Advent Day 18: Worship

¹ After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^{a]" style="line-height: 0.5em; font-size: small; font-style: italic; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">[a]} from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’^{b]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]}”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Herod was a different kind of ruler. He was heartless. He was responsible for many murders, including a wife and three sons. He was remembered most for the structures built in his reign. For example, he was the initiator of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem even though it would be be finished until sixty-eight years after he died.

Then the Magi showed up. They were a highly religious class of people. They mostly studied astrology, medicine, and other sciences. They had seen the star, too. The Magi were probably confused at this star that seemed so out of place. They studied the sky, they knew the star was not there before. So they went to King Herod and asked where the king of the Jews was supposed to be. Herod of course was disturbed. These Magi, these philosophers were not here to see him, but to ask of a baby and a star? This was something he needed to look into. Herod sent for the priests and teachers to answer the question. They answered him with Scripture.

Then Herod set a plan in motion: get the Magi to find out when exactly they had seen the star, and send them on a search; a quiet search. If they found the boy, tell him so "I too may go and worship him". But this was not the case. Herod was filled with jealousy and feared of what this infant meant to his kingdom.

The Magi found Jesus. They gave Him gifts, and were overjoyed, it says. They worshiped Him. The Magi, non-Jews, worshiped Him. This is important because it shows that even at Jesus' birth He was opening doors to everyone, not just the Jewish people. That was God's plan all along.

Scholars believe it was anytime between Jesus being forty days old to two years old, based on the accounts given in Luke when Jesus goes to be purified (done on the fortieth day) and Matthew's account of Herod's decree later that boys in Bethlehem, and the vicinity, of the age of two or younger to be killed.

Mary and Joseph were told in a dream of the plan of Herod, or at least warned not to go back the way they came. They routed to Egypt. They had never imagined that just in the first months, or years, of Jesus' life that they would have to protect His life like this. They couldn't murder their son.

Not yet, anyway.

Hey God,

Thank You for saving me, a Gentile. Thank You for opening up the door to everyone who will hear Your words. Lord, I pray that they hear and hear loudly the Your still small voice.

Amen.

Advent day 17:

^{Luke 2:8-20}

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

The sheep were calm, collected. They may have seen the star earlier, maybe made up stories of what it could mean. I don't think any of them would of thought it a sign from God. After all, God had been silent with His people for the last four hundred years.

Then the angel showed up. "The glory of God shone around them", it says, "and they were terrified." I love that. How often does the glory of God shine around us, bright as day, but we don't recognize it and get scared? But this angel calmed their minds, "Don't be afraid. I bring good news..." That's the way to do it. Tell me you're here for good reasons.

The shepherds listened probably out of fear, but at least they listened. This news that will cause great joy for all people was directed first to them. We don't know if they were Jews or not, but the fact that the angel just says that the Christ is in the city of David gives good reason to think they were. But don't miss this: the word was first heard and spread by the lowly of lowly. Royalty, as we'll see later, was made jealous by the Infant. Those who have everything feel no need to submit to admitting they don't actually have anything. But these shepherds were not ashamed or hesitant to tell of what God had told them.

They set off to find Jesus, and when they got there they praised Him. Mary and Joseph must have been shocked when they arrived, knowing who their Son was. Maybe a wave of relief came over them. Almost like, "We're not crazy. Someone else knows." Mary pondered these things; another story to tell Jesus later. The shepherds left to spread the good news of what they had seen: surely, the Christ had been born.

Later, having told all the people they saw, they returned to see the Child again. All the people they had told were amazed at their story. Maybe even a few of them came along with the shepherds back to the stable. "You don't believe me? Look at that star, and let me show you." I have to wonder if the inn keeper ever knew what happened that night, or if he thought the shepherds that were telling crazy stories of the Christ were just drunks who didn't know when to stop.

It doesn't tell us what happened to the shepherds, except that they just kept telling of all they had seen and heard. They kept praising and glorifying God. I suppose that's all we need to know.

