Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35 NIV)
Happy New Year! If you recognize and celebrate the liturgical Christian year, you know that the first Sunday of Advent (yesterday) was the beginning of that New Year. Advent, traditionally, is a time of self reflection and penitence. Yet, as early as October, the world’s voices start pulling us into vast commercialism, seasonal romance, holiday gatherings, and other things that may or may not be focused on Emmanuel. Today, let us pause and prepare our hearts, minds, and spirits to celebrate the coming of the Messiah at Christmas. Let us remember God’s faithfulness to us over the past several years, and his ongoing presence in the midst of today’s world. Let us reflect on all our gifts and blessings, knowing that they come from the Giver of All Good Gifts. Let us be hungry and thirsty for the things of God, and ask for more of the Holy Spirit to be activated in our lives.
God of New Life,
We thank you for what you are doing in the lives of Christians who have their spiritual ears attuned to your Spirit. We thank you for the ways in which you have used the challenges of these past few years to stop us in our tracks and realign us with your heart for us and your voice’s influence in our lives. We thank you for the places in this world where newly-alive and renewed hearts, minds, and spirits are praying, fasting, interceding, and begging mercy on this world. Thank you for a new Advent, and that as we walk through this Advent season you offer your Spirit to guide us through the realities of life – including family tensions, dysfunctional relationships, old/bad habits, grief of losing loved ones, and old baggage. We know that none of these hard things will be magically eliminated, but that you, our Emmanuel – God With Us – IS with us as we deal with them. You have made us to be led by the Spirit, not the flesh, so we pray for more hunger and thirst for your Spirit to be stirred up within us as we walk forward in faith. Prepare our hearts once again to hear the Good News of Great Joy on Christmas. Thank you for Hope in the midst of trial and Light in the midst of darkness. Continue to lead us toward the manger and the New Life you are growing within us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6 NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17 NIV)
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38 NIV)
(Adapted from posts originally published 12/15/20, and 12/4/22.)