4th Sunday of Advent

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk 1:31-33)

In our first reading today, from 2 Samuel 7:1-17, King David had taken residence in his house, and was enjoying a period of rest from his enemies. He decides it’s time to build a house for God and consults the prophet, Nathan, with his plans. The prophet tells him to do what is in his heart, but the Lord comes to Nathan that night in a vision...

Nathan is to tell David that he will not be the one to build God’s house. That task will be assigned to his son, Solomon. God promises that He will not remove His favor from Solomon; that He will care for him and be a father to him. God would build the house of David, his dynasty... He promises David that his house and his kingdom will be firm and his throne “shall be firmly established forever.” And in response...

”Then King David went in and sat in the Lord’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far? (2Sm 7:18)

God’s promises reach into the future... Jesus would be given the throne of David, and of His kingdom there will be no end!

In this final week of Advent, may we enter the Lord’s presence, and thank Him for all He has done for us, for our house, for our families... and may He find a dwelling place in our homes this Christmas.