G. Archer Frierson
Chair, Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
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Advent Devotional for December 2
• 2 Samuel 7:18-29
In King David’s prayer, he asks two important questions, Who am I? and What is my house? Essential to these questions is a longing for life’s meaning. Rather than turn to other sources for answers about self, identity, and a sense of belonging (i.e. “house”), David comes and sits before the Lord. There are a multitude of human-constructed systems that try to fulfill our longings for identity and a sense of belonging. These systems often are provisional and often biased such that they impose generic templates for our identities and sense of belonging. Yet from God’s view, we are much more than what these human-made templates say we are. There is a richness, complexity, and mixture to our beings that many of us will never fully grasp in our lifetimes.
My reading of David’s prayer points to God as the source of Who am I? and What is my house? (or as I read it, Where do we come from?). For God, knowing self and kinships (house) is a journey rather than a generic and static template. Implied in this notion of journey is God’s companionship throughout (“that you have brought me thus far”).
Knowing who we are and where we come from is a never-ending process of discovery, or as David put it, “with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.” As we journey with God, our longing for identities and sense of belonging are slowly being met at each stage of our lives and hopefully beyond this life. When God is our travel guide, we discover the complex layers of who we are and where we come from. This journey of discovery is fully satisfying, because it treats the process not with preset templates but rather with promises, revelations, and blessings that last forever.
O Lord God, during these days of Advent, may we find our true self in you as you establish your dwelling place in our hearts. Amen.
The Reverend Dr. Gregory Cuéllar
Associate Professor of Old Testament
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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