Advent Reflection

Image Credit: She Reads Truth

Advent - the season of waiting and anticipation.
Advent - the season of giving and blessing.
Advent - the season of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Advent - the season of exhaustion and desperation and hopelessness.

The season before Christmas is one that I always look forward to.  And yet, once it comes, I often times find myself relieved when it's over. 

This Advent was a tough one.  As we were challenged as a church to do more than observe the season, but actually BE Advent, I found myself and those I love caught in the middle of the darkness of the world.

• sickness
• death
• suicide
• depression
• abuse
• neglect
• affairs

It was as if the darkness of the world came crashing down around me and those I love.

But I also experienced Advent in a completely new way - I experienced Jesus in a completely new way!  It's amazing to me how I have celebrated 37 Christmases, and yet I am still able to learn and experience Christmas in a new way. 

For the first time I realized that we do not observe Advent to wait for the Baby Jesus who has already come, but to remind us to wait for the King and Savior who is coming again!

I learned the significance of 1 John 3:16 - "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." - Christ laid down his life not just on the cross, but also in the manger.  This King left His throne and humbled Himself on this earth.  This past Christmas Eve there was a wooden manger on the stage.  And then I watched through tear-filled eyes as our pastor transformed the wooden manger into a wooden cross.  "This is how we know what love is..."

I realized the irony of the sacrificial lamb and Jesus - our Sacrificial Lamb.  Both are born in the stable and sacrificed to atone for the sins of others.  The Lamb was placed in a wooden manger - born for all the people.  The Lamb was nailed on a wooden cross - sacrificed for all the people.

I saw why the shepherds were chosen instead of the religious elite to be the first to hear about and worship the newborn King.  Although they were considered ceremonially unclean, they were visited by the heavenly host, who proclaimed the Good News for ALL people!  And would the righteous and religious elite have allowed themselves to become unclean in the presence of a newborn baby and His mother, who would also have been considered unclean?  They, unlike the lowly shepherds, would have missed the purpose of this infant King - just as they did 30 years later.

I caught a glimpse of God's Crazy Love for ALL people - allowing His One and Only Son to humble Himself among the filth and darkness of the earth.  But as He grew, His Light grew brighter and brighter.  It brought Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love to the brokenhearted and hopeless world.  This Light also brought fear, anger, jealousy, and doubt to some.  But this neither surprised Him, nor did it prevent Jesus from living out His purpose in this world.

My prayer for 2016 is that I would continue to Advent - to wait with great expectation - for our Savior - our Wonderful Counselor - our Mighty God - our Everlasting Father - our Prince of Peace - throughout the year.  We have been blessed with the greatest gift ever given!  May we always remain thankful for the precious gift of Jesus AND His great sacrifice!  Amen!!!