Advent is a word meaning “toward the
arrival.” For hundreds of years,
Christians have observed it as a way of celebrating Christ’s arrival and
preparing for his next coming. This
year, advent begins today, November 30, and goes through Christmas Eve.
Whether you formally celebrate it or not,
Advent has powerful implications for marriage.
You see, if you are a Christian and you are called to marriage, then God
expects you to use your marriage as a way of bringing glory and honor to him. He expects your marriage to reflect your love
for God and your love for others who are made in the image of God. Christian marriage is not supposed to look
like secular marriage with some “Christian window dressing.” If the only difference between your marriage
and the non-Christian couple next door is that you go to church on Sunday, you’ve
missed the point of what God is trying to do through you and your spouse
together for the sake of his Kingdom.
That being said, how does your marriage
reflect the hope and joy of Christ’s presence in your covenant relationship? How does the most significant event in human
history, God becoming flesh and living among us, change the way you love,
honor, respect, and give of yourself for your spouse? What does it mean to your marriage that in
the person of Jesus Christ, “God made his dwelling among us”? (John 1:14) How does the light of his presence in your
marriage penetrate the darkness of this fallen world that is trying to overtake
your union?
As we look forward to Christ’s return,
does your marriage point others toward the time when all things will be made
new? Do they see the love, goodness,
grace, redemption, and forgiveness in you that gives glimpses of the final
eternal Kingdom to come?
The Advent season is upon us, so use this
time of celebration and observance to renew your commitment to Christ and to
your marriage. Give thanks for God’s
presence in this world and in your marriage, as we anxiously await Christ’s return.
_____________________
Looking
for a fun, practical, Biblically-based, couples' study that can be used with
individual couples, in small groups, or in a Bible class? Check out Marriage:
A Blessed Promise. It's less than four bucks and available now
from 21st Century Christian. Makes a great, inexpensive Christmas gift that will have lasting benefits. Order online here.
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