On weekdays during Advent we will be posting the daily reflection from our Abundance Advent booklet here on our blog. Today's post is the introduction written by Pastor Jason. You can download the booklet in its entirety here.
“They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights."
Psalm 36:8
An abundance of food and drink was before us. Around the table were those we call family—both biological and spiritual. There were also those we refer to as neighbors. Despite our differences in background and skin color, we shared in common the need to eat and drink and experience belonging around the table. There’s something about a feast that brings people together, isn’t there?
This scene has unfolded in our dining room at holiday meals over the past few years. It’s a scene that points me to the abundance of God’s Kingdom. Feasting imagery abounds in Scripture. The Kingdom is described as a banquet spread for those who recognize their need. Why do we eat and drink? Because we get hungry and thirsty. Eating and drinking makes us aware of how dependent we are on God. And because of his abundant goodness, God invites us to feed on his provision regardless of race, class, or status. He’s the giver of all good gifts. There’s enough in his Kingdom for us all.
Approach this guide as a banquet of sorts, as an opportunity to feast on God’s abundance. We often overlook the abundance in our lives because we dwell on what we don’t have as opposed to what we do have. Arthur Brooks writes about this tendency and the need for gratitude:
“For many people, gratitude is difficult, because life is difficult. Even beyond deprivation and depression, there are many ordinary circumstances in which gratitude doesn’t come easily. But we are more than slaves to our feelings, circumstances and genes. Evidence suggests that we can actively choose to practice gratitude. Choosing to focus on good things makes you feel better than focusing on bad things. In the slightly more elegant language of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, ‘He is a man of sense who does not grieve for what he has not, but rejoices in what he has.’”
Gratitude is restored for people of faith by reflecting on who God is and what he’s done for us. Advent is an ideal time for such reflection since it focuses our attention on how God came in Jesus to offer us abundant life. Feast on these stories of abundance in the lives of your brothers and sisters so that you might practice gratitude for God’s goodness.
Pastor Jason