Use me, the lowly, to praise You, the Highest.

Amen.

Advent day 16: New World

^{Luke 2:7}

7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

God became flesh. I wonder of the restraint, even as a baby, that God had to exercise. Did Jesus know then that He was God? Or did He have to develop His spiritual gifts like the rest of us? An old comedian once said that he didn't think Jesus knew as a baby because if He did, he was faking all those diaper changes. But even then, was that just another act of humility? Letting God Himself be raised by us.

But in this moment, in the manger, was He aware? Did he remember the last nine months of being nurtured by a human stomach? Was He seeing the world He created with new appreciation? Or with new disgust?

Maybe He didn't know anything. Maybe He too, like Mary and Joseph, wanted nothing more than to give into sleep that night. Was He aware that He was the last of the sacrificial lambs? Did He look at the lambs around Him and understand the grave He was here to defeat?

Hey God,

Simply: Thank You.

Amen.

Advent day 15: Delivered

^{Luke 2:5-7}

5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Mary and Joseph settled into their stable-like accommodations. It wasn't a room, it wasn't comfortable, but it was free. Joseph liked free. He and Mary looked around and saw the few lambs that were designated pure and blameless to be sacrificed when time came.

This is no place for the Son of God, Mary thought. The pains had gotten worse coming into Bethlehem, and she feared she may give birth while she was there. She wasn't sure how it was all supposed to feel, and Joseph knew less than her. They had no midwife. They knew from the beginning they would be at this alone. Mary just thought it would be in better likes than a stable.

Joseph looked at Mary and saw a look of panic and pain in her face. Her bulging eyes looked at him and he knew what she was going to say, but it surprised him anyway: "He's coming."

They went from looking for a place to sleep for the night to figuring out how to give birth in a alleyway stable. Joseph cleared out a manger as a bed for the child. Mary was screaming. He had never seen her in this much pain. He had never seen this much blood.

Mary didn't expect this much pain. She knew it would hurt, all the women had told her that -- but this was much more than hurt. She pushed, and breathed, and again and again. Finally she felt something come out of her, and saw Joseph give her the approval that indeed the baby was crowning. Joseph held her now very sweaty, very shaky hands and told her it was almost over.

And then it was.

The baby boy was bloody, and tiny. And screaming. Mary felt as though she may pass out, but the sight of Joseph holding their newborn son kept her more than awake. It was a beautiful sight. Joseph took his coat and wiped the baby clean and brought him over to Mary. Mary took him, and knew she'd never forget this moment. The pain was well worth this.

Joseph let Mary have a moment with the baby, and walked outside the stable. The streets were empty, and the sounds of drunkard patrons could be heard from inside the inn. He looked up at the sky and became entranced at the stars. He noticed one in particular. It was brighter than any star he'd ever seen, and he didn't remember seeing it the night before. It also seemed closer, like it was hovering over him and Mary. Strange, but comforting. Maybe it was God wanting a good view at His Son's birth. Maybe it was God reminding Joseph that He was there; watching, guiding.

Joseph went back inside and saw Mary sleeping and their new Son in the manger,His eyes pondering this new world. Joseph laid beside his wife, took her hand, and went to sleep.

Hey God,

Thank You for sending Your son in this way. What a humble entrance for such an amazing God. It must have been hard to wrap Yourself in the cloth of such sin as ourselves and know that You would be killed for that choice. I'm humbled that You had a choice, and You didn't call it off. Thank You, Jesus.

Amen.

Advent day 14: missed blessings

^{Luke 2:5-7}

5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

The room was swinging with excitement. People were drinking wine like it was water, mostly out of frustration with the crowded inn. The inn keeper had never seen such mayhem. The governor didn't know what he was asking when he put out this census. It was a riot; a mess that could never amount to anything usable for the government.

For the first time in many years, the inn was completely booked. It looked as though the inns around him were also. There weren't many. Bethlehem was a small town used only for raising lambs to be sacrificed. Not many came through to stay.

