I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.
(Jeremiah 32:40, 41)
Honestly, and from my experience, I don’t think a lot of us really believe all of this. Why an epistle on our children during Advent? Because we will or will not celebrate Christmas in keeping with how certain we are that the Lord can and will keep them!
It’s still early in our Advent Adventure for 2018 … supposing we irradiate our hopes regarding our children and go on to even more deep and true and glorious things concerning the Lord and His faithfulness? Let us suppose that what God has given, He is able to sustain.
Look at Jesus’ words as He prepared to enter into His suffering and death.
I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:11, 12 NASB)
Truly, “all our children shall be taught of the Lord, and great will be their peace,” (Isaiah 54:13.) Should they stumble (as did King David,) should they doubt (as did Thomas,) should they renounce truth (as did Peter,) they have someone trusting the Father on their behalf more thanthey are distrustful, confused, wounded, or frightened concerning Him. They have us, and we have the Spirit of the Lord in the glory of Christ Jesus, Savior and King.
Merry Christmas, everyone! Blessed are they that have believed all that the Lord has spoken to them.
detail of the Anunciation
Andres Sarto
1528, public domain
Marketplace Monastics 