, he prophesied! Simeon declared that Jesus was the Lord’s “salvation…a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (v. 30-32).
 
The Scripture tells us that Simeon had been “waiting for the consolation of Israel”—waiting for the coming Messiah. We don’t know how long he had been waiting, but it is clear from this passage that he was a man of faith, and his waiting did not extinguish his trust in God’s ability to fulfill his promise in his perfect timing.

Simeon had set his hope on the coming Savior, and that hope was not disappointed!
 
All of us have places in our lives where we are waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promises. Whether we are longing for healing or for restoration, for breakthrough or renewal, God knows and understands those places of waiting and suffering and confusion.

But we must make a choice about where we place our hope in the middle of our waiting. Like Simeon, we must put our hope in the Savior, confident in Him rather than in our circumstances. For when our hope is in Christ, we will not be disappointed:

“…we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;  and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;  and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:2b-5 NASB).

This Advent, may we find our hope fully in Christ!

WEEK TWO: The PEACE GOD GIVES

Ann Swindell

This second week of Advent, we turn our attention to the peace that Christ gives to us, reading in the book Matthew, chapter 1:18-25. 

Here at the start of the Christmas story, we get a glimpse into Joseph’s life. Joseph was the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. The Word tells us that he was a faithful man—a “righteous man”—who loved God and obeyed him, even in a circumstance that defied any earthly explanation.

As the Advent story continues, Joseph is present in the Biblical narrative, but we don’t get many details about him. That’s because Joseph is not the hero of the Christmas story. Yes, he was present and faithful, and we can imagine that in the moments and days following Jesus’ arrival, Joseph was a loving and caring father. Still, the world will never know most of what he said or did; he was simply being obedient to God.

There is a peace that comes when we remember and accept that we are not the hero of our own story. God is. When we come to accept that most of the valuable things we do in life will be seen by very few people—if any at all—we are free to obey God, not worrying about the attention we get from humans.

There is peace in knowing that our value comes not from what others see and praise, but from what God sees and praises. Because the Lord always sees our work that is done out of love for him and others. So, in a world that praises what is seen outwardly, take heart today that—like Joseph—your deeds may not be "recorded" by culture, but they are remembered by the Lord.

Peace comes when we find our identity, calling, and purpose in Christ. And, like Joseph, we know what our calling is: to support, love, and serve Christ so that his presence in the world is known by all.

Take time to pray today and ask God to give you his perspective on the parts of your life that go unseen by others but are never unknown to him. And then ask him to help you to experience his peace as you live and work unto him, just as Joseph did.

WEEK THREE: The JOY OUR MESSIAH BRINGS

Ann Swindell

This week, as we move forward into the third week of Advent, our focus is on the joy that Christ brings to his people—both now and forevermore!

Today, start by reading Luke 2:1-14.

Christ is born in Bethlehem, the long-foretold place of the birth of the Messiah (see Micah 5:2), and the angels proclaim the birth of Jesus to shepherds in the nearby fields.

One angel speaks the news that Israel has been longing to hear for centuries:

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

The “good news of great joy” that the angels sang about on the night of Christ’s birth is the same truth we declare today—that Christ is the Messiah, and that he is the Savior of his people!

But our Savior was born as an infant, and he would not complete his earthly purposes for over thirty years. Consider how much time passed! The shepherds who worshiped him in the manger may not have lived to see his death and resurrection all those years later.

There was a lot of waiting and hoping and trusting between the manger and the empty tomb.

 
The miracle that started at Christmas is one that took decades to fully unfold. The miracle that the Lord is working in your life may take decades to unfold, as well. So how do we have joy in Jesus when it seems like the work of God is moving slowly?

We do what the angels did on the night his birth was declared: we worship him! Along with them, we sing “Glory to God in the highest heaven!” (v. 14) and we turn our attention to Jesus, knowing that true joy comes in the Lord’s presence:

“You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” -Psalm 16:11

Today, take time to pray and ask the Lord to give you the long-term view of the work he is doing in your life. While it may not seem like anything extraordinary is happening today, we are in the middle of God's glorious work if we are walking with Christ—and that can fill our hearts with great joy as we trust in him!   

WEEK FOUR: The LOVE OF IMMANUEL

Ann Swindell

At the center of the Advent story is the coming of the Christ child, and for the last three weeks, we have meditated upon the joy, hope, and peace that Jesus offers to us. In this, our final week of Advent, we focus now on the love of God displayed through the coming of Immanuel.

Read again Luke 2:1-7, and partner it with it a glance through all of Matthew, chapter 1. The birth of Jesus has been foretold for generations, and now, through the genealogy that Matthew provides, we see how God has laid out the plan for Christ’s perfectly timed arrival over centuries.

And when Christ arrived, he did not come as a conquering king, or as a powerful dictator: he came as an infant, helpless to care for himself and helpless to protect himself. He came as all of us come—needy, hungry, and dependent upon others to keep us safe and sustained.

Jesus’ arrival as a babe is a glimpse into the depth of the love he has for us, his people. For in order for us to become children of God, the Lord of the Universe—through whom all things were made and are sustained (read John 1:1-4)—had to become a child himself.

Consider afresh the humility of Jesus, to leave his throne in heaven for us! Meditate again upon the love of Christ: How deeply he loves us, to become one of us! How selflessly he loves us, to willingly and fully submit himself to the life of a human, with all of our weaknesses, illnesses, and dependence. To come as a newborn was to come in humanity’s weakest state—and he did this for us out of his great love!

Jesus spoke of this immense love to his disciples:

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” -John 15:9-13

Through Christ, who became a child who grew and would one day lay down his life for us, we have become not only his friends, but children of God:

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” -1 John 3:1

Jesus considered us worthy of the greatest sacrifice of his perfect life—because of his great love for us. Let us live as people worthy of that love as we worship and celebrate King Jesus this Christmas.

Alleluia!