Opening Prayer
Gracious God, I put myself before you in this moment with waiting heart, expectant desire. Open my eyes that I may see your promise fulfilled; open my ears that I may hear your word whispered to my deepest being.
Amen.
Passage
Isaiah 9:1-4
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness alight has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
Reflection - Josiah Shirek
“...You have enlarged their nation and increased their joy”. (vs 3)
In God’s kingdom, the more the merrier isn’t just a saying...it’s reality. Advent isn’t just about “our” waiting. The truth is, God has been waiting throughout all of history to see the kingdom of heaven fully established. It was never God’s plan to stop with Israel. The heart of our father beats for those not yet included and eagerly awaits the joyful day when all will be reconciled though Jesus!
Inherently, all of us are outsiders who now find ourselves included; orphans welcomed into the family by a loving Father. What would it look like for us to not embody the posture of one entitled, but of someone who can relate to the outsider?
Take some time to dwell on this and consider how God might want you to be part of that joyful work this season.
Closing Prayer
My Lord, may all that I have seen of you and all that I have heard from your word now enflesh itself in me. Send me from this place as the incarnate promise of life to all whose life I will touch this day.
Amen.