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A Final Christmastide Reflection: Clearly – Appeared and Revealed…

Epiphaneia

2 Timothy 1:8-11

“He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.”

Today marks the day of Epiphany and the conclusion of the church Christmas season (Jan.5^th). Today, and for the next season in the cycle of the church calendar, we celebrate and reflect upon the revelation of God made man in the person of Jesus Christ…the appearing of the Incarnation. This Epiphany is extremely significant in what it represents. Not only does it recognize the coming (appearance) of the Christ, but also his manifestation to the gentiles (the Eastern wise men aka Magi) and his manifestation as Son of God to the world at his baptism in the Jordan River. His first miracle, turning water into wine at the marriage feast in Cana, (another manifestation and affirmation of his deity) is commemorated during this season of reflection and wonder as well.

Isaiah 60:1-22

¹ Arise, Shine; For your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. ¹⁶ You shall know that I. the LORD, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. ¹⁸ …You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. ¹⁹ …The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your GOD will be your glory. ²² I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

What happens when we realize the truth and gravity of what has happened among us? How does this affect and change us? What does it really mean to us when the “glory of the LORD has risen upon you”? I am reminded of the words from Thomas Merton who writes the following:

“We who have seen the light of Christ are obliged by the greatness of the grace that has been given us to make known the presence of the Savior to the ends of the earth…not only by teaching the glad tidings of His coming; but above all by revealing Him in our lives… Every day of our mortal lives must be His manifestation, His divine Epiphany, in the world which He has created and redeemed.”

Epiphaneia: to cause to appear or to bring to light…

“Come and See…” “Go and Tell…” (Mark 3:14)

A great and marvelous light has come into the world. Jesus is that light and it amazes me that He desires to make his abode in the likes of me, but the writings of Paul to Timothy tell me this was the plan of God before creation and time…  “So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.” (2 Ti. 1:8-11). I want this to be the only thing I live for; my consuming desire…to bring Glory to Him, My God, Savior-Redeemer, Jesus.

I have been praying a prayer that I found from Columbanus for the last couple of days; I will continue to pray this prayer daily for at least the remainder of the week. It follows:

Lord, I pray that You may be a lamp for me in the darkness. Touch my soul and kindle a fire within it, that it may burn brightly and give light to my life. Thus my body may truly become your temple, lit by your perpetual flame burning on the altar of my heart. And may the light within me shine on  my brethren that it might drive away the darkness of ignorance and sin from them also. Thus let us be lights to the world manifesting the bright beauty of Your gospel to all around us. Amen. –Columbanus

“May all kings fall down before Him, all nations give Him service…” (Psalm 72:11)

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Christmastide Reflections: LIFE and The Great Light…

John 1:1-18

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵ The LIGHT shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it… ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God –

“He was made man that we might become God…” St. Athanasius

John 17:20-26

²⁰ “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, ²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: ²³ I in them and you in me…”

Ephesians 3:1-12

² Assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you… ³ God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. ⁵ God, by his Spirit, has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. ¹⁰ God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

“Come and see…” “Go and tell…” Jesus

~Pay attention ~ Be astonished ~ Tell about it ~ Mary Oliver

My soul is exploding…my intellect cannot contain the revelation of the Great Light that has come to us. I do not pretend to fully understand the Incarnation…but my soul knows that it is real! I am alive at the core of who I am in Him. The prayer of my God and Savior, Jesus, is alive in me. His Life gives me life; I can feel His heart beating as my own and I am filled with incomprehensible, indescribable, and infinite joy! But then the paradox of Love wraps its fingers around my throat and begins to choke my joy…while His Kingdom of wisdom, power, peace, and love is as kindled embers in my heart, the bonfire of His Eternal Kingdom is something “remembered forward.” The Kingdom is here, but it is not here. And, tears come to my eyes. I know people who don’t know the Great Light. I know people who are still stumbling in the darkness…and I feel like a traitor. How is it that I can rejoice and celebrate in the Light when so many are blind to this joy? I only stand on the promise of my Savior, the Light, who said “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven… and Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” I pray for comfort. I pray for the Kingdom in full. I pray for boldness to proclaim the Truth of the Great Light who is my Lord, my Savior, me Jesus…the God who Saves. Come and see the Great Light. Go and Tell about the Great Light. May the words His Spirit gives me awake deafened and blinded hearts to this wonderful and glorious Light that has come into the world.

