Category Archives: Advent

Power

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Readings: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Isaiah 4:2-6; Acts 1:12-17, 21-26

May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice…

May he be like rain that falls on mown grass, like showers that water the earth. Ps. 72: 2, 6

“Let another take his position of overseer.” Acts 1: 20b

Power corrupts if it is attained and exercised for its own sake. Power also exhausts the one who wields it if he or she is not grounded in something far more gracious than personal talent, drive, and energy. It’s why communities of faith pray for those who hold the reins of government – not so much a statement of agreement for a particular agenda, but a recognition that without a connection to something holy it will end in damage.

Today’s psalm reminds us that leaders can choose to rule for the benefit of those who will never have enough money to help them get re-elected, whose influence cannot open political doors. Ruling for the good of those who most need help rather than those who can offer material reward is a road less travelled, but it will make all the difference. The Acts reading implies that the best leader might not be the one who wants it the most: it might be someone whose constancy and service is evident to others.

If I judge leaders by a higher and holier standard of serving the least and last, I must also judge myself by that higher and holier standard. Am I serving the needy in the work I do, or am I serving only those who can reward me in material goods or influence? In the end, the blessing I offer others without seeking reward brings peace. In the end, the blessing I withhold because it doesn’t line my pockets or promote my welfare will shrink my soul in proportion to the harm I do to others.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Steadfast

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Readings: Psalm 124; Isaiah 54:1-10; Matthew 24:23-35

“For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,

but my steadfast love shall not depart from you

and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”

Says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10, NRSV

My Dear Child,

I love you no matter what.

Mount Washington will wear away, but my love never will.

The Atlantic may sweep Beacon Hill out to sea, but my peace will hold you fast.

There is nothing you can do that could make me stop loving you,

No words you can say will make me wish anything but peace for you.

I’m in this forever. XXOO ABBA

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

The Break

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Readings: Psalm 124; Genesis 9:1-17; Hebrews 11:32-40

The Break

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If it had not been the Lord who was on our side – let Israel now say-

If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side,

when our enemies attacked us,

then they would have swallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

then the flood would have swept us away,

the torrent would have gone over us;

then over us would have gone the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird 

from the snare of the fowlers;

the snare is broken,

and we have escaped.

 Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come

Offered by Riley Anderson, artist, college learner, seeker of the Christ Child.

Birth…and pain, and death

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Readings: Psalm 124; Genesis 8:1-19; Romans 6:1-11

What then do we say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.   Romans 6:1-11

I admit it seems odd: all this talk about sin and death and even resurrection when we are supposed to be thinking about a birth of a baby in a stable, surrounded by shepherds and magi and celebrated by a heavenly host. It might cause you to wonder what was going on in the heads of those who chose this passage to be read during Advent. What kind of malcontents insist on putting a damper on this holiday season, when the new regime has promised us that even store clerks will be able to say “Merry Christmas” once again? But I think they knew what they were doing and what they were doing is particularly important for us in these days. It’s not the baby that should be our focus in these days before Christmas: it’s the incarnation. And that’s why death and sin and resurrection are all important to keep in mind in this season when we are plagued by persistent pulls toward petty piety.

I have often thought I would like to play a video of a real birth at a Christmas Eve service. It would help us ground the birth of Jesus in the often harsh realities of the real world. Mary may well have pondered many things in her heart that night, but it was only after she had endured real pain and worry and fear. And that is what incarnation is about. It is about God coming to the pain of our lives. It is about God becoming part of a world in which worry and fear are never far from us. It is to suffer and to die. But as this passage from Romans reminds us, it is also to be raised from the dead and to walk in newness of life. The truth is we can truly experience that newness of life only after we know the reality of pain and suffering and fear. This Advent, let’s understand that this is at least part of what preparing for the birth of Christ is all about. It is only through the pain of childbirth that new life happens. So, let’s acknowledge the concerns and worries we have for ourselves, for those we love, for our world that are part of living in these days. We don’t need to wallow in them, but neither should we ignore them, thinking that somehow they undercut the merriness of Christmas. They are, after all, the reason we need a savior. The incarnation reminds us that God is with us in our all our concerns and worries and suffering, so it is possible to face them. And God leads us through all this to new life. This is our faith. This is our incarnation/resurrection hope.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered by Jeff Jones, author, teacher, seeker of the Christ Child.

