Can I just say how much I love my church? I've met some great people, participated in an intense theological class, gone through a women's Bible study of Genesis (amazing!) and I've found a home group. To top it all off, I'm taking the membership class in January and I'm so excited to find even more ways to connect in the church.
Right now, we're going through Advent. It's one of those words that you think you know the meaning of, then someone asks you what it means and you realize you have absolutely no idea. Growing up in the church, I've heard the word used over the years, but never actually understood what it meant. Here's the definition given by the Village Church in the Advent guide the church is doing as a whole: "Advent, formed from a Latin word meaning "coming" or "arrival," is about the coming of Christ. It's the celebration of the first advent of Jesus and the anxious awaiting of His second. The season is a time for remembering and rejoicing, watching and waiting, and a time to reflect upon the promises of God and to anticipate the fulfillment of those promises with patience, prayer, and preparedness." WOW. I never knew that!
One of the questions in the guide one week asked "How does anticipation increase joy?" Honestly, I never thought of anticipation bringing joy. I always placed anticipation in the same category as worry because as I wait and think about the promises to come, I worry that something will go wrong or that I didn't do something right or that the promise just won't be fulfilled. It's like being stood up for a date or not making the team. But then you dive deeper. Where was I placing my hope in these situations? What were the "promises" that I was waiting on? The "promise" of a great date and many future dates? The "promise" of the recognition of being on the team? In these cases, hope is placed into earthly things that will always fail...ALWAYS. In Advent, we can be confident and joyful in the anticipation of Jesus' second coming. Why? Because our hope is in the Eternal God. He has yet to fall through on a promise He made and the evidence is all over Scripture. We also know that "hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5). In other words, the season of advent cannot end in disappointment or worry. We know that we get Jesus in the end; that He will return and that the promises He made will be fulfilled! Our anticipation in this regard can only bring joy at the thought of being with the One who knows us inside and out and is still willing to love us despite our wretchedness. The anticipation of being with Him is too great not to love.
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy to every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious Kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
-Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
