The 2nd Advent Sunday: Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6
Podcast Message: Breathtaking Gift from God
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Intro:
Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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Happy Advent. It is the 2nd Sunday of Advent.
Last week, I talked about God’s kingdom that is already here but not fully experienced yet. And this week, allow me to share with you the breathtaking gift that God has given to you and me while we practice waiting during the Advent Season.
For those of you who are familiar with hiking trails in Washington State, is Mt. Walker Trail one of your favorite hikes? I still remember vividly an unforgettable breath-taking view in November, 2018. It was a cold and cloudy day. Without much planning and preparation, my family and I decided to just go. We got to the trailhead by following the Google Map. While we were hiking up, we met people who were already hiking down. Most of them greeted us warmly and told us that the view on the top was breathtaking. Since we did not dress for hiking and were not used to the elevation within such a short distance, our energy and determination were sapped. As we kept moving forward, I said to my family, “I wonder if we are still far away from the top!” And a hiker passing by us heard what I just said, with a kind and big smile, she said, “You are almost there! You can do it.”
Amazingly, that simple encouraging information was good enough to keep us going. Indeed, the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. We took many pictures from all the angles we could think of. After staying there for around half an hour, we had to leave because the temperature began dropping. As we hiked downhill back to the parking lot, I quickly noticed that having short breaths was no longer an issue but the muscle tension around my knees making each step harder and harder. Nonetheless, “for all it’s worth,” I told myself. How I wished I could either take that breathtaking view with me or stay on the top of the mountain for just a little bit longer!
We all love and enjoy breathtaking moments. What are some of yours that come to your mind? How would you share your breathtaking moments, by posting a photo through your social media, telling your story in person, or taking someone with you to celebrate those breathtaking moments together?
We as a family were quite new to hiking at the time. Whenever Mt. Walker Trail was mentioned, we would laugh about each breath we took and every move we made on that day, the kind of food we prepared, the kind of shoes that we wore, the heavy jackets that we had on, the tote bag on our shoulders that caused discomfort, etc.
In Luke 3:6, it says, “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Sometimes, it is hard for us to see the salvation of God fully when life seems too hard.
Even though we like to stay and live in those BREATHTAKING moments all the time, it is good to remember that God did not create us just for those moments but also for each BREATH we take with thankfulness.
In Genesis’ first 2 chapters, it says that God created humankind and gave the breath of life. And in Acts 17:15, it says that God gives life, breath, and everything else to people. These are just two verses among many in the Bible mentioning that each breath that we take is a precious gift from God and the physicalness of God’s presence in our lives. The life-giving breath is the breathtaking gift from God.
While we are practicing waiting before the big celebration of Christmas Day, let us treasure each breath we take and each move we make with thankfulness.
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
Outro:
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