Tag Archives: Advent

The Greatest Gift

Advent

December 1, 2019

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:36-44

‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Black Friday is aptly named but not because it is the one day in the year that retail businesses and now internet stores make the most money increasing their income, so they finish the financial year in the black rather than the red. It is a bit ironic that red with some green are the most prevalent colors decorating the shops and mails. I heard a report on the news recently that many are still paying the credit card debt for their purchases last year.

I once thought the Santa-based side of Christmas was innocent fun and I just wished it could be separated from the birth of Christ, a very sacred celebration. Watching the madness of Black Friday now makes me wonder, if Black Friday is just a mass celebration of greed one of the forces of evil taking over our world. I wonder how the prophet Amos would describe it.

I sat with a friend after her colonoscopy and heard the doctor advise her that even though she felt fine she should not drive or sign any legal documents or make any purchases for 24 hours because the anesthetic she had taken was still in her system and her thinking my be impaired. I wonder if greed acts as an anesthetic blinding us to the reality of our behavior.

I am not saying we should not give gifts or share in meals with friends and relatives. I am suggesting that we carefully consider the enticements of greed and avoid them at all cost. And I am saying there is deep joy in spending time in devotion and worship regarding the incarnation of God for indeed, it is the greatest gift anyone will ever receive.

Prayer: Lord, protect us from the enticements of greed as we once again prepare to celebrate your coming to be with us in human form. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Waiting for Messiah

Preparing for Advent

November 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’ –Isaiah 2:3b

The choice is always ours. God never makes anyone do anything. God works hard at helping us see the better way, the just way, but it is up to us to make decisions. Being required to do something is not the same as doing right for its own sake. Even doing what is right for some foreseen award does not seem to fit into the plan of the One who loves us no matter what.

So, Isaiah simply calls us to go up to the mountain of the Lord to seek the higher ground where God will teach us God’s way so we might recognize the right paths to take. Why is that so hard? Why do the ways of the world entice us so? Why are we always in search of shortcuts?

During the upcoming Advent season when we relive the experience of the ancient prophets of waiting for the coming Messiah, the Promise One, let us take a few moments each day to clear the clutter from our whole being so that when we once again welcome God Incarnate we will be more fully ready to receive him.

Prayer:
Lord, lift me up, and let me stand
By faith on Canaan’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
  Lord, plant my feet on higher ground*. Amen

*From Higher Ground by Johnson Oatman Jr.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God with Us

Advent
December 24, 2018

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-55

And Mary said,‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’ –Luke 1:46-55

It is Christmas Eve and my time usage has caught up to me as I write this on the day it must be posted. I needed to read what is now called the Magnificat today. The world is too much with [me]. I notice I quote these words of William Wordsworth often. It helps to synthesize all the assaults of the principalities and powers into one as I hand them to God who in the final analysis, according to this poem, has ultimate control over all that is so disconcerting. What always puzzles me is what I deem assaults on God’s way, others interpret as God’s will. How do we reconcile such division?

I find myself more and more in times of meditation desiring just to sit in the presence of Christ as it brings me comfort. I have an interesting struggle with my own trinity which actually has four, not three parts. You may experience me stumbling around in these writings as I pick the right one to represent what I am trying to say. God the Creator, the omnipotent one, who is love and the very source of love is one. Jesus, God in human form, setting examples, showing the way is another. The Holy Spirit is my guide and advocate. Christ to me is the all-powerful one full of Grace and truth. I guess I am in great need at this time in my life for the comfort of such power as exemplified in the Magnificat.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your enduring presence and your assurance provided in ancient manuscripts that you are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and you are stronger than all those principalities and powers. Amen.

Making a Difference   

Advent
December 23, 2018

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
–Luke 1:38-45

My social work career started in 1969 when the choices for unmarried pregnant women were limited: shotgun weddings, back-street abortions, placement for adoption, or a life lived in shame. At that time child welfare routinely found an out-of-the-county relative or foster placements for mothers who became pregnant out-of-wedlock and planned to place their baby for adoption. The family told neighbors and friends that their daughter had gone to live with her grandmother or whomever to help for a while or some such story. It was all very hush hush and awash in shame. A short three years later in 1972, the world had changed. Young women were keeping their babies and raising them on their own. We rarely received any to be placed for adoption. In 1973 abortion became legal and the nightmare of dangerous back-street abortions waned. In 1975 the federal Child Support system became law. It was an amazing cultural turnaround in six years for good or bad.

