Advent
December 23, 2016

Scripture Reading: Titus 2:11-14
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Active and engaged in living describes the vision Christ brought to us. He remains integrally involved training, redeeming, purifying, and making us zealous for good deeds. His work is as ongoing as ours is. We still have so much to learn. When calamity throws us to the ground, we continue to require Christ’s forbearance repeatedly to dust ourselves off and get back up to finish our journey. We occasionally find ourselves mired in the ways of the world needing Christ’s cleansing love to make us whole again. And there remain more good deeds calling us than we will ever be able to do without the synergy of God’s love in Christ and the fellowship of the Body of Christ in the world today.

We serve a risen Savior, and during Advent, we recall the time before his coming preparing to celebrate his arrival, God with Us. Let today be a day of thanksgiving for redemption draws nigh*.

Prayer: Lord, in the busyness of this season, let us not lose sight of the significance of your coming to us in human form, an innocent baby, Savior of the World. Amen.

*Derived from Luke 21:28

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.