This week we begin the season of Advent, a time of hope and anticipation. For the next four weeks, we’ll prepare for the celebration of God’s first coming to earth, and we’ll anticipate the reality of his second coming one day.

In Advent, a single candle can remind us that God’s light in this world cannot be put out by the darkness here. And in our story for today, we see that when fire is rather a large and fierce threat, God’s very presence is still more powerful than the flames that surround us.

As with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when the fires of life threaten or surround us, God gives living hope and practical faith, by his very presence with us. On our part, we have the gifts of discipleship, our individual spiritual practices, through which God can calm our hearts. These habits are not what rescues us from fires (God does that), rather they give God opportunity to calm our hearts and keep our eyes on the Life we have in Jesus.