Advent reading for Sunday, November 29, 2015
From Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Stop. Take a breath, and turn your eyes. Look through the fog of now, peer through the passing of the years to the time when the true light of men dawned. To the night a baby was born. The generations before had watched like watchmen waiting for the dawn, and the dawn came, as sure as every dawn came each morning since God fixed the sun in its place and set the earth in motion. Every day before that day stood as a promise that the true light of men would dawn. And just like the sun shines on the righteous and the wicked, so the light of the life of men shone on Jew and Gentile, on every nation under heaven. This baby, God of very God, came to bless abundantly all whose eyes God would open. And like the generations before, we are waiting and watching. Advent is a time for us to stop and look. We look into the past and remember that our Savior came once as a baby to die for our sins and rise as our mediator. We look also into the future, waiting for his glorious appearance not as a baby but as a conquering King, coming for his bride. Over this advent season, let us take time to stop and look, to turn our gaze upon the light that has dawned, is shining, and will come one day in splendor, like the midday sun blazing bright and spreading its light on all. So let the nations be glad and sing for joy! Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Sing Hallelujah! Turn your eyes and behold your King!
