Ember Friday in Advent

 

 

 
Cox Bay, near Tofino   Sophia Standen 

Advent is a time of waiting. As we wait for the chosen one, the cornerstone of our faith, we reflect and pray. It’s a busy time for all of us – Christmas concerts, decorating, travel plans, exams – so much to do and so little time to get it all done. It’s hard to take the time out of our busy days to remember the real reason for Christmas. This is why I have come to love these daily blogs.
 
In 1 Peter 2, Christ is described as the living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him. The passage goes on to say that we are all living stones to be built into a spiritual house. Christ is the cornerstone (which is part of the foundation of a building). For those of us who believe, the stone is precious but for those who don’t believe, the stone causes them to stumble and fall. 

Christ is the foundation of the church but if we are also living stones that makes us part of the structure or building of God’s church. Only certain stones will fit into the construction of a building, but a stone can be cut and trimmed to fit. This is how we become part of God’s chosen people, we pray, we worship, we ask for forgiveness of our sins, we praise him so that we might be shaped into the living stones that will fit into God’s church and we become a people belonging to God. In this way, we come out of darkness into God’s light, just as in Advent when we come from the darkest part of the year into the light of Christ’s birth on Christmas Day. 

In John 17, in Christ’s prayer in the garden of Gethsemane shortly before he is taken away by the guards leading to his crucifixion, he asks his Father to look after his disciples. He prays not for the world but for his chosen people that they may be safe from the evil one. By extension, as we are God’s people, this prayer for safety also reflects on us. In fact, in the next verse after today’s reading (1 Peter 2:20), Jesus says that his prayers are not just for his disciples, but for all that believe in him. 

In Isaiah 44, we are told that God will care for his chosen people. He will provide water for the thirsty land and will pour his spirit on our offspring and his blessing on our descendants. God loves his chosen people, he protects us and the generations to come. He is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 

We are indeed God’s chosen people. Let us remember this as we wait for Christ’s birth. The countdown is on, the Advent calendars are being opened and we wait in anticipation for the coming again of Immanuel – God with us. 

Jacky Hall-Buckland
 
 
 Silent Night   Celtic Woman 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPANBPHEjwo&list=RDGPANBPHEjwo&start_radio=1

Silent Night   Celtic Woman

 

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