Building on the Cornerstone

During the last Sunday of Advent, we turn to look at Mary’s story in the birth of Jesus. Mary trusts in God when a seemingly unbelievable gift is bestowed on her, to carry God’s son into this world. Mary is an example of the faith and trust that we should have today, to trust in God’s promise of hope and love in our lives. A promise that was born of this virgin, in Bethlehem. We are each called to serve, and we must trust in God, break our silence and give Him praise.

During the third week of Advent, we look at a story of preparation and anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. It’s the story of an older couple who had served God all their lives. This couple had never been able to have children until the day an angel appeared with good news. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the birth of their son John is a story of advent and what can happen when God works in our lives (Luke 1).

The second week of Advent continues building  the anticipation of the coming Messiah. The original anticipation had been growing for a long time, recall the prophecy told by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy came to pass, with the birth of Jesus to Mary, the virgin, and Joseph. After the resurrection, Jesus told his disciples that He is with them always, and will come again. Today, we are to continue to live in anticipation of the second arrival of Jesus. We need to live and act in anticipation of Immanuel’s return. We are not to sit and wait, but we are to go out and love one another as Jesus did. And as we live in anticipation we are reminded that He is still with us now. Always.

This week begins the season of Advent, a time of reflection on the birth of the Messiah and the preparation for His return. As we begin this season, we look at the lives of Simeon and Anna who recognized the arrival of the Messiah (Luke 2:22-38).

As we reflect on their stories, we have to ask ourselves “Am I living with a sense of anticipation for His return?“. Let’s keep our focus on that first coming of the Messaihah in Bethlehem and build the anticipation and preparation during this time before His return.

This week wraps up the series in Exodus. As we look back over the entire story, we see that God continues to say to us that I am the Lord. Exodus begins with slavery, and ends in worship. We reflect on how God remains with his people even as they fail him. We are reminded that God, our God, will never abandon us. Even when we fail him, our God will stay with us. And that’s a God worth following.