Granville Chapel
Dec 22nd - GC Advent Devotionals 2017
Advent devotionals by our church, for our church!
Locations & Times
Granville Chapel
5901 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6M 3C9, Canada
Friday 1:00 AM
Week 3 - A Glimpse of Eternity
by Paul Williams
LOST IN WONDER
It’s fun to celebrate Christmas with young children. They give us the opportunity to experience the wonder of the season afresh. In today’s reading Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel and receives the most amazing news:
“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
Calming Mary’s fears, Gabriel proceeds to announce that she, Mary, has found favour with God and will bear God’s own Son - a King whose kingdom will never end.
Wow!
I don’t know how long it took for Mary to respond. The pause between verses 30-33 and verse 34 is not noted, but I like to think there was enough time for a few celebratory back-flips, cart-wheels and whoops of youthful excitement (or their contextual and cultural equivalent) as Mary marvelled in the moment. I like to picture Mary ‘lost in wonder’ before getting stuck in the details of ‘how’ this could be.
I was reminded of the importance of this recently at a conference. I am inclined to move too quickly from “Wow!” to “How?”. Yes, there are preparations to be made and plans to implement but if we don’t allow time for “Wow!” to breathe, wonder is lost and with it our ability to dream. To lose ourselves in awe and wonder is to invite God’s Spirit to fire our hearts and renew our faith for “the impossible”.
As this Christmas Eve draws upon us, may I encourage you to take a moment - to pause, to breathe, to stand, to kneel, to come as a child and lose yourself in wonder, perhaps to dream again - and marvel at the goodness of our Heavenly Father who sent His one and only Son, ‘down to earth’ that we might live through him. (1 John 4.9)
The Lord sees you. He delights in you. He is with you.
Receive His Love. Listen for His voice and do not fear - for nothing is impossible with God.
Wow!
O Come, let us adore Him - and have a “wonder-full” Christmas!
by Paul Williams
LOST IN WONDER
It’s fun to celebrate Christmas with young children. They give us the opportunity to experience the wonder of the season afresh. In today’s reading Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel and receives the most amazing news:
“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
Calming Mary’s fears, Gabriel proceeds to announce that she, Mary, has found favour with God and will bear God’s own Son - a King whose kingdom will never end.
Wow!
I don’t know how long it took for Mary to respond. The pause between verses 30-33 and verse 34 is not noted, but I like to think there was enough time for a few celebratory back-flips, cart-wheels and whoops of youthful excitement (or their contextual and cultural equivalent) as Mary marvelled in the moment. I like to picture Mary ‘lost in wonder’ before getting stuck in the details of ‘how’ this could be.
I was reminded of the importance of this recently at a conference. I am inclined to move too quickly from “Wow!” to “How?”. Yes, there are preparations to be made and plans to implement but if we don’t allow time for “Wow!” to breathe, wonder is lost and with it our ability to dream. To lose ourselves in awe and wonder is to invite God’s Spirit to fire our hearts and renew our faith for “the impossible”.
As this Christmas Eve draws upon us, may I encourage you to take a moment - to pause, to breathe, to stand, to kneel, to come as a child and lose yourself in wonder, perhaps to dream again - and marvel at the goodness of our Heavenly Father who sent His one and only Son, ‘down to earth’ that we might live through him. (1 John 4.9)
The Lord sees you. He delights in you. He is with you.
Receive His Love. Listen for His voice and do not fear - for nothing is impossible with God.
Wow!
O Come, let us adore Him - and have a “wonder-full” Christmas!