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Christmastide Reflections: The Passionate Commitment…

Isaiah 9:2-7

⁴ You will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders… ⁶ For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… ⁷ His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The *passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen.

*Passionate Commitment is a translation for the New Living Translation. In other versions it is translated as “zeal.” Looking up the definition of zeal in several online dictionaries was enlightening to me. The following reflects the sum of my findings:

Zeal: Fervor for a person, cause, or object; eager desire or endeavor; enthusiastic diligence; ardor

Synonyms: intensity, passion

I love that… passionate commitment; zeal; enthusiastic diligence, intensity…passion. This is the description of our God, the Creator-Savior-Redeemer, Jesus. The Rescuer who has come to save, reconcile, and restore us. He does this with passionate commitment. He determined that HE WOULD MAKE THIS HAPPEN with enthusiastic diligence and ardor (intense devotion, eagerness, and/or enthusiasm; burning heat). I love this!!! He would see (and did see) that the burden of sin, the yoke of slavery to the broken flesh, would be lifted! His peace and our reconciliation would never end! Our redeemed and restored relationship would extend ETERNALLY! Why? Because HE WAS-IS Passionately Committed to His creation and His children. Thank God! Immanuel. God is with us!

“Each day proclaim the good news that He saves…” (Psalm 96:2b)

At His birth the world changed. The pregnancy of Hope and the conviction of divine possibility were joined. God is with us…Immanuel. The physical birth of Jesus is exponentially larger than a baby in a manger. Christmas marks the coming of a whole new world. As modern day Christians we know that Christmas is the precursor of the cross. Christmas and the cross are truly a single event. With the fulfillment of God’s promise for deliverance come in Jesus, humanity was invited to coexist with deity for eternity… Immanuel… God with us, God among us, and God in us: Redemption, Reconciliation, and ultimate Restoration. Hallelujah! He Has Come. Immanuel.

“God makes the first move, one of sheer grace; the next move is theirs (ours)…” –Bobby Gross

“Christmas is meant to take us to the level of spiritual maturity where we are capable of seeing in a manger the meaning of an empty tomb.” –Joan Chittister

Isaiah’s prophecy describes the character, conscience, and countenance of Jesus…”The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…” This is the Image by which we were created (Genesis 1:27) and it is the Image to which we are being transformed (Romans 8:29). Christ himself, has prayed (John 17:22-23) that we (the sons and daughters of God) would be instruments and reflections of His Glory. The image we should radiate and reflect is the same description as depicted by the prophet Isaiah; wisdom, power, love (agape), peace (shalom). As I reflect upon these truths and meditate upon all that it holds for us as “awakened” children of God, I am stricken with a somber dose of reality… I think about the quote from Bobby Gross (above) speaking about the lowly shepherds to whom God announced through His angels the arrival of Messiah Jesus. God did make the first move and the shepherds responded with joyful obedience. I wonder about those who do not respond to God’s move… Ironically, the arrival of Jesus in the flesh of humanity not only signaled life-eternal, but brought with it death as well (Matthew 2:13-18). So, to this end, I ponder… the fulfillment of Promise and Life sealed darkness and death for many. Sadly, I think it does still for those who decide to ignore “God’s first move.” I am reminded of an observation made by the ancient church father, Jerome; “The Lord is born on earth, and he does not have even a cell in which to be born, for there was no room for him in the inn. The entire human race had a place, and the Lord about to be born on earth had none. He found no room among people…” O, Dear God, please…please may this not be the case about Your people today. My prayer today is for us who know you and for those who do not…

Almighty and everlasting God, you have revealed the incarnation of your Son by the bright shining of a star, which the wise men saw, and offered costly gifts in adoration; let the star of your justice always shine in our hearts, that we may give as our treasure all that we are and all that we posses, to your service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

From before time was, Your plan was to manifest Your image in all you create and now You have provided us the way and the means to this completion through rebirth and re-creation. May we be as the shepherds and respond boldly to Your move; Your invitation to grace and shalom. I pray, O Lord, for the blindness and arrogance of my brothers and sisters…that their hearts might not be hardened, but they would be melted to joyful submission and receive this great gift of salvation from Immanuel… You, who are, God With Us. It is your passionate commitment and merciful magnificence that brings men to repentance… I pray that darkness is dispelled and death destroyed for the sake of those who still do not know or refuse you… may they greet you with adoration and joy, responding to Your “first move” and passionate commitment.

Christ is born: glorify Him. Christ comes from heaven: go out to meet Him. Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high.

– prayer written from my own words, the words of Gregory of Nazianzus and the Gelasian Sacramentary

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Meditation #8  December 21, 2009

Advent Reflections: Reconciliation, Restoration, and Joy…

“Then I witnessed in Heaven an event of great significance… It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” (Revelation 12:1-10)

“Don’t be afraid…I bring you Good News that will bring Great Joy to all people. The Savior—Yes the Messiah, the Lord has been born today.” (Luke 2:10-11)

Reconciliation is here… Restoration beckons us to come. What was broken does not have to remain broken any longer. Reconciliation and restoration are here; the timeless Lord, and Savior of men, King Jesus is here. Salvation has come. How can we ignore or take for granted such a great and significant event? John the Revelator exclaimed; “I witnessed in Heaven an event of great significance… It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” Hallelujah! The threshold of reconciliation has been breached! We have life-giving relationship restored with Creator God! This is the Good News! This is the great Joy of the hallelujah chorus sung by the angels of Heaven’s armies.

Let us meditate on the following prayer compiled from an ancient Christian prayer, Psalm 80:1-7, and writings from the book Living the Christian Year.

O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display Your radiant glory. Show us Your mighty power come to rescue us! Turn us again to Yourself, O God. Make Your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

We praise You, Father, invisible, Giver of immortality. You are the Source of Life and Light, the Source of all Grace and Truth; You love us all, and You love the poor, You seek reconciliation with all and draw them all to You by sending Your dear Son to visit them, who now lives and reigns with You, Father, and Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever.

Therefore, we ask You; turn us again to Yourself, O God of heaven’s armies. Make Your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

O Mighty One, You have done great things and Holy is Your Name; Your mercy is for those who fear You from generation to generation. May my heart and my life be that as the blessed virgin…here I am, O Lord, Your servant; let it be with me according to Your word. Come Holy Spirit enlarge Your presence in me this day, that I may bring into the world more of Your life and more of Your love. Amen

Reconciliation is here…Restoration beckons us to come – “it has come at last!!!—Salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” (Revelation 12:10)

Joan Chittister writes in her book, The Liturgical Year: the Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life; “We come to Christmas looking for the signs of Jesus’ presence manifested in our own life and age, in us and in the world around us. Christmas is not about a baby, not about sentimental piety, not about Christian fantasy. Christ is a very adult feast. It stretches us far beyond a manger in Bethlehem. It brings us to recognize who ti is that we, like the people of Jesus’ own time, will, in everything we do in life this year, either accept or reject.”

Reconciliation is here…Restoration beckons us to come – “Don’t be afraid…I bring you Good News that will bring Great Joy to all people. The Savior—Yes the Messiah—The Lord has been born today.” (Luke 2:10-11)

On the day that God became flesh in the child named Jesus, Eternity was healed…time became no more. The rip in Creator God’s cosmic tapestry caused by the sin of one man was sewn together through the act of humble submission and eternal love by one man—the God-man—Jesus.

