We have finally passed the milestone- that day each year marked as the shortest daylight day. Each year, I find this an interesting phenomena. Most go about the day without noticing it or even realizing that the following day a few more minutes of daylight was added. It is not a stark change but rather a slow, gradual change. Sure, 3 months from now the difference will be clear, but not so today.
Perhaps that is why we place the birth of Jesus right at this same time of the year. Perhaps the birth of Jesus is this reminder that light is shining now more than ever before. In the darkest of nights, in the longest of days, that is exactly where God shows up.
And isn't it the way of God to gradually, but incrementally, change our world? Surely God could have taken some other approach to show our world the depth of his love for all, but instead it was a slow and steady spreading. It is much like yeast, a common element in baking that Jesus uses in one of his parables. In Matthew 13:33 Jesus compares God's kingdom to yeast... "He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in a bushel of wheat flour until the yeast had worked its way through all the dough.”
Just as each day adds a few minutes, each century has seen Christianity spread- the yeast of the Good News working. The yeast doesn't happen instantly but works its way through the dough. Perhaps this longest day of the year is also a great reminder that when night seems to be engulfing the light, God shows up and shines brighter. Yes, God isn't quite finished; instead, God is still working in this world until all have heard the most amazing news- "You are inherently loved by God and are lovable! Go, and love others in the same way!"
May we celebrate the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, in this season of Christmas!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
In the Shadows
I often wonder the details that are left out of the Christmas story.
Certainly we have the basics and see it in every pageant- things like angels,
Mary, Joseph, a manger, a baby, Magi, and shepherds. Yet over the years,
I have become a bit curious about that which isn't mentioned.
Let me explain...
We have heard the Christmas tale as something that all happens in a night. Yet if we read the only two Gospels with Jesus' birth story, we find that they tell two different narratives. In one, Joseph's experience in Matthew is marked by his wrestling with what to do and an angelic intervention that culminates with the simple 25th verse- "He had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Between that verse and 2:11, it appears that some time has passed- most believe two years (2:16). What happened between Jesus' birth and the visit of the Magi?
Or if you prefer the Lukan text, we have Mary as the primary person in which the angel Gabriel appears to her and by the end, she is at peace with being pregnant. While 'with child,' she visits a relative who is also pregnant with a child (John the Baptist) who leaps in her womb and Elizabeth declares how blessed Mary is. Upon this interchange, the beautiful words of Mary are followed. Soon after Jesus' birth is shared in Luke 2, angels and shepherds have an interaction and they head to see this child. Upon their return, they can’t help but worship!
When the narratives are combined, they make for a majestic story! Angels appearing to both Mary and Joseph, to Zechariah and to shepherds as well! Another child leaping in a womb! Two songs of praise by Mary and Zechariah! A birth in a barn! Magi following a star, interceding on Jesus’ behalf. It is a lot to take in!
Yet, in the shadows, are untold stories. In the shadows are the details of the parents delight over a son. In the shadows are the first coo’s, the first flip by the baby, the first crawling around the house, the first word spoken by Jesus. In the shadows are Mary and Joseph’s response to Magi appearing at their home.
In the shadows remain the fullness of the mystery of our Christmas story. And I suppose that is what has always been, and will be, for us- the great mystery! The shadowy details invite us to dig deeper, to imagine, to paint pictures in our mind and on canvas, of what it must have been like.
Or perhaps it is as simple as pondering such a phrase from the mouth of an angel… “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28) Yes, Emmanuel- God with us…He is really with us and that is just what we need to hear once again this Christmas.
Let me explain...
We have heard the Christmas tale as something that all happens in a night. Yet if we read the only two Gospels with Jesus' birth story, we find that they tell two different narratives. In one, Joseph's experience in Matthew is marked by his wrestling with what to do and an angelic intervention that culminates with the simple 25th verse- "He had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Between that verse and 2:11, it appears that some time has passed- most believe two years (2:16). What happened between Jesus' birth and the visit of the Magi?
Or if you prefer the Lukan text, we have Mary as the primary person in which the angel Gabriel appears to her and by the end, she is at peace with being pregnant. While 'with child,' she visits a relative who is also pregnant with a child (John the Baptist) who leaps in her womb and Elizabeth declares how blessed Mary is. Upon this interchange, the beautiful words of Mary are followed. Soon after Jesus' birth is shared in Luke 2, angels and shepherds have an interaction and they head to see this child. Upon their return, they can’t help but worship!
When the narratives are combined, they make for a majestic story! Angels appearing to both Mary and Joseph, to Zechariah and to shepherds as well! Another child leaping in a womb! Two songs of praise by Mary and Zechariah! A birth in a barn! Magi following a star, interceding on Jesus’ behalf. It is a lot to take in!
Yet, in the shadows, are untold stories. In the shadows are the details of the parents delight over a son. In the shadows are the first coo’s, the first flip by the baby, the first crawling around the house, the first word spoken by Jesus. In the shadows are Mary and Joseph’s response to Magi appearing at their home.
In the shadows remain the fullness of the mystery of our Christmas story. And I suppose that is what has always been, and will be, for us- the great mystery! The shadowy details invite us to dig deeper, to imagine, to paint pictures in our mind and on canvas, of what it must have been like.
Or perhaps it is as simple as pondering such a phrase from the mouth of an angel… “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28) Yes, Emmanuel- God with us…He is really with us and that is just what we need to hear once again this Christmas.
Monday, December 9, 2013
A World of Slogans
We live in world marked by its desire to market catchy, memorable slogans. Certainly some will stand the test of time like Nike's "Just Do It" or the Marine's "The Few, The Proud, The Marines." When one asks you to name these marketing schemes, it isn't often that you meet someone that doesn't know them.
