The Countdown - Tuesday, December 1 (Advent 2020)
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
Many families use Advent calendars to help children understand the concepts of faith and patience. With their 25 little numbered doors, pockets, or drawers, children countdown from December 1st to Christmas Day. These calendars can help people, not just children, grow in their anticipation of the day when we celebrate the first arrival of our long-promised Redeemer, God’s Son, Jesus.
Sadly, these time-limited calendars are being overshadowed by the non-stop commercialism starting as early as the middle of October. Some radio stations start playing Christmas music in early November. Two months of anything usually causes an oversaturation of the senses. When the actual event does arrive, many people just want to get it over with and move on to the New Year. I’ve seen Christmas trees put out with the trash by 3 pm on Christmas Day!
Historically, Native Americans used the sun, the moon, and the seasons as their calendar to mark days, months, and years. They used nature to find the correct time to plant and harvest; hunt and fish; dwell in a place or move; be single and married; to live and die. Their lives and times were not dictated by “Clock Time” and yet everything that needed to be done happened. They lived in harmony with God’s natural timetable (Ecclesiastes 1:1-8) and yet, did not know about their Creator’s plan of eternal salvation.
In today’s world, the truth of “a time and season for everything under heaven” is being diminished by impatience. This impatience is a symptom of people searching for things to satisfy their need for inner peace. They have chosen to fill their lives with things that provide temporary happiness, at best, instead of having an eternal relationship with Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Let’s take this time and these days to slow down, to take in the joy of the birth of our Savior and the excitement for the day when He will return again.
Father, thank You for sending Jesus at the right time. Help us to live our lives according to Your timetable. Guide us to use our days telling others the full story about Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.