November 30, 2020 - Advent Devotion
This is he whom seers in old time,
Chanted of with one accord,
Whom the voices of the prophets,
Promised in their faithful word;
Now he shines, the long expected;
Let creation praise its Lord,
Evermore and evermore.
“When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.”
Has anything, have any signs, caught your eye yet this Advent and Christmas season?Maybe you were in a store checking out the latest technology, driving around looking at decorations, looking for sales, doing something around the house as you organize and prepare and decorate. Perhaps something was so big, so beautiful, so incredible, so extraordinary, so unexpected, that it made you stop and look; or maybe something was so small, and yet, still so unique, so precious, so timeless, so full of awe, you were blessed to make sure it did not go unnoticed.
The words of Isaiah, the signs of God's grace, are truth. Our God is so faithful. Our God has come down. The mountains continue to quake. Our hearts and spirits are moved and touched by what is awesome, what is expected.
As our Advent journey continues, look for signs, for awesome deeds, and expect to see God's grace! When you are in the store, look for the associates with the smile; pray for those who are not; expect to see one shopper helping another; pray for those who are not. When you are driving around, look for the patient driver; expect to talk to the person in the seat next to you about the gift he or she is to you. When you are keeping an eye on the news, look for stories of hope and expect stories of people giving of themselves to people. When you are racing through the house from project to project and task to task, expect to see the awesome gift in the ones you share the table with, and in the person who calls and shares time and love for you.
Looking for signs of God's grace can feel both simple and impossible at the same time. Perhaps that is why the Father's love begotten, is awesome and expected for all who believe. Expect the expected signs, for the prophets promised, and God's grace is here, evermore and evermore!
Let us pray: Expected God, today I thank you for faith transforms wishes and hopes into expectations. I expect your signs; I expect you to transform me. I expect you to change what I look for and what I see. May the awesome deeds I see today, be signs of your grace, to see all that I expect. You are the long-expected one. I expect you and your signs of grace as I pray, evermore and evermore. Amen.