Joy: Anticipation!

-Pastor Melissa Fain-

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners.

Isaiah 61:1 NRSV

Did you know there is a difference between patience and anticipation? Both are waiting for something that we expect to come. We know that Christmas is only 12 days away. Patience means we accept that wait without getting upset about it. Anticipation is different.

Anticipation is not only waiting for an event or object but getting excited about its arrival! Anticipation is always tied to something we want to happen.

Remember when we talked about the four parts of Advent? We’ve already talked about two of those parts: Hope and Peace. Joy, the next part, is super special because it lets us know our hope and planning for that hope is for a purpose. Joy has no other choice but to burst through, because we realize we’re working towards something that is real. Remember Mary’s song? Well, that is part of the joy we feel. We are not only waiting for Christmas, we’re anticipating it!

Christ is coming! Christ is coming indeed!

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Question: What are you anticipating this Christmas?
 
Prayer: Dear God, our souls magnify you, and our spirits sing out! Thank you! Amen. 

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Places to connect:

To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts:
Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure

For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian