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Advent 2 - Friday
By Pat Lee | December 12, 2008
Friday - December 12,2008
Not Mere Angels
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4: 7-10
Scripture Verse: “But we have this treasure in clay pots…we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair…” 2 Corinthians 4: 7, 8
By coming into the world in Jesus, God changed everything, including us. We are not perfect but we are not the same.
Our situation is captured in Genesis, where “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground.” With every other creature we share the needs, hungers and desires of all nature. Except Genesis also tells us that: God breathed into us and that we are created in the image of God.
Because of that, we are able to respond to God, to trust him and reflect him.
By coming into our lives, Jesus restores this connection, so that we can live in his “new” way.
Sometimes the brightness of God’s face is clouded by sickness, suffering and war but we can look to Jesus to remember how God is. Thus we “are perplexed but not driven to despair”.
The clearest sign that Jesus lifts us beyond our creaturely self-centredness is when we turn our regard, concern and energy towards others. Through our baptism, we clay-pot people, formed of dust, are also connected to God’s Spirit.
We are not mere angels and we are not just animals either. God came into the world at Christmas bringing anew hope, peace, joy, trust, love. With Jesus in our lives, even in the times we struggle, we have these treasures here and now.
Prayer: Loving God, help us this Advent Season to see the dignity you have given all people and help us to treat ourselves and others with the respect we are all due as we love our neighbours as ourselves. Amen.
Topics: Advent |