Monday, December 17, 2018   
The Joy of Anticipation
by Sandy Houpt
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall 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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide by what his ears hear;
4  but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5  Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
6  The wolf shall live with the lamb,
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
7  The cow and the bear shall graze,
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea
 
--Isaiah 11:1-9 
For years the Israelites had been looking forward to the birth of a new ruler. They were told that he would be a descendent of David, Jesse's son. God would give him wisdom and understanding. He would judge his people with righteousness and equity. He would delight in doing the will of the LORD. And there would be peace on earth. Such peace that even the animals would coexist in serenity.

Can you imagine such anticipation? The closest I can get to understanding their delight is the excitement of preparing for the arrival of a new baby in the family. First, being told that a baby is on the way. Then preparing to welcome this new life; readying the room with new furniture, gathering clothes, blankets, diapers, and other supplies. Joy and excitement build as the due date draws near. The family, including grandparents and aunts and uncles, are filled with anticipation.

There are those in our community who are not as fortunate as most of us at Epiphany and for them the news of a new baby is sometimes a little scary. With the anticipation of this new life comes concerns of what will my baby wear? How can I keep her warm? Will I have food for him? That is why your Pantry held the baby shower for Jesus. So we can share the joy of anticipation with these new moms; so we can love Jesus by serving others.
Prayer: 
Dear Father in Heaven, we thank you for sending your son, filled with righteousness and understanding, so that one day your kingdom will reign on earth. Fill our hearts with joy and love for our neighbors as we anticipate celebrating Jesus' birth. It is in His holy name we pray, Amen.
Advent Week Three: JOY
 
Advent Kindness Calendar on Monday, December 17, 2018
Tell a kid that they are important and loved by God.
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