Monday December 9, 2013
Colossians 2:1-5

It is Monday of the second week of Advent! Welcome back to our daily reading, reflection, and prayer! I take great joy in knowing that so many in the congregation are literally ‘on the same page’ together as we continue our journey of faith through the Advent season. There is strength in sharing the journey together!
Today we will be discovering some of the reasons why we are waiting (in a spirit of Advent) for the coming of the Lord. In Colossians 2:2 the Apostle Paul describes the purpose of his letter. We can apply the same purpose to our time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. We wait so our hearts can be united in love!

The New Testament paraphrase called the Message says it this way, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God.” Would you like to describe your life in that way? Could you see yourself as a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know about God?

At first that may feel a bit out of reach. It is a big job to know everything there is to know about God. But wouldn’t it be something to consider ourselves as a tapestry of love that has been woven together for the purpose of the Lord.

I think about the various nativity scenes that are on display in our homes during the Advent season. Mary and Joseph are typically in the center with eyes focused on the child. There might be a cow, a donkey, and a small cluster of sheep somewhere nearby. Then there will be a shepherd or two with the dignified wise men making up the outer circle. Overhead will be the star and perhaps an angel to symbolize the great heavenly choir. When they are all ‘woven’ together the tapestry of love comes to life because the infant Jesus has drawn them to that moment.

Advent is a season of waiting for the birth of Jesus to be reaffirmed in our experience. But it is also a time for our hearts to be opened to some new understandings and commitments of our faith. What would be the next step in your journey for you to be woven into a deep and beautiful tapestry of love?

Memory Verse For This Week:

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
– Colossians 2:6-7 NIV

Missional Prayer Focus For Today:
Please pray for the Christmas mission ministry of the Denver Inner City Parish as they gather toys for children in need. Pray that the season will be bright with a spirit of love through the giving and receiving of gifts.