From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 11

"A gift from our community of faith to you. We at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary are devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways that we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."

CLICK HERE for a complete schedule of this season's devotionals.
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Advent Devotional for Thursday, December 11

Habakkuk 2:1-5

The season of Christmas brings out some of the best of humanity. We seem to wake up and realize the suffering that occurs around us daily in a newly mindful way. Suddenly we are compelled to feed, clothe, and gift people that we have ignored for the rest of the year, except with the occasional extra dollar or two in the offering basket. Yet once we come to this season of giving, this time when the birth of the Christ child reminds us of the claim on our lives, this ever-present suffering of the disenfranchised becomes urgent. We heed the call and seek out ways to help and ways to give in very real and tangible ways. Then we head into the New Year when our blinders once again become fixed, and the cycle perpetrates itself again.

We are the people of this child who is our Savior daily. We should keep that vision before us this season, yes, but not only this season. As we wait upon the vision of what the world will be, let us work toward a better world now. Seek out ways to spend this time of waiting in fruitful purpose, ways that humble us, and ways that renew our faith, not just a select time of year but all year long. The claim is ever present, the urge to answer the call is not meant to be a seasonal commitment we dust off and hang up like the wreaths on our doors.

Heed the vision every day and learn to live a Christmas faith daily.

Oh God who claims and calls us. Grant us eyes, ears, and hearts that work for you, so that we may truly learn to serve all of your people in every season we are given. Through Christ our Lord who humbled himself to save us.

Randi Havlak
Middler MDiv Student

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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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