“Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
I can love, for He first loved me
I can pray, for He listens over me
I live, because He was born, lived and died for me
I sing, enjoy beauty, because He first sang over me
As we enter Christmas week 2021, I am both returning to the roots of my first ‘Advent Wonder’ 2014 reflections and reversing, turning over in part, these first starts. From the beginning the thought was to build a short, concise yet deepening thought on Advent over a four week period, twice a week. Focused on brevity as people are quite busy during this season, we opened the week on Mondays and closed the week on Fridays with these reflections.
This year I opened Mondays with Old Testament scriptures concerning the Messiah’s coming ( the 2021 series is entitled ‘his coming’ ) and closed Fridays with a corresponding New Testament scripture that contained and deepen Monday’s share.
So, this week of Christmas 2021, I will keep the focused brevity but share the New Testament Messianic words on Monday and the corresponding Old Testament one on Friday. Why? Because this week He is no longer ‘coming’ but Jesus is here, He comes. So, we go today, not to a manger but to Jesus on the cross…
29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The last prayers of Jesus’ torturers, his murders is for Him to ‘come down.’ Praying, looking, pleading for a Messiah to come for hundreds of years, without a touch of self awareness and knowledge, they repeat this prayer for Jesus ‘to come.’ But they want him to ‘come down.’ They want a Jesus that fits their preconceived ideas of a Messiah. They say they want ‘to see’ but they are blind.
Blind to the fact that their, our, Messiah has come to a cross, by way of a manger, for all. He walked, ate, taught and spoke with them. He prayed for them. Yet, they still prayed for Him to ‘come down.’
Sadly, they do not see.
He comes, but some cannot see. Sadly, they see not.
My prayer: Lord, my Jesus, help me to see you, more and more, all days. Let me see you more. Come.
from Romans 1:16 ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.’
Why did Jesus come to earth? What do we celebrate, really celebrate, at Christmas, at Advent? What is this, his coming, meaning?
Paul’s writings and life reflect the purpose, the depth and breath, of Advent. His life is Advent’s scope.
A serial murderer; a destroyer of lives, of life; a hater, Paul has a great deal to be ashamed of.But he is not. He believes that his murdering of the innocent is not a good thing but the best of actions. Paul is killing for his Pharisaical beliefs with love. He is killing fo his faith.
Yet, Jesus enters; Paul is spoken to; thrown off his killing Damascus journey; blinded for 3 days; and embraced by a Christian and healed. Paul can know see Jesus and the gospel truth: Jesus came for him. And what is the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ coming? It is to remove all sin, and all of the shame of sin, from our lives. Both sin and its seemingly enduring shames are totally removed.
Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because he – a serial murderer – is not ashamed of himself.
Jesus comes at Advent for Paul, He comes for me. He comes to remove sin and its shames. He comes as a newborn to create newborns. He comes to create Paul from Saul. Paul writes on this coming to his adopted son, in 1 Timothy 1:
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners —of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
and…
14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Advent is a time to prepare for His coming, His pouring out of grace, and faith and healing love. And it is poured out ‘abundantly’ or as a previous NIV translation states, in ‘overflow.’
Jesus comes, pours, washes, heals in such overflow that sin and its shames are no more. Advent is a time of reflecting and meditating on His overflow. He comes.
My prayer: Lord, I worship you for you overflow … not just for me, but for all. For even the worst of sinners. Come, overflow, my Lord. Come.
Each of these past four Mondays our 2021 Advent series ‘advent 4, his coming’ has focused on Old Testament scriptures that specifically reference the Messiah’s coming. Looking to an unknown future time, prophets prayed and spoke as messengers of Him; people waited, in moments patiently and at times in anger. But all looked for a coming. Today I sit with you and meditate on this prayerful desire of the past, for our Saviour ‘to come.’
What does it mean this, 2021 Holiday season, to the church, to people, to expect a ‘coming?’
First, consider, how many family members have not been together for over a year due to the pandemic: untold numbers desire friends and family members to be, to come together. There is pain in silences and absences, in the lack of comings, the invitations not given or accepted. And the pandemic is not the only reason there is no voiced request, ‘come to my house.’ And some families are fractured, broken. There is no invitations; no comings.
