Advent Diary...almost closed

Tomorrow night will be The Wheatland Mission's last celebration of Advent/Christmas for 2005. After this we will move into a brief celebration of Epiphany and then prepare ourselves for the Great Lent. This time of preparation and anticipation has been really valuable to me personally. I am forced to think more carefully and clearly about this season and the way I enter into it, along with the way my family, and now my church, participates in the season.

We are going to hear the story of Symeon and Anna. The two old people awaiting the announcement of the Messiah's arrival. They understood that his entry into the world would not occur in the way most expected. They were both perfectly unsurprised by Jesus' arrival in the temple, not as a great and powerful ruler, but as an infant. One carried in by his parent who would be utterly helpless without them. They knew.

May God grant that we all gain a better set of eyes to see the many ways in which God is entering into our world. Grant that we would rejoice in seeing his salvation and grant that we might better come to understand just exactly "his salvation" is.