Advent ? Isaiah 9:1-2 -Hope

Read Isaiah 9:1-2

Our Advent preparations are heading into the home stretch. It’s time to take a deep breath and prepare for the final frantic moments yet to come. Why do we try to pack so much into such a short period of time? There’s traveling, cookie baking, card sending, concert attending, rehearsing, decorating, wrapping gifts, carol singing–I’ve got to be forgetting something! Yes — hoping in Christ!

Isaiah’s prophecy speaks loudly to us as well. We can surely identify with living in a “time of darkness and despair,” too. Anytime God is absent from a conversation or a decision or an event, the potential for darkness exists. Isaiah’s message brings hope to those living in darkness when he says, “will not go on forever.”

Advent ? Micah 5:2 – Humility

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are only a small village among all the people of Judah.
Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past,
will come from you on my behalf. (Micah 5:2)

Micah would have written this prophecy sometime during the the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. Other prophets in his day include Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. It’s hard to believe these words were written some seven hundred years before they were fulfilled in the birth of our Messiah, Jesus.

Malachi 3:1-5 – Judgment Day is Coming

Read Malachi 3:1-5

This is often a text used during Advent in churches following the lectionary who prepare for Jesus’ coming around Christmas. As I read this, I pictured John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus’ ministry. People hearing Malachi’s message would surely imagine Jesus in a different way.

The people first hearing Malachi’s words were far from faithful. They had started to believe that God didn’t care about them anymore. Their sin was total indifference to God, ignoring the covenant relationship that had existed for generations. The intimate relationship God craves with his children was non-existent in those days. Do we see that kind of intimacy today?

Micah 4:1-5 – In the Last Days

Read Micah 4:1-5

the word END with road and fire around it

Because we’re getting nearer and nearer to celebrating Christmas, that means the Advent season is drawing to a close for another year. What are some of your favorite ways to “get ready” for (1) the birth of Jesus and (2) Jesus’ return? Advent is that perfect time to reflect on both since there is a lot to do to “be prepared.”

Today’s reading puts us in that second focus of preparation. Micah speaks of the last days so we can get a picture of what that will look like. What are some of the images we have to look forward to? We see people coming together in one accord seeking more of Jesus. We see God resolving our disputes and bringing peace. An attitude of fear will have no place in those days.

December 2 ? Waiting (Isaiah 64:1-9)

Read Isaiah 64:1-9

dog looking outside the window as if waiting for someone to return

I got goosebumps just reading the first two verses! As we read through these texts during Advent, I’d like you to do so using the “lens” of Jesus is coming. For us, we are waiting for Jesus to come back. Oh, what a joyous day that will be! The nations will most certainly tremble!

These verses just magnify God’s power yet keep him relatable. He’s not an untouchable God. Sometimes I forget how wonderful it is to have God working for me! “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”