The Advent of Interruption – December 3, 2013

Suggested Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

Nobody expected God to come.

Sure, there were the old prophecies and the vague hope for a messiah someday, but no one was expecting God to break through and actively involve Himself in and through the lives of ordinary people.

Zechariah was minding his own business in the temple when he was interrupted by an angel. Even after the angel told him who he was and what was going to happen, Zechariah still incredulously asked for proof.

Mary wasn't expecting an angelic visitation, let alone a divine pregnancy. She neither asked for nor expected this invasive interruption of her plans or her body.

Joseph wasn't anticipating his virgin bride to fall pregnant until after the wedding. Upon discovering her unwelcome interruption, he immediately set about to do what any self-respecting, God-fearing man would do: break off the engagement with his shameful betrothed. Only another angelic visitation in his sleep convinced him to change his plans and adopt the Son of God as his own son.

The Magi were not sure what to expect as the stars told them a surprising tale of the King of the Jews to be born in a distant land. They stepped forward into their journey with an uninformed but sincere faith to see where the star might lead them; they prepared to worship the as yet unborn King wherever they might find him. The most obvious place to search was at the palace.

King Herod certainly wasn't expecting to have to deal with a new threat to his rule. He had effectively eliminated all who he perceived as a threat, not even sparing his own family. He was not expecting the inconvenience of a messiah, of The Messiah. The arrival of the magi was an interruption that he could do without.

The scribes and teachers of the law who told Herod where the messiah would be born, in lowly Bethlehem, were not expecting it to happen in their day. Even the arrival of the strange magi from the east and Herod's cryptic inquiry were not enough to pique their interest. They evidently couldn't be bothered to follow up on the lead they provided and went about their business, not terribly curious about an apparent messiah in their midst.

The shepherds certainly weren't expecting an angelic visitation, let alone an invasion with the armies of heaven appearing and breaking into song on that evening in the wilds of Judea. They were minding their own business, tending sheep, perhaps picking fleas from their cloaks or swapping stories around the fire, when they were terrified by the heavenly ambush.

No one was expecting God to interrupt their lives with good news of great joy. No one was expecting to be used by God to accomplish His marvellous purposes in history. At just the right time, although no one expected Him, and few welcomed Him, He came among us through the lives of ordinary people.

He does the same thing today.

......................

Questions:

When has God interrupted your life or surprised you?

What things limit your willingness to be interrupted by God today? 

The Advent of Hope – December 2, 2013

Suggested Reading: Luke 1

The world is messed up!

There are wars and rumours of wars. There are economic problems, political problems, racial problems, family problems, and the list could go on and on. Proposed solutions and the people proposing them come and go, but the problems remain. In the midst of all of this, it is easy to become discouraged. Just a quick glance at the headlines on any given day gives us many reasons to despair and few reasons to hope.

We may imagine that we are living in a uniquely terrible time in history, but many generations have seen similar times and felt similar things. Empires have risen and crumbled and people in those times have lived through a level of pain and chaos that most of us have never experienced. And, I hope we never will. The Jews living in Palestine at the turn of the first century knew more about these things than we do in the West at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

They were living under an oppressive foreign regime who installed a puppet king. They lived under military occupation, subject to brutal treatment and crushing taxation. They longed for someone to deliver them. They lived in anticipation that God would intervene and save them, setting them free. They dreamed of the coming of the Messiah, the promised deliverer, the long delayed fulfilment of the ancient prophecies, already hundreds of years old in their day.

When Zechariah was ambushed by an angel of God in the temple, the plot began to thicken. There were rumblings and rumours – not of war – but of hope. Could this baby be the Messiah? Could this unborn child of a barren old woman and a dried up husband be the One? There were whispers in the hills of Judah. God is on the move! There is something special about this child!

But this baby, miraculous though his birth was, was not the One. There was another coming. A birth even more miraculous was on the way. Not one originating in the temple, but in a backwater town. God initiated another visitation, and another miraculous pregnancy, this time in a virgin womb. God's only Son became human, the Spirit of Christ enfleshed in the waiting womb of a willing young woman. Mary was to be the mother of Our Lord, the Hope of Nations.

The Advent of Christ was a rebirth of hope; more than that, a fulfilment of hope becoming flesh and dwelling among us. God drew near to us and demonstrated His love in the most tangible way possible, He became one of us. The God who created all things humbled Himself and became part of His creation. He began the remaking that will ultimately be fulfilled when His reign is fully established. But what a beginning He has made!

He is not distant or disengaged. He is not against us. He is one of us. He is among us. He is for us. We can know Him and know that He understands us. He is the reason for and the embodiment of our hope—the hope that came at Christmas!

.......................

Questions:

What pain, conflict, or problem is challenging your ability to live in hope?

How does the miracle of Christmas restore your hope?

The Advent of Reconciliation – December 1, 2013

Suggested Reading: Colossians 1:15-23

As Advent begins, I find myself reflecting on what it all means. What is the purpose of the coming of Christ? I have found a simple and potent explanation in the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I am struck by the immensity of the miracle as well as by the purpose of the incarnation. God became one of us so that we could be reconciled to Him!

Have you ever been alienated from a loved one? Have you ever been estranged from a friend? Have you experienced separation where you desire connection, distance where you want closeness?

I have. I have experienced geographic distance, as I have lived across the sea from my family and friends. But I have also known what it is to be physically close but a million miles away in the heart. How many times have I looked across the table to a vacant look in their eyes? Physically present, but distant or guarded; not available, not here with me. We have all known broken or damaged relationships. We know the pain of it, but sometimes we do not know how to make it better. Sometimes we try, only to find our efforts at reconciliation rebuffed and we are left with more pain than before.

Relationship is the root and trunk of the universe. God designed and created us for life with Him. We are hard-wired for relationship. But we messed up. Both corporately and individually we have made mistakes (some of them wilful) that have broken our relationship with the Community that is our Trinitarian God.

So, The Trinity decided to achieve reconciliation where none seemed possible. The Son became one of us, a human being, while simultaneously also being part of the Godhead. He brought the two irreconcilable sides together in Himself. The God-Man reconciled God and Man!

Now, because of the miracle of the incarnation, we can walk and talk with God as Jesus did. This is the Gospel and the miracle of Christmas. Although once we were alienated, now we have been reconciled. When we could not close the distance, God broke through. Where once we could not reach Him, now He is with us! We never have to live apart from Him again.

May we continue to draw near and experience all that Advent means this Christmas, and every day.

........................

Questions:

In what areas of your life are you aware of God’s nearness?

How might you cultivate broader and deeper awareness of Him?

As you approach advent, is there anyone with whom you need to seek reconciliation?