Love Wraps Around a Weary World

Advent reflections: where sorrow, joy, rejoicing, and yearning intertwine as Love Wraps Around a Weary World.

Advent reflections: where sorrow, joy, rejoicing, and yearning intertwine as Love Wraps Around a Weary World. #Advent #Awaken #Encouragement

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God, what are you speaking to me through these sacred passages? Awaken my heart, Lord. —Deborah

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The Advent season

invites us into the beauty, splendor, and majesty of God’s divine plan for humanity’s redemption—a plan that reaches its apex in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our hope and salvation.

Advent, derived from the Latin word adventus (’coming’ or ‘arrival’), is used to translate the New Testament Greek parousia—the Second Coming. It is a time to reflect on and celebrate the joy of Jesus’s nativity and fervently anticipate the return of our resurrected King.

Advent calls us to draw near to God: remembering, anticipating, rejoicing, and yearning. Awakening our hearts to the longing for Jesus unlocks the miracle and hope of Christmas. This is a time to pray to God to reveal what new “arrival” He may bring into our hearts.

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In my contemplation of Advent,

I envision a humble shepherd cradling his ewe in an open pasture under the unbound empyrean. I picture another Hebrew, his sandals pressing into the sands of desolate wilderness, softly murmuring, “Messiah, Messiah.” The winds carry their ardent prayers throughout the somber desert, “O, come, O, come ye, Immanuel.”

Then, on an unexpected night, following four centuries of divine silence, majestic angels appeared to simple shepherds in the field, announcing the birth of a Savior—the Messiah—and proclaiming peace and goodwill toward all men.

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I wonder, “What new coming is God bringing to my heart?”

Now swept out of desert landscapes and open wilderness into the soft morning glow—as into the Holy Scripture, my journal, and a pen—I pray and ponder. Out of my own wilderness, I, too, am fervently praying, “Come Lord, O Come.”

The Spirit’s gentle melody reveals the sorrow and joy of God: He longs for fellowship with us, His beloved; yet, our sin has created a chasm.

As I reflect on what God is awakening within me during this Advent Season, I am humbled by His grace and unending mercy. He loves me; even when I fall into sin, He is there to catch me. With unwavering patience, He teaches me to love and forgive.

Advent is about experiencing the Father’s love for us, expressed through His greatest gift and sacrifice of Jesus. God sent His only Son, born of a virgin, to die on the cross and bridge the chasm of sin: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10 NKJV).

(Ready to jump up and dance), “Oh, thank you, Father, thank you!”

Now reconciled, we are no longer enemies of our God. We enter into His holy courts, offering humble obedience—our lives a beautiful fragrance showing our gratitude for His love, because He loved us first (1 John 4:19).

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Drawing close:

Advent invites us to draw closer to God, a nearness made possible only through His love and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. This is where sorrow, joy, rejoicing, and yearning meet, and I am grateful for His affection and sacrifice.

As you immerse yourself in the Nativity story and the wonder of the Resurrection, I invite you to my prayer: “God, what are you speaking to me through these sacred passages? Awaken my heart, Lord, as I renew my faith and draw near you.”

You see, God wraps His love around our weary world to draw us close to Him through His eternal love and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, where sorrow, joy, rejoicing, and yearning beautifully intertwine.

Eyes close as I feel His presence and love, and now I know what is awakening in me.

Be sure to read: Our Hope: An Advent Poetry Reflection

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May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Deborah

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