“Then I witnessed in Heaven an event of Great Significance…” Reconciliation is here…Restoration beckons us to come

Christmas is not merely a day like every other day. It is a day made holy and special by a sacred mystery. It is not merely another day in the weary round of time. Today, eternity enters into time and time, sanctified, is caught up into Eternity.

—Thomas Merton

Good News, Great Joy, Reconciliation, and Restoration — an event of Great Significance indeed. Praise You, Lord Jesus. Maranatha — even so, come now, Lord Jesus, come.

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Meditation #7  December 13-18, 2009

Advent Reflections: Anticipating Zion; the joy of God’s universal shalom, considering “peace,” “completion,” “joy,” and His divine “splendor.”

Coming Joy –

“Let it be unto me, Your servant, according to Your will…” Mary (Luke 1:38)

“I must decrease, so that He may increase…” John the Baptist (John 3:30)

Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, “Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:14-17)

Anticipate ~ Watch ~ Wait ~ Alert

The promise of His return is before us. While “no man knows the time or day” of the return, we know that it is imminent. Therefore, how we wait is important. Our wait should be with eager anticipation; baited and hungry for fruits of righteousness born from our own lives that indicate lifestyles of repentance. It was John the Baptist who said, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” (Luke 3:8) As we wait…as we watch, our attitudes are that of eager, alert, and hungry anticipation; bearing fruits of repentance until His return.

Remember ~ Return ~ Readiness ~ Repentance

Remembering helps us to stay ready. It is easy to slip into complacency; even ambivalence, while we wait if our minds and hearts do not stay “ready.” Remembering helps us to ward off the tendencies our nature has to relax. What is it that we remember? We can remember the historical works of God from the Holy Scriptures. We can remember the promises fulfilled even now by our great and faithful God. We can recount the works of transformation, blessing, provision, and perfection that He has done in our lives individually as well as the lives of people who are close to us. In these acts of remembrance, we stay ready for His return with eager and repentant hearts. Maranatha; Come Lord Jesus…

Redemption ~ Reconcile ~ Restore ~ Rejoice

Redemption is an incredible thing…a concept that explodes into our lives with new meaning once we are awakened to our brokenness. The English dictionary provides us with the following definitions for “redeem”: (1) to make something acceptable or pleasant in spite of its negative qualities or aspects (2) restore a reputation (3) to pay off the outstanding portion of a debt (4) to fulfill a pledge or a promise. Redemption is a work that God promised even in the early chapters of the Genesis account. Redemption is an act that no man can perform on his own behalf. Without God, there is no hope for redemption and awareness of our brokenness only brings paralyzing despair. But…redemption is an incredibly real act that has been completed by our God for every man and woman; past, present, and future. With redemption comes the invitation to reconciliation, an even more gloriously stupendous reality…the invitation to be reconciled (oneness of unity) with the Triune Person of God. This is restoration…taking back that which was broken to its original and unbroken state; the restoration is in process and working towards ultimate completion and perfection. For this, we rejoice!

Hope ~ Delight ~ Peace ~ Joy ~ Shalom

Our hope is looking forward to completion and ultimate reconciliation with our Father and Savior God. Anticipation of this day brings delight even now as we live out repentant and grateful lives with peaceful joy always staying alert and ready for His return, but stalwart in our confidence of being held by Him until the universal Shalom of God is ushered into the ReCreation (The New Heaven and New Earth). This is our joy. “I’m bringing you,” the angel says, “good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day… a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). And so it is; Great Joy… past, present, and ultimate future. Hope; with joy now, looking forward to eternal reconciliation and complete restoration. This is Joy. This is the universal Shalom of the Creator-Savior-King, the Triune God.

Joan Chittister, writes in The Liturgical Year; “If, focused on the Christ Child at the very beginning of the liturgical year; we do not have the spiritual vision to see meaning there and to develop it within ourselves, there is nothing else on earth that will ever be able to supply it for us.” Indeed.

