The liturgical season of Advent is a special time of the year. It begins the church year and looks forward to the birth of Jesus. It is a time of preparation as we prepare our hearts to celebrate his birth. The Gospels speak of John the Baptist fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. He came, preparing the way of the Lord. David Bayne, a missionary to Argentina, notes that “Advent is a reminder that we, too, are called to prepare the way for Jesus. It is a season of preparing the way for Jesus not only in our own hearts, but also inviting others to prepare their hearts.” With this there is an expectation that Jesus will be working in our hearts, drawing us closer to himself. Many Christians use this season for prayer, fasting, penitence and devotional reading as they prepare for the coming of Christ. In Advent, we experience hope, joy, peace and love. These sustain us throughout the year.
Advent is also a time of expectation. We see this in Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s announcement of the coming birth. Her response of “May it be to me as you have said” implies that she fully expected the prophecy to come true. The aged Simeon of Jerusalem, looking forward in expectation for the arrival of the consolation of Israel, could not fail to find the infant Christ in the temple courts. His expectation fueled his discovery of the Christ child, allowing him to see what the thousands of people milling about the temple could not. At Christmas time we often sing the Wesleyan carol “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”. Do we really mean the words we sing? Do we have that same anticipation about the coming Christ as that seen on young children’s faces as they open their presents on Christmas morning? As we go into the Christmas season, do we anticipate Christ working in our hearts in a new way?
Beginning with the activities of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Advent can be a time which takes us away from these qualities. We can become so busy with the activities of gift buying, party going, and the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that hope, peace, joy and love are pretty much ignored. Instead we find ourselves frazzled and stressed out, experiencing more turmoil than peace. We may briefly think about them on Sundays, but ignore them as soon as the church doors close behind us and the reality of the holiday season hits us again. We impatiently wait for the season to be over so that things can again return to normal. We find we don’t have much time for spiritual things let alone taking time to ponder and reflect on how to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus.
As we begin a new Advent season, it is well worth the time to expectantly prepare for the coming of Jesus to work in our hearts, for this is how he works in our world. The poet and devotional speaker Carolynn Scully, in preparing for Advent, asks herself the question “I search my heart wondering if I expect God to use me?” concluding that “I must expect Him in my life if I am to be ready to say "Yes!" when he calls. As we begin the new church year are you preparing your heart to hear the voice of God this Advent season? Are you eagerly, in anticipation, expecting him to reveal himself to you in a fresh new way? Are you preparing for and expecting his call?
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thank Goodness We Aren't Like Reindeer
Another Christmas season has come and gone. We have survived another year of stressful shopping, hectic schedules, traffic jams, long lines at the malls and the like. Hopefully we have also found time to reflect on the significance of the birth of Jesus, for he is the true meaning of Christmas. Without his coming to earth we would not be celebrating Christmas.
But as I reflected upon this Christmas season, it occurred to me that reindeer are nasty creatures. They are very mean spirited and spiteful. They are bullies and racist, with little regard for other reindeer who are different from them. They reject all reindeer whom are not brown nosed. They ignore or take advantage of the physically challenged in their midst. They pick on and tease other reindeer, treating them poorly. Their constant teasing amounts to torment. Not only that, but they are reckless, with little regard for the safety and health of others, especially the elderly in their community. They speed when pulling sleighs. When they hit someone they never stop to help the unfortunate victims. Their emotions are always flip-flopping. They may accept others one day and reject them the next. One never knows which it will be. This trait allows them to be manipulative. Plus, they tend to only accept others who are different when they find them useful to achieve their own ends.
To see the truth of these observations we only need to look at how the reindeer treat poor Rudolph. They continually laugh at him and call him names. They are constantly picking on him. They tease him about his red nose. When they play the reindeer equivalent of playground pickup games, they refuse to let him play. If they do allow him to play, they always choose him last. They only accept him when they need him for something. They only “love” him because he can help them out when they are in desperate straits because of the dense fog. One wonders how long their acceptance of poor Rudolph lasted once the fog lifted. Are their shouts of “you’ll go down in history” only said in jest when they consign him back to oblivion once his usefulness is over? Do they shout this as they go back to their reindeer games without him? Is their glee only the glee associated with their ability to tease him once again?
Reindeer are so callous that they never even think of bringing those who are hit and run reindeer into court to account for their deeds. Even when known to have run down elderly, frail grandmothers, they have no pangs of guilt or remorse. With their reckless driving habits, they are prone to road rage. With the attitudes and behaviors that reindeer have, it is a good thing they only come around once a year. We wouldn’t want to tolerate them more than that.
Thank goodness we humans don’t act like reindeer. We are always level headed. We aren’t manipulative. We aren’t racist. We have a profound respect for the elderly. We help the needy. We readily accept the disabled. We don’t bully and tease others or get bent out of shape when someone crosses our path. We graciously allow others to cut in front of us on the expressways. We never go over the speed limit. We never use people to further our own ends. We accept people for who they are rather than what they can do for us. We never act like reindeer. Or do we?
