The Silence

This year I'm once again writing out our Advent devotions for the lighting of the Advent candles at church. I will be posting each devotion here on the site. If you need some ideas for Advent in the future or you want to just copy and use these feel free. I have the previous years available also. Just look under the "Christmas" tag. Merry Christmas.

THE SILENCE

Isaiah 7:14 (New International Version)
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (New International Version)
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Micah 5:2 (New International Version)
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."

For years the people of God had heard the prophecies. A child will be born. He will be called Wonderful, Mighty, Everlasting. They knew He was coming. The prophets of God had spoken truth for years. The people believed these things. They taught their kids about the one who was coming. They taught their grandchildren to believe the prophecies. Year after year they waited.

After a time the prophecies ended. The silence was almost deafening. The old prophecies didn’t seem to hold the same punch as they used to. Are they still valid? Surely this “special one” would have come by now. The silence lead to questioning. The questioning lead to doubt. The doubt lead to complacency in their worship, their relationships, and their lives.
We have an advantage today. We know that He came and His name was and is Jesus. We know that He lived a perfect life. We know he died on a cross and rose again. Because we know these things we also know that He is coming again one day. It may not be as quickly as we’d like but it IS going to happen.

This is a great way to begin the season of advent. We remember the first coming. We look forward to the second coming. We celebrate in the in between time!

Prayer

Father God, I know that you are from everlasting to everlasting. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. But as I enter this Advent season, it seems but yesterday that we celebrated the same things last year, and the year before. One Advent season seems to flow into another.

Lord, as we enter this Advent may I see beyond the busyness, the glitz and the glitter to a renewed awareness of your message of Advent. May I see Jesus, Immanuel - God with us. May I once again celebrate the birth of Christ with the expectancy of a new believer and the hope of one who believes that this same Jesus is coming again to establish peace, justice, and righteousness upon this earth made new. In the name of Jesus, The Prince of peace, AMEN.
(prayer written by Rev. Frank Hall)