“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.” Jeremiah 31:31
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday but sadly, it is over. I know this because Christmas abounds everywhere, and no trace of Thanksgiving except the leftovers in the fridge can be found. I have always been one not to mix holidays. Until the day after Thanksgiving, it’s about the feast, and my home is decorated with pumpkins and fall leaves. Not a hint of Christmas anywhere. But then something magical happens on Thanksgiving night. We go to bed after we have had our fill of food, family, and fun, and wake up the following day, and Christmas is in the air. The awe and wonder of Christmas starts to stir in our souls.
Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, is a time of anticipation and preparation. In our culture, there is plenty to make ready for during the Christmas season, but that is not the purpose of Advent. We are to prepare our minds, hearts, and spirits to celebrate the gift of the new covenant given to us as promised by God in the book of Jeremiah. “This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt, because they broke my covenant though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord” (Jer 31:32). The words are addressed to a people in exile, far from home and bereft of hope. Not too much, unlike our situation today; this earth is not our home (Heb 13:14), and hopelessness abounds in our culture today. The reported depression and suicide rates give evidence to this sad fact. But Jeremiah speaks words of promise to the Israelites that are just as relevant today. God promises, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:33). The Lord says that His law will no longer be written on stone tablets but on their hearts and minds. This new covenant relies solely on God’s mercy for his wayward people; it is all God’s doing, in and through Jesus Christ.
On a night not too different than Thanksgiving evening over two thousand years ago, the world went to bed, and a page in history had been turned the following day. A baby was born that would bring hope to this world. God is faithful to His promises even when we are not. The New Covenant arrived and was wrapped in swaddling clothes. May our hearts become more God-conscious during this Advent season, focusing on His faithfulness and yearning for his people to return to Him simply because of His great love for us. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.
During this Advent season, I’ll be sharing some photos of the recreation of the village of Nazareth from my trip to Israel. Today’s photo is of a carpenter’s house much like where Jesus grew up.