Second Thursday of Advent
Reading: Grab your bible and read Philippians 3:7-11
Reflection:
The message that John the Baptizer preached was one of preparation for the Coming One. Then when Jesus came, his work was to invite us into the life of God. It is this life that the Apostle Paul celebrates in his letter to the Philippian church. Written toward the end of Paul’s life, this letter reflects a longing for intimacy with God that had not diminished throughout Paul’s life and ministry, in spite of the many hardships he had endured. In his life, the ministries of both John and Jesus had done their work!
In this Advent season, we do well to reflect on our own experience of God and God’s life. We may want to ask ourselves whether we share the longing that Paul expresses whether the message of God’s life has taken root so fully in our own hearts. The wonderful opportunity that this season offers us is to nurture our longing for God, and to remember again that God is always coming to us, always available to us, and that, if we desire intimacy with God, we need only make the time and space for it to happen.
In what ways do you feel a longing for more of God’s presence and life? How does that longing show itself in your life? In what ways can you nurture your desire for God, in order to grow into a deeper relationship with God? How can this Advent season help you to do this?
Prayer:
O Loving God,
You know how much I long to know you more. You know my desire to be closer to you and to love you more. I know that this longing is a good thing, and that, in one sense it will never be satisfied, because there is always more of you to get to know. Teach me to nurture my love for you in small daily acts of worship. And teach me to let my love for you be seen in my life so that it may stir a longing for you in others. Amen.
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