Isaiah 9: 6-7 Matthew 1:20-24; 2:13-15; 2:19-23
Next week, we celebrate the First Sunday in Advent.
Can anyone tell me what Advent is?
Advent is a special time of promise, of waiting, longing, and preparing. There are – how many Sundays in Advent? Yes, there are four Sundays in Advent with four separate candles that represent messages that make us focus on Jesus.
But what did we all learn and talk about today?
Yes, the way God spoke to different people at different times about what he was doing or going to do in their lives as his people and what he was going to do for the life of the world.
So, now I want us to explore how the season of Advent mirrors the powerful way that God revealed his plans to some people through dreams in the Bible. Just as those dreams foretold what God would do, Advent reminds us and prepares us for what he has done in the coming of Jesus and what he will do when Jesus comes again.
As we have already seen, throughout Scripture, God often used dreams as a way of giving people a glimpse of his divine plan. Think of Joseph in the Old Testament, who dreamed of a future where he would rise to a position of leadership. Despite the many challenges he faced, his dream revealed God’s intention to save many people from famine and starvation.
At another time, Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams revealed that the human empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome would rise and fall, but that God’s kingdom would ultimately prevail.
In these dreams, God’s people saw glimpses of his unfolding plan, sometimes long before it fully came to pass. These dreams were invitations to trust in what they could not yet see and reminders that God’s timing is always perfect.
Advent is a bit like those dreams. It is a season that invites us to look backward to something God has done as well as forward to something God will still do that is greater than what we currently see. For four weeks, we light candles, read Scriptures, and prepare our hearts, not only for Christmas Day, but also for the return of Jesus one day in the future.
But today we were reminded that Jesus’ coming was foretold not only by the messages of the prophets but also by dreams.
Remember the dreams of Joseph in the New Testament? When Joseph was worried about Mary, God sent an angel in a dream to reassure him, saying that the child Mary bore was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Later, in another dream, God warned Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to protect them from Herod’s anger.
And then there was one more dream. Can you remember what that dream was all about?
Yes, God told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Nazareth as it was safer there than in Bethlehem. These dreams guided Joseph as God unfolded his plan to save his people from their sins.
So, when we celebrate Advent, starting next week, we are invited to experience this same excitement and anticipation. Just as God communicated through dreams to prepare His people for the future, so he communicates hope through the four messages of Advent to help us prepare our hearts for Jesus.
Each week, as we light another candle, we remember that the light of the world is drawing near. Like the dreams of old, Advent reminds us that God’s promises are not distant or abstract. They are personal and real and are meant to change us and bring us hope.
In our world, full of uncertainty and challenges, Advent reminds us that God’s promises are steady, and that his plans are in motion, and that his plans will never fail, even if we can’t yet see the whole picture.
So, as we continue through Advent, may we remember that, in many ways, we are like Joseph, Daniel, and all those who received divine dreams. We are waiting, trusting, and preparing for the fulfilment of the promises God has made.
So, let’s use this time to open our hearts, to lean into the hope that Advent brings, and to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus, who once came as a child born in Bethlehem, but who will one day come again as the King of the world.
© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2024
😇🙏🏼❤️🎄
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