Father, sometimes an uneventful start to the day is a good thing! Thank You for a routine day and for keeping our drivers, kids, and teachers safe.
Luke 1:5-25 (<<click to read the passage)
Many will grimace at this next statement but…only 86 days until Christmas! Personally, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I strive very hard to keep my focus on the right spot – and that would be the Person who is at the core of our celebration…though many barely acknowledge the part He plays and others omit Him altogether.
And why would I even bring it up, since we are officially just one week into autumn? We finished up the Gospel of Mark last week and barely grazed the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. By far, Luke has the most extensive narrative of Christ’s birth.
It may seem early and retailers who haven’t already got their “seasonal” shops up will soon, but those in ministry? Many of them have been at work for some time preparing for this season where we ready our hearts for the arrival of Emmanuel…God with us. Choir directors with their cantatas, preachers with their sermons, worship leaders with Advent preparation, like it or not it is – and has been! – in the works for some time.
It is hard to grasp but God, in His good time, was readying for the birth of Jesus before the world even existed. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) tells us,
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.
And in today’s passage, God is setting the stage, with all the details that only He could garner, for the arrival of his one and only Son to step into time. For truly the Godhead – Father, Son and the Holy Spirit – exist outside of time. God has always been and always will be. Psalm 90:1-2 (AMP) states,
Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.
So, buckle up! An adventure like no other lies before us! And God is at the helm, guiding us on our way!
Sept 30th, 2019, Mon, 12:47 pm
