Thursday, December 3

 Philippians 1:3-8

  The Old Testament prophets aren’t the only ones ready for the coming of the Messiah. The apostle Paul is, too.   Paul knows that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already come once, and has inaugurated a good work in the lives of God’s people. Now Paul is waiting for that good work to come to completion—something that can only happen on “the day of Jesus Christ,” when Christ comes again.   What is this good work? The good work of the gospel: that in Jesus Christ, God is redeeming his people. God has claimed them, lifted them from the pit of sin and despair, and is shaping them into his likeness. But that likeness won’t be complete until the day of Jesus Christ.   And so Paul prays for the Philippians. He prays for them in joy. He prays for them in confidence.   What if we took a cue from Paul? What if we let the Advent season, with its anticipation of Christ’s coming, prompt us to pray for our sisters and brothers? What if we prayed that God, who has begun a good work in them, would bring it to completion?   Prayer: Faithful God, I remember your people and name them now. I pray that they, with unveiled faces, would see the glory of Christ as though reflected in a mirror, that they would be transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Draw them near to you as the day of Christ draws near to us.

Wednesday, December 2

Luke 1:76-79 

What then will this child become?

It’s a good question. These are unusual circumstances: Zechariah and Elizabeth have conceived in their old age after decades of infertility. Zechariah loses his powers of speech throughout the pregnancy and even eight days beyond. And when it comes time to name the child, Zechariah forgoes the family name and instead insists that the child be called John.

So the neighbors can’t be blamed for asking, “What then will this child become?” He will almost certainly be an extraordinary child.

Zechariah answers their question by identifying his son John as “the prophet of the Most High,” the one going ahead to prepare the way of the Lord.

As all the prophets have done, John will call people to God. He will “give knowledge of salvation” to God’s people.

But John’s role as prophet is special because he immediately precedes Jesus. The “dawn from on high” is not centuries away, as it was with the earlier prophets. By the tender mercy of God, that dawn is breaking now. Finally, the light is coming.

Prayer: Light of the world, we await your arrival.

Monday, November 30

Malachi 3:1-4

All this talk of enduring and being purified! You’d think it was Lent, not Advent.

But it’s an important reminder that the Advent season isn’t ultimately about preparing our homes—or even our spirits—with all the trappings of Christmas, no matter how comforting and cheery they may be.

During Advent, we anticipate not only Christ’s coming as a babe, vulnerable and mild, but also his coming a second time in power, ready to purify and refine his people. He will come like fire, blazing hot, to burn away our impurities and leave us gleaming. He will come like detergent, painfully caustic, to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and leave us soft and unstained.

The thought of being burned into purity and scrubbed into righteousness makes me want to leave Advent and run right back toward ordinary time. I’d rather not “endure the day of his coming,” if that’s what it entails. Too painful. It’s so much more comfortable to remain marred by impurities and reeking of grime.

I don’t have a choice, though. The calendar is marching toward Christmas, toward the day of his coming, and the best thing to do is to prepare, to anticipate. After all, the one who is like fire and soap is also “the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.” Christ’s arrival is one of joy, of deep delight. He comes not to bring pain for its own sake, but to purge the unrighteousness from our hearts and from our world so that we are fit to draw near to him, to dwell with him, and to be united to him.

It seems appropriate, then, to spend our days in eager expectation, asking God to prepare us for purification by making us willing to be changed and by giving us his Spirit so we can endure. We might even ask God to begin that work now and express our desire for him to come soon.

Prayer: Prepare me, Lord, for your coming, painful though it may be. Prepare me to endure and prepare me to take delight in you.

Hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. Bring a dish to share.

Campfire stories included

campfire smore’s