Advent Devotions – December 10th

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

 Twinkling Christmas tree lights… sugar plum fairies… the faint sound of imagined sleigh bells… these are all part of the excitement and anticipation of many a child’s Christmas Eve experience. Lying in bed in the darkness, ears straining to hear even the hint of a “Ho! Ho! Ho!” Do you have fond memories of fighting to stay awake as you kept watch for Santa?

As adults, we tend to lose most of that magical, breathless enthusiasm – after all, reality does have a way of trampling over our enchantment for the season. We misplace our joy and peace in the hustle and bustle of the commercialized madness. Each day we play beat the clock as we push and cram more and more into our already satiated schedules, and by the time we drop into bed at night, the only thing dancing in our heads is exhaustion!

This advent we have a chance to celebrate and capture that joy again, by keeping watch not for a whimsical bearded man in a red suit, but for the return of the Savior whose birth we celebrate. Jesus told us in Matthew 25:13 to watch, for we don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man will be coming.  In Luke 21:36 we are told to watch and pray…

Take heart, find rest and peace in the knowledge that the Baby who slept so tenderly under the night sky of the shepherds is coming back as King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all those who love and serve Him!  So keep watch — never lose sight of the fact that Jesus Christ is coming back again, and soon… maybe even today!