Once again, today, I have an extract for you from my book Daily Prayer (book 1). Its theme is Advent expectation. What does this mean? And how should it shape our lives today?
Be prepared
Read
As for times and seasons, my friends, there is no need to write to you, for you are well aware that the day of the Lord will come upon you as a thief in the night. Just when people are saying, ‘Relax, all is well’, destruction will strike them as labour pains grip hold of a pregnant woman, and no one will escape. You, though, my friends, are not in the darkness such that the day should overtake you like a thief, for you are all children of light and of the day rather than of night and darkness. So, then, do not sleep like others, but be watchful and clear-headed. Those who sleep, do so in the hours of darkness just like those who get drunk, but since we are of the day let us remain clear-headed, putting on the breastplate of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that, whether we wake or sleep, we shall live together with him. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10
Ponder
‘Be prepared!’ Two words that all Scouts, past or present, will have indelibly printed on their minds. In theory, they should never be caught short, ready instead to respond to every eventuality. But life, of course, has a habit of catching us on the hop, and although that can be a problem, it is also a blessing. Imagine how dull life would be if we could know everything that was going to happen and had exhausted its ability to offer new horizons and experiences.
It is not just life, however, that can surprise us but, above all, God. Take, for example, his coming to the world in Christ. For years, the people of Israel had looked forward to his coming, yet when the moment arrived many failed to see it. They thought they understood what God would do and were unprepared for anything else. The words of Paul to the Thessalonians suggest that we can do much the same. At first sight, they seem to be concerned simply with the return of Christ, but that is to miss the point, for Paul stresses that we do not know when that day will be, or what it will involve. We should live each day in a sense of expectation, recognising that God is at work in a host of ways, constantly able to surprise us. Do that and whenever Christ comes we will be ready to meet him. Strictly speaking, we can’t be prepared for the unexpected, but we can be open to the possibility that God may speak to us and work through us in ways we have not even begun to imagine. Be prepared!
Ask yourself
Do you still expect God to reveal new things about himself? Are you open to your faith being stretched and your experience of his love deepened?
Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, I remember today that though your people looked forward for so long to your coming, many were not prepared, failing to recognise you when you came. Forgive me that I am equally closed sometimes to your coming into my life, forcing you into a mould I have made for you, presuming your thoughts and your ways are the same as mine. Forgive me that my expectations are small and limited, shaped by looking at life from a human rather than eternal perspective. Forgive me, and help me to be prepared. Teach me to examine myself – my words and deeds, thoughts and attitudes – and so to live each day open to what you would do in me and through me, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Remember
A voice crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare a way for the Lord; make ready a straight path for him.’ Luke 3:4
Close
Lord Jesus Christ, prepare my heart to welcome you now, and so may I be ready to welcome you when you come again. Amen.