We have our history!

Matthew 3:1  In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." 3  This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'" 4  Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5  Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6  and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 7  But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8  Bear fruit worthy of repentance. 9  Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 10  Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11  "I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

'We have Abraham as our ancestor' This was a proud claim of tradition and heritage. John the Baptist bluntly brushes this aside: he can be heard saying  ‘do not take pride in your heritage’. The claim of clan and culture pale into insignificance in the presence of God’. His challenge was for them to repent of their tribal pride and to embrace the unity given by the Holy Spirit.

First Sunday in Advent

2. Preparing the Way

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 20.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Authority

Matthew 4: 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."4 But he answered, "It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. '"5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,6 saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. '"

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Matthew begins and ends his Gospel by emphasizing the authority of Jesus. He opens with Jesus wrestling with the kind of authority he is given. We can hear Jesus asking:  “Am I being given authority to feed the poor, or to do religious tricks, or to be a political player?” By the end of Matthew’s Gospel about the authority of Jesus is clear: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”   There is no doubt here: His disciples are to tell everyone that all authorities – social, religious, political – are to acknowledge that they are accountable to an Ultimate Authority.

Let those who think that they are important remember that they owe their lives, and their power, to a Higher Authority – who calls us all to account for the ways we have used authority.  

First Sunday in Advent

2. Preparing the Way

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 20.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Finding Joy in our Children

Luke 1:5  In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6  Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7  But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. 8  Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, 9  he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10  Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. 11  Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12  When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. 13  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14  You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16  He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17  With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Luke 1:57  Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.....

The parents are promised a son who will give them “joy and gladness”. At the same time this son would become a preacher who will “turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God”. All too often parents believe that their joy will be found in keeping a tight hold on their children. John’s parents discovered that their joy would be found only when they became willing to let go of their child so that he could be available to serve God in the community.

Jesus-followers are God’s trustees of our children – but we are not to possess them. Instead they are to be set free to serve God.  

Pray the Prayer of Zechaiah.

Better still – find someone to read it responsively with you:

Luke 1:68  "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.

Luk 1:69  He has raised up a mighty saviour for us in the house of his servant David,

Luk 1:70  as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

Luk 1:71  that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.

Luk 1:72  Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant,

Luk 1:73  the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us

Luk 1:74  that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

Luk 1:75  in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Luk 1:76  And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

Luk 1:77  to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.

Luk 1:78  By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,

Luk 1:79  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

First Sunday in Advent

2. Preparing the Way

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 20.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

The Lord your God is in your midst

Zepaniah 3:14  Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15  The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. 16  On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17  The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18  as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. 19  I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. 20  At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.

Zephaniah is thought to be a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, and like Jeremiah he prophesied against the corruption and apostasy of the descendants of Abraham – both in Judah and in Israel. Having noted that they would be judged for their failure to live a life worthy of Godly people, Zephaniah then concludes his dire warnings with a song of hope: the Lord God will restore the strength of his people and will sing over them with joy. In addition to expressing his love for the remnant who survives the judgement, he will recover the lame, the outcast and all who were shamed by their defeat.... and their blessings will be restored.  

This is so often the pattern of our relationship with out Creator: words of warning mixed in with words of encouragement. When we strut the earth as if we are accountable to nobody, we need to hear God’s warning of our impending fall; but when we are bruised and hurting, we can hear God’s words of encouragement and blessing.  Christmas is the moment when we discover, like Zephaniah, that the “The LORD, your God, is in your midst” (Ch3:17). Let us be chastened if we ignore Him, and be encouraged if we are longing for Him.  

To Sing 

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee

is mighty, is mighty.

He will save and rejoice over thee

with joy, with joy.

He will rest in his love,

He will joy over thee with singing.

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee

is mighty, is mighty, is mighty.

Tapu Moala 1972 Scripture in Song

First Sunday in Advent

1. The Lord is Coming

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 14.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Hold Fast

Hebrews 10:11  And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, "he sat down at the right hand of God," 13  and since then has been waiting "until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet." 14  For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15  And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 16  "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," 17  he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 18  Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19  Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24  And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The invitation is to be in a Covenant with our Creator. This is a relationship that offers a life lived  “in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  But the reality of our Christian faith is that our very human spirits do not always live up to this Covenant: our doubting thoughts seek to undermine our “full assurance”; our unfaithful hearts reveal an “evil conscience”; and our “washed with pure water” bodies wander into sin. For this reason the writer urges us to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering”. The best way to do this is to meet together, encouraging each other to stay faithful – provoking “one another to love and good deeds”.   

Those who follow Jesus do not act alone: our faith is one of communal support and encouragement.

First Sunday in Advent

1. The Lord is Coming

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 14.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

You are Mine

Isaiah 43:1  But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4  Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5  Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6  I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth-- 7  everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." 8  Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! 9  Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them declared this, and foretold to us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, "It is true."

In the 6^th Century BC the people of God were conquered by the Babylonians and carried off into exile. The Prophet Isaiah had told them that their sinful acts of oppression and greed had caused them to lose God’s protection (Isaiah 1:15). Now he adds reassurance to his earlier words of judgement: despite being exiled from their homes and temple, God has not been left behind in their homeland: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you”. God has instructed Isaiah to tell his people that they are still “precious in my sight”.    Here is the core truth: even if we wander far away from Godly paths, God does not leave us. Even when we abandon God, our Creator does not abandon us!

First Sunday in Advent

1. The Lord is Coming

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 14.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Whose Kingdom & Whose Truth?

John 18:33  Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" 34  Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?" 35  Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?" 36  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." 37  Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

This conversation is written as if John was standing right next to Jesus, recording his conversation with Pontius Pilate.[1] Obviously this is not the case. It is a reconstruction that seeks to teach a theology of the Kingdom of God. This conversation uses the question “Are you a king?” to challenge those who hear this Gospel to think about their ultimate loyalties: would they be loyal to a temporary political power; or would they let an eternal spiritual power hold them accountable for their daily living? John challenges politicians, traditional leaders, and family heads to hold themselves accountable to a greater, spiritual authority.

Jesus-followers choose to hold ourselves accountable to a truth that is greater than the petty power-play of politicians, the gratuitous grasping of the greedy, and the pompous posturing of the pious.

First Sunday in Advent

1. The Lord is Coming

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 14.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

      

---

[1] The fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36.