Week 1 Christmas Challenge, Space for Awe.නියැදිය

Verse 10 (NIV): “When the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.” 

This is not a story of Zechariah and Elizabeth only. It wasn’t merely the obedience of one couple that made space for awe. 

This was all of them. 

And this is all of us. 

What does it mean to assemble and pray corporately on a high day or holy day? It presupposes a few things: that we agree on a holy day, that we prioritize it, that we are willing to sacrifice our own schedules and agenda and desires to ‘pray outside’. 

How does that look for us, crawling out of pandemic restrictions, cautiously reintegrating spiritual rhythms and practices into our lives? 

Is Advent important to us? Is it the priority of the ‘season’? Is it worth some inconvenience and maybe even sacrifice? 

And Advent means even more than that. Here’s the definition: ‘the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.’ 

So, much more than talking about mere religious acknowledgements or traditional celebrations, we are preparing for the arrival of Jesus. 

And, yes, it is an annual exercise. Admittedly, He already arrived, a couple of thousand years ago. And, prophetically, He’s coming back in a new and final way sometime soon. But, as we identify ourselves as worshipers of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we assemble together in prayer on the designated times, we are making space for awe, posturing ourselves as Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s people did as recounted back in the Gospel of Luke. 

Try this prayer: I’m ready God. For You. Come.