Anticipation
By Greg Lunsford --
I truly love this time of year. The traditions that take place. The active rhythms in church and family that center us and point us to Jesus. It really is special.
Advent is a season of anticipated arrival. For Israel it was hundreds of years of awaiting a King that would free them. For us, in the here and now, it is awaiting the return of the same King that Israel once was waiting for.
How do we wait?
In many ways we await a turning of a page. For some of us, we are excited for what the new year has in store for us.
Others may be worried that the New Year will only bring more weight to carry and the burden will become overwhelming.
Some of us are looking to the new decade to define us and finally set us on a trajectory we had always longed for.
This has been a different Advent season than what my family is used to. Instead of hoisting up a Christmas tree and placing all our decorations on it, we packed it up in a POD to be moved 1,000 miles away.
We replaced the comfort of our own home for staying in one room (in a home with a family of 3 and a dog) with an extremely generous family.
Yet, we await the advent, the arrival, of what is next.
So—what is next?
The Lunsford family is no different from many of you, awaiting God’s arrival in your life.
We are expectantly waiting for what God holds for us in the next year...in the next decade...and in the many years that will follow.
In these moments of reflection and anticipation, I lean on two verses...
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20
Our hope and strength should always be tied to Jesus. When we lean on anything else, we fail.
So Greater Portland, in everything lean on Jesus! Even in the moments when it surpasses our understanding, lean into Jesus and the peace He has for us. Remind your hearts that with Jesus, you are never alone. Jesus is with you here, now, and until the end of time.
As we approach this next year...as we approach the next decade...and as we approach the rest of our lives...
…let us walk with Him free and unafraid.