(Click Here for Readings)1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.
Happy 1st Day of Advent and Happy Liturgical New Year! In 2015-2016, the Sunday readings will be taken from Cycle C, the Gospel of Luke. Today as we light the first candle on the Advent wreath we meditate on the theme of Hope.
We can all use quite a bit of hope during this extremely busy time of the year. We hope to find great deals on gifts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We hope to "get-along" with annoying friends and relatives we see over the holidays. (Without going completely insane...)We may even hope for that bonus or job promotion to help pay for our shopping sprees.
Hope is much more than material possessions or getting what we desire. Hope is that longing in our hearts for something special; something that will heal our brokenness and give us the strength to keeping moving forward. Hope sustains and illuminates. The one lonely flickering light on the Advent wreath signals more to come! Jesus hasn't arrived yet, but he will be with us shortly. Also, the end times haven't arrived yet either. Hope remains that we can change our sinful ways way before the Last Judgment.
During the Advent Season, I have made a personal goal to post a daily meditation. I've been a little lax in my writing over the past several weeks. Doing something that I love to do, like writing, is the best way for me to prepare for the coming of the Lord.
Please stay tuned and invite others to read my meditations.
Lights, camera....Advent! It's time to prepare for the coming of our Lord.
-J.
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