“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. . . .They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11:6,9     Isaiah wrote these words of promise in the 8th Century BCE,  telling the world that one day a Messiah,  a Savior would be born. Centuries passed. Empires rose and fell. Kings were born and died. Still, people waited, clinging to Isaiah’s  words of promise.

Then, one day, an angel visited a young woman,  setting in motion, all that was foretold.The promised savior was born. Two thousand years have passed since the birth of Bethlehem’s child.

Today we continue to wait for the fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision.  We yearn for that time when God’s promise arrives in all of its fullness and it’s joy. Meanwhile, a Savior comes. In the  liminal space of  an “in-between world, ” wars and violence intrude into our lives. People we love get sick and die. Terrorist’s attack. An accident  sears our soul. The job is lost. A beloved child goes wrong. Our hearts ache. Cynics prosper, darkness falls and for a moment the light seems to go out.

So we wait. We wait for God’s assurance that all will be well. We wait to hear Good News, amidst our broken lives. We wait to be assured that God is real and that God’s compassion is near.  Walking through the dark moments in our lives,   we yearn to hear God is near. 

In this waiting time of Advent,  know God is at work in our world and in our lives,  working in both seen and unseen ways.

Christ journeys  with us today,  and promises to  walk with us through every darkness we encounter,  into tomorrow’s light and joy.

Prayer:  Loving God, as we begin this Advent Journey, speak to our deepest needs for assurance, that in spite of what the world might tell us, we are held in your eternal embrace. Amen.

Additional Advent Devotions can be found here:   Advent and Christmastide Devotions