I have a friend who has not seen their grandchildren or children in over a year. The pandemic and unforgiving of past hurts has isolated them from family, from friendship. The other day they spoke, prayerfully, of the desire to be invited in. They would drop everything to go in response. Why? They do desire to be asked to come. To see babies and children. Friends and family. And yet, think, how much more did the shepherds and the Magi; the angels and the prophets of Jesus’ time desire for the Messiah, the Saviour to come,…? Deeply, they desire His Advent, His coming. Even more than family or country, as the Magi who left all to see… even more than their sheep and livelihood, as shepherds who left Bethlehem’s fields…and even more than angels who leave heaven for earth to sing of their and our Emmanuel.
Our Lord promises, not just that he will come in response to prayers, but we will also come to him, Psalm 65 states this, ‘O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.’ and from another pray filled Psalm,
Psalm 86:9 ‘All the nations You have made will come and bow before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.’
Family and friends may be too hurting, or to frightened of Covid to invite others this season to come to them.
But our Lord not only invites us in but also comes down from the heavens to come to us.
He promises to invite us in and to come. Always. He comes in answer to prayers and praise as we glorify his name. He comes.
My prayer: Emmanuel, come. Be with all the uninvited, the hurting, the lonely. Come.
Advent is a time for the church and its people to prepare. As John the Baptists, we sit in the dark winters of life, meditating and reflecting; praying and preparing. We try to prepare a way to Jesus incarnate, so we can see and hear Him as he comes. As He came. He, our Messiah, came as a baby. As a child he started life as all children begin: to receive life and love. Yes, babies give joys but in truth, as their lives begin, they really can only receive. How, what do they receive? They receive food and milk; love and endearing human touches; they are carried and gently rocked to sleep. They receive and if they need a nappy change, food, or a touch they cry. The baby Jesus must have cried. Though we see the adult Jesus cry deeply only once. He cries at his friend’s Lazarus’ death. Here is John’s narrative of that moment,
John 11: 32 – 35 “ When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.
John just writes, ‘Jesus wept.’ Simple and specific. An action left open to our imaginings, what type of tears? Did our Lord groan, cry out? Or did close His eyes and weep in darkness?
For me it is enough to know that Jesus cried, that He wept.
Though he knows he will raise Lazarus, Jesus still cries because he feels. He feels the brokenness and sorrows death brings; He cries for the loss of fellowship; He weeps gently and angrily, and he cries also for me. His tears are for my hurts and rejections; for my failures and mis steps.
I can love because He first loved me. 1 John 4: 19
I can weep for He first wept over me.
Jesus came to teach us to weep as children cry when they see injustice and evil ; sorrows and lost; the broken and the hurting.
He loves us so, He weeps
My prayer: help me to cry as you cry My Lord…help me to love as you loved
‘For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.’ Hoses 6:6;
‘But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”’ Matthew 9:13
The New Testament, the words of Jesus’ teaching and living, call out the essences of the Old Testament. Jesus brings these older scriptures to new life, renewed meanings. A new coming: an Advent. A Messiah’s journey.
Jesus quotes a one specific Old Testament book twice at the beginnings of his Messianic journey, the book of Hosea. There are two central strands in the project’s Hosea’s text. The first is his call by the Lord to marry Gomer, a prostitute, this is the story strand of Hosea’s life: his call to marry; their children; Gomer’s painful unfaithfulness and her return to prostitution and then in closing Hosea’s forgiveness and his loving redemption of the unfaithful, or: mercy. And the second strand is a clear raison d’être of why Hosea is so called to supernatural mercy. Our lord loves us because we are his. And Hosea 11 describes this merciful overflowing love,
from Hosea 11
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. 2 But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.
3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.
Just as a child does not fully comprehend how their parents walk with and for them; how a father leads and a mother lifts them to their cheek and how parents bend down to feed them, so the Jewish people did not know who is loving them. They don’t see or hear the Jesus before them. Why? Hosea continues his sharing the Lord’s words to his people, beginning with a question,
“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.”
