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Advent Blog - Entries written by Patrick Bourckel Day 24 - Holiness Among Us
John 1:10-14
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Gnostic heresy that became prevalent after Jesus' ascension preached that there was a stark division between spirit and body. The spirit, or soul, was eternally good and free from stain. The body, however, was a source of evil and carnality. The two were polar opposites, like oil and water. Yet John shatters that misconception with verse 14: "The Word (Greek logos, the abstract, thought-world) became flesh (Greek sarx, body, earthly dwelling) and made his dwelling among us." This phrasing echoes the Old Testament title of God as "The Holy One of Israel among you. (Isaiah 12:6)." Being among us does not negate God's holiness. Our soil and filth does not make Him any less holy. Rather, the life of Jesus, lived as full-God and full-humanity, elevates to holiness everything that the Gnostics considered evil. Our bodies can actually be used for good -whether it is exercising, working hard with our hands, dancing, or whatever else can be done for God's glory. The whole world "was made through him" - and God called it all good. Let us also avoid the wrong thinking that says the world is only evil, and that we have to continually fight against the material things we see. For "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but...against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)" Let us remember that God so loved the world - the whole world, every atom and molecule - that he became flesh and dwelt among us.
Day 21 - Treasure the MomentsLuke 2:16-19
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they
had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Mary
knew this was the most meaningful event in her life. She probably also
had a good sense that it was the most important moment in Israel's
history. Young women would long to be the one who gave birth to the
Messiah, and now she experienced that privilege. She heard from the
shepherds how angels danced and rejoiced in the sky. All these
incredible events were a once-in-a-lifetime event, and Mary lived in
the moment. She pondered. She reflected. She treasured. I hope that you
take time this season to stop, and ponder, and treasure the gifts that
God gives. I hope you realize that each breath we breathe is a gift,
and that God has placed us in this very moment of history to do
something great for Him. Live in the moment God has given you. Treasure
it and ponder it. Reflect on His grace and kindness. Listen for His
voice as He speaks His will in your life. Don't look far ahead, or
dwell in the past. God is giving you today, and that may be all you
have. Treasure it.
(Sorry for the lateness of the post - the snow is still causing schedule disruptions! Hope it is still a blessing to you...)
 Day 20 - What I Learned in the Snowstorm
Luke 2:8-15
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
I know that not everybody celebrates Christmas in the winter like we do in Maryland. Some people in the South or other countries in the Southern Hemisphere have Christmas traditions involving cookouts and pool parties. But I love to think about Christmas and winter together. It is so meaningful to me to celebrate Christmas near "the darkest night of the year," when the sun only shows its face for a brief nine hours or so. Isn't it neat to read about "the light of the world" shining on the "people living in the land of darkness" when it really is darker outside?
Another neat thing about winter is the potential for snow. We got quite a storm yesterday. Our services for today were cancelled, and everyone reacted to the great display of beauty and power. The lesson I get from snowstorms in relation to Christmas is this - God acts and we respond. There is no stopping a snowstorm. We can only wait and watch and clean up later.
In the same way, the shepherds got to see God act, and they responded. Just like a blinding blizzard, the angels appeared in the heavens and changed everything. When God acts, we try to contain or control or comprehend Him, but God reminds us: "...as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)"
So what then did the shepherds do? They responded. "Let us go to Bethlehem..." God's mercy and kindness and glory demand a response from his people. May we at Long Green be a people that respond. May we get up and leave our sheep and seek out what the Lord is making known to us. God has come as Savior in a blinding, brilliant way, and we must respond.
