Advent Day 5 - We’re Called to Prepare

This year's Advent devotionals are from A Celebration of Advent: A 25-Day Devotional
by New Spring Church of Anderson, SC
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“And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, ‘What then will this child be?’ For the hand of the Lord was with him.” 

Luke 1:65-66 

When a party starts and we hear all the laughing and singing, we realize that the planning, shopping, cleaning, and arranging were all worth it. John the Baptist’s role was not the most glamorous, but God gave him the special purpose of preparing the way for the Messiah. Filled with the Holy Spirit, John preached repentance and spoke boldly to prepare people’s hearts to receive the soon-coming king.

When we take time to prepare our hearts, Christmas goes from just another stressful event to the most beautiful celebration of God’s saving work. During Advent, we slow down, fix our eyes on Jesus, consider His incarnation, and look forward to His return. May this Christmas be different as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the arrival of King Jesus.

REFLECT:  Read Luke 1:57-80, Malachi 3:1-4

How can we prepare our hearts to experience the most from this Christmas season?
How are the daily practices of prayer and bible reading helping to prepare your heart for what Jesus wants to do through you?
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Prayer:

Father,
          We come with grateful hearts for You have so lovingly and faithfully prepared the way for us to receive forgiveness and be restored to right standing with You. Forgive us for living our lives as though we could just wing our way through - without studying to show ourselves approved. Without preparing our hearts to receive Your Word. Without preparing our souls to receive the Salvation You so lovingly prepared for us from the beginning. Forgive us, Father, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Cause for Celebration

Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.
Galatians 3:13-14 The Message

This weekend, we will celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. He is risen - Alleluia! Yes, it is definitely cause for celebration! 

We don't like to think about the suffering of Christ during Passion Week. We don't like to watch the event either, now that "The Passion of the Christ" has brought it to life in all its horrible detail. Have you ever set out to celebrate the Crucifixion? The Cross? 

How many of us truly realize that it was because of the beatings, the whipped stripes on His back, the crown of thorns, the nails that pierced his flesh, the spear that ripped open His side that we even have a cause for celebration?!? It is His SHED blood that pays the debt of our sins. It was the stripes that bought and paid for our healing. Isaiah 53:5-6 NLT reads, ...he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.

The work that was accomplished and finished on the Cross - Christ's blood spilled out - was the only power to wash away our sin stains. Without His death on the Cross, there would be no Resurrection. The Cross and the love that held Jesus on it are the true causes for celebration.

Prayer:

Father,
         In and of ourselves, we haven't the words to express our gratitude. Reveal Your Word to us and give us grateful hearts to celebrate what Your Son has done for us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen