December 24, 2010
By Melanie Rigney
Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent
The favors of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. (Psalms 89:2)
(Zechariah prophesied of his son John:) “And you, child, will be prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit is to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79
Piety
Thank You, God, for trying in innumerable ways—including the gift of Your son—to help me understand just how much You love me.
Study
We made it! Whee! Sigh!
On this, the last day of Advent, we’ve prepared as best we could. Maybe we missed sending a card or five. Or maybe there’s a person or two for whom we failed to find the perfect gift. Maybe we weren’t as present to God the past four weeks as we’d hoped to be.
Doesn’t matter. Jesus is coming anyway.
What kind of amazing mercy is that, a God who is with us, just as He was with David, wherever we go, destroying all our enemies, internal and external, before us?
And what does He ask in exchange for this, the greatest Gift, the Gift whose coming we’ll begin celebrating tonight?
That we love Him.
That we love our neighbors as ourselves. And part of that love means being John the Baptist in our own world where we can, being a living testimony to our families, friends, and neighbors to prepare His way into their hearts and souls.
What a bargain. What an incredible bargain. Because in giving to God, we give to ourselves, and make ourselves more open to His grace.
Let Him shine—today, tonight, and always.
Action
Let the Lord’s goodness shine through you.
