Friday, December 3

Isaiah 3:8-15

Psalms 16, 17, and 22

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Luke 20:41-21:4

I grew up in a home that was Roman Catholic more in name than in strict practice, so I was surprised when my seventh grade friend told me that he couldn’t go to the movies on Saturday because it was Advent season. “What in the world does Advent have to do with going to the movies?” I asked. He explained that Advent was a little like Lent in that some special prayer and detachment from normal activity was necessary to prepare to truly celebrate the coming birth of Christ. As an eleven year old I can’t say I really understood then, but I’ve never forgotten the lesson or the boy who, even at that young age, led by life example rather than words.

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul encourages them and us “to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs…so that you may behave properly toward outsiders.” In the version of Thessalonians found in The Message the line is phrased this way: “We want you living in a way that will command the respect of outsiders.” As I read the scripture assigned for today that was the sentence that kept coming back to me over and over again. Do I live my life in a way that will command the respect of outsiders? In other words, how do I conduct myself away from my church family? Would I be recognized as a Christian if I didn’t have a nametag?

Advent is a time for reflection and preparation, a time that we can choose to “aspire to live quietly” in the midst of holiday clamor. As my seventh grade friend taught me all those years ago, it’s a time to reflect on the true meaning of the season.

Bob Lowe