Advent Devotional

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining / Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth. / A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices / For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!”

-O Holy Night

Years...too many years. Ever since that first sin in the garden mankind had lain in sin. Generations had lived and died with plenty of joys and celebration, true. Weddings, births, wealth and good harvests always brought joy. But invariably the heaviness of sin and its terrible fruit cast a pall over it all (Isaiah 25:7). Sickness, shame, injury, wars, pain and finally the specter of death overshadowed every joy. Indeed, the world laid in sin and error and we were most certainly pining. All mankind suffered a mental and physical decline from a broken heart. Rebellion against the One who loved us to the core broke our hearts, even if we didn’t know it.

Then something happened. A plan which was from the beginning took shape. A salvation appeared! The One that the prophets pointed toward and that our ancestors hoped for suddenly appeared. The humblest of births in a lowly manger far from his home brought the most surprising salvation. He appeared, born of a simple woman, attested to by angels and seen first by shepherds and wise men. This helpless baby would be the one who would save his people from their sins. A new and glorious morning had dawned on a very weary world.

When you are really loved by those who know you best, you do actually get a sense of your worth... your value. But when the Lord of creation invades the dark places of our hearts, well, there is nothing like this. There is a sudden thrill of hope. Could He indeed love me, a sinner? Grasping his undying love for us in spite of our sin brings the thrill of finding the most impossible treasure. Rejoice brothers and sisters! The long awaited One has come to invade the darkest of hearts and take away all sin. Rejoice Christian!