WEEK ONE: SUFFERING AND PROMISES
NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3
SCRIPTURE READING AND REFLECTION:
Luke 1:5-25
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Suffering and Promises by Kyle Rodriguez
One of the elements of brokenness of human life—indeed, one of its distinguishing features—is how painful waiting can be. After all, at its foundation, waiting is enduring. Even when waiting is hopeful, rather than despairing, it is a hope yet unfulfilled. To wait is inherently to feel incomplete, to long for a time that is other than now.
And yet one of the characteristics of the Christian life always waiting. We are waiting for the Lord to return, waiting for the just judgment of injustice in the world, waiting for our faith to become sight. But in order to endure that waiting, in order to persevere through the suffering of waiting without slipping into suffocating despair, we need help. So, the Lord sends us his promises.
He doesn’t just send a vague sense of promise, but specific, tangible promises. It is promises that turn us from despair to hope, from sin to holiness, from selfishness to mission. It is the promises of God that turn us to Him. They do not end our suffering—only the final fulfillment of those promises will do that—but they do make it easier, equipping us to do the work of waiting. Just was John was given to the Israelites to prepare them for the work of Christ, let us receive the promises of God and prepare us for his return: turning our hearts toward the Lord as we recognize his faithfulness, toward each other as we band together in encouraging one another to that day, and toward holiness as we reject sin and death for the hope of life in Christ.
Luke 1:5-25
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Suffering and Promises by Kyle Rodriguez
One of the elements of brokenness of human life—indeed, one of its distinguishing features—is how painful waiting can be. After all, at its foundation, waiting is enduring. Even when waiting is hopeful, rather than despairing, it is a hope yet unfulfilled. To wait is inherently to feel incomplete, to long for a time that is other than now.
And yet one of the characteristics of the Christian life always waiting. We are waiting for the Lord to return, waiting for the just judgment of injustice in the world, waiting for our faith to become sight. But in order to endure that waiting, in order to persevere through the suffering of waiting without slipping into suffocating despair, we need help. So, the Lord sends us his promises.
He doesn’t just send a vague sense of promise, but specific, tangible promises. It is promises that turn us from despair to hope, from sin to holiness, from selfishness to mission. It is the promises of God that turn us to Him. They do not end our suffering—only the final fulfillment of those promises will do that—but they do make it easier, equipping us to do the work of waiting. Just was John was given to the Israelites to prepare them for the work of Christ, let us receive the promises of God and prepare us for his return: turning our hearts toward the Lord as we recognize his faithfulness, toward each other as we band together in encouraging one another to that day, and toward holiness as we reject sin and death for the hope of life in Christ.
MUSIC:
Ethan Ezikian
The Fullness of Time
2022
The Fullness of Time
2022
ARTWORK:
Knitting is a unique medium in that each stitch is it's own moment in time. These stitches represent Jesus taking his followers from the kingdom of darkness into His glorious kingdom of goodness and light. It has been left intentionally unfinished to show that the story is not over and that we eagerly wait for the return of Jesus and the fulfillment of all God's promises in the fullness of time.
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Nancy Doran
Goodness & Light, 2022
Knitted Textile
8” x 20”
