Romans 8:19
Paul’s epistle to the Romans reminds us how much of our lives we spend waiting. It seems these days we are all waiting for something, or for someone. It could be something as seemingly small as being put on hold on the phone or standing in long lines at the grocery store. It could be that we’re waiting to improve a skill, for a friend to visit, or even to become a better person.
At times, we may strive for perfection, getting caught in a web of self- doubt and feeling that we are lacking in some way. Yet, this passage
in Romans reminds us that we are already God’s own, created in God’s image. And though we may fall short, disappointing ourselves and others, we are still God’s children. We are the beloved whom God loves so much that God gave God’s only son for the forgiveness of our sins.
Advent is itself a time of waiting. We light the candles each week, and we wait in community to hear the gospel proclamation of Jesus’ birth. When we gather, we do so in hope of what is to come. Indeed, the entire creation waits in eager anticipation of the glory of God.
This verse calls us to focus on the bright future that awaits us in God’s loving embrace. What we wait for, long for, along with all of creation, is nothing compared to what God has already prepared for us to share in, the gift of eternal life.
Along with all of creation, we eagerly await the birth of Jesus. The hope this brings fills us with God’s grace and inspires us to be better stewards of God’s creation as beloved children of God. And just as we wait, God waits with us, in times of sorrow and in joy, in eager anticipation of what is to come.
Let us pray. Lord, be with us as we prepare our hearts and minds for Jesus’ arrival. Help us to nourish the earth as good stewards of your creation, just as you feed us daily. Fill us with your grace, so that we might share your love with our neighbors. Your love is ever-present; always doing something new for us, within us, and with us. Amen.
Rachel Zimmermann is Disaster Case Manager for Hurricane Ida. Her home church is St. John’s Lutheran in Phoenixville.
No comments:
Post a Comment