He hardly heard the knock on the door. When he opened it he saw a very pregnant woman and a very tired looking man. Sleep deprived, and maybe starving as well, they asked if there was room for them. "No." He said. But something about these two struck a chord with him. He offered a stable that was more like a small alleyway where he kept his sheep and lambs, a few donkeys. He was embarrassed to even offer it, but a small tug on his heart assured him he did the right thing.

He went back to the inn, and tried to manage the crowd. Every so often he would wonder how the couple outside was surviving in the stable. He felt bad. He would check on them in the morning, if they were still there. They couldn't need too much assistance tonight, he thought...

Advent Day 13: Almost ready

^{Luke 2: 4-5}

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

They just kept walking.

It was an eighty mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, assuming they took a straight route. We don't know if they only had one donkey, or if both got the luxury of one, or if neither had a donkey. It's hard to imagine a woman nine months into her pregnancy walking eighty miles but then no one knew differently then. Historians believe it would have been, for the average person, a four day journey. But take into account Mary's pregnancy there's no telling how long it actually took. Nor do I think it matters, except to get a better understanding of that kind of hardship: walking eighty miles while nine months pregnant.

I wonder what the conversation was like. Had they gotten used to the idea of parenting the Son of God? Had they thought of how it would happen? Did Mary think God would spare her the pain of childbirth? Did they talk about how foolish Joseph had been when Mary was visited by the angel?

They kept walking. Tired after exhausted step, they kept walking.

They saw the city in the distance, and they both let how a sigh of relief. They were almost there. They didn't know where they would sleep when they got there. They prayed God would provide for them.

They just kept walking.

Hey God,

When I get tired from this journey, as I sometimes do, let me remember that I am Your

hands and Your feet and that it is Your Spirit that keeps me moving. Let me keep walking.

Advent day 12: census

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

Mary was about to explode. She was probably dreading giving birth. It was really going to hurt. And now in the sensitive and uncomfortable state she was in, she had to travel: There was a census.

Historically, the way this census went according to Luke doesn't make sense to the rest of the censuses ever taken. It was not common for people to leave their land and travel to their hometown; they wanted people with their estates for accuracy. Especially in the Roman world. It would have turned Rome upside down. On top of that, Quirinius was the most logical of all the governors and would have never issued this type of decree. There was however a riot that ensued after Augustus died and Quirinius took over. It could have been at this time that Joseph returned to Bethlehem. Maybe to take safe refuge, maybe the government had issued something similar to a census to see who was still alive. In any case Luke (or his source) wanted us to know there was a reason Jesus was born in Bethlehem and then raised in Nazareth, as the Old Testament prophesied. It's a weird debate. Luke gave us a timeline to follow, but his timeline according to what we know of the time, is off slightly by what historians and theologians think is between one and ten years. If you ask me, I'll take God's Word over what small amount of paper trails we have left from 6 AD. By all accounts, the Bible is the largest historical book to survive the time period.

Matthew gives a similar scenario, so it is known that Jesus was born in the Town of David, and then returned eventually to Nazareth.

In any case, Joseph went to Bethlehem with his very pregnant wife. They had probably encountered many congratulations in the last several months. I wonder if Joseph ever felt guilty for accepting them? While grateful God had shown them favor, he really had to kind of live a lie for the time being. He had nothing to do with this birth except to try to raise Jesus. And even at that Jesus was going to be of the same line, but ultimately be raised by a very different Father.

The road was going to be a long one to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph couldn't have known Mary would give birth there. Maybe the thought crossed their minds having known the Torah.

Tired, grateful, sleep deprived, and willing they started their journey.

Hey God,

Thank You.

Amen.

Advent day 11: Prepare the way

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸ “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
⁷¹ salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷² to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Zechariah, now able to speak, sings a song. He is overwhelmed with joy that not only his wife gave birth but that she gave birth to a boy that would prepare the way for the Christ. He knows his Scripture, and knows the Christ coming will change everything. He will redeem His people, and fulfill the promise set before Abraham so many years before.