Here, the Lord describes his leaving the unfaithful to Egypt and Assyria; to the idols of Baals and images they worship. Images that form idols in their own hearts. Their own idols block their hearts and eyes; ears and spirits from seeing and hearing. And if left in their Gomer like state, they will always be unloved; or never experiencing the Lord’s mercy.
But our Lord then asks another question, first, for himself and then also of Ephraim, for their healing and restoration,
8 “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim?( My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused
Not some, or most but all of the Lord’s compassions are aroused. His heart is changed within him. In the Hebrew this type of change strongly implies ‘crying.’ So, the Lord of the universe loves us so so much, He cries, deeply, over us.
This is the first time in the scriptures we see The Lord crying. And who is it over?
It is over Gomers; and Ephraim; over you and me.
This is mercy: tears for the unfaithful and for the hurting. It is all His compassion, all. We are precious because He weeps over us, all.
My prayer: Lord please welcome me into your hands, your loving healing protective hands, no matter how I may fail you. Love me as I fail. Let your tears wash me.
2 Corinthians 9:15 ‘Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!’
Paul is always attempting to describe his experiences with the Lord. From his fall on the road to Damascus to his immediate blindness; from his journeys to Jerusalem, Corinth, Colossi etc.; to his stay in Arabia restudying the scriptures. In all his letters, his writings and his speeches, Paul seeks to describe the indescribable: the gift of the gospel – Jesus’ coming as both the the proclaimer and the proclamation, the gospel made flesh itself.
People respond to this indescribable gospel in many different ways. For example, some, when approached by the idea of a miraculous birth, are stuck mute ( Zechariah in Luke 1 ) while others sing as the Angels of Bethlehem’s fields. Some see those being released from demon possession as a miracle, while others see the work to the evil one himself. ( Matthew 12: 22-28 )
The good news of the gospel evokes then many diverse reactions, from fisherman immediately leaving their nets to angels stopping down from the heavens to reflect continually ( 1 Peter 1: 12 Weymouth New Testament )
But, what about the messenger? the proclaimer? As Jesus handles the precious gift of the gospel, his words and his actions; his heart and mind; and even His physical body, reveal essential attributes of the gospel, the gift . As Jesus answers John the Baptist’s disciples when they ask, Are you the one?
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see:
This is how Jesus reveals, proclaims the gospel: by His actions and His words. He is both messenger and the message at the same moment.
And Luke tells us how Jesus views both His mission and the good news of the gospel, ( 4 )
40 ‘ At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak,because they knew he was the Messiah.
42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.’
On this, His first journey after being tempted by the evil one in the desert and then rejected and driven out of his hometown, Jesus moves on. And His moving, His unstoppable coming journeys reveal the gospel: God so loved the world He must proclaim the Kingdom of love and mercy to all.
In Capernaum and surrounding towns Jesus heals at sunset; and He prays at the sunrise in a solitary space. He is at His Father’s, and their collective works: loving us.
We both are the receivers of the indescribable gift of the Gospel and the transformed of the gift. That is whom the angels stoop to see: us, living out the good news. And Capernaum’s people show us power of indescribable gift. They never want to see their gift leave.
Now, instead of threatening and driving Jesus away, the peoples come to Him and try to restrain Jesus from leaving them. And how does Jesus respond to outpouring, this overflow of love? He leaves. Why? He tells them,
“I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Jesus must leave this love feast because his mission is to proclaim. He must go. I am sure that his leaving was one of his daybreak prayer concerns. It is hard, so hard to leave those who love you, especially after trials and rejections. But leave Jesus must.
His proclaiming the good news of His, of our Kingdom, is why He was sent. The indescribable gift of the gospel is both the proclaimer and the message. And both have to be sent out. And to us. So,
44 “And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.”
Jesus’ words are still read and taught; still mediated on and spoken aloud.
So is his life. Why?
Because ‘ he kept on ‘. He kept on giving, giving, living, the Gospel. Even to the cross where he died for it, for us.
My prayer: daily my Lord, help me to see more, to stoop down deeper, into understanding the indescribable…
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