Waiting Time

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Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-10; I Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

Look at the fig tree and all the trees. As soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.

One thing Jesus did so well was to speak in the language of regular people. He talked about farming and shepherding and the natural world, stuff that everyone understood. He pointed to the turn of the seasons and the food coming from the land.

As a farmer, I, too, appreciate Jesus’ words about seeing things coming into season. I look for the first signs of potatoes sprouting up out of the cold ground in the spring. And I long for the blackberries to finally ripen into bursts of sweetness. The kale tastes that much better after the first frost.

It’s a little harder for us now to appreciate Jesus’ agrarian words. Asparagus no longer just appears in the spring when it is growing outside, but all year round. Crisp apples no longer just show up with the crisp fall air.  But we do still see the leaves bud out on the trees. The leaves fall in the autumn and we are reminded of the turning of the seasons and the pattern of the year.

As our natural world cycles so, too, Advent comes to us again, reminding us of the season of waiting, of anticipation. We may no longer have to wait for the season of asparagus or apples, but we do still wait for Jesus, for the Incarnation, for the birth of joy and hope into our broken world.

This year, amidst a fractured world, torn by ugly elections, ongoing war in the Middle East, and moving through the inevitable shortened days of our northern hemisphere, we once again wait. We wait for hope. We wait for light to return. We wait for a Savior who will come and show us again and again what it means to love as God loves and to work for the kingdom of God. We wait. And we shall know the kingdom of God is near.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered by Karen Gale, farmer, minister, seeker of the Christ Child.

Christ is Born!

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Readings: Isaiah 62:6-12; Psalm 97; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:8-20

When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:17-19

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Today the  Word is made flesh. This Word that was in the beginning, that created all things, is now here in our midst as one of us. I love Eugene Peterson’s translation of John’s prologue in The Message: “The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood…” and now the neighborhood, the world, the cosmos is changed forever. Merry Christmas indeed! I love equally the joy experienced by the shepherds who are the first team of missionaries making known to all their conversion experience. And I love Mary—she who treasured and pondered all that had happened and is happening. This Grand Miracle, as C.S. Lewis calls it, may be best expressed in a “Hymn on the Nativity” by Ephrem of Syria (c.306-373).

Your mother is a cause for wonder: the Lord entered her
and became a servant; he who is the Word entered
and became silent within her; thunder entered her
and made no sound; there entered the Shepherd of all,
and in her he became the Lamb, bleating as he came forth.

Your mother’s womb has reversed the roles:
The Establisher of all entered in his richness,
but came forth poor; the Exalted One entered her,
but came forth meek; the Splendrous One entered her,
but came forth having put on a lowly hue.

The Mighty One entered, and put on insecurity
from her womb; the Provisioner of all entered
and experienced hunger; he who gives drink to all entered
and experienced thirst: naked and stripped
there came forth from her he who clothes all.

Holy Family artwork offered by Margaret Hill and words offered by Bill Albritton, companions seeking the Christ Child.

Come and Worship

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Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

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There is a certain stillness to this moment
the journey is over, a place of rest has been found
the pain of birth is yet to begin
there is a certain stillness to this moment

We know it will not continue so
we know the journey will begin again—all too soon
forced by fearful rulers whose only desire is to protect their position
and their power
we know the struggle to live and grow and learn and love will once again
commence
we know, too, that for the child born this night it will lead to conflict, to
controversy
to suffering and to death
we know that life will take its toll on him
as it does on everyone
as it has on us
we know all that, but now there is stillness
now we can rest and know a peace more profound than any other
the peace that comes from knowing God is in this moment

In the quiet, in this God-given moment, the child stirs—the time has come
there is pain, contracting pain, as all of life contracts
into this one moment through
which it must pass
there is pain—all creation groaning in the pangs of childbirth
there is pain
and God is here now, too—in the pain as well as in the peace
God is here now, too

Because God is here the pain has a new dimension to it
there is hope in the pain
there is love in the pain
there is joy, even joy, in the pain.
Yet the pain increases, its intensity grows—it becomes greater, and greater still
until it is fulfilled
fulfilled in the birth of newness and wonder
fulfilled in the birth of a child who is a king
fulfilled in the birth of our salvation
and she brought forth her firstborn child and wrapped in swaddling clothes
and laid him in a manger
it is through this pain that our salvation is born!