Mary could have been ostracized or even stoned for becoming pregnant. Joseph could have made a public spectacle of her. Instead, she was sent to a loving relative’s house where she was not only greeted with unconditional love but her coming child was recognized for the potential he possessed. Joseph did marry her making her baby “legal”. And the rest, as they say, is history.

What would our world look like if we treated all with unconditional love and welcomed every child recognizing their full potential? What would happen if shame were replaced by better preparation for life in the first place and restorative care as a response to mistakes? What kind of world would we have if we all loved like Mary’s little baby?

Prayer: Lord, you took the extraordinary steps to show us how to be whole through love. Guide us in our personal journey to follow the path laid before us and to be the catalysis for spreading that love to the ends of the earth so that all may experience and live it. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Law, Life, and Love

Advent
December 22, 2018

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. –Hebrews 10:8-10

What is the difference in following the laws of God and doing God’s will? Shouldn’t they be the same? Do any of God’s laws supersede God’s other laws? Who decides? How do we know we are following God’s will? Our world today is entangled in legalese regarding how we interpret civic law and therein is one problem.

The Jewish tradition includes a long history of study and publications of finding regarding the interpretation of God’s law with differing outcomes and how to interpret ancient laws as they relate to modern application.

Jesus, in answering a question, established a baseline for interpreting God’s laws when he said, “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’” (Mark 12:30-31) This scripture is now known as the Great Commandment for which Jesus’ life and ministry provided interpretations. His death and resurrection provided the ultimate gift of love to show us the way we are to live and die and provided the source of grace that fills the gaps when we miss the mark as we attempt to live Jesus’ love and continuously communing with God who guides us in our quest to fulfill God’s vision.

Loving like Jesus requires an intentional effort to see the Christ in every human as we desire the very best for all. We do not decide what is best for the other; we introduce them to Christ and trust Christ to guide them as he guides us.

Coming to live among us as a baby demonstrated God’s commitment to experiencing all aspects of life from the womb to the tomb. We most often have difficulty loving another when we cannot comprehend their situation. Imagining ourselves living the life of another is one way of loving like Jesus. We might become less judgmental and more understanding enabling loving.

Prayer: Lord, free us from any bigotry or prejudice that limits our ability to love another. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

 Restored

Advent
December 20, 2018

Scripture Reading: Psalm 80:1-7

Restore us, O God;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.
O Lord God of hosts,
   how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
   and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
   our enemies laugh among themselves.

 Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved. –Psalm 80:3-7

What a beautiful prayer for such a time as this. Praying for restoration implies that what needs to be restored was once whole in the eyes of God. There are no pre-existing conditions in God’s eyes. Neither birth defects nor genetic mutations change the fact that every human is made in the image of God. Along the way, we drift from the ways of God. We get caught up in the enticements of lesser gods such as greed, lust for power, envy, the list is endless. At some point, these individual disengagements coalesce with similar behavior among our fellow human beings and whole cultures or nations present with the same brokenness.

Just as evil can create its own synergy so can good. As God works with us to restore ourselves and our world to the rule of love, we transition from the things that divide us and become whole once again. A big part of wholeness is accepting each person for the gift they are to our world and helping each child and each adult blossom into all that they can be. We no longer need to feel superior to any other to establish our worth.

Prayer:
Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Strength of the Lord

Advent
December 19, 2018

Scripture Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
   in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
   to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace. –Micah 5:4-5

There is no question that Jesus thought everyone should have enough food to eat and one could read the scripture above and understand it to mean that we too as followers of Christ are called to follow his example and assure that all have adequate food to eat. I think though Micah here is talking more about feeding our souls with the strength of the Lord. I have been a part of many attempts to do justice in our world over several years and have discovered the people who stick with doing justice most likely are routinely strengthened with the nurture of the Lord. They are committed to a higher calling.

Those of us who are very goal oriented find it frustrating not to see the results of our labors. Some fall away and seek other causes or just give up. Others live the journey of faith not its outcomes. As we strive to carve out a more just world, we also seek to grow in the wisdom and ways of the Lord. I think Jesus was very goal oriented. He foresees eternal outcomes that might be measured in small steps. For those of us who try to emulate him our faith that his vision will come to fruition is our outcome. Our work must be crucial to that outcome or God would not have called us to do it. Such faith demands a strong relationship with God and a willingness to trust in God’s plan.

