Greetings to you in the name above all names…the wonderful name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! Another late autumn day – you obviously got the wake-up call – to enjoy and find meaning in. Another to let the Creator know how blessed you are! Another day to be a blessing to family and friends! Another day to “be”! Today I will be praying for you, asking Father to mend any broken relationships in your life…so that you can experience the blessing of ‘forgiveness’ – which is central to the character of God.
This morning in my devotional reading there was an observation by the writer that caught my attention: “Many of us who are followers of Jesus have, somehow or other, given the impression that the Christian life is anything but full and joyful. Far too often our general attitude suggests that Christianity is a heavy load which we are carrying, rather than a living faith which carries us.” Now read that a time or two and ask yourself, as I ask myself: is that a definition of me? Have I fallen into a rut or a routine and forgot that Jesus came to bring LIFE?
In this season of Advent…yes we are looking forward to the coming of the Messiah – the second coming – and that is why the first Sunday of Advent is about … HOPE! “Hope”, of course is looking for “peace” – second Sunday, and together they are looking for “joy” – third Sunday …which joins the search for and discovery of… “love!” – fourth Sunday. You know…don’t you – that when you mix ‘hope’, ‘peace’, ‘joy’. and ‘love’ together — you get “CHRIST!” – Christmas Day! It is the journey of Advent that carries us, that brings a joyful fullness to our faith.
I have a belief that when we forget or lose that perspective – our mission as carriers of the Light of the World becomes tedious and burdensome. The sad part of this is that — it shows to other people. I think that the days of Advent, the prelude to Christmas are truly meant for us to assess ourselves and to draw us back into the adventure and the excitement of the quest for…are you ready for this? … ‘river water’ and ‘green leaves’! Now to understand that, you need to find your Bible and read…Revelation 22:1-5.
Something to ponder … have a blessed and exciting day!