Advent

Isaiah 43: 18-19

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared with what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Every Christmas of my childhood was spent the same way. On Christmas Eve my parents, my brothers, and I would go to my grandparents house.  As did all of my cousins. We converged on my grandparents, and all of us male cousins spent the night in the same room: seven or eight  of us sharing three beds, spending the evening together, talking and  anticipating what Santa would bring on Christmas morning.

There was a strict family ritual for Christmas morning:  No one was allowed in the living room (where Santa had left his gifts) until everyone had eaten breakfast. It was excruciating for us kids to wait until all the adults had awaken, and eaten, to line up for procession to the living room where Santa had come. To make matters worse for me, grandkids had to line up in birthday order,  youngest to oldest, and because I was the firstborn grandchild, I was last in line!

The anticipation built through the whole process. The wait seemed interminable! But the joy was magnified when we were finally released to explore what Santa had brought. Unforgettable.

Hope is defined as “a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen.”

This is what Advent is about: anticipating. Expecting. Believing that God will come to us, overcoming our doubts, fears, and concerns, with His good news of love and joy.

What the world calls the Christmas season, the church calls Advent.  It’s a time to expect, or anticipate, the wonders of what God will do, and is doing. Regardless of what seems to be darkness now, Christmas is the reminder that we have hope, the assurance that God’s desired outcome will occur. So..anticipate the new thing God is preparing for you, the new thing that has already begun. Anticipate Christmas. God is with us!

Prayer:

Dear One, Help us to see that you are bringing hope to us, joy to us, you are coming to us in Jesus. Thank you for Christmas. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Herb Sadler.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.