Advent

What are you looking for? Psalm 121

/ Anthea Kotlan / 2 Comments

Whatever you look for, you will see.

Annie F. Downs

What are you looking for this Advent Season?

  • Hope
  • Peace
  • Joy
  • Love

Those are the four themes of Advent, but all too often, I am looking for:

  • Disappointment
  • Conflict
  • Despair
  • Indifference

I don’t think I ever intended to look for these opposites of the Advent themes, but it is all too easy to allow my perfectionism to fixate on disappointment. I somehow missed the mark in getting something done or meeting someone else’s needs. When conflict arises, and it always will this side of Heaven, I am quick to despair. When I feel that all hope is lost, it is easy to pick up an attitude of indifference as a coping tool.  

Wherever I focus my attention, I will find exactly what I am looking for. If I focus on how things don’t seem to be working out the way I had hoped, I would see that in overflow.

Psalm 121 directs me to look up to the hills. Since I live in the flatlands of East Texas, I must look up to the sky instead and seek the Lord.

Take a few minutes today to meditate on the truths contained in Psalm 121 by reading each verse and declaring the truth revealed there.

1I lift my eyes up to the hills. From where does my help come? 
2My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121:1-2 ESV)

He Sees It All

He sees you at all times and in all situations because He has the ultimate vantage point and a 360-degree perspective.

There is nothing outside of His authority because He made it all.

3He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.
(Psalm 121:3-4 ESV)

He Never Sleeps on the Job

He won’t fall asleep on the job and leave you vulnerable. Ever vigilant, your Heavenly Father won’t lose track of your wandering ways.

5The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 
6 The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 
(Psalm 121:5-6 ESV)

He is a Keeper and a Needs Filler

He is keeping up with you and providing what is most needed. He gives shade on a summer day, an umbrella when it rains, or a snack when you are hungry. You are heard and seen by your beloved Father. He may not give you everything you want, but He will provide for your needs.

7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. 
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore. 
(Psalm 121:7-8 ESV)

He Monitors

The LORD of the universe is keeping track of me. He knows when I go out and when I return home. He does not lose track of me, even when I lose track of Him. He is always only a whispered prayer away.

Prayer

Lord, help me to look to you in these final days of 2022. Guide me to continue focusing on You and not my mistakes or misfortunes. Thank you that as I focus on You, You reveal more of Yourself to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How Can I Find Peace in the Second Week of Advent? Psalm 85

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In December of 1995, my family experienced a Christmas like no other. My youngest daughter, not even a year yet, had a spiral fracture of her femur. The path to healing required a rigid cast that extended down from her chest to her toes. Diaper changes, eating, sleeping, and surviving were incredibly difficult for us. As her mother, I struggled to create a joyful Christmas for our family. We became the default hosts for all the extended family because my daughter couldn’t fit in a car seat and had to stay home.

This all might have been challenging enough; however, both sets of our parents were bitterly divorced and avoided spending any time together. Usually, my husband and I went on tour with our two daughters and visited each of them in their respective homes, so they could all avoid having an uncomfortable time together. This year, we could not do that for them. Instead, we invited each of them to join us.

Hosting a Christmas Day gathering with extended family lines out various hosting jobs that must be done. Hosting requires food preparation, setting the table, washing dishes, and playing with children while adults finish in the kitchen. My husband and I typically divide and conquer; however, this year, we couldn’t all do it. So as each parent arrived, jobs were assigned, and somehow peace did reign in our home.

Two thousand years ago, a tiny baby in a manger named Jesus changed everything and brought true peace. Twenty-seven years ago, a baby’s injuries brought a fractured family back together. At some point in the middle of that day, I distinctly recall looking across the room and seeing my father playing with my older daughter on the floor. She had a brand-new castle toy, and my father was gently carrying the princess up the stairs, to my three-year-old’s great delight.

Expectations

That year my expectations of myself and others were radically altered. During one of the most challenging seasons of parenting, the Lord provided for us in some unique and abundant ways.

In the second week of Advent, as we light the second candle on the wreath, peace is the gift to unpack.

Peaceful Past

Psalm 85 opens by recalling the peace the Lord has brought His people in the past.

1LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!
(Psalm 85:1-4 ESV)

The psalmist begs God for restoration.

5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?
(Psalm 85:5-6 ESV)

The psalmist laments God’s anger and frustration with His people.


Lament

7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
(Psalm 85:7-9 ESV)

The psalmist expresses a longing to see and know God’s favor again.

10 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.
(Psalm 85:10-13 ESV)

God’s Faithful and Steadfast Love

Finally, the psalmist paints a picture of the spaciousness of God’s faithful and steadfast love. Righteousness and peace can kiss or be in a relationship because of God’s reconciling work through His son Jesus Christ dying for our sins. We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. We will be at peace with God because of what He has done for us.

Advent reminds us to look for the gift of peace from the only source that can provide it, God. He alone can bring the gift of a sustainable reconciliation that ushers in peace. In Advent, we remember the peace that came into the world as a tiny baby who grew up and chose to die for us, and we look forward to the Prince of Peace sitting on His throne and ruling forever.

Prayer

Lord, you provide a way for me to be at peace with you and those I love through your son, Jesus. Help me to open that gift during this second week of Advent. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Holding onto Hope in Advent – Psalm 80

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It is dark at my house this morning. The electricity went out at some point during the night, leaving my entire neighborhood shrouded in blackness. I wander about the house, gathering candles, a lighter, and my trusty book light. Without light, my home becomes a frustrating obstacle course featuring various objects ready to bruise my shins and trip me up. I feel desperate for the light to be restored.

God’s people find themselves in a season of darkness and desperation at the beginning of Psalm 80.

1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
(Psalm 80:1-3 ESV)

Drawn to Light

Like us, they are drawn to light and know they need a restoration that can only come when God’s face shines upon them again. They are stumbling along in the darkness of sin and disappointment.

Just like them, we all find ourselves in seasons of spiritual darkness from time to time. God knows this about His people and provides certain rhythms and reminders for us on the church calendar.  

Advent

The season of Advent provides a time of preparation during the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. As the first candle is lit on Advent wreaths around the world, God’s people are reminded of Jesus’ miraculous birth and His promised return. The light glows forth and hope, the theme of the first week of Advent, ignites again in our souls.

The psalmist goes on to acknowledge God’s anger with his disobedient people.

4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us an object of contention for our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! 
(Psalm 80:4-7 ESV)

Shepherd

However, God is still a shepherd and gently and firmly guides His sheep through dark times. He alone can restore and reconcile His people.

Sadly, even though today’s believers are reconciled to the Lord through the saving blood of Jesus Christ, we often choose to walk in darkness and go our own way from time to time.

The psalmist describes His people’s repeated cycles of rebellion against the Lord.

8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
(Psalm 80:8-16 ESV)

Hope Found and Lost

God brought the Israelites out of slavery and out of Egypt in a miraculous way. At that point, they flourished and thanked God, but all too soon they rebelled and ended up wandering in the desert in disbelief for forty years. Eventually, they settled in the promised land and flourished again, only to drift away in more cycles of sin and rebellion. Many enemies came against them and destroyed almost everything and everyone.

All hope seemed lost.

17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself! 
18 Then we shall not turn back from you; give us life, and we will call upon your name!
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved! 
(Psalm 80:17-19 ESV)

Hope Re-ignited

In these final verses, hope is re-ignited. God gives His people eternal life through His son Jesus Christ. All will call upon God’s name, and the ultimate restoration will occur. In Advent, we remember how Jesus came as a baby, lived as a man, and died on the cross to save us. In Advent, we also keep a hopeful watch for Jesus to come back to rule and reign forever.

Prayer

In the meantime, as we light the first Advent candle, we see the light of hope and pray the repeated verse from Psalm 80, “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!”

(Psalm 80:3,7 &19 ESV)

Are you feeling lost, disoriented, or out of time in this season of Advent? Psalm 25

/ Anthea Kotlan / 5 Comments

Decades before GPS was available at my fingertips, my children and I roamed the earth in a Honda minivan, getting lost on many occasions. The only thing worse than getting lost with your own young children is getting lost with your friends’ children at the Houston Zoo.

