24th Day of Advent
Written by: Marnee McClellan
Reading: Luke 2: 25-32
“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
According to your word;
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A light for revelation to the Gentiles
And for glory to your people Israel."
Luke 2: 29-32
For many the anticipation of Christmas is camouflaged by the hype of the season. Rather than looking forward to the birth of a savior, there is an eagerness to see what presents will lie under the tree and produce momentary pleasure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could reach deeper inside ourselves and beyond our personal and limiting needs for material goods and seek the one thing that will bring us the true gift of the season -- the arrival of the Messiah and the salvation his birth promises?!
As one old man named Simeon discovered about two thousand years ago, if our sites are set on the real goal of Advent, we too can experience the joy that comes from "waiting for the birth of the Lord." Whether we sleep in the cold winter of the north or the warm breezes of the south, we can sleep safer and more snug knowing that our lives are secure in His all-loving and forgiving embrace.
God...give me the strength to understand the importance of the season and to look into the eyes of the Christ child and understand the gift he brings to my life -- the gift of salvation. Before my life comes to an end, allow me to see the life the Christmas child allows me to experience. Don't let me die before my life has begun. Open my eyes, like the eyes of Simeon. Amen.
Written by: Marnee McClellan
Reading: Luke 2: 25-32
“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
According to your word;
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A light for revelation to the Gentiles
And for glory to your people Israel."
Luke 2: 29-32
For many the anticipation of Christmas is camouflaged by the hype of the season. Rather than looking forward to the birth of a savior, there is an eagerness to see what presents will lie under the tree and produce momentary pleasure. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could reach deeper inside ourselves and beyond our personal and limiting needs for material goods and seek the one thing that will bring us the true gift of the season -- the arrival of the Messiah and the salvation his birth promises?!
As one old man named Simeon discovered about two thousand years ago, if our sites are set on the real goal of Advent, we too can experience the joy that comes from "waiting for the birth of the Lord." Whether we sleep in the cold winter of the north or the warm breezes of the south, we can sleep safer and more snug knowing that our lives are secure in His all-loving and forgiving embrace.
God...give me the strength to understand the importance of the season and to look into the eyes of the Christ child and understand the gift he brings to my life -- the gift of salvation. Before my life comes to an end, allow me to see the life the Christmas child allows me to experience. Don't let me die before my life has begun. Open my eyes, like the eyes of Simeon. Amen.
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