Archive for December, 2024
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5, ESV
The hope of Christ is that the long-awaited Messiah has come, pushing back the darkness of evil and showing us the path to God and out of sin and shame.
Amen.
Daniel
For this Sunday here’s what you can do: Thanking God not just on Thanksgiving.
This Sunday at Church: Thanking God not just on Thanksgiving
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:7-8, ESV
The hope of Christ is that the long-awaited Messiah has come, that God Himself came to us to love like one of us to redeem us from death.
I enjoy the Christmas season. I enjoy celebrating Advent.
The first week of Advent is traditionally seen as being a time for looking at hope and faith, having an expectation of the coming Savior. This year, I am using some of the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Let’s get into
“Look, the days are coming”—
Jeremiah 33:14-16, CSB
this is the Lord’s declaration—
“when I will fulfill the good promise
that I have spoken
concerning the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
In those days and at that time
I will cause a Righteous Branch
to sprout up for David,
and he will administer justice
and righteousness in the land.
In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell securely,
and this is what she will be named:
The Lord Is Our Righteousness.
The world was full of sin, separation, and violence. Israel and Judah were God’s chosen people to spread His glory, but they had essentially failed at being faithful. Israel was already taken into exile, and Jeremiah was living during the time of Judah going into exile.
Jeremiah reminded us that God had established His covenant with King David, that an eternal Kingdom was coming with a descendant of David ruling forever. When this King comes, salvation and peace shall come. The next two verses even include that there will also be an eternal Priest.
This Priestly King will be called “The Lord is our righteousness.” As 1 Corinthians 1:30 reminds us, Christ is our righteousness and redemption, the Lord who sanctifies us.
We now know who this Priestly King is, and we must submit ourselves to His rule. And our hope is for eternity, knowing that Christ will come again. As said in Luke 21:25-36, this world will pass away, but He and His word will last forever, so we must prepare ourselves for His next coming.
The Hope of mankind has come and is coming, so let us repent of our sins, changing the way we think and act, worshiping the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity of the Godhead, that we may be ready when He returns. We have hope only if we are found in Christ.
Believe in the coming Son.
Lord, we have sinned against You and You alone. You are our only hope. Grant us the grace to repent, the strength to follow You, and the will to love others through the gospel and serving each other until You return. Show us the hope we have in Your life, death, and resurrection, and by the power of the Holy Spirit guide us in all truth until You return.
a simple man of God 