Advent 2020: Love

Week 4 of Advent is the week that we light the second to last candle of Advent.  This candle represents love. But what is love? Is it an action? Is it a feeling? 

Love comes in many different ways.  We love movies, certain foods, places to visit, or songs.  There is also the love that has to do with relationships.  We love our parents and family members.  We love our friends.  We love our wives and husbands.  We love our pets.  We love ourselves.  We love God. 

Matthew 1:18-24:

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’

All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

I look at these verses and I think about the movie The Nativity Story. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Joseph to not make an accusation and still marry Mary? Here is the woman he was betrothed to, and she's pregnant? Now we all know a modern man would accuse the girl of being unfaithful, and I am sure that crossed Joseph's mind too. In the movie, her parents Joachim and Anna were livid, begging her to say it was one of Herod's men. The entire village gossiped about her. Here was Mary, a virgin when she became betrothed to Joseph, she went to visit her family in near Jerusalem and she comes home pregnant. What was her family to think? 

Mary's only come back was "I have broken no vow. An angel told me..." Now, let's be honest here, if your child came to you and said that an angel had spoken to them, they'd be in the psychiatrists office first thing Monday morning, especially if you've never experienced that sort of thing before or didn't believe in it. Yet in Judaism, angels (Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ‎ mal’akh, plural: מלאכים‎ mal’akhim) are supernatural beings that appear throughout the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), rabbinic literature, apocrypha and pseudepigrapha, and traditional Jewish liturgy as agents of the God of Israel. They are categorized in different hierarchies. Their essence is often associated with fire. The Talmud describes their very essence as fire. And the people of Mary's time would have been familiar with angels as messengers, but ti would still be hard to believe that an angel of the Lord had come to Mary. 

So God sent Gabriel once again to Joseph to assure him everything Mary said was true. Therefore he made no accusation, he took Mary to be his wife and claimed Jesus as his son. I imagine Jesus growing up in his father's carpentry shop learning the trade, even though Joseph is worried he can't teach him anything, yet he taught him how to be a carpenter. 

This week, we see that God loves us so much that He sent his Son to live among us. We see that Joseph loved Mary in such a way that he didn't raise accusations against her, we see that Mary loved God so much that she didn't question Him, and accepted her calling. 

Advent Week 4 Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, The whole meaning of Christmas can be explained in one little four letter word…LOVE. You sent your gift of pure love to us that first Christmas. Love descended from heaven to be born of a virgin. Love lay in the scratchy hay of a manger in a meager barn in Bethlehem. All of your love, God, was robed in the delicate skin of a baby and wrapped in swaddling clothes. This final week of Advent, help us to reflect on the magnitude of love that was made manifest in Jesus.

Your word became flesh and you made your dwelling among us when Jesus was born. You set aside all of the glory and splendor of heaven and chose the most humble way to enter into your kingdom. Beneath the stars, surrounded by all of the hosts of heaven, Love came. Welcomed by an earthly mother and father, shepherds and wise men, Love came. 

You are King and King and Lord of Lords, Messiah and Ruler of All, yet you came not as a lion but as a lamb. You came as an innocent baby whose purpose was walk this earth in complete love, and then to sacrificially give his life as an atonement for the sins of His children. Emmanuel. God with us. Love in the form of a man.

That was your plan. From beginning to end, you knew every minute of Jesus life. You knew that the cross of Calvary was waiting for Jesus, yet you still sent your only Son so that our sin debt could be paid and we could walk blameless because of the shed blood of Jesus.There is no greater gift then this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends. You willing gave the gift of your life because of your love. Your righteous blood covered our sin. You redeem and restore us when we confess you as Lord and Savior of our life. In that moment you give us the gift of your love for all eternity. We receive grace upon grace and mercy upon mercy in that moment.

The greatest gift of all came that first Christmas. It wasn’t wrapped in a beautiful package and set under a decorated tree. The greatest gift came wrapped in the flesh of baby Jesus and laid in the rough wood of a manger. Our perfect gift would later be rewrapped in the scars of our sin and nailed to the rugged wood of a cross on Calvary, all because of love.

Father, this final week of Advent, fill our hearts and minds with the significance of that truth. Thank you, Lord, for loving us enough to send Jesus. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

Advent 2020: Peace

It is the second Sunday of Advent and we are about to light the candle that stands for Peace. Again, I think that as Christians this year has not been as peaceful as it could be. For American Christians, this year has been particularly hard, with the election.

