From Austin Seminary: "Advent Devotional" for December 6

"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

• CLICK HERE for a downloadable/printable copy of this season's devotionals.
• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

Advent Devotional for December 6

• Hebrews 1:1-4

Christmas would be a much more spiritual holiday if the Word had just become angelic. Instead the Word became flesh. How significant this is can be seen in the author of Hebrews’ interpretation of Psalm 8 later in this chapter. “What are human beings that you are mindful of them?” he asks with the psalmist. Why does God care so much about these selfish, petty, bickering, even lethal creatures as to become one of them? Couldn’t God have kept to the more spiritual realm of angels and preserved Advent as a season of niceness leading up to a time of happy sentiment?

“[B]ut in these last days God has spoken to us by a Son … [who] is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being” (Heb.1:2,3). Advent may be many things—a time of preparation, a time of repentance, a time of hope and expectation—but above all it is a time that acknowledges with gratitude the sheer humanness of the gospel, the gospel that claims, unapologetically, that the human enterprise is not destined for despair. This letter to the Hebrews insists that because God became human in Jesus Christ, our humanity, for all its flaws and failures, has an indelible dignity that cannot be diminished despite our best efforts to do so.

We live in a world that has good reason to question that dignity. We live in a world of technological marvels that strangely seem to reduce human dignity to clicks. We live in a world in which that dignity is dragged through the mud of death camps, ethnic cleansing, horrible forms of abuse and betrayals—such that one might be forgiven for wondering why God would want anything to do with such vile and wretched creatures.

Yet God does. And not only does God seek such but enters into the far country of our own sinfulness as one of us to bring us home to the humanity that is ours in Christ. That is where the journey of Advent leads as it brings us to that lowly manger in Bethlehem. There we discover the One who was made “a little lower than the angels,” that we might be lifted up and “crowned with glory and honor.” Thanks be to God.

Prepare our hearts, O Lord, that we may see the reflection of your glory in the Child of Bethlehem. Amen.

The Reverend Dr. Thomas White Currie III
Adjunct Professor in the Church’s Ministry

---

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?

   • Students in our masters-degree programs receive up to 85% need-based tuition aid.
   • Historically, more than 80% of our graduates are called to congregational ministry.
   • Our students come from more than a dozen denominations.
   • Our alumni serve in ministry in forty-eight U.S. states as well as in twenty different countries across the world.

Your gift to Austin Seminary contributes to scholarships, housing, computer equipment, library materials, and other resources needed by seminarians as they fulfill their calls to Christian service and leadership.

Your support underwrites the finest theological faculty and an administration committed to upholding the highest standards possible with respect to the unique vocation of ministry.

Every gift is significant and is appreciated. They are put to work right away and make a real impact. Please send your gift today.

• CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary

---

This post produced with Bible Gateway reference/link