Rejoice in Hope

How many broken promises have you experienced?  How many promises have you [yourself] broken? Yeah, I know – let’s don’t go there. The last words from God in the Old Testament – “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:6) – were followed by 400 years of silence! Those silent years must have felt as if God had abandoned His people, like a broken promise. Maybe it felt like Narnia under the continual curse of ice, snow and cold – hopelessness. A teenage girl named Mary knew differently: “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His offspring forever.” (Luke 1:54-55). She was not detoured of heart by God’s long period of silence; she remembered The God of Promise never breaks His!  The angel left her with hopeful exuberance. The child she would deliver would deliver her! What might it have been like to live in that period of time: to see God’s Promise of The Messiah born, to experience “God with us” in relationship with people, to witness Truth unfold in the reality of life! ‘Tis the Season to remember with Mary and ... rejoice in Hope!

What We Needed

It's not uncommon when shopping for others to gravitate to things we'd love to have ourselves. If you think about it, how weird this is since, after all, we're shopping for someone else! In 1993 the group 4Him released a song entitled, "A Strange Way to Save the Word." Written from Joseph's perspective, he wonders ... why me - just a simple man of trade ... why her - just an ordinary girl. One line adds, "To think of how it could have been if Jesus had come as He deserved." This is truly part of the wonder of Christmas as it pertains to God's salvation of mankind - that Jesus would take-on human form and all that means to ... yes, save the world. "For our sake [God] made [Jesus] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV). You see, God was not blind-sided by the fall of man to sin and darkness; He knew and He knew what it would take to deliver us. His had a plan and that plan was to do what was best for us! Another line from the song says, "love had to reach so far" and Jesus was God's perfect reach. Jesus was ... what we needed.

Gift of Gift

Mark 10:45. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

 There's few things, if we're honest, we enjoy more than being served. After all, it's what prompts us to go to a restaurant for a meal ... someone else is cooking, serving, cleaning-up. It is not, however, what disciples of Jesus are called to do! Jesus set for us the supreme example of servant-hood. Named in Isaiah 9 as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Jesus surrendered Himself to serve-up Salvation as The Father willed it to be done. Altogether worthy and deserving to be served, He did not come for that reason. "But we see Him Who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone." (Hebrews 2:9 ESV). No one forced or compelled Jesus to die - no, He willingly gave Himself - He became a servant to forever be our ... gift of grace. 

Come

James 4:8. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

 A favorite song of Advent begins, "O come" - what an sweet invitation from The Faithful One to the unfaithful: "come," He says. His words are urging us to always be drawing nearer and nearer to Him. We may answer a hearty "yes" to invitations this month, gatherings of family and friends. With eagerness we prepare food and put on our festive best, and we off go! The angels invited and directed the shepherds to Bethlehem; they went and drew near to The Savior, discovering then excitedly telling the good news of His Presence. David wrote, "You make known to me the path of life; in Your Presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11 ESV). How desperate are you for the nearness of God? The Father waits for us this Advent to draw near. Hear His invitation ... come!

 

 

The Gift and The Glory

 John 5:44. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

Do you remember the Christmas catalog we knew as the "wish book?" Oh how easily it was to become lost in it, totally forgetting it truly was a ... wish book! It is our nature to seek-out that which we do not have in order to gain it, and oh the many places of our seeking. Time after time, year after year resulting in a frivolous lifetime, we seek and fail to find that which we seek. Of course, I don't speak of tangible things ... then, neither did Jesus. John Piper suggests we must become "disenchanted" with earthly things - enchantables. Yes, it's true: "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:2 ESV). Piper says we must give up our longings for praise of, sufficiency and consolation in temporal things. I counted four different kinds of brooms in my closet - each one purchased with the idea that each one would render a better swept floor. How foolish we are when we cannot see the best and most sufficient Christmas gift ever given was to the glory of God and to the utter sufficiency and consolation of mankind - The Word made flesh ... Savior of the world. Jesus - the ... gift and the glory.