Advent Hope - Day 8

Poem

God Surprises 

Our word can never picture God,
The wonders of the way he trod.
He speaks with silent awesome grace,
With everywhere a special place.

He moves in ways no one can touch,
As if our ways don’t matter much.
But he knows it’s detail of our lives,
And cuts our daydreams down to size.

His thoughts are way above our ways,
He guide us through a curious maze.
He sees the way when all seems dark,
Dazed, confused, we miss the mark.

So much greater than our minds,
But did the soul to seek and find.
True treasure lies in his great gifts,
Vision comes when darkness lifts.

Each day contains a new surprise,
And strips away our poor disguise.
We see God‘s glory all around,
What once was lost has now been found.

author unknown

Reflection

Advent is all about anticipating! The entire season prepares us to allow Christ into our hearts, sometimes in ways far different from other times when we celebrate the excitement of December.

Perhaps we wish everything about this season to stay the same, year after year. The same carols, the same schedule for giving gifts, even food prepared in the same way. True, there’s no question consistency does give consolation to the heart. However, I wonder if there’s
another truth that invites us to imagine? That each year ought to be a little different? We are not the same. We are faced with different responsibilities, moved by different insights, changed by circumstances we didn’t have before, challenged by fresh opportunities and different memories, equipped with increasing or diminishing capacities for coping with all these variations. Thus, we never “Advent” in exactly the same way each year.

So let us be open to God surprising us in the most hope filled, delightful, and loving ways, in our own unique and different Advent life this year.

Scripture

For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three, and the greatest of these is love.              1 Corinthians 13.12-13