 Day 15 - Just the Facts, Ma'amLuke 1:1-4
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Luke's account of the birth of Christ is perhaps the most familiar. My classmates and I memorized the Luke 2 record of Jesus' birth for my fourth-grade Christmas pageant in my private Christian school. The things that stick out about the way that Luke wrote are the details. Luke, a physician, had a particular mind and eye for analysis and fact-finding, and God was pleased to inspire Luke to write his gospel through Luke's own way of viewing the world. We see here Luke's purpose - "that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." Luke is writing for a group of believers who did not know or see the living Jesus, and who may have begun to question the details - Was Jesus really born in a stable? Did he have human parents? Was he truly crucified? Did he really raise up to life again? Luke presents his careful investigation, and arranges his orderly account, for one reason - that they, and 2000 years later we, may know the truth. God has preserved his Scriptures for one purpose - to reveal to us the true and living Word, Jesus Christ. So check the facts for yourself. Analyze. Question. We are taught to love the Lord with all our mind. I have done so for myself, and found the story of Christianity to be the best and most reasonable answer to the questions of human existence. I pray that you will find the same certainty in the story of Jesus Christ.
 Day 13 - Turn Down the Volume
Isaiah
42:1-4
1 "Here
is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my
Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He
will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A
bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In
faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter
or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands
will put their hope."
The Incarnation tells us so much about who God
is. In his omnipotence, God could have appeared as a fully grown adult male. He
could have shown up as magnificent king, or a powerful military general. Yet
God came as a child. For nine months, God waited in the womb. He learned to
walk and talk and eat from his mother. He lived 30 years in anonymity before
beginning his ministry. We walk around shouting and raising our voices in the
streets, yet God continually shows us a different way. We hear his still
small voice in the cave with Elijah. We see him sleeping through a storm as his
disciples go nuts and shout him awake. We watch Jesus withdraw to solitary
places to wait and pray. But why does God act like this? Because we are bruised
reeds and smoldering wicks. We are fragile and breakable souls, and so God’s
justice comes quietly and gently. God is faithful in his gentle love to us – “he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of
Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)” Yet we are constantly faced with the pressure
to get into shouting matches and heated debates. We see that the ones with the
power are the ones with the loudest volume. How do we live by the Spirit that “will
not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth”? Lord, may
we reach out to the broken and hurting ones in our lives. May we greet others,
not with shouts of judgment, but with soft voices of love and mercy. May we
live a gospel so powerful and faithful that the islands can put their hope in
it.
“Thou shalt know Him when He comes,
Not by any din of drums,
Nor by the manner of his airs,
Nor by anything he wears…
But His coming known shall be
By the holy harmony
Which His coming makes in thee.”
 Day 10 - Impossible Reconciliation
DAY 10: Isaiah 11:6-10
6 The
wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf
and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead
them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie
down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The
infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand
into the viper's nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on
all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse
will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his
place of rest will be glorious.
This picture is such a dramatic reminder of the
way in which God works. If we were to rephrase these statements today, it might
sound like this: "The Republican will sit down with the Democrat," or
"the terrorist will eat dinner with the pacifist." Fill in any two
opposites, and then picture them at peace with each other. Sounds ridiculous,
right? Sounds impossible, or too good to be true - yet that is precisely what
God intends. God uses these apparent oxymorons to give us just a glimpse of
what His will was in sending Jesus to our world. “But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans
5:8) What greater chasm could there be than the one between a holy God and a
sinful human race? If God, through the Incarnation, can make that impossibility
possible, what reconciliation is too difficult to achieve? "There is
neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) If we seek "the knowledge of the
LORD" with our whole hearts, everything else seems surprisingly
small. If Jesus is “a banner for the peoples,” then we can rally to his
causes rather than seeking our own selfish desires, or the good of our own
political party, or nation. Lord Jesus, may you teach us your peace as we come
to your holy mountain. May we let you, the little child in the manger, lead us
to true, unfathomable reconciliation.
 Day 9 - The Spirit of the Lord
DAY 9: Isaiah 11:1-5
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
We as Christians don't really understand the Holy Spirit. We speak energetically and flowingly about God our Heavenly Father, and about God the Son in Jesus, but when we are questioned on the Holy Spirit, we shuffle our feet and stare at our shoes in shameful confusion. Well, he's a ....ghost? It's a.....feeling I get? We don't really have a concrete, comprehensible picture of the Third Person of the Trinity. This picture in Isaiah shows the integral nature of the Spirit in Jesus' ministry. When the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, we see the Spirit's role in Jesus' conception: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. (Luke 1:35)" When Jesus begins his ministry, his first public words are: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...(Luke 4:18)" Jesus did not come alone to the world, but came with the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit exists in us as Christians, teaching us, admonishing us, and comforting us. Through the Spirit, Jesus did not "judge by what he sees with his eyes," but instead saw the supernatural world that lies behind and within the world that we can observe naturally. We too are called to look past the physical realities of our daily existence and see what the Holy Spirit enables us to see. We are called to seek righteousness and wisdom, to search for understanding and the fear of the Lord. As we welcome the physical reality of a baby in a manger, let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us look beyond that fact and show us the true wonder of what happened in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago.
