itsawonderfilledlife

Week 1
The People’s Need

… my God turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son Colossians 1:13

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:12

reclaim the dark … for light shines in the dark

Christmas came amid it all … amid all of the dark and twisties …

• tears, sorrow, dismay
• loneliness
• longing for the past
• dying, grief
• sin
• enemies, death

These are the realities today, as we open the daily advent doors to the celebration of arrival of the Christ Child … as we await his coming again. These were the realities then … roughly 400 years ago.

Christmas, then and now, is all about dark places …

• the womb
• a valley
• the grave

But, it is also about contrast, about that upside-down experience of Christ within us.

And without such a contrast …

would there be a reason for a Savior?

No …

That is why we wait with anticipation, otherwise we know not why he came, we know not our own value … for if we follow this Savior (who not only was born, but died and rose), we can be part of bringing the upside-down world to those around us.

Luke 6 says:

Blessed are you who:
are poor (now)
hunger (now)
weep (now)
who are hated (now)
who are rejected (now)

This was the state of life for the Jews … this is the state of life for us … NOW!

Our reality of being the blessed is not due to our circumstances or situations, but because of HIM, of He who came to deliver us from our darkness

and bring the light.

This ends week 1, the People’s Need.