|
|
Advent Blog - Entries tagged "Advent Blog" Day 23: The Christmas Light
John 1:1-9
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
One of my daughter’s favorite things this Christmas season has been seeing all the decorative lights on the houses. As we drive too and from church she asks me to slow down so she can see the lighted houses. As a “grown-up” I look at the lights and laugh at the gaudiness of some of the houses, but not Evie. She loves the lights, no matter how green or red. They are all beautiful to her.
I think as we grow older we find ourselves becoming more and more callus to the things around us. Things that peeked our interest when we were young have become stale and unnattractive. As we see in John 1, Christ’s light came in to a dark world. I hope that we never lose sight of the true beauty of His light. May we look on Him and His Word and find him more beautiful every day.
 Day 19: Don't Miss Him...
Luke 2:1-7
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The first chapter of Luke reveals some of the cultural expectations during Christ’s day. The Messiah, it was believed, would overthrow enemy occupation, restore righteousness and justice on the earth, set right all wrongs, and remove oppression from the land. The Messiah would then rule and reign over all the earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem. The cultural expectations were high. Israel longed for it’s Messiah-- Israel longed to be free.
Chapter two of Luke reveals that the birth and life of Christ would not exactly fit the expectations His culture had set. The circumstances surrounding His birth were in no way kingly. Instead, it was a humble, lonely event.
Christ was overlooked, ridiculed, and neglected by the ones waiting for His arrival. The long-expected Savior came not as a king, but as a baby in a manger. As we celebrate His birth this busy Christmas season, don’t miss Him.
 Day 18: Joseph's Example
Matthew 1:18-21
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
In this passage of Matthew, we meet Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Our first glimpse of Joseph is in the midst of a crisis. His life has been turned upside-down. Mary, his potential bride, has become pregnant. He knows the child growing within Mary is not his own. What is he to do? What should his response be? Would he reject his bride publicly or cut off the relationship privately? What a difficult position to be in. But, it is here, in the crucible of faith, that a man’s mettle is tested and refined.
As we know, Joseph said “yes” to God’s plan. Much is mentioned about Mary’s faithfulness in hearing and listening to God, but little is usually mentioned about Joseph and his faithfulness. He is a model for what it means to live for the Kingdom. Joseph was a man, who without any consideration for his own personal gain, without any regard for how it would cost him, gave up his own plans and dreams and followed what God was calling him to.
Joseph stepped out in faith, and obeyed. Oh that we might step out in faith, and put God’s plan before our own!
 Day 11: Though you are small...
Micah 5:2-5
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. 5 And he will be their peace.
The creator of all things came into the world in the smallest of places: Bethlehem, a backwater town in the middle of nowhere. The Ancient of Days, came to a working-class carpenter and his teenage bride-to-be, people of no great importance or stature. He showed himself first to shepherds, men of no real social standing, with the smell of the field on them. His first night was spent in a feeding trough.
He wrapped Himself in the fragile, mortal flesh of a baby. Christ came in the weakest, most vulnerable form imaginable. What a beautiful contradiction. As we reflect on His birth, may it continually remind us that He can take the smallest of things and make them great; He can take the weakest of things and make them strong.
Day 8 - Peace in the New Jerusalem
Psalm
122
1
I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of
the LORD." 2
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem. 3
Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. 4
That is where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to praise the
name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel. 5
There the thrones for judgment stand, the thrones of the house of
David. 6
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be
secure. 7
May there be peace within your walls and security within your
citadels." 8
For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be
within you." 9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your
prosperity.
These
nine verses form the entire Psalm 122 that was actually a Song of
Ascents. Jerusalem was and is a city situated on a hill. When the
Jewish people would go to the city to celebrate the pilgrim feasts
such as Passover and Pentecost, they would sing songs as the city
came into sight and they began their climb to arrive.
We
still await the day when the New Jerusalem is established –
Revelation 21:2 “I
saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” In
that day, King Jesus will be the Judge as well as the One who wipes
away every tear. The city will be secure. There will be peace and
prosperity. The name of the Lord will be praised. Come New Jerusalem.
Come Lord Jesus.
Day 7 - Streaming to the House of the Lord
Isaiah 2:2-5
In
the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and
all nations will stream to it. 3
Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach
us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go
out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4
He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many
peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor
will they train for war anymore. 5
Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Patrick
did a nice job of presenting the concept of the “Already but Not
Yet” in Day 4's entry. This is another great illustration of the
prophecy being already fulfilled at one level though not yet
completely fulfilled. Isaiah 2 was written over 500 years before the
birth of Christ and we see fulfillment of the already - “He will teach us his
ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” After the resurrection and
ascension of Jesus, we saw many nations coming not only to Jerusalem
but to Christ on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Yet with the
situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sudan and so many other war-torn
parts of the world, we still see a large “not yet” that we long
for even though we cannot see it on the horizon.
What
we want to be sure not to miss is our own possible role in God
bringing these words to completion. Though the temple in Jerusalem
has been destroyed, we as members of the Body of Christ are the
Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6). Born-again believers all over the world
now constitute the House of the Lord. Check out Ephesians 2:11-20. We
have the calling and privilege of showing how God in Christ is able
to reconcile people who ordinarily wouldn't get along. We have the
opportunity to teach His ways and walk in His paths. How I long to
see peoples from all nations streaming to the House of the Lord. It
will be worth the wait.
 Day 6: Reason to Sing
Isaiah 12:2-6
2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."
I don’t know about you, but I love the Christmas season’s music: Music from Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Mannheim Steamroller. Songs like The Christmas Song, and Frosty the Snowman cause me to reminisce about Christmas' of seasons past. Christmas music is great! It is around Thanksgiving that we dust off all our Christmas CDs and start filling our house with the “sounds of the season”. No matter where you go there’s no lack of the Christmas season’s sounds.
But, as we contemplate this passage in Isaiah, I am challenged to consider the reason for my Christmas music. Am I celebrating the season or am I celebrating the Savior. May we not miss the real reason for singing this Christmas season. I pray that you too will find this season a wonderful time to raise your voice, and shout to the ends of the earth that Jesus Christ is Lord.
“Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.”
 Day 5- The Dawn
Zephaniah 3:19-20
19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame.
20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.
What a beautiful picture is painted for us at the end of Zephaniah three. In the beginning of Zephaniah we watch as the dark clouds of judgment gather and crash against God’s people. We wonder if there’s any hope for His flock. All seems lost, and all seems hopeless. It is at this darkest point that the divine promise of Zephaniah three is fully realized.
The first light of dawn has arrived. The Shepherd King steps into the midst of His flock. He heals His wounded and gathers His lost to Himself. The trials and tribulations were great, but His mercy and grace are greater.
Life seems dark at times. But as one of his beloved flock we are guaranteed that just beyond today’s clouds are the sun-rays of his loving grace, mercy, and praise.
 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.
|
Advent Blogby
We hope this series of readings and comments will help you prepare your mind and heart this advent season.
|