Here, in Zechariah's arms, was the baby would go before to prepare people's hearts for the Lord. How do you raise a child like that? What changes would the boy bring to Zechariah? Was he fit for this challenge? As he sat there pondering all that these years would bring, he was certain John would teach him more than he taught John. He was okay with that. He praised God that He would give the knowledge to John to preach; "To shine on those living in the darkness and in the shadow of Death." But John was to prepare them for the Bringer of Light, the Defeater of Death. He would see salvation instead of just preach about it.

This baby in Zechariah's arms didn't know the cost of following his unborn relative yet. For now, he was at peace listening to his father sing him a song.

Advent day 10: Speak

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

⁵⁹ On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰ but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

⁶² Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

It had been nine unbearable months since Zechariah could speak. His tongue was held captive by God because he didn't believe his wife would have a child. But alas, he had seen with his old eyes his old wife come to this moment. It was talk of the town, but he couldn't say a word.

Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and some of the people had shown up to share in her new joy. They knew God had shown her great mercy and wanted simply to take part of that. If nothing else, this would be a great story.

For eight days Zechariah was able to hold his son, but not speak to him. Oh, what he had to say. He wanted to tell of what a fool he was for thinking this day would never come. His mind flashed back nine months earlier to the moment he questioned that angel. In a way, he was maybe grateful for the time spent just able to watch a miracle happen. Too often we get involved in wanting to take part in the wonders of God that we forget to just sit back and watch them unfold. Zechariah was in a position to only watch and act as he saw things happen.

And Elizabeth -- I'm sure there were many a moments she was so thankful Zechariah couldn't open his mouth. She had every last word. That is, until the eighth day came to circumcise their son. The people then asked what the name of the child would be. Until this time, he was nameless. Maybe they just referred to him a their joy, their blessing as any parent does. But now, a name. Something that was etched in stone. Someone mentioned naming him after his father, but Elizabeth said, "No! He is to be called John." This confused the people watching. No one in their family was named John. What heritage were they trying to follow? Surely, Zechariah would want his son named after him. So they asked him, made signs to him it says. This implies that he wasn't paying attention to what was going on. He asked for a tablet to write down his thoughts. To everyone's amazement he said, "His name is John."

A sensation went throughout Zechariah's body. Maybe a cough was let out, a clearing of his throat -- and then the realization -- his eyes got big and he spoke. It says he praised God. He might have given thanks for John, for finally freeing his tongue. Now he was not just watching the miracle unfold, he was the miracle. Because of this, they wondered what John would become, for the Lord was with him.

Hey God,

There are times I feel You should quiet my tongue. I talk too much, and too much for my own satisfaction; for my own glory. Let me feel that sense of praising You because it is You alone that allows me to speak. Let my words be Yours, and Yours be mine. I love You.

Amen.

Advent day 9: Giving praise

^{Luke 1:46-56}

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Mary sat down, emotionally drained from hearing the words of her relative. "Blessed among women" she was. How did she get here? What made her worthy? She wasn't any better than any other sinner. She tried to live out the Law God had given Moses. She tried to be as blameless as she could but still she was stained with sin.

She sat and pondered the Scriptures, and maybe out loud started singing this song. Maybe she wrote down. My guess is she kept singing it through out her life as a reminder to her how blessed she was. Maybe she sang it to Jesus at night. Somehow Luke knew of this song and recorded it for us.

Much of the lines are not direct quotes, but direct thoughts taken from the Psalms. She rearranged some wording, but about three fourths of the song is taken from the Psalms. I love that Mary was glorified by Elizabeth, and in this moment chose to glorify God instead of soaking up the blessing she'd been given.

In the opening lines Mary sings, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Here Mary recognizes she also is in desperate need of a Savior. She had no right to be called worthy of this task yet God deemed her perfect for the job. Her soul was no more free of sin than ours are today but the difference being that so many times I don't choose to give God the glory. This season I've tried to remember that "The Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is His name", as Mary put it. But a lot of days it's easy to get distracted in myself.