"This little babe, so few days old,
Has come to rifle Satan's fold.
All hell doth at his presence quake
Though he himself for cold do shake.
For in this weak, unarmed wise
The gates of hell he will surprise."
 Day 4 - How the Story Ends
DAY 4: Zephaniah 3:14-18 (New International Version)
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." 18 "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you."
There is a common phrase used when discussing the problem of sin and the process of sanctification - "Already, but not yet." There seems to be a contradiction in that we are "already, but not yet" completely made holy. That is, Jesus has, once and for all, taken away the sins of the world by becoming a man, leading a sinless life, and sacrificing himself for our sins. That is the "already" part. But we (yes, even us Christians!) still struggle and wrestle with the palpable presence of sin in our lives and in our world. We are "not yet" free from the cares and sorrows of earthly life.
We see this tension in Zephaniah. The prophet proclaims definitively that "The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy." Past tense. Already done. End of story. But verse 16 starts with "On that day..." Future tense. Still to come. Not yet. Somehow, this apparent paradox is perfectly fine with an eternal God, who is not bound by the passage of time as we are. "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Peter 3:8) God has skipped ahead and read the last chapter. Or, more accurately, God has already WRITTEN the last chapter. He knows how the story ends. His gracious revelation through Holy Scripture means that we also know how the story ends. Our unique place in history allows us to live fully in the power of knowing the story of Jesus' birth and life, which ancient faithful witnesses longed and hoped for through centuries of time. Yet we now wait and hope as they did - for the second advent. The first line of our passage is a present direct command: "Sing! Shout aloud! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart..." We too can sing and rejoice, because Christ has come once, and Christ will come again - to "quiet you with his love...(and) rejoice over you with singing." He already does, and will do so for eternity. That is how the story ends
 Day 3 - Suddenly
DAY 3: Malachi 3:1-4
1 "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.
“Suddenly.” The word is used in stories all of the time. It is usually the precursor to an exciting and plot-altering event. “Suddenly, a car crashed through the diner window.” “Suddenly, Dennis remembered what the clue was.” Here in Malachi, the event is not only exciting - it is terrifying. “The Lord you are seeking…the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come…but who can endure the day of his coming?” Why is it terrifying that the Lord, who is sought and desired and longed for, is now appearing – suddenly? Because the coming we expect is not the coming we see. The work that Jesus came to do is to refine, to launder, to purge and make clean. We often dwell on the happy, comfortable stories at Christmas – the wise men’s gifts, the little drummer boy, and the like. But it is critical to understand that the baby in the manger came for a purpose – to make us pure by his sinless life and atoning death. The end result is that we will all “bring offerings in righteousness,” and be able to stand before God as His accepted and holy children. But the sin problem causes a collision – evil must be dealt with, sin must be paid for. And the process will be costly. The crowds who cheered when Jesus rode on a donkey on Palm Sunday were shocked when, suddenly, their king was not leading a rebellion against the Roman government, but instead was in their own temple, cleaning out the corrupt money changers. This is not what they expected either, and it scared them. Jesus didn't come to overthrow the oppression and rule of Rome, but to root out the oppression and rule of sin in our very souls. Accepting Jesus as He comes to us will involve pain, sacrifice, and ultimately death to our own desires. But his refinement brings about results. Like precious gold and silver, we will shine and be His prized possessions, made new by the sudden coming of the Lord.
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Advent Blogby
We hope this series of readings and comments will help you prepare your mind and heart this advent season.
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