Good day dear friends.
There is much celebration in our household, even in the midst of this intestinal bug that Nellie and I share, because Caitlin was accepted to Texas Woman's University in Denton. This is answered prayer for mom and dad as we have trusted the Lord to allow for us to provide a college education for the four and this is our baby now assured that come next fall she will be leaving for Denton. (That's mixed emotion for us!) Please keep Carli in prayer as she travels to Italy for some days there, and then returns to Espana to complete her last week there.
We continue to study the Advent message of "All the Signs Point to Jesus." Advent is our spiritual journey of awakening to the hope that is ours from God as found in Jesus. If we prepare during Advent, the full message and blessing of Christmas will truly be ours.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Read how God’s love for us is so awesome. The passage from Isaiah on Sunday spoke to our hearts about God’s plan through Jesus. For today, read how Jesus speaks to the needs of His disciples and us in John 14:18-19. What are your impressions on reading those words from our Lord? Do you ever fell left “orphaned?” How could God be your loving, caring parent during those times?
Here is that passage from John 14:18-19:
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
Just a reminder about Sunday's Isaiah passage, it came from Isa. 40:1-11. God's love is awesome. If you stop and think about it, it makes no sense, how God could possibly love us after some of the blunders we commit! The story of Israel with their I love you God stance one day, the Leave us alone stance the other, is enough to make you think that God would have been well within reason to either destroy or dismiss them. But the messages that we now associate with Advent tell us, God never gives up on us, for God sent Jesus. For those twelve that got to walk with Jesus and hear and witness all that Jesus could do, to hear in this 14th chapter of John that Jesus was to suffer death and to go and "prepare a place," was a terrifying moment. Jesus captured their fears well by comforting them with the words found in 18 and 19 above. "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live."
I think we've all lived an "orphan" moment when we felt completely alone and helpless and thought we had nowhere to turn. We may have cried or worried more than we should, but in the midst of that turmoil came the quiet but strong presence of the Lord to reassure us that we are not orphans, God is with us. Advent is a time that prepares us for a birth. God provided Mary as the mother, Joseph as the father, with God being for all eternity the parent that really counts. Jesus was aware of that and shared that with the twelve and in turns shares it with us.
If you're going through an orphan moment, get out of your system all that is troubling you. Nothing wrong with a good cry or a yell. Please limit it to that. Don't do anything rash. But do pray. And do trust God. Know that His word is true. Even in orphaned moments, God is there. His love, peace, strength and comfort is ours. Christmas will allow us to say no only does the Christ child have loving parents, we do too!
PRAYER: Come, loving God into our moments of despair and loneliness. Come when we feel alone and helpless and bless us with that that Your Son offered to us, a Parent of love present with us always and everywhere. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