Additional thoughts on joy that I pulled from the writings of Joan Chittister follow:

1. Joy is not about what happens to us…
2. Joy is the meaning we give to what we do that determines the nature, the quality of the lives we live.
3. Joy is not about self-centeredness (John 5:30)
4. Happiness (true happiness) is not about self-satisfaction; it is about the joy that comes with a sense of purpose.
5. Joy comes from living our lives immersed in the will of God; not self-aggrandizement.
6. Joy is not in things; it is in us…

A prayer as we enter into the week of Light and Joy:

O Lord, my God, grant us your peace; already, indeed, You have made us rich in all things! Give us peace of being at rest, that Sabbath peace, the peace which know no end. O great God of Peace, sanctify me entirely; may You keep my spirit, soul and body sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because You have called me and You are faithful, I believe You will do this.

O Lord, mindful fo Your Great mercy, grant that I might serve You without fear, in holiness and righteousness this day and all the days of my life. May it be so to Your glory and the coming of Your Kingdom Eternal. Amen.

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I continue to spend time meditating on this Advent season; more words are stimulating my thoughts. Additionally, the books I am reading to stimulate my thoughts have really been helpful with this Advent journey.  Words that are presently stimulating my thoughts follow:

• Parousia – (literally divine presence) refers also to the second coming of Christ or the second Advent
• Repent/Repentance
• Live
• Lament
• Exile
• Coming
• Rescue
• Hope

“Prepare the way of the Lord. What is the meaning of ‘Prepare the way of the Lord?’ It means, make ready for the reception of whatever Christ may wish to do.” Cyril of Alexandria

“It is not simply a matter of waiting and rejoicing in what Advent promises us. It is about learning to live while we wait.” The Liturgical Year; Joan Chittister (p.68)

“The life of Jesus, if it is meaningful to us, is meant to reveal the nature of God” The Sacred Meal; Nora Gallagher (p.135)

A Lament:

As I consider thoughts of Advent and the words that are “bouncing” around inside my head/heart, I am also being influenced by another book, The Sacred Meal by Nora Gallagher (see quote above). Something that struck me last night is that Jesus came to teach us how to live; He should know about life, considering He is the Creator of Life and the Giver of Life (we could learn a thing or two from Him). As Jesus, the Incarnation, He modeled this living-style for us. For some reason, we do not want to believe the Christ-life can be fully lived by us while in our temporal bodies. I think this smacks of heresy and in a backhanded way, pronounces Jesus a liar. I am concerned; if we do not learn to live as Christians now…we may never “Live” as Christians.

Hope and Rescue:

Jesus said…

“I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6)

“Abide (remain) in me…” (John 15:4)

“I have come that you may have life and life abundant” (John 10:10)

“My sheep follow me…” (John 10:27)

“Whoever serves me must follow me… (John 12:26)

Repent and Prepare:

Jesus came to teach us how to live. If we don’t learn how to live here and now, we may never truly live. The promise is that we can…live, today, as Christ did when He walked the earth in the flesh of man. We cannot excuse ourselves from learning to live while we wait.

Parousia ~ Advent ~ Maranatha:

“…The Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

“I will come back… we will make our home with him…” (John 14:1-3 John 14:23)

“This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back…” (Acts 1:11)

Live:

“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29)

“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:6)

If we don’t learn how to live here and now, we may never truly live.

“The voice of Advent in our ears is loud and clear year after year. Its three year cycle of Scripture winds over and around us, reminding us, assuring us, prodding us to bear Christ in our own lives.” The Liturgical Year; Joan Chittister (p.67)

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The second week of Advent began this past weekend. I continue to explore the season with reflections and meditations. Words that currently consume my thoughts follow:

• Longing
• Maranatha (“Our Lord, com” “Come, Lord Jesus”)
• Hope
• Glory
• Completion

A sense of “longing” continues to haunt me…an insatiable desire of spiritual hunger. My soul is ravenous for my ultimate completion in Christ…with my God. I know these feelings, this sense, is true in my deepest self, but my mocking flesh hurls insults and taunts of hypocrisy at me for speaking my thoughts of spiritual hunger. I despise this conflict and groaning of soul.

