Are You Expecting The Advent Of Jesus?
Good Morning Friends,
One of the biggest hurdles to believe that the Bible is inspired, is the whole thinking around the incarnation of Jesus as the Word made flesh. It was something very unexpected for the Jews and perhaps we should anticipate the unpredictable in Jesus’ second return as well. Sure, there is tension in this, but you see, God promises that we are not fear because of the powerful love of Jesus…for the Word made flesh, casts out all fear. That is why God came into the world fully human and divine and will return to rule. Of course, Jesus’ return all hinges on the incarnation…the birth of Jesus. So too we are to prepare for something astonishing. So, as we put the Thanksgiving decorations up and get out the Christmas ones it is appropriate to begin the liturgical year at the connecting point where the mystery of the end and the beginning converge. Here God promises to redeem us and buy us out of slavery. God promises to call us by name, as Christians. He promises that He is our Father and we His children that we belong to Him and He is for us. He promises to be there in good times and bad as the Lord of our body, mind and spirit. And being the way, the truth, the life, our Savior, He promises to see us as precious throughout eternity, for as God lives, we live. So, embrace the mystery of the unimaginable price paid so you might have a whole and lasting life from beginning to end. Know, in the light of these promises kept, your true worth and purpose to grow. Are You Expecting The Advent Of Jesus?
Scripture: When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
Psalm 91:15 (NRSV)
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. 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. 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. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 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— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Isaiah 43:1-7 (NRSV)
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
John 1:9-14 (NRSV)
So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.
Romans 11:11 (NRSV)
And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:14 (NRSV)
I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
John 10:9 (KJV)
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV)
Message: My desire today is not to replace the importance of Jesus’ first coming and the importance of Israel in this, but to share some thoughts around our role in Jesus’s second coming as Gentiles. We like Noah have a job to do related to Christ’s second coming. There is nothing we could have done to bring Jesus to earth the first time. Thankfully God loves us despite who we are, Jew or Gentile. And God loves us no matter what we feel and think and despite what we do too. However, because we are part of His creation and He desires for us to trust in Him and believe, I think that the message of Christ draws us into a conversation about how we might be part of Jesus’ second coming. And this is a little confusing because most are not comfortable with Jesus coming back a second time. Friends, God became flesh to make us divine. God did the heavy lifting. Our role is to be blessed to see how the power of how words connect thoughts and emotions to the wisdom and Word made flesh in the love of Jesus…in the love of God who sent his son so we might be saved. The value of this time of year is Christ. And Christ’s message of love and peace is to be shared but also to be valued in such a way that it prompts others to be jealous for their lack of it. You see, the story of the Garden, the Flood, the Exodus, and the Arks speaks to the judgment of God with the door being shut whereas Jesus’ open door though the death and resurrection speaks to God’s grace in preparation for a time when the door most likely will again be shut to protect His creation. Like in the time of Noah few are focused on or expecting the challenge of what is to come.
And So, the beauty of the Ark story is how well it connects the time of beginnings and ending. And there is something about this that should surprise us. We see here that God’s call to Noah is like a father kindly calling his children home in preparation for a storm he sees coming. So too Noah reminds us of the call of the Gospel to sinners, the call to come home, come home, come as you are to the safety and security of a life in Jesus. The story of Noah and the Ark is our very own invitation even today, an echo of one of the great invitations in the Bible. You see, the Ark was built on the faith of a man. So too our faith is the foundation of our salvation in Christ and the comfort of the Body of Believers. We come to the door of decision, hearing the call of the Spirit, listening for God’s instructions, knowing that our faith in His power keeps us waiting, keeps us growing in His creation. Here Jesus ushers us into His salvation, the salvation of eternity… the future. For here in the face of death, in this mortal body we learn of God’s attitude, here we learn to wait through the trials, uncertainty, difficulties and heartaches of life to prepare us for the promise that He will meet our needs into eternity. Here God helps us to walk through the door where we stand ready to call all who would hear into the comfort of the Savior, the power of God. Here people make the decision to shut the door on God, force the door shut so others cannot enter or learn to wait and allow God in the fullness of His time to determine when He will open and shut the door. Indeed, it is a test of our life, the test of our obedience and faith how we experience the door and ultimately in the time of our birth, in the hour of our death, in the moment of our learning to live anew in Christ, we discover and rediscover the answer to our role in helping others to prepare for the unforeseen reality to come. Friends, Jesus is knocking at the door. Open it.
Pray that this Advent we appreciate what the incarnation means for us and for others. Pray we realize that God still loves the world. Pray we have a peace and joy that opens the hearts of others and prompts them to desire for themselves a belief in Jesus. Pray we thank our Jewish friends for our relationship with God though Jesus and the scripture we see as manifested in His life and his incarnation. Pray that this season we praise God because He is the origin and owner of our praise. Pray that we reflect this praise in word and deed. Pray that the praise be continual. Pray that we become a blessing all the time. Pray that our vision of God never be small, blurred or blind but magnified in our hearts. Pray for our peace. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray we are ok with Christ ruling in our hearts. Pray we rejoice in the Word made flesh. Pray we realize that the only sane thing we can do is to have a love in us to share. Pray we keep the light on from the inside out. Pray we are pleasantly surprised by the joy of Jesus when He knocks at the door of our hearts. Pray we be children of light in preparation for the homecoming.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 