Advent 3:6. 20 December 2013

image by Caroline Keyzor

by Pastor Eric Thompson

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

Matthew 11:2-6, ESV

Doubt.

There are certain things you'd best never admit to certain church people. At or near the top of that list is that you experience doubt. A recently deceased, well-known Christian author wrote a memoir a couple of years before he died in which he expressed his deep wrestlings with certain things that all "good Christians" are supposed to believe. Many of the self-appointed watchdogs of Christian orthodoxy converged upon him like so many sharks smelling blood in the water. The blogosphere and social media outlets were abuzz with accusations and condemnation.

John the Baptist once similarly bled. He was no ordinary figure. He was the promised forerunner of the Messiah--the herald who cried "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." It was he who confidently declared, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" On this day, however, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is in prison. He will soon lose his life because of someone else's ill-advised promise. Things aren't as he might have anticipated. Thoughts come and go from his mind, and he has a lot of alone-time to think. So he sends for an answer: Are you the one, or should we look for another?

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

What might it have been like to be in John the Baptist's shoes? Are there times when you have experienced troublesome doubt? What can we learn from how John the Baptist dealt with his questions?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

Father, you are to be glorified for the way you tell us the whole story. We see the triumphs as well as the darker hours of our heroes. You in your wisdom have given us these episodes to help us when we have our own darker hours. Thank you for loving us in this way also.

Advent 3:5. 19 December 2013

image by chris gilbert

by Pastor Eric Thompson

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

James 5:7-11, ESV

"The watched pot never boils." So says the old proverb. As much as we'd like to make certain things happen, some outcomes only come when it's time.

It would be hard to imagine a time when impatience would be more of a problem than it is in our fully-automated, on-demand world. Most of us aren't waiting for deliverance from oppression like generations of American slaves endured, or waiting for liberation like Jewish refugees in a concentration camp, or even waiting for a next meal or a winter coat. More often we are customers demanding our pizza to be delivered in 30 minutes or less, our online purchases to arrive on the next day, for conditions at home, work, or church to conform to our expectations. Tomorrow. Today would be better.

James points us to several examples of waiting. The farmer works diligently but grapes only grow so fast. The prophets issued messages from the Lord that wouldn't be fulfilled in their lifetimes. Job had to trust God through incredible, unrelenting suffering.

Our productivity-based culture places a high value on outcomes. What change can you bring about and how quickly can you deliver? Yet, James seems to be making a connection between impatience and grumbling, an indication that we are not satisfied with the purposes of the Lord to show compassion and mercy.

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

Have you caught yourself grumbling recently? Do you have an impatient spirit? Perhaps what you desire is a worthy end, but how might you apply your heart so that you are faithfully waiting and diligently working instead of impatiently pressing and grumbling?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

God, our eternally wise Father, You have never broken a promise. Because you are faithful we can know with certainty that you will accomplish all of your purposes. I, on the other hand, am often impatient when I do not see the things happening that I desire. Help me to wait and carry the cross I am to bear with patience and transform my heart so that it aligns with yours. It is my desire to be a witness of your compassion. Help me to guard against developing a grumbling spirit that discourages and instead give me a patient spirit that helps others experience your love and grace.

Advent 3:4. 18 December 2013

image by albert pujol

by Kaysi Hastings

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 146:5-10

Recently my parents and I watched the 23rd season finale of The Amazing Race. The few reality shows I follow, I watch with a sense of intrigue and fascination with the endlessly varied ways humans choose to interact with one another in a competitive setting. More often than not a "survival of the fittest"-type mindset seems to guide people in their decisions, but occasionally we see people defy the logic of self-preservation and take risks on behalf of others even in the midst of the competition. Amy, one half of the couple who just won The Amazing Race, risked potential elimination multiple times as she delayed her own progress to help the wife of another couple in various challenges. Sometimes people who take such risks pay the price, but once in a while (as in this case) their selfless efforts still end with a victory, and my heart smiles at the glimpse of things working out the way I intuitively believe they ought to.

Because we live in a fiercely independent world, we probably operate on the principle of the survival of the fittest in more ways than we are even aware of, yet most of us are still drawn to stories of self-sacrifice, stories in which someone who has nothing to gain acts on behalf of someone who has nothing to offer. The story of our God is such a story. Throughout history He has acted on behalf of those who have nothing to offer Him in return (which is to say, all of us).

The psalmist lists many examples of this in the second half of Psalm 146. God loves to help the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoners, the blind, the humble, the righteous, the sojourners, the widow, and the fatherless. Just as I rejoiced that someone who selflessly helped another won this past season of The Amazing Race, I also rejoice that the God who mercifully lifts up people in need is the rightful King of the entire universe and will one day reign over all once again. A King who cares for those who have nothing to offer Him is one Who can be trusted in all circumstances. This is the King we serve.

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

Who do you most relate to in today's text: the oppressed, the hungry, the prisoner, the blind, the humble, the righteous, the sojourner, the widow, or the fatherless? Why? How has God provided for you in this area? How can you reflect the kindness of our King by helping someone in your life who has nothing to offer you?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

Father, thank You for the many ways You have provided for me when I had nothing to give You in return. I pray for the duration of my life on earth I might represent Your Kingdom by freely helping the people You place in my life even when I gain nothing in return. May I find joy in giving freely as You have given to me.