This idea of marketability has transcended into much of our lives- 'If it isn't memorable then it is forgettable' I was once told. We see it in acronyms like KISS (Keep it simple stupid), in prayers (God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference), and in quotable statements like "A child will be born to us..."
In this season of Advent, we are invited to pause, to wait, to ponder the interaction of God and humanity. We are invited to the ancient testimony of the simplicity of the story of a young family's journey and birth of their firstborn. We are invited to enter the peace of a silent night as the Incarnate One lays in the manger, fast asleep.
And we don't just observe, we receive an invitation...invited to be a part of the story, to be intimately involved in the story! This baby isn't just a joy to his parents, but to the entire cosmos! And much later, this child tells a parable about a Great Banquet in which all are invited and there is enough for each one! "For God's ways are not our ways" Isaiah reminds us.
This season, we are invited to feast at this banquet once more. Yet a part of the story that we may miss is that it isn't just our banquet, it is the banquet of all. Are you making space for the 'others' at the table? Are you passing the goodness of this table to those on your right and on your left?
Are you willing to spend less this year on gifts and decorations and all that stuff that is marketed to us deemed the 'important' part of the season and instead give what you didn't spend away? Are you willing to help provide the most basic thing- water- to another that they may have life?
Perhaps the marketing slogan we need to have echoing in our minds this season is this-
"Less is More!"
For certainly this is the very essence of our Christmas story, isn't it?
This idea of marketability has transcended into much of our lives- 'If it isn't memorable then it is forgettable' I was once told. We see it in acronyms like KISS (Keep it simple stupid), in prayers (God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference), and in quotable statements like "A child will be born to us..."
In this season of Advent, we are invited to pause, to wait, to ponder the interaction of God and humanity. We are invited to the ancient testimony of the simplicity of the story of a young family's journey and birth of their firstborn. We are invited to enter the peace of a silent night as the Incarnate One lays in the manger, fast asleep.
And we don't just observe, we receive an invitation...invited to be a part of the story, to be intimately involved in the story! This baby isn't just a joy to his parents, but to the entire cosmos! And much later, this child tells a parable about a Great Banquet in which all are invited and there is enough for each one! "For God's ways are not our ways" Isaiah reminds us.
This season, we are invited to feast at this banquet once more. Yet a part of the story that we may miss is that it isn't just our banquet, it is the banquet of all. Are you making space for the 'others' at the table? Are you passing the goodness of this table to those on your right and on your left?
Are you willing to spend less this year on gifts and decorations and all that stuff that is marketed to us deemed the 'important' part of the season and instead give what you didn't spend away? Are you willing to help provide the most basic thing- water- to another that they may have life?
Perhaps the marketing slogan we need to have echoing in our minds this season is this-
"Less is More!"
For certainly this is the very essence of our Christmas story, isn't it?
Monday, December 2, 2013
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!!!
Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? Yesterday was only December 1st! Yet in the Christian Tradition, the first Sunday of Advent marks the start of a new year. It is a time where we start from the beginning and retell the story of our ancestors waiting for the coming of the Messiah, longing for deliverance, hoping that they would be set free.
For 4 weeks, we gather to wait, to prepare and to anticipate the coming of the Christ-child. We gather weekly to be reminded that in the midst of our isolation, in the overwhelming reality of daily life marked by a soul-crying prayer, "God, where are you?", we remember that God is not far off but is actively at work.
Yesterday, we explored Psalm 66. Known for its beauty, it calls the whole earth to worship, the people of God to worship and the individual to worship. In essence, it is a Psalm that leads us to worship fully!
As the Christian New Year kicks off, perhaps this season is one that could marked by our decisions:
What if this year we decided to worship fully through Advent and rejoice on Christmas?
What if this year we decided to make a priority the inner spiritual life?
What if this year we believed that we are stronger when we are working together?
What if this year, we looked at our resources and asked through prayer and meditation, "How may I use these to bless others?"
My hope for the New Year are a people that continue to awaken to the presence of God in our lives. I hope that we become a people marked by a joy that is unwavering, a hope that unfailing, a love that is contagious and lives which are marked by the touch of the Spirit. May this New Year be the best one yet!
Sounds a bit odd, doesn't it? Yesterday was only December 1st! Yet in the Christian Tradition, the first Sunday of Advent marks the start of a new year. It is a time where we start from the beginning and retell the story of our ancestors waiting for the coming of the Messiah, longing for deliverance, hoping that they would be set free.
For 4 weeks, we gather to wait, to prepare and to anticipate the coming of the Christ-child. We gather weekly to be reminded that in the midst of our isolation, in the overwhelming reality of daily life marked by a soul-crying prayer, "God, where are you?", we remember that God is not far off but is actively at work.
Yesterday, we explored Psalm 66. Known for its beauty, it calls the whole earth to worship, the people of God to worship and the individual to worship. In essence, it is a Psalm that leads us to worship fully!
As the Christian New Year kicks off, perhaps this season is one that could marked by our decisions:
What if this year we decided to worship fully through Advent and rejoice on Christmas?
What if this year we decided to make a priority the inner spiritual life?
What if this year we believed that we are stronger when we are working together?
What if this year, we looked at our resources and asked through prayer and meditation, "How may I use these to bless others?"
My hope for the New Year are a people that continue to awaken to the presence of God in our lives. I hope that we become a people marked by a joy that is unwavering, a hope that unfailing, a love that is contagious and lives which are marked by the touch of the Spirit. May this New Year be the best one yet!
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