Advent Snowglobes (Day 7)


I spent most of yesterday hauling ‪#‎Christmas‬ decorations from the garage, including all 37 snowglobes. Mom started giving me a snowglobe every Christmas when I was in high school, and has continued the tradition for 30 years. This one is not dated- but I know it is one of the oldest. It plays "Jingle Bells," and despite its age it's one of the best sounding of the collection. Seeing it and other artifacts in the garage (see social media posts from yesterday) filled me with nostalgia for the great days of my youth. The 80s in small town Texas was a great time to grow up- great friends, awesome music and movies. On our cross country trek a couple of weeks ago I was glued to Sirius' Big 80s channel. I've felt a little homesick recently for that era. Then I read a couple of texts assigned for today and I was jolted back to 2015: "'But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,' says the Lord Almighty" (Malachi 4:2-3). And Jesus sending the disciples out to do ministry: "So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere" (Luke 9:6). Here's the thing: nostalgia is great- everything is almost always better 30 years later! But the work of making the world, our society, our families and towns, is ours, TODAY. God will empower and inspire, but it takes dedicated people to make it a reality. Advent is about looking forward, not backward, and anticipating what God will make reality- through our actions. What good news can you proclaim today?

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