Advent - Faith
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
- Matthew 1:21-23
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, some Advent calendars have peace as the topic for focus and reflection for the week. However, some traditions focus on faith, which will be my focus this week. During Advent, our faith is expectantly looking forward to the birth of our Lord and Savior. In addition to looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus, we are faithfully anticipating His return. It is such a blessing for Christians to be able to see the fulfillment of prophecy in scripture in the birth of Jesus. We also await the future fulfillment of prophecy when Jesus comes again.
As we come closer to Christmas Day, rather than focus on all of our to-do’s and finishing up shopping, baking and last minute errands for Christmas, try to take a moment (or two) to yourself to pray and thank God for the greatest gift we could ever receive. We can focus on the birth of this Baby that is unlike no other baby. This Baby would live a life being rejected by many and this Baby would eventually suffer a terrible death. This Baby had the power to save us all from our sin and separation from God. This Baby makes it possible to live for eternity with God. As we faithfully await celebrating His birth, we can celebrate the fact that He will come again!