Advent devotions 2007

Mon, 26 Nov 2007

November 26 - The world is about to turn!
By Bob Yoder, campus pastor

Welcome:
A one-eighty. Has your life ever taken a 180- degree turn? If so, what happened? Why did it occur?

To be honest, I am not sure that I have ever experienced such drastic changes, though I know of others who have. Yes, changing vocational directions as a young adult significantly impacted my life, as did geographic relocations, marriage, job changes and fatherhood. But, I am not quite ready to say those were “one-eighties,” even though they were significant turns.

Welcome to Goshen College’s online devotionals for the 2007 Advent season! Our theme this year, taken from Mennonite Church USA denominational worship resources, is “The world is about to turn!” This year’s Advent theme seeks to integrate paradoxical currents of celebration, lament, anticipation and awareness into a call for action. This is not a passive season, for each week we are urged to get ready to be both witnesses to and energetic participants in the coming of God’s dream. Throughout the next five weeks, 25 Goshen College students, faculty and staff will reflect on this topic, as well as the daily lectionary Scriptures and five weekly sub-themes: Get ready! Take heart! Rejoice! Be restored! Praise the Lord!

Advent 1 calls us to “Get ready!” In the following days you will engage scriptures that demand a posture of readiness. As I stated before, I’m not sure that I experienced any one-eighties in my life, but I certainly encountered many turns in becoming a first-time parent. My wife and I did not wake up one day and say, “Starting today, we will have a new baby in our home.” Fortunately for me, there was that whole nine-month period of time that allowed us to get ready…to a certain degree…for the turns that our world would undergo. As we readied ourselves, we didn’t just sit around waiting for the stork; physical changes occurred in our home to make space for a nursery, as well as numerous other mental, emotional and spiritual adjustments we took on.

Let’s get ready too, for “the world is about to turn!”

Prayer:
God of the turns, help us ready ourselves to energetically participate in your unfolding dream.
Posted at 00:19 #



Disclaimer:
The views and beliefs expressed in the devotional piece prepared by each individual reflect their own spiritual growth journey and thoughts, and while created in a campus environment that encourages thoughtful questions and reflection on biblical Scripture and contemporary Christian themes, do not necessarily represent the official institutional positions of Goshen College or Mennonite Church USA.