As I stood alone in the sanctuary of Sojourn awaiting my future fiancee to come last night, I was very nervous. It was a good nervousness, of course, as I was about to propose. The nervousness was not the only emotion I was feeling, though. Among the many things I was feeling was a heightened sense of anticipation- an anticipation that grew considerably as time went on. It felt like an eternity (and the fact that she was late to the “community group party,” as she thought it was going to be, didn’t help!), but in reality it was only a short while. Yet there I was, with an anticipation of seeing her come through the doorway that grew with every second. The anticipation I mean, not the doorway. As Christians, we too live with an anticipation. It is an anticipation of the coming of our King, much like the anticipation of the Jewish people awaiting the arrival of their Messiah. Let us reflect on this anticipation- here are the readings for the second Sunday of Advent:

Isaiah 11:1-10 (NLTse)
Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
He will delight in obeying the LORD.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD.

In that day the heir to David’s throne
will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

Romans 15:4-13 (NLTse)
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing praises to your name.”

And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people,
you Gentiles.”

And yet again,
“Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles.
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and he will rule over the Gentiles.
They will place their hope on him.”

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Glory Be
Words and music by Mike Cosper of Sojourn Community Church
listen here.

It was the longest night
The world was waiting
Eager for the light
The world was waiting

Oh Come
Come Messiah
Oh Come
Come Messiah

Sing for joy all the earth
Messiah’s come to set you free
Join the angels in their song
Glory Be! Glory Be!

It was the longest night
My heart was waiting
Eager for the light
My heart was waiting

Hallelujah, the Lord of life has come
To reconcile the nations to their God
Hallelujah, he’s coming back again
To finish what began in Bethlehem.

Hallelujah ( Hallelujah) Hallelujah
Hallelujah ( Hallelujah) Hallelujah