2, 85, 110:1-5(6-7), 132
Zechariah 2:10-13 1 John 4:7-16 John 3:31-36
“Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD.“ (Zech. 2:10)
When I was a child, Christmas Eve was marked by the coming of my grandparents. My siblings and I would anxiously await their long, white Chrysler pulling up the driveway because we knew that the trunk was full of presents. Yes, we were glad to see them, but I won’t try to make this more noble than it was – the presents were the thing. We would fill our arms, bring them inside, and then go back out for more. This may sound excessive, and perhaps I am exaggerating. Such stories do grow over the years (or maybe it was just that our arms were quite small!). Welcoming our grandparents into our home was welcoming the gifts that they brought. Zechariah recounts God’s promise to come and dwell in our midst. And when Jesus comes, as the one who is, according to John, both “from above” and “of the earth,” he links above and below and makes earth a dwelling for God. He enters our home. We celebrate this morning that his arrival was marked by gifting to Jesus from the wise men and from Jesus to all creation. Every gift we give participates in those gifts and reminds us of God’s excessive generosity. Let the unwrapping commence!
God, your gifts are many but none more welcome than your presence in our midst. Dwell in us that we may give as you do. Amen.
Listen to Scott read his Advent meditation and prayer:
