First Saturday of Advent: Reflect
We’ve come to the end of the first week of Advent.
Every Saturday, we’d like to offer you a moment to pause and reflect. We pray that God will use this time to bring to mind the stories that are connected to your story, and give you wisdom and peace as you sit with what you’ve received this week.
This week we read stories from Geraud, Cami, Amy, Jonathan, and Krystal as we considered the “now-but-not-yet” reality of our lives in Christ. As you think back over the week, here’s a brief reminder of what they each wrote about:
Every Saturday, we’d like to offer you a moment to pause and reflect. We pray that God will use this time to bring to mind the stories that are connected to your story, and give you wisdom and peace as you sit with what you’ve received this week.
This week we read stories from Geraud, Cami, Amy, Jonathan, and Krystal as we considered the “now-but-not-yet” reality of our lives in Christ. As you think back over the week, here’s a brief reminder of what they each wrote about:
 |
| Our tears may not reap immediate joy, and our weeping may continue for many seasons, but the truth is, we live in a world where we need each other to carry hope until the time of harvest comes. We hold hope for each other—like seeds that, though buried, will one day break through the soil and yield a harvest of joy. —Geraud Brumfield, Carrying Hope |
 |
| When I think about the people of Israel waiting for their promised savior, I wonder how it felt. Did their faithful worship in the temple keep the flame of hope and anticipation alive? Did people talk about signs of the coming Messiah on a daily basis? Were their prayers always fervent, like a thirsty person begging for water—or a hungry cyclist looking for trail mix? —Cami Haley, Not Forever |
 |
| [My work has been], in one way or another, about pointing to the first coming of Jesus Christ and preparing for the next. And figuring out how to live out the days in between. My prayer during this Advent season—this in-between time—is that I wake up to the gift of each day I am granted and that I pay attention to the work God has given me to do. —Amy Maczuzak, The Days In Between |
 |
| Children openly wonder and expect a response from their earthly parents, and with a little distance and time to reflect (thank you, vacation), I recognized the beauty of this posture. I had mistaken their questions for a lack of trust. It was exactly the opposite! Their trust overflowed with constant and confident question-asking. And I began to wonder—do we take this same posture with our Heavenly Father? —Jonathan Wagner, Are We There Yet? |
 |
| While I personally hate things that are hard and painful, I also know that without them, the joy or hope I love can’t truly be birthed. So I am choosing to sit and be present in this messy season of Advent. I’m remembering to feel it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly!—and to also give it all to Jesus. He can handle the bittersweet. He will give us his joy. —Krystal Gwynn, Bittersweet |