Good Morning Friends,
As we begin the four weeks of Advent it is a good time to reflect on the meaning of the peace we find in Christ and the Christian joy and the hope joy brings in our work of sharing the good news. It is a great time to contemplate our purposeful relationship with Jesus and what a gift our friendship has been and continues to be. It is a great time for us to experience the birth of Gospel joy… to proclaim Gospel joy… to learn to rejoice as we really begin to realize that God has come to be with us encouraging us to cultivate the fruit of Gospel joy and the peace this brings. We just need to say yes to the invitation to discover that Jesus, the great hope of mankind, is with us and we are his contemporary disciples. Today we explore the incarnational reality in which we are to share. Today we look at a great mystery of why of all the ways God could have come into this world, that the choice was one of humility. And so, we consider Jesus’ return and the mystery that His Kingdom has come and will come and is still to come. So, Are You Willing To Wait Patiently For A Holy Spirit Proclamation Of Christ’s Joyful Tranquility?
Scripture: A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1-10 (NRSV)
At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
Luke 10:21-24 (NRSV)
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 (NRSV)
Message: Imagine what the world would be like if God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never come to earth fully human and fully divine. That’s right…no Christmas. But that is just the beginning of what a pit we would be in without Jesus as an intermediary. Gone would be the amazing music as Bach, Beethoven and Handel. So too for many of our universities and hospitals. This work would not have existed without people who had hearts inspired and filled with compassion in the hope of a better world all because of their experience of a joyous Jesus. We do not usually think of Jesus as joyous, but he was filled to overflowing with joy. The expectation was that the Chosen One would have the wisdom of Solomon, the charisma of David, the godliness of Moses, and the military genius of Joshua. Yet God came as a baby – just a baby. And so now is the time of year to experience the hope and joy of little children and the wonderful mystery of family. It is the season. And as we begin the four weeks of Advent it is a good time to reflect on the reality that a child can lead, us for children bring us joy. Today’s scripture from Isaiah foretells it and in part may explain why Jesus came as a child like we came. The prophecy of a sprout out of the stump of Jesse… a promise of a time of justice… a time of grace…the hope of a new King who would excel in our every lack is exacted in a surprising way that took those who would stop him off guard. Maybe that is why we are drawn to new life and the joy of little children. Maybe that is why we are drawn to the Prince of Peace in the hope of peace.
And So, it takes patience and persistence to fully experience growth in the faith and believe in the mystery. Isaiah wrote today’s scripture reading 700 years before Christ was born with great precision as to what would happen to Jesus when He came to earth to save mankind. It foretells how God was to take a child known as the son of a carpenter and his peasant wife, a child cradled in a manger, who would become a man hung on the cross and hopefully in time become known to you as the Savior of the world. This young plant, this sprout from the stump of Jesse and King David was to be rejected even before He was born. Yet he was to be recognized with joy and hope even by a child in the womb. Friends, there is a lot of pain associated with the story, but also joy and hope. Such is life for one has to be all in the story to fully appreciate its abundance and be able to tell the story effectively. Maybe that is why was Isaiah writes with such optimism reflected in today’s scripture. Maybe that is why oppressed people sing and not just cry out in lament. Maybe it is why we too should we be joyous even during a pandemic as a witness that Jesus reigns. Maybe that is why we too are drawn to the hope of new life and the hope of the peace of joyful tranquility we associate with Christmas and the Good News of Christ shared.
Pray that we rejoice in the hope of Jesus and in the promise of peace proclaimed. Pray we experience the hope of the Father revealed through the Son in the words we share.
Pray this Advent season, that Jesus brings us nearer to his mystery and the way of love. Pray the Lord give us the meekness of a sprout in the hope of grace. Pray we experience the gift of a new day and a new life. Pray we realize that God has come to be with us encouraging us to cultivate the fruit of Gospel joy and the Word made flesh. Pray we see and hear what God is revealing to us this season. Pray we are persistent in seeking to experience the gift of a new day and a new life in Jesus. Pray we embrace the promised peace of Christ by becoming more Christlike in telling the story that changes us from the inside.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 