The last thing I loved about this is her reference at the end of Abraham and Israel. She knows what she's about to embark on is seeded in a promise God made so many years ago. She was reminded of how God is merciful to Abraham's descendants (that being her and us). If only she knew the promise God made her, that she would give birth to the Savior who would save the world, would be a much more painful sacrifice than Abraham ever saw.

Hey God,

I'm speechless at the promises You make and keep. Humble my soul, Lord, so I can give You the glory today. When there are so many days that I wonder how useful I really am, remind me that even the smallest of tasks can give You praise.

Amen.

Advent day 8: Name above every name

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph awoke from his dream, maybe considering just for a moment if it was real. But really, no doubt remained. He went right then to get Mary and take her home. I can imagine them walking through the marketplace, hand in hand, and Joseph telling her of the angel. Mary must have had a look of relief and a smile knowing her husband now fully believed her.

Twice in Joseph's dream is he told what to name his Son. He's told Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means 'the Lord saves'. He's then told that they will call Him Immanuel, "God with us." Again, we see the idea that God Himself will walk among us.

Jesus was fully human and fully God, having been of a virgin birth given by the Holy Spirit. Over the years many have argued against the virgin birth. The Bible stresses at the end of this passage that Joseph had no union with Mary until after Jesus' birth. This is important because it's the only way Jesus would be fully God and fully human and able to take away the sins of the world.

The word used for virgin here is the translation of the Greek word parthenos. It's used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). The word is never used in the Old Testament in any other meaning except literal virginity. So Isaiah, who prophesied it in the Old Testament and Matthew and Luke who told of it in the New Testament all attest to the virginity of Mary until after Jesus was born. Again, it's important to stress the importance of that. Sin had created a gap between us and God, and only God Himself could bridge that. The only way for that to happen was for God to come through a virgin and be conceived by the Holy Spirit. This way, He had birthrights to Earth and to Heaven. Fully God, fully human.

Which brings us back to His name. Jesus, Immanuel. The Lord saves, God with us. Before Jesus would ever speak a word, His name would speak for him. He would save the people from their sins, not only by dying on a cross (as if that's an "only" thing to do) but also by showing us how to live. He called us to live as He did, because He is always with us and will always show us how.

Hey God,

I pray today that You, only You, show me how to live. I'm so thankful You're leading my life even in the hard hours. I pray that I learn what it means to truly know that You are God, and You have saved me from my sin. You paid the ultimate price for those sins so that I only have to live with the Earthly consequences. Thank You for that, Immanuel.

Amen.

Advent day 7:

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph went to bed angry. His mind made up with what would be probably the toughest day of his life ahead of him. He was to divorce his wife. Plainly, he was ashamed.

Mary had shared with him of her pregnancy. Whether it was before or after visiting Elizabeth we don't know. What we do know is it was considered and when his mind was made up is when God decided to intervene. I think having an angel show up in Joseph's dream was for two purposes: to prove a point, and for a laugh. Almost like, "Remember how you thought Mary was crazy? What are you going to say about this?" In any case, an angel came to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife. This tells us a couple things. First, it confirms his embarrassment. Second, it tells us they were not in the same house at this point. It could be a translation thing, or maybe I'm taking it too literally but it would make sense.

The angel continues saying that the baby in Mary is from the Holy Spirit. Let's stop here for a minute. We've seen this come up a few times already. The Holy Spirit, that is. But consider with me the magnitude of just that. To this point in history no one knew of a Holy Spirit. They knew God. They knew Yahweh. They didn't know Jesus or the Holy Spirit (this is not to say they didn't exist. They certainly did.) Somehow in this exchange with the angels both Mary and Joseph got a first glimpse into God living in them. The very idea of God living inside of us was something never before presented. Only priests dealt directly with God. Oh but here, like Abraham before her, God changed the way He interacts with us. It's no longer that we talk to God through someone else. No longer do we have an outside view of how He works. He works in us. God is around us in everything He created and being His creations He lives in us, and now through literally and spiritually being in Mary, God would walk among us. This is the start of visually seeing the trinity. It hurts my head to think about how it all works but what a beautiful circle; around, in front of us, and within us.