It seems in the interim of here and Eternity, this tumultuous battle between the spirit and flesh is a self-perpetuating cycle. The more my soul is awakened and drawn closer to the things of God, the more I am made aware of the catastrophic effects of sin, and consequently, the weakness and failures of my own physical nature.

~ And I long…~ Maranatha

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… They shall be comforted and they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:3-4

So many things remain broken; even if I want to feel safe in the promise of my own redemption and salvation, I am conflicted…spiritually bipolar at times… even manic. My faith does not waver; the hope and promise of my completion is strong…my eternity secure in Christ and for this I rejoice, but my hunger is not satisfied. I long to see my Jesus face-to-face, triumphant in victory, sitting on His throne as He rules the nations…the insidious destroyer who is sin forever removed from the face of a New Earth.

I Long for His glory and I hope for completion… Maranatha

Famine is a reminder, disease is a reminder…physical, emotional, and sexual abuses are all reminders of the cancer of sin. Decay, pollution, birth defect and poverty are the tinnitus to my spiritual ears. War, climatic catastrophes, pestilence, idolatry, and death blur the “eyes of my heart.” Lies, slander, hypocrisy, and pride from my fellow humanity bear the scent of terminal cancer to my nostrils. Time itself is a reminder of sin…we were not created to serve the rule of seconds, minutes, hours, or years… God created man with Eternity in his heart. Our destiny was, and is, immortality in eternity with our Creator God. The process of aging, keeping track of schedules, and the tyrannical ticking of the clock…all vicious and relentless in their reminder of man’s rebellion and disobedience toward God.

My soul longs for the King of Peace… Maranatha

In light of our longing there is hope. God has sprinkled His DNA across the universe; creation itself bears the promise of hope and glory. We awaken to the splendor of His spoken word; “Let there be light,” in the glorious rising of the sun. We marvel at the mystery and complexities of conception and birth. The incredible science behind osmosis and photosynthesis (life as we know it depends on these earth actions) are hints of God’s handiwork. We have hope looking forward…a hunger and a longing for the eternity that God has planted in us with the same breath in which He gave us life.

“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Philippians 1:6

“I am making all things new…” Revelation 21:3-5

Longing… it is the groaning burden of a soul that hungers for completion

Maranatha… Come, Lord Jesus, Come

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Advent: Prepare

“Cleans us, O Lord, from our secret faults and mercifully absolve us from our presumptuous sins, that we may receive thy holy things with a pure mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” –The Leonine Sacramentary

“It is while waiting for the coming of the reign of God, Advent after Advent, that we come to realize that its coming depends on us. What we do will either hasten or slow, sharpen or dim our own commitment to do our part to bring it.” Joan Chittister; The Liturgical Year.

Malachi 3:1-4

• Prepare the way…
• He comes to purify and refine
• …so they (we) may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.

I consider how faithful I am to prepare the way for my Lord Jesus. I think, too often, we (generally) are lax, complacent, and downright lazy in our preparations. Where do we prepare…at some distant location in the future? When do we prepare; hastily, at the last minute…out of desperation? Israel had (at the time of the prophet Malachi) 400 plus years to prepare…and they still weren’t ready. Israel (at the time of John the Baptist) had several years…maybe even a decade or so; and they still weren’t ready. Our nature indicates that our own preparation leaves much to be desired.

I think “prepare the way” is repentance and with repentance we are open to receive the Spirit of the Lord to purify and cleanse us so we might receive His holy things. He is the giver of Light and our Guide in the dark. It is our responsibility to hasten His coming in our own lives through preparation… How do I prepare? I prepare with and through an attitude of repentance with desire to walk upright in purity and righteousness. I want the sacrifice of my life to be a pleasing aroma in the nostrils of my God.

