Dec 4
We long for the world to change.
And God gives us Jesus!
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
ADVENT 2: Love. Jesus brings God’s Love into our world. We know this because: 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:9-10
A Verse to Remember:
“I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” Luke 1:19
Gospel Story: Mary’s revelation Luke 1:26-38 and Joseph revelation: Matthew 1:18-25
Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Reflection: I think on some level all of us wish for a better world for our children, for their children and so on. Perhaps it is the same with every generation we long for the world to change for the better. But often we are tempted to agree with the song writer who said, “the trouble with normal is it always gets worse.”
If you go beyond Mary and Joseph’s revelation of Jesus, you will see that they represent people longing for God to intervene and change their world for the better. And then God moves, just like He promised he would. He is on the move to fulfill our “hope” for world change. Except God does not give us a powerful military leader, nor a high profile political figure. No, to a people longing for God to change the world in which we live God gives us Jesus. God gives us Himself! In the flesh, LOVE INCARNATE.
Did Mary and Joseph feel loved. Read their stories. You bet they did. Did the world change with the advent of this revelation? Follow the story from the Gabriel’s announcement, to Calvary and it seems the world has not changed. But it has. Mary and Joseph’s life were radically impacted by the revelation and gift of Jesus. In this world they discovered how loved by God they were and that changed everything. Today let’s connect with LOVE INCARNATE. if you long for a better world, may the revelation of Jesus Christ, LOVE INCARNATE, change your world too, just like it did for Mary and Joseph!
It’s true, we long for God to change the world. And what does God do? God gives us Jesus! And now in resurrection power, we too may personally receive the revelation of Jesus. What began with Mary and Joseph, we join the chorus of praise for how throughout the centuries Jesus has come to many an individual and changed their world with the revelation of God’s love. May Jesus change your world too!