Advent Devotional Dec 1
Thursday, December 1, 2022
“A Hope for Today” (Ps. 72, Part One)
– Read Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. / [The king] shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. (vv. 3-4, CEB)
Growing up in rural Oklahoma in the 1980’s Christmas was an exercise in daily hope. We hoped the live tree would survive until the big day as pine needles scattered the floor. We hoped from the Sears Catalog for presents like Cabbage Patch Dolls, GI Joes, and Nintendo Entertainment Systems. We hoped we didn’t get the useful things like socks and underwear. We hoped to have the most special Christmas Eve with Grandpa and Grandma in Midwest City, where the tree sparkled, the Christmas lights were on the house, and the food overflowed. Christmas was the one time we were free and invited to hope and dream for something immediate.
It was only years later that I realized that the anticipation that begins in my chest and warms my thoughts and hopes for the season is connected to the Christian practices of Advent—that is, hope! Advent is a season of active hope. And this first week of Advent anchors us on hoping for Jesus to come and finally make everything right with the world.
Hopes and dreams from the days of the Psalmist echo today, hopes for a king to bring justice to people who are poor and save the children of those who are needy (Psalm 72:4). This isn’t hope in the long arc of time but hope for immediate relief. No one who talks about hopes and dreams for their children thinks it will take more than their lifetime to be satisfied. This is the hope of God’s hand in our lives right now, on a Thursday in early December.
Do you, like me, remember childhood Christmases that invited you to hope and dream for something immediate? You may not hope for a new toy anymore, but yearning for a gift that satisfies your longing is a good thing. In this season of waiting, God is sending Jesus to come into our world. The Advent that we need sparks a flame of hope in our lives today. Hope that comes to us from God’s word. Hope that says Jesus provides.
May your kingdom come, O God, with deliverance for the needy, and peace for the righteous, and overflowing blessing for the children—the children, O God, save! And set the spark of hope, not just in our hearts, but also in our hands. Amen.
Rev. Shyloe O’Neal
Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Moore, OK
“A Hope for Today” (Ps. 72, Part One)
– Read Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. / [The king] shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. (vv. 3-4, CEB)
Growing up in rural Oklahoma in the 1980’s Christmas was an exercise in daily hope. We hoped the live tree would survive until the big day as pine needles scattered the floor. We hoped from the Sears Catalog for presents like Cabbage Patch Dolls, GI Joes, and Nintendo Entertainment Systems. We hoped we didn’t get the useful things like socks and underwear. We hoped to have the most special Christmas Eve with Grandpa and Grandma in Midwest City, where the tree sparkled, the Christmas lights were on the house, and the food overflowed. Christmas was the one time we were free and invited to hope and dream for something immediate.
It was only years later that I realized that the anticipation that begins in my chest and warms my thoughts and hopes for the season is connected to the Christian practices of Advent—that is, hope! Advent is a season of active hope. And this first week of Advent anchors us on hoping for Jesus to come and finally make everything right with the world.
Hopes and dreams from the days of the Psalmist echo today, hopes for a king to bring justice to people who are poor and save the children of those who are needy (Psalm 72:4). This isn’t hope in the long arc of time but hope for immediate relief. No one who talks about hopes and dreams for their children thinks it will take more than their lifetime to be satisfied. This is the hope of God’s hand in our lives right now, on a Thursday in early December.
Do you, like me, remember childhood Christmases that invited you to hope and dream for something immediate? You may not hope for a new toy anymore, but yearning for a gift that satisfies your longing is a good thing. In this season of waiting, God is sending Jesus to come into our world. The Advent that we need sparks a flame of hope in our lives today. Hope that comes to us from God’s word. Hope that says Jesus provides.
May your kingdom come, O God, with deliverance for the needy, and peace for the righteous, and overflowing blessing for the children—the children, O God, save! And set the spark of hope, not just in our hearts, but also in our hands. Amen.
Rev. Shyloe O’Neal
Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church, Moore, OK
Recent
Archive
2022
November
December
Advent Devotional Dec 1Advent Devotional Dec 2Advent Devotional Dec 3Advent Devotional Dec 4Advent Devotional Dec 5Advent Devotional Dec 6Advent Devotional Dec 7Advent Devotional Dec 8Advent Devotional Dec 9Advent Devotional Dec 10Advent Devotional Dec 11Advent Devotional Dec 12Advent Devotional Dec 13Advent Devotional Dec 14Advent Devotional Dec 15Advent Devotional Dec 16Advent Devotional Dec 17Advent Devotional Dec 18Advent Devotional Dec 19Advent Devotional Dec 20Advent Devotional Dec 21Advent Devotional Dec 22Advent Devotional Dec 23Advent Devotional Dec 24Advent Devotional Dec 25
No Comments