The Hope of Advent
(KJV) 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Oh, how I love the season of Advent. It is a time of preparation as we do things to remind us of our Savior’s birth AND look forward to our Lord’s return. We bring out our Nativity sets, some simply showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, and others replete with sheep, cattle, camels, angels and shepherds and elaborate crèches. We put up Christmas trees, evergreen which represents the eternal life given by Jesus. We string the tree with lights because Jesus is the light of the world, and we top it with either a star or an angel.
When I was at Asbury UMC I wrote many poems, inspired by the love and genuine care of the people who attended there. I am including one of my Advent poems in this devotional, Advent at Asbury, and pray it is meaningful to all who read it.
Advent at Asbury
It is that time of year again
when celebration is the theme,
and the focus of our joy
is the coming of Christ the King.
We honor His first appearance
as a baby in a stall,
when He lived His life as one of us
so that He could fully redeem us all.
He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies
and became the lamb for sinners slain
so at Advent we celebrate not just his birth
but the time when He will come again.
Christmas is a season of hope and love
and we share it with family and friends,
Our Advent season at Asbury
is where our celebration begins.
The greens are hung in the Sanctuary
with the crowning achievement the Chrismon Tree
and we celebrate the meaning of Christ’s life on earth
with symbols precious to you and to me.
And when Christmas Eve finally arrives
we will enter His courts with praise
and we will continue to look forward to His return
when he captures His bride away.
But until that grand and glorious day
we will love Him and serve Him well,
and Asbury through His grace will continue to be
a beacon upon a hill.
May we, wherever we find ourselves this Advent season, be filled with the hope found only in Jesus, and may we share that hope with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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