Candles of Advent

*Link to Baptist Theological Seminary publication*

Bethlehem (House of Bread), what a quiet little town, located a few kilometres away from the bustling city of Jerusalem, yet a census brought the holy family to Bethlehem so that the Saviour may be born there. In the Bible, Bethlehem began to take on significance in the book of Ruth. The book begins with Bethlehem, the house of bread, having no bread. This is a literary device signalling that something was amiss in the city. Yet when the book ends, there is a promise of restoration and a sense of hope. Ruth, a Moabitess, is revealed as the great grandmother of King David of Bethlehem.

- Isaac Teng, The Gift of Bethlehem

Several years ago, I was waiting to board a flight at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, which in the days before COVID-19, was the busiest airport in the world. The boarding area was chaotic. People were talking loudly to be heard over the din. In addition to constant boarding and security announcements, there was construction going on. And sitting directly opposite to me was a young mother with her small child. There was a sudden crash from a piece of falling scaffolding, startling the child who then immediately burst into tears. The mother quickly scooped up her child and held him close. Within minutes that child was fast asleep, softly breathing to the rhythm of his mother's heartbeat. Nothing else had changed in that chaotic hall, except the position of that child. He was secure in the calm embrace of his mother.

In the day when Advent calm is fully realised, all nations will know how to walk in the light of life and will find deep rest in Him. But today - even amidst the ever-encroaching darkness - believers are called to bear testimony of our confidence in the coming calm by walking each day secure in the embrace of our loving Father. Let us all, as we wait for the coming calm, respond to the call of Isaiah and "walk in the light of the LORD!"

- Ian Buntain, The Coming Calm