First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2012
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36
1 O Lord, I give my life to you.
2 I trust in you, my God!
Do not let me be disgraced,
or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat.
3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced,
but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.
4 Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
5 Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
9 He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
10 The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.
Wow! It’s hard to believe that we have completed two three-year cycles of the lectionary. The first time through, we looked at the scriptures together. The last three years, we have looked at the Old Testament readings, which can provide some interesting passages to work through. It’s time to begin a new three year cycle – this time looking at the Psalms.
This Sunday begins a new church year. The new church year always begins with Advent, which we often think means Christmas, but Advent is a time of preparation. Advent itself means coming. This past year I heard that it really means the coming of something new. When Jesus came the first time, it was something new – Jesus was God in the flesh. Advent is a dual preparation. We prepare our hearts, souls, and minds for the coming of the baby Jesus at our Christmas celebration, and we prepare ourselves for the time when Jesus will come back again for his church. Our musical worship this Sunday will reflect that.
This week’s passage shows us the reason for us needing a Savior – God in the flesh. He is the God who saves us. As I look at the text of our scripture my mind goes to the song Mighty to Save.
Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations.
Saviour
He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever
Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
This week let’s remember the words of the Psalmist as we meditate on Jesus coming as a baby to save us.