Advent Prayer Challenge Day 20 - December 16
Upside-Down Kingdom Come
Read John 5:16-27, 36
Light three candles and say together
Come, Son of God. Give us life.
Reflection
Everything about Jesus shook things up. A King from the line of David was placed in an animal trough. A Messiah who was sent to save God’s people from the chains of oppression was killed by an oppressive system. The Fulfillment of the Law seemed to break the law of the Sabbath by healing. And the Son of Man claimed to be the Son of God, “thereby making himself equal to God.”
Jesus was the promised Messiah, but He was not the Messiah that God’s people were expecting. The religious rulers of the day thought that Jesus was blasphemous, not righteous. They could not justify the man they saw skirting their rules—the rules they thought were implemented by God Himself—with the man who seemed to do miracles only God could do.
Jesus did not seem to care about their priorities. And accepting Jesus’s priorities would have resulted in an existential crisis for these men of God. Everything they learned and were taught would have to be considered in a new way, their focus shifting.
The law God had implemented generations earlier as a way to keep His people set apart for Himself was not wrong, but in practice, the focus was off. And now, because of that misaligned focus, many of these people of God could not even recognize God in their midst. They didn’t know Him enough to know Him personally.
Advent gives us an opportunity to practice shifting our focus to notice Jesus in our midst and prioritize the upside-down Kingdom He ushered in. With Jesus, a humble little baby is a King, a manger is a throne, a Kingdom is established without political power, Life comes from death, Love is greater than law, and a baby borne of a woman is God Himself. And God Himself walked this earth to offer you not only earthly life but eternal life. Life with Him.
Don’t miss Him simply because your priorities are off or your focus needs to shift. Know Him enough to recognize Him.
Reflect and Discuss
- What have been your primary priorities this month?
- How has God surprised you already during Advent?
- What do you know for sure about God’s character? What have you been discovering about God’s character?
Pray
Emmanuel, God with Us, we praise you because you are knowable and because you turn our expectations upside-down. Surprise us this Christmas. Let us know you more. Align our priorities with yours and let our pride not get in the way.
Amen
Advent in Action
Spend more time in prayer today. Reflect on what God has been saying to you this Advent. What is He asking for you to do?
More information about our Advent Prayer Challenge can be found here.
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Advent Prayer Challenge Day 19 - December 15
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