First Week of Advent

Advent and the beginning of the Church year started this past Sunday.  My family will be going through devotions and spending time celebrating Advent.  There is a specific resource that we will be using that I want to share with anyone reading this here blog.  It comes from Higher Things, an organization within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod set up to to assist parents, congregations, and pastors in cultivating and promoting a Lutheran identity among youth through conferences, retreats, publications, and the internet.

One of the resources they developed this year is an Advent devotional that can be found here.  I wanted to share an excerpt from today's devotion (Wednesday of the First Week of Advent):

In the Name of Jesus.  Amen.  Perhaps you've seen the sign on the billboard that says, "Don't make me come down there! - signed, God."  The implication is that we're misbehaving and if the Lord gets mad enough, He's going to to come down to earth and do something about it!

But God DID come down to earth.  The Father sent His Son to become flesh in the Virgin's womb so that He could grow up and die for us and take away our sins. . .

The Bible teaches us that God made all things in six days and that even when His creation was ruined by sin; He didn't abandon it, but sent His Son to save and redeem it.  And how?  By His Son's advent in the flesh.  The Son, by taking on a human nature in Christ, demonstrates that God is not afraid to touch what He has made.  Rather, He takes on flesh to save creation.  To save you.

This is Good News.  We have sinned and rebelled against God.  We have done our part in ruining in God's creation.  God has already come to 'deal with us,' so to speak.  In great love and mercy, He has come to save us.  He made you and me.  He has saved you and me through Christ in His birth, His life, and His death on the cross.  Praise be to God for His grace and mercy!

Advent does not only celebrate that Christ has come, but that He will come one last time!  Hallelujah!

Jesus came, the heav’ns adoring,

Came with peace from realms on high;
Jesus came for man’s redemption,
Lowly came on earth to die.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Came in deep humility  (Lutheran Service Book 353, Verse 1)

Jesus comes on clouds triumphant,

When the heav’ns shall pass away;
Jesus comes again in glory;
Let us then our homage pay,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Till the dawn of endless day. (Lutheran Service Book 353, Verse 5)