More Than a Manger: Encountering the Trinity in Advent
Scripture Passage
ZEC 2:14-17
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD. Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land, and he will again choose Jerusalem. Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD! For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
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Grace Prayed For
Reverential awe: The passage concludes with a call to silence before the Lord. Pray for the grace to cultivate a spirit of awe and reverence in your encounters with God. Ask for the humility to recognize His majesty and to approach Him with a posture of adoration and surrender.
Reflection
This passage from Zechariah bursts with the joy of Advent, a joy that echoes through the centuries and finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!” The prophet’s words are a clarion call, an invitation to lift our voices in joyful anticipation. But what is the source of this jubilation? It is the promise of God’s presence, a presence that transforms everything.
“See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.” This is the heart of Advent, the core of the Christian faith: God, in His infinite love, chooses to bridge the chasm between heaven and earth and make His dwelling place among us. He does not remain distant and aloof but comes to meet us in the messiness of our human experience.
And how does He come? As a Trinitarian God, a community of love overflowing into creation. The Father sends the Son, the Word made flesh, who dwells among us, full of grace and truth. And through the Son, we receive the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who makes our hearts His temple.
This coming is not just a historical event but an ongoing reality. In Advent, we celebrate the first coming of Christ at Christmas, but we also look forward to His second coming in glory. We live in the “already, but not yet,” experiencing the presence of Christ through the Spirit while we await His final return.
“Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day…” This speaks to the universality of God’s love, His desire to gather all people into His embrace. In Christ, the dividing walls crumble, and we become one family, united in His love.
“Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD! For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.” This call to silence is not a silencing of our joy but an invitation to awe and reverence. Before the majesty of God, words fail, and we are left in speechless wonder.
This Advent, let us cultivate a spirit of joyful anticipation, like that of daughter Zion. Let us open our hearts to receive the Trinitarian God who comes to dwell among us. Let us be still and know that He is God, present in our midst, transforming us by His love.
Growing in Intimacy with Jesus
Experiencing Jesus as the dwelling place of God:
“See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.” This echoes Jesus’ own words in John 14:23: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” 1 Zechariah’s prophecy finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who is Emmanuel, “God with us.” Meditating on this verse allows you to encounter Jesus as the dwelling place of God, the One in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). This realization invites you to abide in Him, to make your home in His loving presence.
Daily Scripture Reflection
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post