Advent 3:3. 17 December 2013

image by Shirley B

by Kaysi Hastings

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever...

Psalm 146:1-6

Over the past couple years as I've read various portions of the Old Testament, I've been struck by how consistently God denounces idolatry. In our modern world the idea of bowing before a piece of wood or metal probably strikes many of us as a little silly. And yet God repeatedly had to remind His people not to get caught up in the idol worship of the nations around them. We might wonder how God's own people could so easily forget such a seemingly basic instruction. Of course, most of us probably also recognize it doesn't take a carved object for one to practice idolatry. Modern equivalents might look like the sums in our bank accounts or the degrees hanging on our office walls or the products that bring us enjoyment. If we trust in these things to provide us with peace and security more than we trust in God to do so, these things are idols.

In Psalm 146, the psalmist warns against trusting in princes, or more broadly in "a son of man." We often place our trust in men on many different levels. We believe our favorite politicians will make our cities and states and nations more morally upright. We believe our favorite authors and teachers will provide us with accurate information about how we should live. We believe our friends and family will bring us love and fulfillment. The problem with all these things is humans are broken, and every human will, at some point, disappoint us.

We read repeatedly in the Old Testament that God is a jealous God, and we might be inclined to believe that this is the sole reason He has always instructed His people to avoid idolatry. There is, however, another element to this. God also loves His people and He knows the broken creation can never meet all our needs; only the perfect, wise, and loving Creator can do that. In telling us not to put our trust in idols, He really is protecting us from heartache.

The psalmist in today's text not only offers a warning but also displays the joy that comes with placing trust in our loving and powerful Creator. When those closest to us let us down, His Spirit comforts us. When our politicians make decisions that disappoint us, we can rest in the knowledge that Christ is still King and will one day right all wrongs. When the authors and teachers we read say something we question, we can relax as we remember that God has always worked through broken vessels. The God who created the earth and the people who live here, who also cared enough to become one of us in His pursuit of redemption and restoration for His creation, can always be trusted. And blessed indeed is he whose help and hope are in this God!

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

In what people (or things) have I placed my trust and been let down? How has God met me in my disappointment? How might I currently shift my perspective so that my trust and hope are in my Creator rather than in a product of His creation?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

Our God, who created all that is good and beautiful in this world, forgive us for sometimes placing our hope in what You've created rather than in You, the Creator. Thank You for being the One in whom we can consistently hope. May we find joy in trusting You today.

Advent 3:2. 16 December 2013

image by ivanmarn

by Jason Lowe

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 35:1-10

The promise in this verse is first to the Jews, exiled from the Promised Land, imprisoned under pagan rule. Yet its fulfillment has not yet come to pass, and (as is made clear from the whole of scripture) the promise will be universally fulfilled to all the nations of the world. As the Israelites were held captive by the enemies of Nebuchadnezzar, under the oppression of the Chaldean Empire, so all the nations of the world are currently held captive by Satan, under the oppression of sin and death. As YHWH promised to rescue the Israelites, so he promises to rescue a remnant of people from every tribe, nation and tongue. Just as the Israelites had the hope of the Promised Land, so we believers have the hope of the new Promised Land---the new heavens and the new earth---the entire universe resurrected as a fat and glowing paradise. This can be seen in Isaiah's personification of the inanimate nature joining in the joy of God's people.

As the "whole creation groans and travails...being subjected to decay" (Rom 8:19-23), so every tree and creature will be freed at the resurrection and will, in a sense, join in the celebration of the great goodness of God to man. The earth, and physical matter altogether, are often underappreciated, even in Christianity. The meaning of the flesh and the spirit are often misunderstood to mean the material and the immaterial, leading for a disdain of God's good creation, and a hope in some ethereal, immaterial heaven, as if God and his creation are enemies; as if the Devil created our bodies, food, birds or stars. Yet the scriptures place the creation as the very thing which reveals the goodness of God. That was the plan in the Garden of Eden. It's still that way, to a lesser degree. And that's how it will be in the new heavens and earth under Messiah's reign.

We may not realize it, and we often don't, but God is screaming his goodness and glory to us in everything around us. We often don't think of it but we are supposed to enjoy the world. We were designed to enjoy and give thanks for the pleasures of food, relationships, rest, work, and the fruit of our labor---that's why we're told to always give thanks and praise, because we're always to be enjoying God's goodness. If we can enjoy God's goodness through a creation that is under bondage to decay, how much more will we see and taste the glory of the Lord in the resurrection! We "will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown our heads. Gladness and joy will overtake us, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

If this thinking permeated our thoughts, we may have the joy and worship, with the thanks and praise it produces, that we were designed to have. So as you look through the windows of your senses into the world of colors and shapes, people and ideas, what ways can you see God's goodness? God's faithfulness is seen in the perpetual rising of the sun, and his compassion is seen in the coat of fur on animals. What other characteristics of God's heart and mind can you see by looking at what he has created? Every detail reveals something! Perhaps you can make a list of the ways God's goodness is evident in your life.

