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ADVENT

Day 5

Harmony

May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

—ROMANS 15:5-7

I have a friend who writes a popular series of novels about people in a fictional Indiana town called Harmony. Though lighthearted and hopeful, the novels deal, nevertheless, with the various trials, tribulations, and troubles experienced in this small town. Harmony, it seems, is anything but harmonious.

In many respects, our Advent preparations are attempts to bring ourselves, our homes, and our relationships into synergy. We attempt to align our better angels with the sights, sounds, and company of heaven. We spend time decorating, conversing, and preparing for God’s intervention. And there is a spirit that exists in Advent that seems to enliven the generosities, joys, and helpfulness of humanity. In short, there is a greater willingness, it seems, to embrace the possibilities God places before us—possibilities of hope, compassion, and joy.

There are new harmonies at play in this season.

The apostle Paul envisioned harmony as one of the attributes of the Christian life. And for him, harmony best played out in the manner in which we welcomed others and demonstrated the hospitality of God. Instead of seeing others as outsiders, Paul invited the Christian community to embrace everyone with the love of God—bringing them inside the gracious embrace of Creator God.

This is very much a part of our Advent preparations as we offer open houses, dinners, parties, and the warm hospitality of laughter and friendship. Congregations typically present children’s and musical programs that encapsulate these invitations and offer them to the communities they serve.

This is the kind of harmony that draws others into God’s household. And when we invite others to share in our common humanity—even recognizing that we all share the same struggles, difficulties, hopes, and dreams—we discover that we have more in common than we at first realized. We are more alike than different.

How might we demonstrate this harmony to others? What invitations might we offer that could warm the cold heart or embrace the lonely or the fearful? In demonstrating God’s welcome, we bring the whole world into harmony through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for welcoming me and for providing your hospitality through those who have touched my life and helped make me who I am. Help me now to be a source of welcome and hospitality to others—and lead me into those paths that are in harmony with your will and your ways. I thank you for the gifts of this day. Amen.