As this year flees quickly away, we enter the season known as Advent in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent simply means “coming”, which is precisely the point. This season is a time to celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to save us from sin. It is a season of wonder in many ways, filled with excitement, anticipation , nostalgia, and celebration.
Too often, however, we allow ourselves to become enamored with the wonderful trappings of the holiday season, and miss the true wonder of what we profess to celebrate. During this Advent season, we seek to rediscover the breathless surprise and awe that ought to saturate every aspect of our Christmas season.
Our Advent sermon series, Wonders of His Love, will consider four ways we observe the goodness of God that should rightly leave us marveling at His love. Our advent devotional booklet will follow the same format, as together we contemplate the wonders of Creation, Revelation, Incarnation, and Redemption.
The common thread running through all four of these wonders is the goodness of God; they are each marvelous, wonderful expressions of His love. What makes them marvelous and wonderful is that they are so unexpected and so undeserved.
The Uncreated One, who is utterly complete in Himself, lacking absolutely nothing, had no need to create us other than His own desire to do so. God made all things, including us, for His own pleasure and glory!
The Most High, who is above and beyond any hope of our comprehension, had no reason to reveal Himself to us other than His own desire to do so. It made God happy to make Himself known to us!
The Infinite God, who is omnipresent spirit, had no cause to come to us in human flesh other than His own desire to do so. God became man and walked among us, allowing us to relate to Him in a new way, because He chose to!
The Holy One, who alone is righteous and just, had no incentive to show us mercy by making a way for us to be saved from the wrath our sins deserve other than His own desire to do so. Pouring out His wrath on the Son so that we could live forever with Him was the desire of the Father’s heart!
Wonder of wonders! The Uncreated, Most High, Infinite, Holy God actually loves weak, rebellious, ungrateful, humans so much that He created us, revealed Himself, became one of us, and redeemed us! May our every moment, and especially this Advent season, be filled with awe at the wonders of His love.