Wednesday, Dec 11

Scripture: Matthew 11:28 (NIV) – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Message: As a child our son Sandy was famous for his ability to say precisely what he meant, using words no one had never heard before, yet leaving no doubt what he was trying to say. There was the much loved “underbelievable”, yet my favorite has always been “preconcern”. To this day our family uses it often, especially in times of stress or overload. Most of us can get “preconcerned” pretty easily – my mother would have told me I was borrowing trouble, and she was probably right.

I was looking at the calendar the other day, saw how late Thanksgiving is this year, and immediately became “preconcerned” (there are only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas!). I had, in a matter of minutes, allowed the feelings of being overwhelmed about meals and gifts and extra activities to creep in – I was “preconcerned”! And to what end? Am I the only one who cares if we have the right gifts that are wonderfully wrapped, the house looks festive and there is an abundance of food. No one else is worried about it. They’re not “preconcerned” at all.

In the New Testament, it is easy to find examples of “preconcern”. In Matthew 12:9-14, the Disciples were (pre)concerned about Jesus’ healing the man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath. Jesus assured them it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. No need for “preconcern”.

Each Advent season, I start by consciously focusing on the gift that we all receive at Christmas. The gift that makes our days and lives worthwhile, and for some just even bearable. Misplaced priorities abound during this season for many of us. I read somewhere that Jesus was sent by His Father to refresh us in hard times – to come to Him when we are weary and burdened to find that place of rest. My Advent prayer for all of us is, “To take advantage of the rest that is waiting, especially during the self-imposed moments of ‘preconcern’.” Who is it we plan this celebration for?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray that we can be mindful of our moments of “preconcern”, especially during this Advent season, and turn our hearts and minds back to the reason we are celebrating Your birth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Kim Showalter