Quote from Forum Archives on December 8, 2000, 9:58 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Here is an excerpt from a devotional message that I received
yesterday that also speaks about the time of preparation we
have been discussing this week, something that the Christian
Church usually talks about this time of year.

I love the tradition of Christmas probably more than any other
church tradition because it reminds me of the depth of God's
love for each one of us. God loves us so much that He wanted
to be with us. In Jesus Christ, He came to live with us, not
only in Spirit, but in bodily form as well.

For me, it is not the traditions of decorating and gift giving
that excite me. I do enjoy watching the excitement that children
have at this time of year, but frankly, those aspects of the
season kind of wear at me. So I like to continually reflect
upon why this preparation means so much to me.

I prepare because I am in need of preparation. I grow tired
and weak. I easily forget the things of faith, even though I
learn them and share them all the time. So I have to prepare
my heart, once again. I have to turn away from my tendency to
focus inward - looking at myself, and instead, look forward and
up, to what my Lord has done for me. Then as I turn away from
my former ways, I have to replace those ways with something
else. God has supplied just the thing - His own Spirit, the
Holy Spirit, which He desires to have dwelling in me and in
each one of us.

The prophet Isaiah had a lot to say, both about Jesus Christ
and about us. If you listen carefully to the scripture
readings that are read this time of year in church, you will
find that there are Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ
(which we read in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), but there are
also prophesies concerning Jesus' coming, and our need of Him.
These can be found throughout the Bible, but some of my
favorites come from the book of Isaiah.

Here's a verse that talks about our need of Christ, and how He
meets that need:

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned
to his own way. And the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of
us all" (Isaiah 53:6)

Dear Lord, I confess my need of You today, and I believe what
the prophet Isaiah told us, and what John the Baptiser also
told us: that we have wandered, that we need to turn away from
where we have been and return to God. I am calling upon You,
Lord. I need Your help. Sometimes I can find my way back,
just by listening to Your voice, and other times I have gotten
so lost that You have had to come looking for me to bring me
back home. Forgive my wandering Spirit.

Lord, You have given me everything I need to know, from Your
Word, yet my resolve still weakens at times. I do rest in the
assurance that You love me, that You have called upon me, that
I have heard You, and responded. I confess my weakness,
knowing that I am still prone to stray, so I ask Your guidance,
that You will help me, this very day, to remain near to You,
and to use this Advent Season as a reminder to me, that Your
Peace may continually be upon my heart, and upon all who call
upon You today.

Lord, my heart continues to be saddened by the political
controversy that looms over our land. I pray that you would
bring a repentent spirit, not only to me, but to our country as
a whole, and that you would provide wisdom for our nation's
leadership, and a return of the moral values upon which our
country was founded. Throughout history, people have abandoned
You, yet Your faithfulness endures forever. Please lead us
back to our first love, which is who You are. Amen.

Brother Brian

PCCWeb Daily

Thursday, December 7, 2000

Today's Devotional
Preparing To Travel

Mark 1:1-3 - The beginning of the good news of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet
Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who
will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths
straight.'" (NRSV)

The Advent season is here once more. In reflecting on
today's scripture reading, I am reminded all over again
that we are to prepare ourselves during these four weeks
before Christ's birthday. To do so, we come from many
different wildernesses of our own: from fear and
uncertainty, from a less-than-perfect faith, from
circumstances beyond our control, from our usual rounds of
activity which may block our growth, from locations of
perceived safety to which we cling. From all these places
and many more, we are called to step forth into the
unknown, to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus Christ once
more into our hearts and lives.

For me, Advent, this coming again of Christ with renewed
vigour and love into my life, becomes more and more
important with each passing year. How wonderful that God
gave human beings this very special gift of time and
waiting so that we might find our way back to God. During
our vigil, we can only watch, listen, wait and pray out of
our gratitude at the grandeur and infinite graciousness of
our God. Let us use this gift of time wisely and
fruitfully. Let's be ready!

The following Advent poem gives my deepest thoughts:

A yearly journey
dawns on us once more this day
calling us to come.

Advent summons us,
hoping we will remember
who and whose we are.

A time of praying,
watching, waiting for something
greater than we know.

It's more than being,
of patiently stopping here
knowing more's to come.

The bringer of hope
to a hungry, needy world
breaks forth in due time.

Out of the darkness,
alive, now bearing the light,
springs the promised one.

Stay awake, alert ...
Our charge is to be ready
to receive God's Son.

So to Bethlehem
from our wilderness, we move
on our soul's journey.

You are found here, God,
in this our transforming time ...
claiming us with love.

Prayer: Holy One of our Advent yearning and waiting, we open
our hearts, our minds, our spirits and our souls to you. We
pray that you enter in and take possession of us in all our
being, so that we will be renewed and transformed during
these four weeks of expectancy, of anxiousness, of hoping
and of joy. During this time, may we move out of the
wilderness of our lives and grow more and more into you.
Through Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Amen.

Patricia Glore glorepp@aol.com
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, USA

Today's Canadian Bible Society Scripture Reading:
Philippians 2:12-30

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
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