Prepare…

“Prepare;” this word implies it is my responsibility to make the way ready for my King…He will cleanse, He will guide, He will purify… I am given the task to prepare.

Luke 1:67-79

• Prepare the way for the Lord…
• He comes to give light…
• He comes to guide us…

Maranatha – “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.”

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Advent: Remembering and Longing for Eden…

Remembering…pondering from beginning to end

(Genesis 1-2) God created the heavens and the earth and it was good. And God created human beings, man and woman, then He blessed them and said:

“Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground… See, I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life…” Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1:27-31)

It was good. It was right. It was perfect… God and man walking together in perfect unity, and it was very good. The tragedy is that we (mankind) weren’t satisfied with God’s very good. In our effort to improve His Creation (Genesis 3) we created a “fail” of epic proportion. While our nature and soul have been created with Divine and Eternal DNA (Genesis 1:27 and Ecclesiastes 3:11), we have been doomed to disease, deterioration, destruction, and death because of our disobedience and rebellion against God, our Creator-Sustainer. We have struggled…groaning laboriously for the day of reconciliation since we became outcasts and enemies of God. And so, we long for Eden…we long for true reconciliation; we long for the ultimate and eternal City of God, the New Jerusalem where God will live with and alongside man as Friend, Father, Savior, King, Creator, and Sustainer (Revelation 21:1-8). This is the hope looking forward.

Advent: Remembering and longing with repentance… Hope; looking forward (Isaiah 11:1-10)

“In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will really to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.” (Isaiah 11:10)

Joan Chittister writes in her book, The Liturgical Year:

“Advent, from the Latin, means “coming.” But Advent is not about one coming; it is about three comings. The great spiritual question the season poses for each of us is, which coming are you and I waiting for now? At this moment of our lives, at this present stage of our spiritual development, what we’re waiting for surely determines how we will wait for it… Advent asks the question, what is it for which you are spending your life? What is the star you are following now?”

I’ve shared some thoughts about a musical release from Phil Wickham that has really moved me in recent months. As I remember and long for my Savior’s return and His righting of all things, I am drawn even more to this song, Eden. I cannot imagine what Adam must have thought, how he must have felt after breaking union with God…remembering when the stars were young…meeting His Friend and Creator at the gates of Eden to play and converse with God about the mysteries of the universe. Yes, I long for ultimate reconciliation…I want to be naked and unashamed with my God…in Eden.

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Advent: Expectant Waiting…

Several readings I have been meditating on have likened the season of waiting and anticipation to pregnancy. Interesting, this analogy, or comparison.

While I have not experienced the physical reality of pregnancy, I have walked alongside my wife through it on three occasions. I have experienced the seemingly paradoxical nature of emotions born out of this mystery that is conception-gestation-birth.

Excitement, anticipation, anxiety, exhilaration, and fear all cohabitate and gestate along with the yet-to-be-born child within…while we wait…while we wait for the fullness of time.

Expectant waiting…

There is much that we participate in, and shoulder responsibility for, as we prepare for the Kingdom to come and nurture the developing Kingdom within us.

Advent: The “before time” of the coming…

Tension and freedom coexisting. Hope and doubt mixing in a divine cocktail we dare to drink. Ecstasy and despair are the hors d’oeuvres we snack on before the wedding feast of the Lamb…

We wait…

We participate in the gestation of our hope; doing faithfully…the bidding of the King we so desperately wait for…and our hope grows…the first trimester and then a second…until we feel our bodies groaning, screaming for the Kingdom to be released; “COME LORD JESUS, COME!” Expectant waiting…

Advent: The before time of the coming

Advent is our History… our heritage. Advent is our present. Advent is our hope of the promised future…The before time of the coming.

…we wait

Giddy and groaning, we wait…

Hope looking forward with great expectation; this is Advent.

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