Every year, covenant partners of Westminster write a scripture meditation for each day of Advent, which begins December 1st. You can view or download this year's devotional: Songs for the Journey.
Here is Pastor Owen's preface:
Welcome to the season of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the Christian year as we move toward the celebration of our Lord’s birth at Christmas. You may or may not have celebrated Advent in your past, but we invite you to join the Westminster family as we journey toward the manger together. This collection of devotionals is written by our elders and deacons to draw our attention to what God is doing among us in this season. It is a beautiful gift to the Westminster family. Each of these devotions is based on a passage of Scripture. It is an enriching daily habit to open our Bibles and read the full passage for each day and then to read the devotion that accompanies it and offer a prayer to God. You can do this by yourself or with your household. We pray that it will be a rich season of preparing our hearts together.
This Advent our theme is “Songs for the Journey” as we look at some of our favorite Christmas carols that we sing together. What are the songs on your playlist during this season? For many of us there will be “Joy to the World” lifting our spirits. For others, the songs are more subdued and even sad as we reflect on the past year. If we are honest, we might admit that we all experience a blend of joy and grief, and the songs of our hearts reflect that reality. The joys and trials alike point us toward the coming of Jesus.
Advent is a time of intentionally waiting for the Lord. We identify with those Israelites who waited thousands of years for the Messiah. We also wait for the second coming of Jesus when the troubles and pain of this world will cease, and we will be united with our Lord for all eternity. One of the deep questions of the season is what happens while we wait. How is God shaping us between the time His promise is given and the time when it is fulfilled? Ben Patterson, in his book entitled “Waiting” writes, “At least as important as the things we wait for is the work God wants to do in us as we wait... Picture a blazing hot forge and a piece of gold thrust into it to be heated until all that is impure and false is burnt out. As it is heated, it is also softened and shaped by the metalworker. Our faith is the gold; our suffering is the fire. The forge is the waiting: it is the tension and longing and, at times, anguish of waiting for God to keep his promises.”
As we journey toward Christmas, I encourage you to reflect on the fire that has been shaping you. Where are the places that you sense the Lord softening, strengthening and shaping your life? My prayer is that each of us might be more like Jesus when we arrive to celebrate at Christmas.
In the Hope of Christ,
Owen
