Prayer //
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God of timeless grace,Â
you fill us with joyful expectation.
Make us ready for the message that prepares the way,
that with uprightness of heart and holy joy
we may eagerly await the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
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We are currently between Advents. The first advent was when God our infinite creator came in the person of Jesus as a baby who would grow into the Lamb led to slaughter for our sake. But there is coming a second Advent, when Jesus the righteous will not come as a humble servant king, but as a glorious conquering king who’s very return will split the skies.
As followers of Jesus, we celebrate the Advent season in two ways. First we look back at the provision for our sins afforded to us through the past coming of Jesus Christ. We are amazed at the humility of our king, the sacrifice of the Father in giving his Son. We are grateful at God’s salvation, ready for us before we needed it.
The second way that we celebrate is we live in joyous expectation of the triumphant return of Jesus the Righteous. We let the past remind us of the future promise that we have from Christ himself that he “goes to prepare a place for us” and will be returning for us to change eternity forever.
In this Advent season, as you gather around family and love one another, as you worship and sing Christmas songs and think on our wondrous king, let an attitude of expectation drive you to remember what we are to be doing until Jesus returns.
We should be asking Jesus to:
- Make us ready to share the message of God’s provision for our sin in the person of his only son, Jesus Christ.
- Keep us holy and set apart so that our joy and anticipation wouldn’t be tarnished or tainted by sin or the trappings of this world.
- Help us live every day in joyful expectation of the glorious return of Jesus, and the coming kingdom of God, where the Father, the Son, and the Spirit will lovingly reign over us and receive our worship forever.
If we will live in this joyful expectation, you will be opening yourself to the leading of the Spirit of God on an adventure that may start for you this Advent, and continue until your eyes see the very face of Jesus.