What is Your Rock?

Read Together
Psalm 118:1, 5-9 & Isaiah 26:3-4 & Matthew 7:24-27

Light one candle and say together
His love endures forever.
(from Psalm 118:1) 

Reflection

Happy New Year! While Advent falls at the end of our current calendar year, it happens to be the beginning of the Church Calendar year. This can seem strange, especially if this is a concept you haven't thought much about before. In a little less than a month, we will be counting down to midnight and writing new year's resolutions. We'll be processing the new year then, with the rest of our society. So, what are we to do with the knowledge that we're in a brand new year according to the liturgical church calendar? 

If you follow the church calendar, then we have just come to the end of a long stretch of what is called "Ordinary Time". And I don't know if you've experienced this, but perhaps some of your faith practices have become easier and easier to push aside during this long stretch. It isn't just the span between church seasons that can lead us to grow tired in our faith. We're also a couple of years into a global pandemic that has changed all of our practices around church. And, even if your faith is as strong as ever, we can always go deeper. While January is a great time to kickstart new goals and habits, Advent can feel like a time of renewal spiritually, if you'll allow it. This shift in focus can help aim our hearts back toward Jesus as we make more room in our lives for His birth. 

When a family is getting ready to welcome a baby into their homes, they don't simply set up a nursery and plan to visit the baby there for a few minutes each day and maybe an hour on Sundays. Instead, everyone in the family knows that their lives will mostly surround the care and survival of the little one. It isn't simply one room that gets set up, but the whole home setup will shift and change to meet this growing family's needs. The family will never look the same, and parenting won't be easy, but it will all be worth it for the sake of this new family member. 

This is what we're invited to do at Advent. Not simply add a little more of Jesus into our day, like a new year’s resolution that might soon be forgotten. No, we’re invited to begin to build our lives around this little child born in a manger and the Saviour he showed Himself to be. It doesn't guarantee that our lives will be easy, and in fact, during Advent, we acknowledge that it isn't. Today's Scripture passages don't sugarcoat life. The rain will come down, the streams will rise, the wind will blow, the beatings will come. But what is our life built upon? And what does it look like to build our lives upon the firm foundation of Jesus? 

Have you ever noticed what you turn to when life gets hard? Is it friends or family? Food or shopping? The internet? Exercise or self-help books? Something else? How long does it take you to take your problem to prayer? These questions aren't meant to cause guilt, and it is true that often, what we turn to aren't bad things. But these things can never fully catch us. They can never truly protect us. They will not be the firm foundation that you need, and they aren’t the foundation that you are offered out of the deep, enduring love of God. 

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the power structures of our world. Our Lord will keep in perfect peace all who trust Him, whose thoughts are fixed on Him. 

The promises that we are given when our lives are set firmly on Christ are comforting and hopeful. So, as we continue into Advent, prepare Him room. Not just a room you'll visit once a week, but a home that is changed because of Who lives in it and is strong because of the Foundation it is on.

Talk About

  • What is the first thing you do when life has gotten hard or you’re upset?
  • If you're in a family, commit to reminding each other to stop and pray when things get hard. Plan to pray together and for each other during those times! If you do not have a family member to remind you, give permission to a close friend to remind you to pray when you are struggling.

Pray Together
Lord, we thank you, for you are good! Your love endures forever! Even when things are hard, we cry out to you and trust that you are with us. Because of you, we will not be afraid. Help us turn to you first. 

You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. 

We thank you, Lord, for you are good. Your love endures forever.
Amen. 

Put it in Action
Find a rock outside and paint it with your favourite Bible verse or a picture reminding you of God's great love for you. Keep it as a reminder, or put it out in the world to encourage others! 

To Go Deeper, Read
Psalm 118

More information about our Advent Prayer Challenge can be found here.