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SUNDAY RECAP 12.04.11

12/06/2011

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Last Sunday we celebrated the second week of Advent; during this forty-day period, we turn our focus and our spiritual rhythm to the incarnation of Christ and we prepare for an encounter with Jesus.
[Mark 1:1-8]
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way" - "a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.    
John comes, speaking of a Messiah, a Savior, who is to come... and while many respond in hope, there are still those in the crowds who must have thought, "I've heard this one before."
Our nature is prone to disillusionment; we hate to be let down and disappointed. 
Our lives seem to tell story after story of times and people that have done just that. So we are left, jaded and numb, questioning and skeptical.

But then Jesus steps in.
[John 1:14-15]
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'")
1. As the Word, Christ was God become vocal. Through Christ, God speaks His great and glorious message - that salvation is here - in a new and living language of life in Christ. 

2. As the Word, Christ was God become visible. Jesus portrays the mind and heart of God, reminding us that God loved the world so much, He gave Jesus so that all could believe, all could be forgiven, all could enter into life.

We should ask ourselves, "What difference does the incarnation make in my life?" As people who have been brought from darkness into light, who have heard the Word of God and responded to it, we are to make known the glorious name of Christ, the one who came to live among us and die for us. 
  • This is the Word of God – have we become jaded with it?
  • This is the Unexpected Word who came to an unexpecting world to save us in a most unexpected way – have we taken it for-granted?
  • This is the message of Christmas – are we bored with it?
  • This is the message of the Logos, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh – are we connected to Him?
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SUNDAY RECAP 11.27.11

11/30/2011

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Last Sunday began one of my favorite times of year - Advent, the celebration of the Incarnation of the Christ. Over the next 40 days, we will turn our focus and spiritual rhythm to the anticipation of Jesus' coming.

This anticipation and celebration is often elusive to us; we so hate to be let down and disappointed. So often we would rather keep the promise of God - with all of its uncertainty - at an arm's length rather than embrace it fully, which demands our trust and faith. But if we are to truly engage in the real depth and meaning of Advent, it begins with the understanding and belief that God keeps his promises.

On Sunday we said it like this:
The promises of God are inevitable, 
yet often unexpected.
And so when Paul talks about the return of Jesus (while referencing a prophecy of the coming of Christ) he writes,"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 
[1 Thess. 5:2]

What we see here is:
1. We can be unaware or unconcerned about Jesus' coming
"As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes." [Matthew 24:37-39]

2. We can be filled with guilt, fear, and shame at Jesus' coming 
 "What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for. That day will bring darkness, not light. Yes, the day of the Lord will be dark and hopeless, without a ray of joy or hope." [Amos 5:18, 20]

3. Or we can put our faith and hope in Christ, and be filled with joy and celebration that the day of the Lord has come 
"But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night."
[1 Thessalonians 5:4-5]
Paul's directive then is that those who believe in Jesus should be: 
1) Awake and aware of what God is doing; 2) Clearheaded and have a proper perspective on this life and the next; 3) Prepared and equipped for the unexpected day and work of God.
What difference will the incarnation make in 
your life this Advent season?
Prayer for the First Week of Advent 
“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; that in the last day, when He comes again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to eternal life; through him who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
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