Prayer: God strengthen us in our service and remind us that your yoke is easy, and your burden is light* because you are pulling with us every step of the way. Amen

*Based on Matthew 11:28-30

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Clearing Away Logs

Advent
December 16, 2018

Scripture Reading: Luke 3:7-18

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’ Luke 3:7-9

Ever want to cry out something like John does in the scripture above as you watch the news and hear some of the most God-awful things being done in the name of God? I must admit I do want to rale against what I consider to be blasphemy. I also wonder sometimes if the people whose positions I am judging feel the same way about my faith stances. How do we discern what is just and right in God’s eyes? What is our role in confronting that which seems at the least misguided?

John had apparently reached the point that he could not keep silent when what he felt was the very core of God’s righteousness was being ignored by the religious leaders of the day. They seem to be interpreting the scriptures passed down from their ancestors to their own advantage. Of course, that is not uncommon behavior even today. Jesus spoke some wise words to us in this regard when he prescribed a good dose of self-examination before we try to engage with others regarding what is just and what is right.

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye. –Matthew 7:5

True self-examination can be painful. Thus, it takes courage to practice it. There are suggested practices that are helpful particularly in obtaining some objectivity in our self-evaluation. One I have found useful is to seek a Bible story that is like an issue with which I am dealing and pray-fully role-playing in a meditation how each participant perceives the situation. For example, if we are trying to discern what is the just and right way to deal with immigration, we might look at the story in the Bible book of Ruth or that of the Syrophoenician Woman (Matthew 15:21-28). How did it feel to be in either role? In the Matthew story, how did Jesus respond to the woman? What do we think the Disciples learned from this interchange? Did we trip over any logs in our viewpoints that might be hindering us from loving like Jesus? Did we discover any new ways of being we might model for others regarding this issue?

Prayer: Lord, help me discover any logs blocking my soul vision of your will for my life and the lives of others who are impacted by my perception of what is just and what is right. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Do Not Worry?

Advent
December 14, 2018

Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I really like this scripture and take to heart the promises of its first three short sentences. Then we come to sentence four which is an instruction to me that I find myself totally incapable of doing even with the knowledge of God’s continuing presence. The Greek word* translated “worry” here, also sometimes translated as “anxious”, at its root means drawn in opposite directions, sometimes to the point of pulling apart. I have concluded that my tossing and turning about something even in prayer is more for my benefit than anything else. In some cases, I must accept that there is nothing I can do about a situation but turn it over to God and let it go. At other times, I must accept that there is something I can do that I do not want to do but I need to do for the sake of bringing about wholeness, oneness, or justice. At such times, I am wrestling with God as Jacob did the night before his reunion with his estranged brother Esau.

What kind of a world would we have in the absence of God’s presence with us? We get a taste of what life without God would be every time we have pulled apart when our wholeness is shattered, dissent rules, and there is no justice. Thank the Lord in such times, God intervenes and sends someone to save us from ourselves. First, it was prophets and priest eventually, God visited us in human form as God’s son came and dwelt among us full of truth and grace and we beheld his glory. (John 1:14)

At this time of Advent, we revisit the acts of God’s saving grace as we prepare once again to recognize Gods abiding presence with us coming as a newborn child to bring hope and love and reconciliation into the world.

Prayer: God of Truth and Grace,
Cure your children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss your kingdom’s goal**. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3309.htm
**Verse 3 of God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry Emerson Fosdick see at https://hymnary.org/text/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Prophets


Advent
December 12, 2018

Scripture Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
   a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
   he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
  as on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
   so that you will not bear reproach for it.
I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
   and renown in all the earth.  –Zephaniah 3:17-19

I am reading Frederick Douglas by David W. Blight. A segment of his book relates Douglas’ youthful faith development. How the prophets of his day and time continually reinforced his growing faith in God even during slavery, family breakup, and uncertainty. The pre-exilic, exilic and post-exilic prophets offered similar encouragement, food for thought, alternative perceptions for the people of their time that remain relevant for us today.

We live in a world, not unlike the pre-exilic times where some abound in great riches and others starve. The pictures of the emaciated children of Yemen juxtaposed against the wealth of Saudi Arabia comes to mind. We in the USA seem to be searching for a savior who can guarantee that we can have our cake and eat it too and care little about what is happening to other children of God. We indeed must be renewed in God’s love, if we are ever to find our way out of the chaos we are creating for ourselves.

In Advent, we have the luxury of hindsight as we read the words of Israel’s prophets for we know how the stories ended. The question is do we have the courage to see ourselves in similar circumstances and take the necessary measure of renewing ourselves in God’s love to prevent our repeating their mistakes?

Prayer: Lord, grant us insight into our behaviors that are detrimental to our living your love among and with all your children. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.