Advent Reflection: Dec. 6, 2017

Posted on by Shadyside Presbyterian Church

Seasonal Devotions

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:1–10  (Today’s Readings)

In the very first Christmas, people were waiting for the birth of the Messiah, the One to save their people. We celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, who came to save the world from sin by dying for all of us. Some Jews of the time were excited and happy as they waited for Jesus. Others had concern. In 2 Peter 3:1–10, we are reminded of the Day of the Lord. This is the Second Coming of Jesus, and we are told that Christ will come again, and, “The Lord will come like a thief.” He will completely transform the earth and utterly destroy all sinfulness. While at first this may seem scary and daunting, we are reminded that He will be patient with us as He does not want anyone to perish but, instead, to repent. We are told, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.” This tells us that we also need to be patient with God and rely on our faith. We should not, as Christians, fear this day but, instead, anticipate it in patient excitement like the people from the first Advent. So as we remember and celebrate the first Advent, we must remember we are also in the second Advent, full of faith and excitement as we wait for the Lord to come again to judge and transform the world.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, be with us in this time as we remember the patience Your people had for Your first coming, and as we are told to be patient in waiting for You again. Lord, comfort the scared, help the weak, and allow us to remain faithful in the face of fear. For we know You will come again to judge, but that You are a loving judge. Allow us to understand that in repentance is life everlasting.  Amen.

Contributed by Luke A. Diel, Deacon

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Artwork: Detail of No Between © Jan L. Richardson. janrichardson.com. Inspired by Isaiah 64:1: “O that You would tear open the heavens and come down … .”