Scripture: Galatians 4:4-7 (NRSV)
DEVOTIONAL:
As I sat down to reflect on today’s Scripture passage, I found myself steeped in the stress of the ending semester, a time when no one seems to be able find time to get all of his or her work done, let alone stop to breathe. In the hustle and bustle of school, I compartmentalize my life, convincing myself that if I only get through each of the parts, I will survive the whole of my busy existence. But in reality this separation will not help me come out the other side in one piece, and the comfort of to-do lists can only go so far.
In the same way, God’s unexpected coming has become a part of our routine, a part of the season for many of us, but we become almost numb to the fact that Christ not only has come, but also will come again.
In sending Jesus, God not only gave us the opportunity to inherit the Kingdom of God as God’s own beloved children; more than that, God gave us a new way to enter into relationship with God. God has come, yet God continues to enter into our lives each day, and the opportunity for relationship is not a missed one. In the season of Advent, I encourage us to take a step back and revel in this gift that God—our Mother and our Father—has bestowed upon us.
God’s glory and God’s love cannot be put in a box—no matter how distracted we are—displayed occasionally and stored along with the rest of our Christmas decorations. That glory and love overcame the world on the night that Jesus was born, they are with us now, and they will be forevermore. Praise the Lord!
Scripture: Galatians 4:4-7 (NRSV)
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.