Advent - Day 14
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Luke 1:74-80
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
Christmas means many things to many people. For most, it is a time to just focus on the happy things in life. Eat, drink, be merry right. But Christmas is also a reminder of a far more sobering reality.
Zechariah’s prophecy is one of joy and good news, but with a backdrop. John the Baptist will pave the way for Jesus, the Messiah, by pointing to Him as the way of salvation, the light in the darkness. It’s a reminder this Christmas, that Jesus came because of a dire situation.
Imagine you lived under the shadow of what everyone believes is a dormant volcano. There is no fear. There is no worry. Just getting on with life. Eating, drinking, being merry. But what people don’t know is that the volcano isn’t dormant.
Except… There is one person. Who has his ear to the earth. Who knows what is coming.
Christmas is the announcement to those living in darkness that they need salvation. Not from a volcano’s wrath but from God’s. We need His mercy. And this is the good news, in Jesus, God has sent His Son to fall and rise on us so that we might be forgiven and saved from our sins.
Let’s rejoice in the miracle of forgiveness today. Without Jesus, there is no forgiveness. Without Jesus we are not saved. Without Jesus we are only a short period of time from destruction. But through Him, we can be saved.
For Today:
Pray:
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Luke 1:74-80
We are anticipating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is advent. And this year we are following Luke’s gospel as he passes on to us the eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.
Christmas means many things to many people. For most, it is a time to just focus on the happy things in life. Eat, drink, be merry right. But Christmas is also a reminder of a far more sobering reality.
Zechariah’s prophecy is one of joy and good news, but with a backdrop. John the Baptist will pave the way for Jesus, the Messiah, by pointing to Him as the way of salvation, the light in the darkness. It’s a reminder this Christmas, that Jesus came because of a dire situation.
Imagine you lived under the shadow of what everyone believes is a dormant volcano. There is no fear. There is no worry. Just getting on with life. Eating, drinking, being merry. But what people don’t know is that the volcano isn’t dormant.
Except… There is one person. Who has his ear to the earth. Who knows what is coming.
Christmas is the announcement to those living in darkness that they need salvation. Not from a volcano’s wrath but from God’s. We need His mercy. And this is the good news, in Jesus, God has sent His Son to fall and rise on us so that we might be forgiven and saved from our sins.
Let’s rejoice in the miracle of forgiveness today. Without Jesus, there is no forgiveness. Without Jesus we are not saved. Without Jesus we are only a short period of time from destruction. But through Him, we can be saved.
For Today:
- When did you first believe in Jesus?
- How did the message of salvation come to you?
- Give thanks and praise to God for His mercy in salvation.
Pray:
- Praise the Father for His tender mercy.
- Give thanks for Jesus who came into our darkness.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others rejoice in salvation.
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