Advent 2025, Day 14
Theme:
Readings:
Reflections:
Make your face shine upon us that we may be saved... What a beautiful prayer! Today's reading also includes the source of Jesus calling himself the vine. Isn't it cool to see the old testament references for sayings of Jesus? Jesus calls himself the vine in John's gospel (not in today's reading)... The connection got me thinking: We remain in Jesus for healing and life, not merely for a ticket to heaven. WE need to be saved and healed, not just me. WE need peace. WE suffer, not just me. Not just one of us. Let us pray more often: Make your face shine upon us that we may be saved.
We see in Luke the hyperlink to prophecy about John the Baptist as well. Jesus the Vine, John the Voice. They were two utterly unique heroes of peace.
Finally in Mark 17, we see prefiguration. Jesus knew peace faces constant conflict because people stop seeing the image of God in others. Jesus knew neither he nor his cousin John would ever be allowed to preach for long. He also knew he was going to suffer and die. This was right after his best friends saw him dazzling and transfigured. Jesus was connecting the dots for his disciples and likely he was grappling with his own feelings of dread as his time on the cross was approaching, yet he prioritized teaching and interpreting the situation for his disciples. What a whiplash of emotions and experiences!
Song: Christ Be Our Light, by Ivhanna Gil
Bonus! My Advent 2025 playlist is ready for you to listen to on Apple Music. It's diverse, and it was so much fun to put together as I read through the scriptures and wrote this series.
NOTE the songs are on Apple Music, which you can get for a month for free if you are new... I just didn't want an obnoxious YouTube Ad ruining your quiet time :-)
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If you are looking for a nondenominational church in the Denver area, check out denverchurchofchrist.org
Link to song on Spotify: Christ Be Our Light, by Ivhanna Gil
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