WEEK 1: LOOK TO THE LIGHT / DAY 2: Prophecy
By Pastor Courtney Hall (Mon. Nov. 29, 2021)
In many churches, Advent proceeds each week with the lighting of a progressive series of candles culminating in Christmas Eve’s lighting of the “Christ Candle.” The first Advent candle, lit yesterday, is sometimes referred to as the “Prophecy Candle.” PROPHECY played a primary role in preparing for the arrival of the Messiah in our world. Even today, as we “Prepare with Purpose” to celebrate Jesus’ Incarnation once again, we recognize that God’s past faithfulness to His prophetic promises shines a bright light of hope in our hearts for believing with confidence in His other prophecies of what is still yet to come.
Throughout this week as we LOOK TO THE LIGHT of God’s Word in our Advent devotions, we’ll be seeing just some of the many prophecies of the Messiah’s coming which were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. The Bible features the first Messianic prophecy very early in its story of human history, right at the beginning in Genesis chapter three. After humanity sinned in the Garden of Eden, rejecting trust in God’s Word & asserting a rebellious spirit reflective of the deceiving serpent who had tempted humanity, God made clear that a confrontation was coming, between the wicked one (the source of sin) and the righteous One to come (born of a woman & destined to crush that serpent Satan beneath His feet).
We draw courage from knowing that Christ’s victory over the darkness for our sake is fully secured. By examining the Christmas prophecies, we’re also encouraged in the knowledge that God desires to include us in His plans & to enlighten us by His Word. God lays His plans out before us in advance through the principles of prophecy, in order to show us His might & wisdom; what’s more, no purpose of His ever fails (Isaiah 46:10).
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SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed & her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel." (Compare also Matthew 1:20; Galatians 4:4)
