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“There’s a particular feeling evoked by the word almost. We’re almost on vacation. Dinner is almost ready. Christmas is almost here. For me, almost brings this sense of leaning in, straining forward, holding out just a little longer. Depending on what I’m waiting for, almost can make me lean in with anxiety or hope or a mix of both. What is it about almost that makes us lean in? What’s on the other side that makes us hold out a little longer? More often than not, it’s the promise that what we’ve been waiting on will come to fruition.
On our Fourth Sunday of Advent, we receive promise with the hope of fruition—not hope as a wish but hope actively moving toward fulfillment. Mary is pregnant with the Messiah, and Elizabeth witnesses the promise coming into being right in front of her. Micah shares whispers, not abstract promises but a promise springing forth in the quiet town of Bethlehem, a promise of provision, security, and peace. These are not pie-in-the-sky, theoretical ideas. Mary, Elizabeth, Bethlehem, us…we are all recipients of a real, tangible promise—the promise that is already here and not yet.” —Johnna Camp, FCC Weekly Update, Dec. 20, 2024
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Wonderful Love,
Thank you for the Promise of Not Yet.
Within the liminal space is our own hope of becoming—more loving like You and more like what you created us to be. In the Not Yet we have hope that there is still time. Comfort us when we fall short and remind us that we were perfectly made.
You sent One who shows us a more excellent way through the muck of life. Be our guide as we begin the next phase of the journey this Advent season.
Amen.
Daily Inspiration by Michelle Beech
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