An-tic-ci-pa-aa-tion
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14
Remember the Heinz ketchup commercial that sang the word anticipation? I think of that word when I think about Advent.
Isaiah, Micah, and Jeremiah: prophets who foretold Jesus’s birth and anticipated his birth, but never experienced the miracle. Yet believers knew God would keep his promise. Believers continued to anticipate his birth even as Mary was selected by God to bear his Son and fulfill the prophecies. What faith they must have had to trust God to keep his word, even hundreds of years after the prophets spoke about God’s promise!
Can we keep our belief in God today and trust his faithfulness in our mere lives of 80 to 100 years? We certainly can if we keep our focus on him! We get so busy with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that it’s easy to lose focus on the real reason for the season: Jesus.
We need one another to remind us to listen to God during this special time of year. Do we need to help someone? Do we need to give our time and talents to God’s kingdom? Whatever God is telling us to do, we must stay focused on him to hear His whisperings to us.
Let’s pray for one another that we may all discern his nudging of our actions to anticipate His birth and celebrate the true gift of Jesus.