Advent

We live in a society that craves speed. We want overnight delivery, high-speed Internet access, short lines in stores, and fast food. Well, maybe we should scratch fast food. Most of us would trade speedy service for healthier and higher quality food. But, in general, waiting doesn’t rank high on our list of favorite activities; and patience is a virtue we appreciate in other people.

Simeon, on the other hand, waited for years just to spend a few minutes with Jesus.

Have you ever wondered what preparing for Jesus’ birth must have been like for Mary? Was she excited? Was she afraid? How did her family and friends react and relate to her? How did she make it through those nine months after the angel Gabriel told her she was going to be the mother of God’s Son? Pregnancy is challenging enough. Knowing that she was carrying God’s Son must have been almost overwhelming.

As we begin the second week of Advent, now is a good time to take stock of how our preparations for Christmas are going. Have you bought any presents yet (never mind having actually finished your shopping)? Have you put up any decorations? Did you finish off all of your Thanksgiving leftovers?

What about the spiritual side of getting ready for Christmas? Often we start strong, but then we fade after a few days or a week. If that describes you, don’t be discouraged; today is a great day to restart!

Would you send a baby to lead the invasion of a planet? Actually, would you send a baby to be the entire invading army? Wouldn’t a large, well-armed group of veteran fighters be a better idea? Why would anyone send a baby?

We live in a broken world populated by broken people. As we saw yesterday, after God finished His work of creation, He pronounced everything He had made “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God didn’t mean that His creation was relatively good, He meant that it was absolutely good. It was perfect, without flaw, exactly the way He intended it to be. But now it’s broken.