The Candle of Love: A Reflection for the Fourth Week of Advent

by Jessica Asbell

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Luke 2:9-15 NIV

Have you ever thought about the angels in this story? Have you thought about how excited they must’ve been to tell the shepherds the GREAT news that the Savior had been born? Think about the angels for a minute. They probably knew about God’s plan to send Jesus to the world to save it. They had to wait a long time, thousands and thousands of years, before they could announce God’s plan. Throughout the Old Testament, there are angels who appeared to prophets to deliver God’s message to them. But they had to wait until the world was ready for the best message. Then one day, God said, it’s time! Go shout for joy and sing hallelujah because the Christ is born this day. And off they went, appearing to shepherds and telling everyone about how God had just changed the world.

I imagine that waiting for that moment was very hard. It was like waiting for Christmas morning to arrive, because, well, they were. For children (and for adults who love Christmas), waiting for Christmas morning feels like an eternity. As it gets closer, it still feels very far away. You count down the days and wait with anticipation to wake up Christmas morning and see what presents await. Many times birthdays are the same way. If you ever ask a child who just turned four how old they are, they will tell you that they are almost five. Their birthday could have been yesterday, and they would still tell you that they are almost five. They start talking about their birthday the day after they have it, and they start talking about the next Christmas the day after this one. And then it seems to take forever for that birthday or Christmas to arrive.

In the time before Jesus, the angels were allowed to deliver bits and pieces of the good news. But finally, on that day when Jesus was born, finally they could announce it all. And in the blink of an eye, the world would never be the same. 

Reflection Question: When in your life has it felt like you'd been waiting forever for something? How did it feel when that something finally happened?

Prayer:  Thank God for changing the world in the blink of an eye. Thank Him for times of waiting that teach us to listen for Him. 

The Candle of Joy: A Reflection for the Third Week of Advent

by Jessica Asbell

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Luke 2:8-20 NIV

The shepherds were waiting for morning. They were waiting for the sky to turn pink and the sun to come up, because that meant another night was over and their sheep were safe. When the sun came up, there would be other shepherds to help watch the flocks by day. Night was more dangerous for sheep: it was easier for them to wander off, and there were more predators around. So the shepherds waited for morning. And instead of morning, they saw something totally unexpected: a sky full of angels, singing the praises of God and the Savior who had just been born. Their normal night was turned into something extraordinary and a night they would never forget. They were busy waiting for the night to be over, but something better than morning was coming.

How often does it feel like the night will last forever? Perhaps you have trouble sleeping and it seems like the night will never end. Or perhaps you’re slightly afraid of the dark and it feels like it goes on forever. Or maybe the days at school seem to drag on. Maybe you watch the clock for the last hour of the day, waiting and waiting for the bell to ring and the school day to be over. Most of the time, our days and nights feel mundane and normal. But sometimes, amazing things happen. Like the shepherds, we don’t always expect extraordinary things to happen in our ordinary days. But sometimes, God breaks into our days and we are awestruck. Maybe God does something big, like answer a prayer in a huge way. Or maybe it’s something small, like when someone gives you a hug and makes your day better. Whatever it is, spend your days waiting with anticipation that God will do something. God is always at work even we don’t always see it. God probably isn’t going to send tons of angels to sing the good news like He did for the shepherds when Jesus was born. But as we go through our normal days waiting for them to be over, make sure to also be on the lookout and waiting for God to do something. He always is. 

Reflection Question: What extraordinary things have happened to you on days that started out normal? What are the small ways that God reminds us He is there in the midst of our normal days?

Prayer: Ask God to help you be on the lookout for ways that He is working in the world.

The Candle of Peace: A Reflection for the Second Week of Advent

by Jessica Asbell

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.”

Luke 1:26-38 NIV

Mary and Joseph waited for a miracle to happen for nine months. They knew that Jesus, the Son of God, would change their whole lives. And so they waited with anticipation for Jesus’ birth. There are things we wait for that change our whole lives: perhaps it is a move to a different state, the birth of a sibling, or waiting to go to college. These are things we look forward to, but at the same time make us nervous. In moving to another state, we wonder if we will make new friends, if things will be good, and if we will like our new home. With the birth of a sibling, we worry if we’ll actually like him or her. As I waited for my sister to be born when I was seven, I told my mom that the baby had better be a girl because I was going to put a baby brother in the clothes hamper. I had prayed for a sister, and that’s what I was looking forward to. Any time a big change happens, we wait with excitement, but also with anxiety.

Mary and Joseph must’ve been the same way. Here they were, a young engaged couple, when all of a sudden an angel appears to tell Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God. How excited they must’ve been to meet Jesus! And yet how anxious they must’ve been that they were going to be his parents. Can you imagine trying to parent the Son of God? As Mary and Joseph prepared for Jesus, we too prepare for Jesus’ birthday. We prepare for the time when we remember how Jesus came into the messiness of this world to show everyone how great God’s love is.

Jesus also came to bring us peace. We can look around our world and things are not peaceful. But God gives us peace that we cannot understand, a peace that we feel deep within us. When we feel anxious about changes that are happening, we can pray for peace. And the God who knows us and who redeems us will also calm our nerves and anxiety and give us His peace. 

Reflection question: What changes have you gone through over the years? What was it like waiting for the change to happen? How did you prepare?

Prayer: Thank God for time to prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth. Ask God to show you how you can help others who are going through big changes.

The Candle of Hope: A Reflection for the First Week of Advent

by Jessica Asbell

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:7-12 NIV

The prophets in the Old Testament were full of hope that, eventually, the Messiah would come. The prophets were waiting, waiting on God’s rescue plan. They talked about Jesus without knowing Him, and were waiting and prophesying about someone they would never see.

Isaiah would never meet the Messiah and yet he continued to bring hope to the Israelites through his prophecies. Eventually, the Messiah would come and rescue them, getting rid of the things that weighed them down and defeating those who tried to oppress them. Throughout its history, Israel had been conquered many times. Its enemies were in charge of them and they wanted to be free. But they couldn’t imagine the freedom that Jesus would bring, because Jesus would (and did) defeat the ultimate enemy: death. No longer would death be in charge. Instead, the love of God would get rid of the power death had over everyone and we would be free to be with God for all eternity.

The prophets waited with hope that someday the Messiah would come. These days, children wait with hope that someday they will get to drive, someday they will go to college, someday they will get to stay up as late as they want. Whereas most of the prophets never got to see their hopes realized in the Messiah, children will eventually be able to drive, go to college, and stay up as late as they want. But for now, it feels like those things will never arrive. As they wait with expectation for these things and for Christmas, remind them that the prophets waited a long, long time for the Messiah to arrive. But eventually, their hopes and dreams came true in the form of Jesus.

Our prayer life can feel like this too. There are times when we pray fervently and often for things we really need, situations that need help, or for people who need healing. Sometimes God answers quickly, but often, we wait and wait in the hope that God will answer our prayers. It can feel as if God will never answer us. But if we, like the prophets, don’t give up, eventually God will answer our prayers. The answer will not always be yes, but God always answers us. 

Reflection question: What are you waiting for this advent season?

Prayer: Thank God that the prophets never gave up, that they continued to tell people that the Messiah was coming. Ask God for help in pressing on when it seems like what we wait for will never happen.