But as I reflected upon this Christmas season, it occurred to me that reindeer are nasty creatures. They are very mean spirited and spiteful. They are bullies and racist, with little regard for other reindeer who are different from them. They reject all reindeer whom are not brown nosed. They ignore or take advantage of the physically challenged in their midst. They pick on and tease other reindeer, treating them poorly. Their constant teasing amounts to torment. Not only that, but they are reckless, with little regard for the safety and health of others, especially the elderly in their community. They speed when pulling sleighs. When they hit someone they never stop to help the unfortunate victims. Their emotions are always flip-flopping. They may accept others one day and reject them the next. One never knows which it will be. This trait allows them to be manipulative. Plus, they tend to only accept others who are different when they find them useful to achieve their own ends.
To see the truth of these observations we only need to look at how the reindeer treat poor Rudolph. They continually laugh at him and call him names. They are constantly picking on him. They tease him about his red nose. When they play the reindeer equivalent of playground pickup games, they refuse to let him play. If they do allow him to play, they always choose him last. They only accept him when they need him for something. They only “love” him because he can help them out when they are in desperate straits because of the dense fog. One wonders how long their acceptance of poor Rudolph lasted once the fog lifted. Are their shouts of “you’ll go down in history” only said in jest when they consign him back to oblivion once his usefulness is over? Do they shout this as they go back to their reindeer games without him? Is their glee only the glee associated with their ability to tease him once again?
Reindeer are so callous that they never even think of bringing those who are hit and run reindeer into court to account for their deeds. Even when known to have run down elderly, frail grandmothers, they have no pangs of guilt or remorse. With their reckless driving habits, they are prone to road rage. With the attitudes and behaviors that reindeer have, it is a good thing they only come around once a year. We wouldn’t want to tolerate them more than that.
Thank goodness we humans don’t act like reindeer. We are always level headed. We aren’t manipulative. We aren’t racist. We have a profound respect for the elderly. We help the needy. We readily accept the disabled. We don’t bully and tease others or get bent out of shape when someone crosses our path. We graciously allow others to cut in front of us on the expressways. We never go over the speed limit. We never use people to further our own ends. We accept people for who they are rather than what they can do for us. We never act like reindeer. Or do we?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Reconnection with God
We live in an electronic world. We live in what many have called the Information Age. The internet has revolutionized how we are able to obtain information. Through various blogs, myspace and facebook and email we can keep up with friends as well as what people are thinking. We live in an exciting world. Yet it is also an impersonal world. We can touch all these people without ever hearing their voice or meeting them in person. Even though it is so much easier to exchange information, we lose one vital aspect of human life – connectedness. The internet is a sterile, impersonal environment. We may never actually meet in person many of the people we correspond with over it. Even though they are live, human beings, we are no more connected to them than we are to, for example, Plato or Aristotle. By focusing only on the internet we lose the connectedness of relationships. I have never yet experienced a laugh, or seen a thoughtful look or a smile, or felt the touch of a hand on the internet. When we use it as the sole means of communication, we experience a loss of personal relationships.
We are created to be in relationship. Studies examining the care of premature babies have shown that those who have little human contact and touch are less likely to survive. Recluses tend to be misfits in society. Their anti-social behavior may lead to violence. The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, is a case in point. We were made to have and be in relationship. We need the context of relationships in order to thrive. Without them, we suffer a loss. As John Mark Reynolds remarked after attending a convention of bloggers, “there are no complete conversations without being together: soul and body.”
We need each other to be fully human, fully alive.
It is Christmastime. It is the time of year when families naturally get together. In our global world with its ease of mobility, we tend to drift apart. Family members may just as easily be across the world as across the country. Christmastime is a time to come home for the holidays. It is a time to renew relationships that have slipped during the course of the year. It is a time to connect again.
But more than just reconnecting with family and friends, Christmastime is also a time to reconnect with God. In the babe in the manger we discover that God is not just an impersonal force who set the universe in motion and then retired. The birth of Jesus demonstrates to us how personal God is. The transcendent, all powerful God who created the universe has such a strong desire to connect with us that he sent his son to earth to live among us. Jesus experienced all the joys and sorrows of human life. He fully understands us. In Jesus, God became one of us. His love for us was so great that it even cost him the life of his son. It is a little overwhelming when we finally understand that God really loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
As you go through the holiday season this year, remember to reconnect with God. He is a personal being who desires to be in relationship with you. Even if your relationship with him has been absent over the past few years, now is a good time to restore that relationship. He is more than willing to give us his personal touch. Are you willing to give him the same?
We are created to be in relationship. Studies examining the care of premature babies have shown that those who have little human contact and touch are less likely to survive. Recluses tend to be misfits in society. Their anti-social behavior may lead to violence. The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, is a case in point. We were made to have and be in relationship. We need the context of relationships in order to thrive. Without them, we suffer a loss. As John Mark Reynolds remarked after attending a convention of bloggers, “there are no complete conversations without being together: soul and body.”
We need each other to be fully human, fully alive.
It is Christmastime. It is the time of year when families naturally get together. In our global world with its ease of mobility, we tend to drift apart. Family members may just as easily be across the world as across the country. Christmastime is a time to come home for the holidays. It is a time to renew relationships that have slipped during the course of the year. It is a time to connect again.
