His Star Shines Brightly…
One star shining brightly, in the midst of countless many throughout the universe; One light shining brightly in the midst of the darkness of the world. Jesus, our Lord Christ, was born for us on that beautifully wonderful Christmas morning. Throughout this Advent season, we await the celebration of His birth with patience and excitement, knowing that our Christmas season will be filled with joy because His coming was and is for us. Yet, Advent is not simply about preparing for the celebration of His birth, but it is also a time of waiting with patient hope, a time where we focus on the hope of Jesus’ return, His coming again to bring us into His eternal kingdom. And we wait, but it is incredibly challenging to wait patiently, especially in the midst of the darkness of the world. Too often, we face incredible sufferings, some caused by our own sin while others caused by the existence of sin and evil apart from our actions. Either way, the suffering can be incredibly challenging to our hearts & minds, to our life, and to our faith. The need to patiently wait for Jesus is difficult, saddening, and grief-filled in many ways. Still, as we struggle in our patience, God’s truth rings out for us – One star shining brightly, in the midst of countless many throughout the universe; One light shining brightly in the midst of the darkness of the world. No matter how dark our days might seem or how deep and impassible our proverbial universe might feel, our Lord shines just as brightly today as HIS star once shone at His birth. He is with us in our darkest hour, willing to face the ultimate darkness of eternal death on our behalf. In Him, we are made able to trust and know that death has no sting and no victory and darkness does not hold us back, but life and light shine brightly. As we wait patiently for His return, He holds us closer, reminding us that each day we are closer to a glorious reunion with all who have gone before us, closer to a day where sin, suffering, pain, and death will no longer exist, closer to Him… and THAT is our Advent hope. Therefore, beloved of the Most High God, as you prepare to celebrate His birth and patiently (and impatiently) await His return, cling to Advent hope, knowing that His star shines brightly in the midst of countless many throughout the universe; knowing that His light shines brightly in the midst of the darkness of the world; knowing that as you cling to our Advent hope, HE CLINGS TO YOU.
Hope, peace & love in Jesus,
Pastor Gonzalez