Lake Deaton at Home

Writer:  Duane Marburger

Writer’s Ministry:  Lake Deaton Care Ministry and Visitation Pastor

Text:  2 Corinthians 5:21

The Church Year begins with Advent, four weeks of preparation before Christmas.  It can be a time of renewal and reflection on how God has blessed us with his gifts and what God is calling us to do with the rest of our lives. 

From an early age, I believed that God was calling me into ministry.  While I never abandoned my faith in Jesus as my Savior, I didn’t always honor Him as my LORD. During my college days, I got caught in the traps of socializing and partying so wasn’t very disciplined in my studies. Though I rarely missed attending worship, I was not as fully engaged because tiredness would overcome me. 

However, through various retreats, my regular participation in Holy Communion, and Scriptural reflection and prayer, I was challenged to realize that I had not been living my life fully in the righteousness of God. 

But God never gave up on me. With the help of God and spiritual mentors sent by God, I was more fully able to appreciate the depth of God’s love for me and his forgiveness for my past mistakes or sins. I became more thankful for the Gift of Jesus, himself who not only was born for us so that we might have hope but fulfilled God’s plan through His sacrificial suffering and death so that we might have life in his name. 

Now by the grace of God, because Jesus was without sin and took our sins upon himself to pay the price for our sins at the cross, I can keep striving to live more in the righteousness of God as God forgives my sins, gives me the strength, and enables me to serve him more completely. 

The story of Jesus during Advent is the story of hope coming into the world.  When the time was just right, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world.  The Advent season teaches us to prepare to receive Jesus, the hope of the world.

Daily Prayer:  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being born for us and dying on the cross for that we might become the righteousness of God.  During this Advent season, help us to place our hope and trust fully in you and to glorify you in our words and actions.  Amen.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1.  What gifts has God given you to use for His glory?
2. What messages from God’s Word bring you hope and encouragement?
3. In what ways might you ask God to help you to become the righteousness of God?