Advent Promises

By Melanie Jean Juneau

The Visitation by Albertinelli (photo credit:
Wikimedia Commons).

He will come.

I can trust that He will come.

For He comes even on a  frosty whisper,

Lighting the darkness with pinpoints of hope

Just as the stars appear each dark night.

He will come,

In spite of myself;

His arrival does not depend on my preparations.

Only that I wait expectantly in the dark.

In the silence

If I open my inner stable door.

He will come like a tiny child

Silently slipping into the open spaces in my heart.

Unconsciously,

I smile

Eyes Twinkling,

Automatically.

My heart burns with newborn life.

He always Comes.

images are personal photos

Melanie blogs at Joy of Nine9.

Rejoice!

By Heidi

Joy!  That is the message this Sunday.  We light the pink candle, and we look to our joyous celebration of Christ’s birth as well as to His second coming, which we wait for amidst the groaning labor pains of all creation. Even in suffering our joy is at hand. 

This is why I love Enya’s version of O Come, O come Emmanuel.  It has that soft, mournful tone of a world that is subjected to futility, a world that longs for redemption.  And echoing in the background, as if from somewhere outside of time you hear: Rejoice! Gaudete!

And we need to know that our rejoicing is not a glib refusal to accept the harsh realities of our day, but an enduring hope that we can indeed reject the concerns of the flesh, which lead to death, and receive the Spirit of God, which is not enslaved by fear:  "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father!'" Romans 8:15

 
Continue reading at Heidi's blog Journey to Wisdom.

Rejoice in suffering

By Robert Batch

Paul in Prison by Rembrandt (Wikimedia Commons).

When we hear the word “suffering” we typically think of pain and sorrow.  It is rare that we go as far and meditate on the sufferings of Christ.  Why is this?  Well I would like to propose that it is part of the nature of being human.  We are wired to focus and satisfy ourselves, in trying to fill that void with all of the wrong things.

The world today encourages us to not look to faith, but rather look up a number for a therapist or a counselor.  The world today tells us not to pray, but rather gossip.  It says in Romans 8:18 that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the Glory that is to be revealed to us.

In this 2nd Sunday of Advent, we eagerly await the coming of Christ, in hope, knowing the glory that we have waiting for us.  We eagerly await the source and summit of our salvation, who has experienced all of our sufferings on the Cross of Calvary, carrying the weight of our sins and guilt on His shoulders.  It is our job to keep our eyes focused on the Cross for that is where our salvation lies, and that is where we will get our joy.

As we continue through this advent season, let us remember, if we are suffering through something in our lives, that Christ continually shows us His mercy and love every step of the way.


Robert blogs at Love is Calling.