Month: December 2015

Rethinking Advent – Joy

/ taethne

This week marks the lighting of the joy (pink) candle. This is the third candle lit, going from expectation of the coming Messiah to longing for His presence now to joy at His appearing. In this world, marked by conflict and division, anger and turmoil, disappointment and despair, we light this candle to proclaim “Jesus came to give us joy unspeakable and full of glory!” Like Mary, we can sing, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Each day this week we need to contemplate on what a great gift of grace has been given to us. The Holy Son of God came to take our sin guilt, came to pay the penalty we owed to the Heavenly Father, came to give us a new birth, a new life, a life to be lived in Him. It is for that reason we rejoice. Our salvation has come. We who believe have been given a new spirit and are being fitted for our new home with Christ.

Yes, life remains difficult. Yes, we mess up day by day. We are still on our journey after all; we haven’t arrived yet. But, we are confident that as we confess our sins and repent of them that we will be forgiven and the grace we ask for will be given to us. We will still encounter sin. We will encounter it in this evil ,fallen world and we will encounter it hiding in our own lives. When we encounter it we can bring back to mind the words of the angel, “You are to name him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21”

If you can’t rejoice over that thought this week, then you have nothing to be joyous about. He came to seek and to save those who were lost. He found me. Has He found you?

Rethinking Advent Part 2

/ taethne

Advent, as we said last week, is designed for us to prepare our hearts and minds to truly celebrate the real meaning of Christmas, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It is a time for us to reflect on what truly matters – not the glitz, glamour and gift giving of modern Christmas, but the giving of Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. Christmas is a holy holiday but that has sadly been lost in today’s society. I know I cringe when Santa visits the churches around my area during this season. It is sacrilegious to let a fictional fat guy get more attention than our Holy Lord in His church.

This Sunday, the 2nd of Advent, saw the lighting of the Bethlehem candle or love candle (some traditions call this the faith candle.) It is during this week we ponder and meditate on Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. It would be in Bethlehem, where, according to prophecy, the Messiah would be born.

What a journey this must have been. Mary is very much pregnant and roads in 1st century Israel were not very good. Most likely they would have attached themselves to a caravan or group of fellow travelers for protection from bandits. Leaving their home, the journey would have been financially burdensome, but since Caesar had decreed it, they had to undertake the trip. Only 6 miles from Jerusalem, Jesus was born in the shadow of Herod’s fortress.

Today’s Scripture is Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose.”

Also, from Matthew 2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:  6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,  are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler  who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Phillip Brooks wrote a lovely Christmas carol that we can use this week to help us think about Christ being born in this little town in accordance with Scripture.

1. O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.

2. For Christ is born of Mary,
and gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.
O morning stars together,
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the king,
and peace to all on earth!

3. How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given;
so God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.

4. O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell;
o come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!