December 1 Advent Devotional
“In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame and gather those who have been driven away, and those whom I have afflicted. The lame I will make the remnant, and those who were cast off, a strong nation; and the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion now and forevermore.” Micah 4:6-7
I have always been intrigued by looking backward in history and discovering what happened on a particular day in a particular year. Down through the ages what happened on December 1?
1862: President Lincoln reaffirms the necessity to end slavery as he stated in the Emancipation Proclamation. 1913: The Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line. 1955: Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This act leads to the city’s bus boycott. 2019: The WHO reports that the first known case of COVID-19 appears.
As I review the events which have taken place down through history, the births and the deaths, the triumphs and tragedies, I sometimes wonder if it is possible to know if things are getting better or if things are getting worse. Honestly it is hard to tell. The leaders of the Enlightenment would have us believe that things are indeed getting better and better. The leaders of the Reformation would ask, yes but what about human sinfulness? I would say, it is hard to tell.
The prophets of the Old Testament always affirmed that, no matter how bad things got, God had a plan to restore God’s People and reign over them forever. As we approach Christmas we are reminded this remains God’s plan. My theology professor would say, “If Jesus Christ, is who Christian people say he is, the Word became flesh, then no other event in human history can compare with this birth, life, death, and resurrection………Some may say the Christian affirmation is not true. But if it is true, no one can say it is unimportant. It is the greatest good news that ever came to human beings on this planet.” (John H. Leith)
Father, show us once again this great good news we have come to know in Jesus Christ. As we approach the day when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, as we wade through the difficult events of 2020, remind us again that whatever news we may see on television or on the internet, the news of Jesus is the greatest news humanity will ever know.
Submitted by:
