Jesus – Be Still…

Advent🎄 Matthew 24:42-44 – Watch

This Advent reading comes from Jesus’ teaching on the future found in Matthew 24:

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Jesus is coming back. He said so himself. Even as we draw closer to the celebration of His first coming, I’m still excited for Jesus’ second coming. Jesus gives us a warning here we should to pay attention to. “Keep watch!” Since we’re not meant to know exactly when he’s coming, being on watch will assure we are not drifting away from God’s loving arms. The not knowing can also make the waiting and watching much harder.

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.”

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 – Justice for All

Read Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

There is a line in this passage that should be a wake-up call for many. It reads, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.” Granted, Solomon was lamenting over corrupt courts, among other things. But his statement rings with truth. Nobody is exempt from God’s justice. We don’t have to worry about all the injustices we see in this world because we know they ultimately don’t matter. God is going to take care of things.

I’ve noted before the tragedy Solomon faced because he didn’t know about the Messiah Jesus. He doesn’t have the hope for eternity we do that keeps us going when we see injustice and abuse of power all around us. We may still find it difficult to truly embrace how God’s power is always in control.

Haggai 2:1-9 – God is With Us

Read Haggai 2:1-9

I hadn’t thought about the fact that the people rebuilding the temple would probably have never seen the original one now in ruins. Would those memories have been kept alive in families living in exile? If there were any faithful ones still alive that had seen the glorious splendor of the original temple, Haggai’s words were a comfort for them. “My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.”

How can human hands build a house worthy of the glory of God? A big project like building a temple for God may have seemed overwhelming. It certainly was the first time around for Solomon. You may recall Solomon’s father, King David had the vision for a grand temple, but it was God’s plan that Solomon be the one in charge of its construction. We read about that in 1 Kings 8. Solomon’s prayer of dedication is beautiful.