December 22nd
Twenty-Fourth Day of Advent
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3: 12-14
The day fast approaches… the day we come together to sing that glorious song. Silent night, holy night. All is calm and all is bright. Round yon virgin and child. Lights out, candles raised. The light piercing the darkness. The anticipation grows by the moment….
Our sovereign, glorious King calls us His chosen ones, holy and beloved. In His love for us, He breaks into our world as a baby. Jesus becomes lowly and powerless… for us. He becomes the incarnation of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience… for us. So that we might be able to clothe ourselves in Him, an eternal witness to His love for humanity.
And as Jesus humbled himself to reach humanity, so Jesus invites all of us to humble ourselves as we grow in discipleship. Our faith grows, not as we work harder, but as we bend our knees before Him.
I used to think that God’s gifts were on shelves one above the other, and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we should reach them. I find now that God’s gifts are on shelves one beneath the other, and that it is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower, and we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts.
G.B.F. Hallock
“The Cultivation of Humility”
Paul invites us to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Forgiving others. Asking for forgiveness. Living in love. This picture of the Christian community comes not through our own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. “It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower, and we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts.”
Jesus did this for us. He became lowly and weak for humanity. As we anticipate opening gifts from one another, let us also contemplate bending low for His best gifts. The day will soon be here… let us journey to Bethlehem.
Comments