Had I been to the Zoo before?

Sure, I had always gone with people who possessed a fabulous sense of direction. What didn’t I know? I had set off on a grand adventure with a friend who also had no sense of direction.

Somehow, we managed to arrive at the Zoo with little or no trouble, but that’s when it all started to go wrong. Let me explain to those of you who can drive to Dallas without consulting Google maps or even perhaps your local grocery store. The struggle for those with zero sense of direction is truly real. We are a small group in the general population, but on that fateful day, two adults lacking an internal compass came together. As we stepped into the parking lot of the Zoo with six children in tow, we had no idea the challenges we would face.

If anyone had been tracking us, they might have noticed the inefficient way we meandered around the Zoo. We must have passed by the East Indian Elephants no less than a dozen times. As we ambled along with our small gang of young ’uns, we became distracted by our own conversation and endless requests for snacks.  The animals, the signage, the photo opportunities, and crowds conspired to leave us wandering and wondering. Did we stop and study the map of the Zoo? A map for me is a lovely illustration of objects that may or may not be near or far away.

Hours later things would turn ugly when our six tired children needed to go home, and two mothers had no clue how to find the freeway to go back out to the suburbs of Houston. No amount of gripping the steering wheel brought clarity and a deep sense of dread began to bubble up inside me. A cold sweat beaded up on my forehead. At one point I even took out my ancient, folded map. We both looked at it as we sat on the side of the road trying to determine a way forward. Nothing.

The digital clock on the dashboard counted down the minutes to rush hour. Sheer panic mixed with paralysis glued me to the driver’s seat. Our supply of cold juice boxes and time were dwindling rapidly.

With just over two weeks left until Christmas, it’s far too easy to feel lost, disoriented, and out of time. In this season of Advent, the Anglican prayer book offers a prayer for the third Sunday of Advent (December 12, 2021) that speaks to our need for direction and waypoints in life’s spiritual journey.

O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  sent  your  messengers  the  prophets  to  preach  repentance  and  prepare  the  way  for our  salvation:  Grant  that  the  ministers  and  stewards  of  your  mysteries  may  likewise  make  ready  your  way,  by turning  the  hearts  of  the  disobedient  toward  the  wisdom  of  the  just,  that  at  your  second  coming  to  judge  the world,  we  may  be  found  a  people  acceptable  in  your  sight;  for  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit  you  live and  reign, one  God, now  and  for  ever.    Amen.

Anglican Church in North America Book of Common Prayer 2019 (page 599)

Questions

Am I taking time this Advent season to make way for more of Jesus in my life?

Do I live a life reflecting the hope found at the second coming of Jesus?

Psalm 25 offers some wisdom for these questions.

Psalm 25

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
(Psalm 25:1-5 ESV)

This morning I will choose to lift my soul to the one who created it, by reading my Bible and praying. Even when I don’t have time, I will choose to trust my divine creator to make provision in all ways. I will seek Your next steps for me and not my own. Help me learn about Your path for my life. I want to go where You call me to and wait for your prompting and not get ahead or behind Your daily guidance.

6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
8 Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25: 6-10 ESV

Lord, teach me to remember Your mercy. Help me forget my sins and transgressions and see Your steadfast love. Help me to keep a humble posture towards You. Lead, teach and guide me in Your paths of faithfulness.

11 For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
Psalm 25: 11-16 ESV

Lord, in Your presence I long to abide. In mercy, You extend friendship to me and a rescuing hand when I find trouble. Help me keep my eyes always on You. At this most joyful time of the year, loss and sadness can eclipse the glow of Christmas lights. In the darkest times, I will find solace in You as my soul-satisfying companion.

17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Psalm 25:17-22 ESV

Lord, You are my deliverer, one who understands me, the guard of my soul, my protector, and the only one worthy of my waiting.

Advent Prayer from Psalm 25

Lord, as I spend time in Your word today, I am reminded of Your kindness to me, and I give thanks. You know all about my propensity towards getting lost. You hear my cries, and You provide what I lack. Thank you for finding me and showing me the way of salvation when I was lost. Help me to live a life pointing the way for fellow travelers. This Advent season let me use my time wisely to prepare the way for others so they can see the hope I am holding on to in this season. Amen

Back at the minivan just outside the Zoo in a moment of collective brilliance, we both looked up and noticed a built-in compass above the rear-view mirror. We knew we lived North of Houston. Surely, if we traveled North, we would eventually get back to Spring.  Maybe?

