Advent Devotion - Day 1

Join us through this special time of Advent as we dive deeper into the Word of God. Each day, we will pray and reflect on a different passage from Scripture. Daily Readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, and reflections are written by our church staff.

Eternal God, in your providence, you prepared all ages for the kingdom of your Son. Make ready our hearts for the brightness of your glory and the fullness of your blessing in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Book of Worship, 1944

Jeremiah 33:14-16 NRSVUE

¹⁴ The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."

Today's Old Testament lesson is the same scripture I will preach from at the 10:00 worship service. Initially, I wanted to glance over this scripture quickly, but I must admit, the text grabbed ahold of me. The scripture impacted me two-fold.

First, Jeremiah is preaching the good news amid great calamity and hardship. He is speaking to the people who seem to have no hope after the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah states, "The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah." Jeremiah is reminding the people of Israel that God is not finished with them. No matter what, they can still have hope that God is not finished with them or their futures.

Second, Jeremiah is speaking concerning a future hope. In verse fifteen, he states, "In those days and at that time, I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land." Here, Jeremiah is prophetically speaking about Jesus! Not only is Jeremiah focused on the people at that very moment, but he is also faithfully looking forward to the time when Christ will come into this world.

Plan to be in worship today. During the message, I will discuss why the Old Testament is fundamental for understanding the New Testament and the arrival of Christ. A deeper understanding of the Old Testament can provide new hope for all of us as we enter the Advent season. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, now is a time to live in this season of HOPE and be thankful that God is still working in our world today.