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

The Crafter of the galaxies, the Inventor of our minds, thank you for giving us life. Thank you for sewing our tissues together when we were in the womb. Thank you for all the thousands of ways that your kindness, power, and generosity are shouted by what you have made. Thank you for revealing your glory in all that you have made. Please give us eyes to see that we are at all times swimming in a deep ocean of your goodness. And lead us to be what you made us for: a people who enjoy you and reflect you in our character. Reveal yourself to us, and thereby transform us more into your likeness.

Advent 3:1. 15 December 2013

image by Rose Mayer

by Jason Lowe

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,
"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you."
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 35:1-10

Heinrich Muller, a high ranking Nazi official, was known as "the preacher" at the Sobibor extermination camp. It was Heinrich's job to make speeches to keep the Jewish victims cooperative and alive, by keeping them in a state of perpetual false hope. He dressed in a white coat to appear as a doctor, and fed the crowds lies about their eventual release. It is a common human experience that during disastrous situations what keeps a person alive is not primarily shelter, food, or even water. It is hope. God has designed matters so that we can strive through amazing opposition, so long as we believe that it will one day be better. In the midst of destitution, hope is the one rope dangling down in the darkness whereby the miserable may climb out to safety. So what is the hope for the redeemed? How are we to trudge through the wreckage of death, decay and disaster that is all around, and all within us? It is summarized in verse two of our text: "they will see the glory of YHWH, the majesty of our God".

When the glory of the Lord crashes into our reality, the goodness of his character will soak every molecule and heart in the universe: those with lame legs will frolic like deer, blind eyes will see spectrums of beauty, deaf ears will hear symphonies of delight, and dry deserts will be oases. In other words, sin, with the death and misery it causes, will be stripped from every atom, every star, and everybody. The sores of the world will be healed when the glory of the Lord is revealed. The New Testament language of this is resurrection, and this is our hope.

A sample of this hope was manifested when YHWH's Messiah, the prince of this paradise-to-come, walked on the dusty streets of Israel. He lived out these verses as he healed the lame, the blind, the deaf and the mute. It was as if he was saying, "I am the glory of YHWH! I am bringing restoration! Follow me and let's heal the world!" After swallowing the poison of death, he resurrected into the first material of the new creation to come---the embodiment of the hope of all the saints and of all creation.

By this hope we are given great encouragement and grand instruction. We are encouraged not to be crushed by the pains of our lives, and we are instructed to alleviate the pains of others. We are given the hope that things will be restored, and we are invited to join in the process. This week, when you wake up in a world filled with sin and the devastation it leaves behind, grab onto this hope and hold it close in your arms.

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

How should the sight of this coming reality change how you process pain, trials or tribulations? How can you see the glory of the Lord in this hope more clearly, or be reminded of it more regularly? In what ways might you be able to reveal this hope in how you talk and in how you live? Verse three speaks of strengthening the weak. What sorts of reactions, and lifestyles, can reveal that your hope is not in this world, and so lend strength to others?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

YHWH, the great I AM, you are all-sufficient for all our needs. We are crafted by you to adore your goodness forever, and yet you have designed life so that we must look beyond the immediate difficulties, and on to your eternal rest; past what our eyes see, and on to what your hope promises. Help us, your people, to be strengthened by the resurrection and restoration of all things. Open the eyes of our hearts and minds to touch and taste this truth, and to share it with the world.

Advent 2:7. 14 December 2013

image by humusak2

by Kaysi Hastings

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.'"

Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Matthew 3:1-12

We might be surprised by the severity of John's words here to the Pharisees and Sadducees. Doesn't it seem blasphemous, or at the very least disrespectful, to direct such harsh accusations toward those in leadership positions among God's people? And yet John is in good company. It seems that most, if not very nearly all, of Jesus' recorded verbal daggers were aimed not at unbelievers but at the religious leaders of His day. Our Lord was very clearly not a fan of their tendency to make it difficult for people to connect with God.

John admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees to "bear fruit in keeping with repentance." To do so requires humility, for repentance involves admitting one's shortcomings. This, the religious leaders lacked.

Jesus, on the other hand, displayed the pinnacle of humility. Though "he was in the form of God," He "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8) May our humility reflect the heart of Christ, who was willing to sacrifice His own life for the sake of humanity, and not the false piety of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Take some time to consider the following. Perhaps it would be helpful to record your responses in a journal.

What rotten fruit was seen in the lives of the Pharisees and Sadducees that resulted from their lack of repentance? On the other side of this coin, what are some practical examples of fruit that IS in keeping with repentance? How does repentance affect our perspective of and interaction with others?

Here is a prayer in response to today's text. You can pray this as your own or use it as a prompt for a spontaneous prayer.

Jesus, the humility You demonstrated in the incarnation and Your willingness to be brutally killed is something we can hardly begin to comprehend. If You, our King, would submit to such lowly measures, how could we begin to believe we have any right to lord our hopelessly inadequate self-righteousness over any other human being? Forgive us for our pride. May Your Spirit lead us to live lives of repentance as we humbly walk with You.