Monthly Devotional

Come to the Manger

December 2007

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
 
Emma Joy was chosen as the flower girl for a wedding. But her mother worried that Emma wouldn’t walk down the aisle in a crowded, unfamiliar church with strangers standing at the altar. Then she had an idea. Emma’s daddy was playing trumpet for the wedding, but Emma had not seen him because he had been hospitalized for days. And so, as little Emma prepared to march in, they positioned Emma’s daddy in a strategic location, and she ran with joy to meet him. What a beautiful surprise reunion for father and daughter!

This Advent season let’s run into the arms of our Father. Let’s talk to Him, read His Word and prepare our hearts for the arrival of His Son. Adventus means “coming.” We joyfully anticipate Christ’s coming and celebrate His birth. But Advent is two-fold, we long for Jesus’ coming, but we should also respond to his invitation to “Come unto me.” Two familiar carols invite us to come to Jesus: “O Come all ye Faithful,” and “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” The latter says,

Come thou long expected Jesus; born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s Strength and Consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Not only do we long for His coming, but we celebrate His birth. And like the Magi, we can fall on our knees in worship.

O Come let us adore Him
O Come let us adore Him
O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

This December, look for ways to invite His coming and to come to Him. One year I wrote a Christmas pageant to encourage the idea that even now we still need to come to the manger to worship and find rest.

Come to the Manger fall on your knees
Come to the Manger, there you’ll find peace
Come to the Manger see God’s little boy
Come to the Manger, experience joy

Come to the Manger find others to bring
Come to the Manger and worship the King
Come to the Manger see God’s gift from above
Come to the Manger, the Manger of Love

Dear Jesus,
Come into our hearts and our celebrations, O long expected Jesus. You are our dear desire and the joy of our longing hearts. May we come to the manger this Christmas and find our rest in You.

Copyright © 2007 - Ann Marie Stewart. All rights reserved.

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