Recently, I posed the question, "What if Joe Biden is God's plan for America?" Let me tell you, the lack of peace was definitely shown by people "putting me in my place." Personally, I have peace of the election. Yet, I find it amazing the lack of peace that Christians exhibit even in light of Romans 8:28 which many profess to hold to tightly. 

Earlier this year, my pastoral candidacy came to an end. I was hurt, I was disappointed, I never wanted to go back to church. Yet over the past few months, I have started yet again seeking where God is wanting me to serve. And the peace that I lacked when I was hurt by my candidacy ending, has flooded back to me. Why? 

Because it's God-given peace. I am reminded of a story about Dante. Like many of us, he had attempted to live his life by his own rules and desires. He didn't have peace. In fact such a lack of peace drove him to the Franciscan Monastery at Lunigiana, and when the door was opened, he was asked "What do you want?" He replied, "Peace!"

Our Old Testament (Isaiah 40:1) reading this week starts out with

"Comfort, comfort My people," says your God.

The word for comfort, is נַחֲמ֥וּ (nachem) it means to be sorry, to pity, console. When you are doing these things, especially if you are sorry, and consoling someone you are in effect bringing them peace. Jesus Christ himself said John 14:27, 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

The word here is Εἰρήνην (Eirēnēn) it means peace; by implication, prosperity.

You see 2020 has been a year that has been un-peaceful for many, it's been lacking in prosperity, due to job loss and other issues. But the world is looking for peace, comfort and prosperity as the world gives. Not as Christ gives. All of creation is an imperfect window onto divine reality. God shines through all things — some more, some less. His quest teaches Dante that his fundamental error was to make idols out of icons. That is, he believed that he could find perfect happiness in created things: first, the love of a woman, and then the pursuit of literary fame, political power, and so forth. In truth, Dante was searching for God in all the wrong places, expecting satisfaction from things that can never satisfy.

Not everyone has the same gifts, or the same responsibilities. Do not envy what others have, but accept with gladness the part God gave you to play in the grand drama of life. Love is more important than justice. God doesn’t want you to be just like everybody else; he wants you to be the person he made. Trust him, as does the nun Piccarda, who tells Dante, “In His will is our peace.” 

Whatever your frustrations, whatever is stealing your peace is of this world; it is certainly not of Christ. However, this being said, life will be okay, why? Because God already knows what is going to happen, nothing is a surprise to Him and in Him is our peace.

Advent Sunday, Nov. 29th: HOPE

Hope. What is hope? Is it merely wishful thinking or a kind of strong desire for a certain outcome to happen? Thankfully for the Christ follower, hope means so much more. Hope is not based on chance circumstances or a crossing of one’s fingers and hoping for the best. Rather, hope is a confident and certain expectation. Ours is a living hope given us through the resurrections of Jesus Christ from the dead, and a promised future inheritance that will not perish.

I think we can all admit that 2020 had been a mess of a year. We have lived through a pandemic, and still are. I have lost 4 friends and 2 family members, only one to the pandemic, that I know of. This really got me to thinking back over the year. Each funeral I attended, I heard about hope. I heard about how much people loved their Savior Jesus Christ, then tribute after tribute after tribute one thing became abundantly clear. Each of these people that are special to me had faith in Christ, and the moment they closed their eyes on this side of eternity, the hope they held in their hearts was fulfilled as they opened their eyes in Heaven with God. 

Charles Wesley wrote the Hymn Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Hymn 244 in The Celebration Hymnal). The first verse reads: 

Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

This Advent hymn recalls Christ first coming, while hoping for His return. Just as the people of Israel, were living in darkness before Christ's first advent, yet the prophet Isaiah spoke of a hope. Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 

This year has been pretty dark. Even if you didn't lose people who were close to you, you likely know someone who did or was touched in someway by the pandemic. Yet, we have a hope, if we are in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 10:23 states Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Billy Graham put it this way, “For the believer there is hope...because Jesus Christ has opened the door to heaven for us by His death and resurrection.” 

Isaiah 9:6-7 goes on to prophesy the birth of Jesus. 

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 

It is upon this singular prophecy that our hope is placed, and recalled each time we hold on to hope. 1 Peter 1:3-7 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we may be experiencing trials, but we must rejoice and place our hope in Him, for we are promised a second advent of Christ. Where is your hope currently? Is it in your job? Is it in what you can see, what you can hold? is it in something tangible or is it in Christ Jesus? 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:12-13