Hope. Peace. Joy and Love. These themes light the way for all we desire and all that’s represented in the coming of the Christ child. More than most years, I have been taken by the drought of these soulful commodities in the lives folks known and unknown. It is a sacred thing to stand beside those whose year has been marked by the things that have robbed them of the capacity to hear the music from this holy quartet. At least not without distortion, dissonance, and distance. We’ve all been there and cared for those who have taken residence there as well.

I’ve been preaching from the prophets this Advent season. In the Gospels we have a birth narrative from Matthew and Luke as well as John’s theological perspective. The stories of donkeys, shepherds, inns, stables, angels, and wise men give shape to the main attraction; the arrival of the holy baby entrusted to two scared kids. Indeed the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

I love those accounts, but continue to be intrigued with the passages about those who long waited for that arrival. The prophets spoke to God’s people at different times in history and stages of faithfulness. None were sure of how and when it would happen, or for that matter, what it would look like. But the promise remained as big as the need for it – God would make himself present and known in an unmistakable way.

Today’s Money Talks Blog comes from FBC’s 2018 Advent-ually Devotional Collection for December 9th

Thirty-four years ago today, Lisa and I stood up before God and everybody, said our “I do’s” and started quite the journey together. The only thing that rivaled our love for each other that day was our fear. Like the song says, “we were two scared kids just trying to save each other.”