Advent Meditations: Tuesday 12 December

Dec 12, 2017 by

Tue
Dec 12
am: 26, 28
pm: 36, 39
Amos 7:10-17 Rev 1:9-16 Matt 22:34-46

TUESDAY OF ADVENT II : Feast of Spyridon, Eastern Father of the Church, 4th Century (in the West his date is the 14th of Dec)

NOTES ON THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR – As the Bishop of Trimythus, and he was known as a pastor and shepherd who had both great piety and intellect. When the First Ecumenical Council was assembled in Nicaea, he also was present, and by means of his most simple words stopped the mouths of the Arians who were wise in their own conceit. By the divine grace which dwelt in him, he wrought such great wonders that he received the surname ‘Wonderworker.” So, it is that, having tended his flock piously and in a manner pleasing to God, he reposed in the Lord about the year 35o despite suffering great persecution at the hands of the Emperor Maximinus the Second.

SCRIPTURAL MEDITATION: In this section we encounter an exchange between Amos and the King’s top religious advisor, Amaziah. During this exchange Amaziah orders Amos to stop bothering the King and the people saying, “for this is the King’s sanctuary, and it is the temple of the kingdom.” Amaziah has unwittingly confirmed what God’s plumb line has shown – off center and crooked!

Amos’ vision is of the Lord standing beside a wall that is in plumb. If it is the Lord who has built it, of course it is “in plumb.” Grabbing the attention of Amos, the Lord directs him to this instrument — the divine plumb line by which the Lord will measure how plumb the Lord’s people are. The result of the Lord’s measurement is that it is Israel that is out of plumb and therefore needs to be razed. The Plumb line is a standard to measure straightness. It is a string with a heavy pointed weight at the bottom used to measure whether lines are straight or crooked. The Lord is about to measure Israel to see if it straight when compared to His standard or whether it is found crooked. God’s Word is the plumb line in our own lives as well.

What is out of “plumb” in our lives on our spiritual journey? We should be careful to make the crooked straight so that we may have a place readiness for the coming King.

PRAYER: Gracious God, we praise You for giving us a plumbline which we can rely, no matter the circumstances. In You, we have abundant hope! Lord, make us plumbline direct us to be agents of change to a lost and broken world. Forgive us for making crooked that which is straight under the pressures of the world and not being the plumb-line of righteousness and justice You have called us to be. Renew our minds and break our hearts for the things that break Yours. Cause Your righteousness to shine through us and compel us act justly in all we do so that as Your ambassadors we will be a living testimony of Jesus to a lost people and divided nation. In Jesus’ Name we pray. AMEN.

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OR ACTIVITY -What area in your life, family, or church needs adjustment for it to be a plumb-line of righteousness and justice to the world? If the Lord convicts you of anything, be quick to repent specifically and move forward cleansed.

ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “No plumbline could fathom the depths of my faithlessness”. John Francis Byrne

 

 

 

 

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