December 10, 2018
During the season of Advent, we anticipate the coming of Christ. We wait. And though there will be joy in the morning, it is good to remember – as we wait in winter – that Jesus also “is acquainted with grief.” J. Daniel Frost offers this reminder in this morning’s Fruit of the Vine reflection on a story from Luke 7:
12 As [Jesus] approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her ...
Frost writes that “this man’s passing would leave the widow without anyone to care for her – an especially dire situation.” Jesus knew. “He called for the parade to stop, and then he touched the bier.”
14 ... the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Frost suggests you can almost imagine someone proclaiming of Jesus, “There he is! There he is!”
We expect Jesus to come and end our time of mourning. We wait. We anticipate. We hope. But Jesus is here with us, no matter what our situation. “He is acquainted with grief, and his presence brings peace.”
Frost ends with this suggested prayer: “Thanks, Lord, for your comforting presence; we so badly need it.”
Thank you,
Eric Muhr
P.S. Seeds of hope is the three-year campaign to fund the ministry of Barclay Press by developing new titles, supporting small churches, and balancing the budget. In order to stay on target to meet our goal of $162,000 by December 31, 2020, we need to get to $54,000 by the end of this year. As of this morning, we have raised $41,031 in gifts and pledges.
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