But more than just reconnecting with family and friends, Christmastime is also a time to reconnect with God. In the babe in the manger we discover that God is not just an impersonal force who set the universe in motion and then retired. The birth of Jesus demonstrates to us how personal God is. The transcendent, all powerful God who created the universe has such a strong desire to connect with us that he sent his son to earth to live among us. Jesus experienced all the joys and sorrows of human life. He fully understands us. In Jesus, God became one of us. His love for us was so great that it even cost him the life of his son. It is a little overwhelming when we finally understand that God really loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
As you go through the holiday season this year, remember to reconnect with God. He is a personal being who desires to be in relationship with you. Even if your relationship with him has been absent over the past few years, now is a good time to restore that relationship. He is more than willing to give us his personal touch. Are you willing to give him the same?
The Gift of the Magi
The short story The Gift of the Magi by O Henry focuses on a young, struggling couple. They are destitute. They have nothing. It is Christmas and they both desperately want to give a gift to each other. The only difficulty is that they have no money to buy gifts. But they each do have a prized possession. Jim has a gold watch that had been passed down from his grandfather to his father and now to him. Della has long luxuriant hair, reaching down to below her knees. In desperation, Della sells her beautiful hair and buys an ornate watch chain for Jim’s watch. Jim, in the meantime, sells his watch in order to buy a set of tortoise shell combs for Della’s beautiful long hair. Each, out of love for each other, sacrifices their most prized possession to buy a gift. O Henry concludes that of all who give gifts they are the wisest, for theirs was a sacrificial gift brought about in love.
It is Christmastime. We celebrate with presents the tradition started by the three wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Theirs was also a sacrificial gift. They sacrificed the time, the cost of their expensive gifts, and the expense of a long journey to Bethlehem and back. They expected nothing in return. It is often not so true with us. Our thoughts of sacrificial giving may only last until we get the January credit card statement. Then we regret our “sacrificial giving”. Unfortunately, our motive in gift giving can become tainted by the desire to receive gifts in return. We can become bent out of shape if the gift we receive is perceived to be of lesser value than the one given. In the hustle and bustle of the season we can easily lose the perspective of what Christmas is truly about.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We sing of the holy infant, tender and mild who lies asleep on the hay. The pictures of the nativity scene are serene and beautiful. But the real story is not so picturesque. Do we see in his birth the supreme sacrifice of all time? Jesus, the Lord of glory, sacrificed his power and position in Heaven to be born, not in a grand palace among royalty, but in a lowly, filthy stable. He was perceived by many to be an illegitimate child. Only shepherds, the riffraff and outcasts of society, heralded his birth. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus emptied himself of his equality with God. He was willing to give up his status. On that first Christmas He became human and lived among us.
In the Christmas story we see God’s great sacrificial gift to us. He willingly sent his son to earth, knowing full well that his birth would eventually lead him to the cross. God had no regrets. It is the supreme act of love. The apostle John, reflecting on this love, states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV) Jesus came, lived among us, and then died for our sins in order that we could have a renewed relationship with God. As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us reflect on the sacrificial love of God, who sent his Son into our world. Let us remember the love of Jesus, who willingly sacrificed himself for us by dying on the cross. Let us remember the great gift God has given to us.
It is Christmastime. We celebrate with presents the tradition started by the three wise men who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Theirs was also a sacrificial gift. They sacrificed the time, the cost of their expensive gifts, and the expense of a long journey to Bethlehem and back. They expected nothing in return. It is often not so true with us. Our thoughts of sacrificial giving may only last until we get the January credit card statement. Then we regret our “sacrificial giving”. Unfortunately, our motive in gift giving can become tainted by the desire to receive gifts in return. We can become bent out of shape if the gift we receive is perceived to be of lesser value than the one given. In the hustle and bustle of the season we can easily lose the perspective of what Christmas is truly about.
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We sing of the holy infant, tender and mild who lies asleep on the hay. The pictures of the nativity scene are serene and beautiful. But the real story is not so picturesque. Do we see in his birth the supreme sacrifice of all time? Jesus, the Lord of glory, sacrificed his power and position in Heaven to be born, not in a grand palace among royalty, but in a lowly, filthy stable. He was perceived by many to be an illegitimate child. Only shepherds, the riffraff and outcasts of society, heralded his birth. The Apostle Paul says that Jesus emptied himself of his equality with God. He was willing to give up his status. On that first Christmas He became human and lived among us.
In the Christmas story we see God’s great sacrificial gift to us. He willingly sent his son to earth, knowing full well that his birth would eventually lead him to the cross. God had no regrets. It is the supreme act of love. The apostle John, reflecting on this love, states “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV) Jesus came, lived among us, and then died for our sins in order that we could have a renewed relationship with God. As we celebrate Christmas this year, let us reflect on the sacrificial love of God, who sent his Son into our world. Let us remember the love of Jesus, who willingly sacrificed himself for us by dying on the cross. Let us remember the great gift God has given to us.
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