It's Time to Worship the Way to Come
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Isaiah 40:3-5
Advent begins today. Advent is a season observed during the four weeks preceding Christmas. It is the season of waiting for the coming of the Lord. Advent can be said to have already begun in Genesis. From the moment man sinned, God has already promised to send a Savior into the world. Since then, human beings have been eagerly waiting for the coming of the Savior in their souls. 600 years before Jesus came, Isaiah had already sang about the world where the Messiah would come.
bsp; Every valley shall be raised up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
bsp; The uneven places will be made level, and the rough places will be made level.
bsp; The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together... Isaiah 40:4-5
At the same time, they are crying out for the Messiah.
bsp; Are you the way of the LORD in the wilderness?
bsp; Make straight a highway for our God in the desert Isaiah 40:3
Advent is a season of leveling our attention. It is the feast of the road, praying for you to come as the king of peace on this earth, the Lord of grace in my heart, and the Lord of life throughout the world.
1. Advent is a season of waiting.
bsp; In fact, all human life is a waiting. It means living with hope. Everyone has the hope of tomorrow, overcomes today and lives, and everyone finds joy in waiting. So is faith. In waiting, our faith grows. Waiting is confessing my incompleteness and looking at the way to go. Now I am an incomplete being, still lacking. But I have hope. Because I am a waiting being. Waiting for the presence of the Lord. Waiting for the will of the Lord to be done. And I hope to be holy someday. Waiting for prayers to be answered, waiting to be filled.
Thus, Advent is the season of waiting for the Lord. As I wait for Christmas, I am also waiting for you to come into my heart. I am happy when I wait. So it is a season when everyone is happy. I hope that you will become happy saints waiting for Christmas while reflecting on the will of the Lord in your heart.
2. Advent is a season of preparation.
bsp; When Jesus came, he came to the stable. The reason is that no one has accepted the Lord. No one in the world has provided a place for the Lord. Because many other things were full of their houses. Our preparation to receive the Lord on Advent means, in that sense, clearing out the unbelieving, filthy, vain thoughts and worldly hearts that fill our hearts.
Today is also Holy Communion Sunday in our church. I believe it will be a gracious time to smooth the way for the Lord's presence in our souls by purifying our souls. I bless today's Holy Supper to prepare the Lord's love and soul.
Please also prepare in prayer. Advent is the feast of emptying the manger with a pure and pure heart while thinking of the Lord who came as the baby Jesus. At the same time, it is overlapping with the end of the year. No matter how busy the time is, Christians should not miss preparing the manger of the soul, just as everything comes out of faith and converges to faith like a 'dom'. Prayer is preparing the manger of the soul.
It is also the season to prepare for the environment. Faith is not only realized in the church, but must be experienced and practiced in life. For that to happen, socially and domestically, a Christian culture must be activated. Evangelizing the family must also be accomplished through this cultural change. The first thing to do is to change the atmosphere at home to a Christian one, not to ask the unbelievers to go to church. Hanging the church calendar in a prominent place is probably one of the things that change the atmosphere of Christianity. Hanging a beautiful torch in the living room and seeing it every day is one of the things that transforms your home into a Christian one. Watching family worship on a good day or anniversary would be a better way. It would be a way to gradually create an atmosphere for family members to sit around the head of the table and say a prayer of thanks on their birthday. It is also important to hold hands and pray for children when they are having a hard time. When this atmosphere is ripened, a Christian atmosphere seems to fill the home, and when it is repeated, the Christian culture is activated.
Advent is the season of preparation. We bless the saints who prepare spiritually, prepare through prayer, prepare environmentally, and prepare by faith.
3. Advent is a season of sharing.
bsp; Among the stories of Christmas, there is nothing other than a story of sharing. Jesus came into the world to share life. The wise men shared their offerings by offering. Although the shepherds were empty-handed, they gave their faith through worship. Even the beasts shared their stables. Therefore, we should also become a season of sharing. Of course, sharing gifts of love with family and friends will help deepen your love. I believe that sharing love with neighbors who are particularly difficult--to those who cannot repay even if I give a gift will be a precious thing to accomplish the Lord's will during this Advent.
4. It is to prepare to meet the Lord who will come again.
bsp; The meaning of waiting for Advent is not only to wait and prepare for Christmas in time, but also to prepare faith to receive the Lord who will come again.
bsp; Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42
It is training to prepare to meet the Lord who will come again through repeated preparations for Advent. I bless you with an awakened faith so that you can welcome the Lord with joy whenever He comes.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. It is also Holy Communion Sunday. It is more meaningful to have the sacrament commemorating the will of his coming during the feast of Advent waiting for his coming. .