Advent|Dec.6th ~ Celebrating our Rescuer's Coming!

Sarah & I would like to share with you one of our "first" traditions (if we can call it a tradition yet). We decided to get an Advent calendar for our Christmas season! 1. Because I don't remember the last time I ever went through an Advent calendar 2. Because it's cool and we live in Seattle 3. Because it's biblical (thought I should add this one). We are celebrating Advent, because the word means "coming," and reminds Sarah & I of the best "coming" there ever was! The arrival of our Rescuer, Jesus Christ!



Day 6, December 6th!

Sarah and I have come to the end of Jesus' birth as told by Matthew and have jumped over to the account recorded by Luke.

Together we read Luke 1:26-33. It wasn't a big section so we read it twice, or maybe even three times. I can't remember. What astonished us from our reading today was the part where the angel speaks to Mary and says,

"Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God" (v. 30).

A more plain reading of these words would go something like this: 'Don't be afraid Mary, for before this very moment, and right now, God freely gives you His grace!'

What good news, what comforting words to this teenage girl who was told that she would be giving birth to the Son of God! The angel reassured her that God had been thinking of her and was showering His favor upon her this whole time. She had nothing to fear, even with all the possible questions and fears going through her head. God was in control of it all!

And wasn't He? Think of all the things that showed God's power and control in this story. He sent down Gabriel to announce His plans. He put a new star in the sky to signify something new was happening. He directed thousands of angels to sing at Jesus' birth. He led the wise men to bring gifts to His Son. He directed Joseph and Mary through dreams to keep them out of harms way. Wow! And that was just a little of all He was doing!

The truth is, God says the same thing about all of His children; to all those who know and love Him! We have "found favor with God." Or to put it more plainly, we have received the same grace from God that Mary received! He tells you and I that we get the same grace from Him. No matter what we are fearing, He is our comfort! No matter who laughs at us, He is cheering us on! No matter who looks down on us, He has accepted us! No matter who makes up stories that aren't true about us, He knows who we really are! He is in control of everything, and He will never forsake us!

What a love we have from God. And He doesn't just tell us He loves us. He showed us that He loves us, by sending Jesus into our world to die for our sin, rise again and give us eternal life with Him. We didn't deserve this gift of grace, we will never deserve it. He gave it to us because He is gracious, just as He was gracious with Mary :-)

"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10