The good news is we made it back home, eventually.

How about you this Advent? Are you making your own way or following what the Lord has for you? The gift of not having any real internal sense of direction has always reminded me to seek daily and even moment by moment directions. I may even have multiple GPS apps on my phone. However, when it comes to my spiritual life, I give thanks today to the Lord who never tires of showing me His way. He is always ready to give me turn by turn directions in real-time.

How Do I Hold Fast to the Blessed Hope? Psalm 24

/ Anthea Kotlan / 2 Comments
A photo of an Advent Wreath on the Second Sunday of Advent.

In the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day, I find my schedule filling to overflowing. Amazing events celebrating the season sprinkle across my calendar. Each neat square gets covered like an overly decorated Christmas cookie. And as a mother, grandmother, wife, ministry leader, and writer, I feel the pressure to buy all the things, bake all the things, create all the things, and be all the things for the most wonderful time of the year.

Prayerfully entering Advent during the four weeks leading up to Christmas day can transform this frantic time. Taking time each week to prepare my heart for the celebration of Jesus’ birth shifts my perspective away from the frenetic demands of this world. On Sunday, December 5th, the Second Sunday of Advent, this prayer will be prayed in Anglican churches around the world.  

Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and the comfort of your holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.    Amen

Anglican Church in North America Book of Common Prayer 2019 page. 598

Inside this prayer I find a clear directive to, “hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life.”  

In His kindness, God doesn’t simply direct us to do this in our sheer willpower. Instead, He provides believers with the “bread” for this sacred journey, God’s word. We are to hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Holy Scriptures.

Praying through each verse of Psalm 24 can be a wonderful way to implement this practice. This psalm serves as a call to worship Christ our King of Glory. These verses remind us of Jesus’s kingly attributes.

1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

(Psalm 24:1-2 ESV)

Our King owns it all.

If I recognize Jesus today as the King who owns the entire world, and the fullness thereof, can I hold back from feeling the pressure to take care of all things that come to my mind? Can I lay that down today and bow to Him, my loving King?

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
(Psalm 24:3-4 ESV)

Our King provides access for His people to worship Him.

Jesus’ death on the cross gives me access to worship Him. In my own efforts, I can never have clean enough hands or a pure heart, but Jesus paid my debt for me. Today, I will choose to lay down my own efforts to measure up.

5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Psalm 24:5-6 ESV

Our King works through generations.

Whenever I see the word Selah weaved into the Psalms, I know a particularly profound declaration has been made. The word Selah signals me to pause and drink it in. I need to take note of Jesus’s promised blessings on those who seek Him. Even better news, He speaks of generations because His Heavenly Father works through families.

My relationship with Jesus has a profound effect on the generations that come after me. Because I am adopted into the family of God, my very identity has been changed. I have become the daughter of the “Most High King”. I am grafted into God’s family and so my daughter’s daughters will be affected by my choices. While each woman and man who comes after me will have to come to his or her own saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our lineage will be profoundly altered by the change in my status.

7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!
Psalm 24:8-9 ESV

Our King reigns for eternity.

Jesus reminds me to lift up my head and shift my perspective from being caught up in my everyday stress. As I look up and see the blue skies, the trees of the field, my grandson’s face, the stars in the night sky, my temporary afflictions pale in comparison to the greatness of my King. He is strong, mighty and will win the ultimate battle and reign eternally.  

9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
Psalm 24:9-10 ESV

Our King requests greater access to our lives and hearts.

Jesus is asking me today to open my heart and my life more fully to His presence. My tendency, when faced with challenges, is to close up. I need more of Jesus in my life for the ongoing work of sanctification and transformation.

Closing Prayer

Lord, in this season of Advent, help me to hold fast to the Hope I find in you. Open my eyes, heart, and mind to your word every single day. I truly need more of You and Your word. Amen.

How will you hold onto hope in the season of Advent?