From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 21

"Advent ushers us into a season of anticipation, hope, and joy, as we await the day of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah ... We intend this Advent Devotional booklet as a gift of the season for you, to signify our deep appreciation for all that you do for Austin Seminary. And we hope that you will share it with others, so that they may also partake in the blessings of Advent alongside us. Be assured that our hearts are joyful to overflowing as we celebrate together this season that anticipates what my dear friend John Rogers described in the title of his book, “The Birth of God.” May your heart overflow, as well."

G. Archer Frierson

Chair, Austin Seminary Board of Trustees

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Advent Devotional for December 21

• Luke 2:1-7

I vividly remember the crèche of my childhood. Real straw glued to the roof and floor of a painted cardboard stable. Ancient, chipped figurines: sheep, goats, a cow, a chicken, three kings bearing gifts, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in the manger. I was excited about our Christmas tree, the presents, the family stockings, but for reasons I do not remember ever bringing to mind, I especially loved that scene. I also remember hearing Luke 2 read every year by Linus in the Peanuts’ Christmas special, and my quiet exhilaration at the “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (KJV). I suspect I am not alone in resonating with the vulnerability of this young family, in finding personal assurance in what we already know will be the steadfast love of Mary, in quiet conviction that, despite ancient Roman and modern Western culture’s celebration of wealth, fame, and power, the divine source of comfort and joy for all people appears not in precincts of power, but in a manger.

Luke draws a simple yet profound and moving picture of kenosis, of universal, divine agape, a picture powerful for children and adults. The poignancy of the scene is enhanced for adults, who can better appreciate its real-world realism, better imagine the raw experiences and marginalized position of Mary, better feel the strain of poverty and powerlessness under Roman rule, better understand the brutal lengths to which the powerful will go to secure wealth and power (so stunningly portrayed in Matthew’s recounting of Herod’s act of genocidal infanticide). Notably, the gospel witness also celebrates the long journey of three wealthy and powerful foreign men bearing gifts. Not only the poor and marginal, but foreigners and those who are rich and privileged may also be among the awakened who have surrendered to the saving, kenotic love of the manger.

The inclusiveness, the hard-edged, clear-eyed realism, the joyful witness to God’s love for us: all manifest in the manger. The manger is truly an icon, for when it draws our gaze, it awakens us to a transcending gift eyes cannot see, agape, and thereby to ourselves as beloved, to love for all peoples, all creatures, to great joy, which is to all people. Thanks be to God.

Help us, O God, to embrace the gift of agape, shown to us so powerfully in the manger. Amen.

Dr. William Greenway
Professor of Philosophical Theology

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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.

We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?

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