December 9, 2023 by MikeDecember Ramblings
“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer While Advent is certainly a time of preparation and anticipation of Christ’s birth, it is more than that. It is only in the shadow of Advent that the miracle of Christmas can be fully understood and appreciated, and it is only in the light of Christmas that the Christian life makes any sense. It is between the fulfilled promise of Christ’s first coming and the yet-to-be-fulfilled promise of his second coming that in the words of Karl Barth “Unfulfilled and fulfilled promise are related to each other, as are dawn and sunrise. Both promise and in fact the same promise. If anywhere at all, then it is precisely in the light of the coming of Christ that faith has become Advent faith, the expectation of future revelation. But faith knows for whom and for what it is waiting. It is fulfilled faith because it lays hold on the fulfilled promise.” Borrowed words from a couple of the 20th centuries greatest theologians/philosophers (in my opinion anyway) but as relevant in our troubled times as much as when they were first penned. Barth’s statement emphasizes the importance of faith in the coming of Christ and the fulfilment of God’s promises. Faith is not just about waiting for the future revelation but also about knowing for whom and for what it is waiting. It is a fulfilled faith that lays hold on the fulfilled promise. Mike
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AuthorRev Mike Blake Archives
May 2024
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