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Welcome – Blogs – Advent Blog
 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 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 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 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.
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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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