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Advent Devotional for Sunday, December 23
Zephaniah 3:14-20
It is day ten of the Bastrop County (Texas) wildfires. Two major fire areas have contributed to the destruction of over 35,000 acres of wooded land and nearly 1500 homes. Being a pastor in a community devastated by fire disaster is a new experience for me.
On one hand, it is so gratifying to be a part of the local community. My wife and I were evacuated along with many, but came back to find the church and parsonage without damage. We give thanks for the valiant effort of firefighters and first responders. While grateful to be a part of this community, I am also overwhelmed by the generous response of neighbors from around the state who are giving from generous hearts. On the other hand, walking with folks to inspect the remains of their burned-out homes is sobering. It is gut-wrenching. I pray for them to have the capacity to experience grace in the ashes. I pray for them that loss of home can be transformed by the hospitality of the gathered community.
In thinking ahead to a better time on a new day, the advent of hope is a message the community longs to hear. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Even though I do not attribute the lack of rain and the hottest summer on record to any act of disobedience of the people of our county, the words of hope given after the prophet’s announcement of judgment can be a source of good news to those displaced and scattered by the fire. There is a day of renewal in the midst of this disaster, and the community that grows from this and out of this experience will be stronger in the Lord.
Where the pathways of hospitality and hope intersect, there you will find the Lord. May each day bring new opportunities to walk these paths and discover renewal. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
Paul E. Harris (MDiv’10)
Pastor, Cedar Creek United Methodist Church
Cedar Creek, Texas
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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