We are beginning preparations for Thanksgiving. Family members have purchased plane tickets, and the turkey is ordered from Fisher Hill Farms. We always cook more than we need so we can enjoy the leftovers and not have to cook on the day after Thanksgiving. But leftovers are never as good as the freshly prepared meal.
As we continue to work our way through the final books of the Old Testament, we find the people of God bringing their leftovers to God. They are offering their blind, lame, and sick animals as sacrifices in worship. And as we come to the Sunday following Thanksgiving, we will consider this dynamic.
Before we get to the final Sunday in November, we will walk through the final chapters of Zechariah. While God’s people have not offered God their best, God’s steadfast love for his people remains strong. We will consider how God chooses to come to his people in the midst of their unfaithfulness. And God’s coming is not quite how they would have imagined it. God comes in humility, riding on a donkey (November 1). He is sold for only 30 pieces of silver (November 8), pierced for us (November 15), but comes as the one true King (November 22). And while his people offer leftovers, God gives his very best to us.
As we step into the season of Advent, we look forward to Jesus’ coming. From the perspective of the people in the Old Testament, they are looking forward to his first coming. From our perspective, we are looking forward to his coming again. In both cases, God comes to us and offers hope in a world that desperately needs him. As we flip over to Malachi on the final Sunday of the month, God’s first word to us is about how much he loves us.
(Malachi 1:2 NIV) “I have loved you,” says the LORD…
So how will we approach this Advent season? First of all, it is important to remember that God gave everything for us. He entered our world and chose the suffering of the Cross so that we could be forgiven of our sins. Secondly, the question for us is how will we respond to God’s grace? Will we take it for granted or will we respond in gratitude for all he has given? Will we give God the best of our time, attention, money, and worship? Or will we pull the leftovers out of the fridge for God?
As we enter this season, enjoy the bounty of all that we have been given. Let’s be careful to return our very best to God.
Worship Schedule
- November 01 - Your King Is Coming (Zechariah 9-10)
Additional Readings: Psalm 40:1-5, Philippians 2:5-11 - November 08 - The Rejected Shepherd (Zechariah 11)
Additional Readings: Psalm 78:70-72, Matthew 26:14-16 - November 15 - Pierced for Us (Zechariah 12-13)
Additional Readings: Psalm 32:1-5, 1 John 1:7-2:2 - November 22 - The King Is Coming (Zechariah 14)
Additional Readings: Psalm 97:1-6, Revelation 22:1-5 - November 29 - I Have Always Loved You (Malachi 1)
Additional Readings: Psalm 80:1-7, Isaiah 64:1-9
