Advent Devotional - December 17

John 1:6-8

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

REFLECTION

John the Baptist might be one of the best examples we have for what it means to be a Christian, for John was a man of hope, standing in the darkness declaring with blind confidence that one day light would come.

We see this same type of resilient radical hope all over scripture. For example, it must have been hope that allowed the Israelites to believe there was a promise land after 40 years in the desert. It was hope that led the prophets to speak against the people’s will, and it had to have been hope that led Paul to write over and over again from his jail cells.

The gospel is full of a resilient, radical type of hope, and that type of hope is never stagnant. The Israelites kept walking. The prophets kept speaking. Paul kept writing, and John kept believing.

So this Advent season, my prayer for us is that we can learn a little bit about what it means to be a Christian from John the Baptist; for John was a man of radical hope. John stood in the dark and still spoke of light, and we must do the same.

When you believe there will be promise land, you have to keep walking.

PRAYER

God of today and tomorrow-

Flood our hearts with hope. Flood our hearts with hope, because we know that hopeful people are not stagnant people, and we long to help be your change in this world. And when darkness closes in around us, remind us of your light. Grateful we pray, and eagerly we wait, Amen. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rev. Sarah Are is the Designated Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at PHPC. Sarah joined our staff in July 2017 after completing her Master of Divinity in May from Columbia Theological Seminary.

 

Today's Act of kindness

Light three candles and meditate: Joy looked down and saw sorrow. "I will go there," said Joy.