Advent Devotion from Brazil - Barro

Second Week of Advent

As Christmas draws nearer, the search for the perfect gift becomes more and more acute.  We look for that special toy, the hard to find keepsake, the perfect gift for a spouse or child.  What are you searching for this weekend?  This Advent season?  In this devotion, Dr. Antonio Barro, founder of South American Seminary in Londrina, Brazil, invites us to join the wisemen in our search for the Christ-child.

  

Searching for Jesus

 

The scientists were traveling from afar to find Jesus because they understood that that boy was not a common boy. He was the newborn King. Because of that kind of understanding they bought him some presents as the Bible says: "they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh."

 

That type of money came just in hand. A few days later the family had to move to a distant land in order to escape imminent death. The King became an immigrant! God was providing and protecting His Son.

 

The Christmas story is a never ending story. It is a pattern of how God works in History – He starts from the middle of a manger to reach out our hearts. He crushes our pride and arrogance pointing out that salvation is from this boy, this immigrant, this Third World dweller, this despised Galilean, this carpenter, this who-knows-who-his-father?

 

How do we pay homage to Christ today? Let Christ himself teaches us:

  • I was hungry and you fed me,
  • I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, 
  • I was homeless and you gave me a room, 
  • I was shivering and you gave me clothes, 
  • I  was sick and you stopped to visit, 
  • I was in prison and you came to me.

Have you seen people so eager like that to find Jesus and pay him homage? When was the last time you saw people traveling that far to bring gifts to Jesus? How about you and me?

 

My prayer is this:

"Lord Jesus, help me to be like those scientists who never gave up finding you.

Help me to understand that before you all that I have is for you and,

help me to see you when I see the hungry,

the thirsty, the homeless, the shivering,

the sick and the prisoners".

 

And so Merry Christmas!

 

Antonio C Barro

Priscila Barro

 

 Antonio Barro is founder and chancellor of South American Theological Seminary in Londrina, Brazil.  With a focus on holistic mission, SATS is one of the fastest growing evangelical seminaries in Latin America.  Under Atnonio's leadership, SATS is training a new generation of pastors, leaders and missonaries for Brazil, Latin America and stretching into Portuguese speaking Africa.  Read more of Antonio's story.