There was stillness on the hillside that night as well
shepherds watching over the flock by night
there was a stillness
perhaps a fire glowing for light and warmth
perhaps a tiredness that comes from work—hard work over a long day
now there is stillness—sheep are safely grazing, shepherds resting
now there is stillness

Until the words of wonder are spoken
by presence felt—in voice unknown, unknowable
good tidings of great joy—great joy for all the people
unto you is born this day a savior who is Christ the Lord
unto you is born this day salvation and all its splendor
unto you is born this day a child, wrapped in swaddling cloths and
lying in a manger
unto you is born this day a babe of unwed mother, without power or
prestige or position
unto you is born this day another poor and lowly baby, a child of the
no-accounts, the nobodies of this world
unto you is born this day the king of kings and lord of lords
unto you is born this day the one who shall reign forever and ever
hallelujah, hallelujah amen

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us
in words of wonder, words of faith they proclaimed the deepest desire of
the human heart
to be in the presence of the holy
to connect with that which is eternal
to worship God
and they came and found the child

they knelt down and they worshipped him.

And now the wonder of the ages comes to us
it is no longer long ago and very far away
it is no longer about birthing in a manger and shepherds on a hillside
it is now—it is here—it is us
in the stillness of this moment God is present
in the stillness of this moment the child comes—to us.

Christ is born this night—come and worship

Forgiveness is born this night—come and worship
and at the stable find release from guilt and fear
find love beyond measure to make up for all you have done and left undone
all the ways you have failed
all the things you could be but haven’t yet become

Peace is born this night—come and worship
and among the lowly animals find a warmth that even warms the soul
find comfort for your grief, calm in the midst of the trials of your living

Healing is born this night—come and worship
and in the love that is present here find wholeness for all your brokenness
find a balm for wounds of the body and torments of the spirit, a salve for
every sinsick soul

Joy is born this night—come and worship
and in the cries that echo forth find not just happiness but something far
more precious
find joy, deep, abiding joy that depends not on good times or pleasant
circumstances
find joy that only comes in living as God’s own children

Salvation is born this night—come and worship
and in this manger rude and bare find everything that matters
find life and love and life made new
find God, find even God

Christ is born this night—come and worship.

Offered by Jeff Jones, seeker of the Christ Child, child of God.

Artwork offered by Margaret Hill, drawer of the Holy, pray-er, child of God.

Heart Full of Joy

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Readings: Luke 1:46b-55, Micah 4:6-8, 2 Peter 1:16-21

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:46b-49

None of us can imagine all of the private thoughts and questions of Mary, but I think of Mary’s expression of what she feels in her heart – namely, joy.

She spends most of the time describing the way God is in general. Her spiritual beauty reaches its emotional peak in the first part of her song where she responds from the heart to all God did for her: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. Mary mentions what God has done specifically for her as an individual (verses 48 and 49).

I am moved by Mary’s other-centeredness. She doesn’t look at her situation through the lens of her own personal situation. She displays a sense that she is the most privileged and most blessed person for her God given role, even though it would come at a great personal cost. Would there be disgrace? Would she be an outcast? Would she be stoned? Would she be divorced? This is astounding coming from a teenage girl!

I can’t help but ask: What and how did Mary at such a young age acquire such faith and trust? I am reminded and convicted of how important it is to a young person’s life to hear scripture read and to teach and live God’s word around them. Allow God’s word to soak into their hearts. I am so challenged by Mary’s level of complete other-centeredness.

I consider the parallel between Mary and every Christian. Do you and I share in Mary’s joy?

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered by Donna Eby, worker for the needy, student of scripture, child of God.

Tipping the Scales

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Readings: Luke 1:46b-55, Micah 4:1-5, Ephesians 2:11-22

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He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy. Luke 1:52-54

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Offered by Colin Fredrickson, artist, high school senior, child of God.

Through and For

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Readings: Psalm 113, Genesis 25:19-28, Colossians 1:15-20

He is the image of the Invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16

All things have been created through him and for him? The one who was with God from the beginning, who is God, is the one I’m walking to Bethlehem to see? Nothing is disconnected from him, and nothing is lost to him. Billions of stars and uncountable sub-atomic particles are joined together in him. All the creatures who ever were, all who are, and all who shall some day come to be, are related in him.

No one is lost, abandoned, or forgotten. Everything is held by God, created for God’s delight. Perhaps God came to us as a baby so we might have the gift of holding him.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.