Joseph either slept amazingly sound that night or stayed up all night wondering what is it he actually heard and saw in his dream. And also coming up with a fantastic apology to Mary.

Hey God,

I just want to sit in awe of You today. You are in everything we do, and I want to see that. I want to see it in the beauty of the mountains, the colors of the sky, and the awesome creations You've put before us. But most of all Jesus, I want to see it in myself. Thank you, and I love You.

Amen.

Day 5 & 6: Leaping

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”


This is interesting. Scripture doesn't tell us how long after getting the Good News that Mary went to visit Elizabeth, but "at that time" implies pretty quickly. I think going to see Elizabeth had more to do with her own pregnancy than Elizabeth's. The angel told her that Elizabeth was pregnant as well. Maybe seeing it with her own eyes was confirmation in her mind that the angel was indeed not a dream.

So off she went.

When she got there, Elizabeth's baby leaped in her! In fact, it says all she hears is a greeting. It wasn't even sight, but the mere sound of Mary caused this baby to know Who she was carrying. When Elizabeth realizes this, she was filled with the Holy Spirit. If confirmation is what Mary needed, this was it. She called Mary blessed among women, and the "Mother of my Lord". And notice, this was not a calm exchange. This was not an inside voice conversation. This was Elizabeth realizing without anything but the faith of her unborn baby that this was the Son of God. And what happened? She went nuts. All it took was a voice, and she had to praise the baby she'd never met. The baby who she had no idea would lay down His life for her.

I focused in on that one fact: all it took was being around Mary. When we surround ourselves with people who are strong in faith (or in this case are carrying God's Son) we ourselves are transformed just by being there.
I've always believed in surrounding myself with people smarter than I am. It makes me smarter over time. But the same applies in my walk with God. I try to surround myself closest with those who I plainly see Christ in. Just by being around those people, who I'm immensely blessed by, it makes my faith stronger. It makes me walk closer to God. When I've said this in the past, people always think I'm being pious. That by seeing Christ in these folks, I myself have to walk closely with God. Not at all. This story is proof. The unborn baby knew. A lot of times, I'm lucky enough to be like that unborn baby. I don't know a thing about this life, except that God's in the same room I am.

I have to think both Mary and Elizabeth were amazed in this situation. Mary probably didn't know to say. She hadn't gotten past a greeting and Elizabeth knew why she was there. What a humbling feeling she must have had. Here, her own relative doesn't think herself worthy that she should visit with her.
And then Elizabeth finishes with encouragement. "Blessed is she who believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" I suppose belief is the hardest part. It's not just a faith or just by Spirit. It's God in action requiring you to be active.

So in that moment of God's presence, take a lesson from John the Baptist: Leap.

Hey God,
Sometimes I feel unworthy to be in Your presence. Actually, it's not sometimes. It's more times than not. But I want to thank You that You think I'm worth the price. That while I may leap because You're with me, I know You're just as excited that I noticed. Lord, let me just rest in that knowledge.
Amen.

Advent day 4: God makes you crazy

Matthew 1:18-19

18This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Mary had come to talk with Joseph, the one man she could trust with this crazy sounding information: Yes, indeed, she was pregnant with God's son. Yes, she was still a virgin.

How in the world could Joseph believe this? There's faith and trust and then there's a bomb like that. I can't quite imagine how the conversation went. There was probably some blaming, accusing, some yelling, surely some tears and at the end of the night Joseph had made up his mind about his wife. Yup, she had lost it.

He knew what the people would say and the way they would make her feel. But ultimately, divorcing her quietly was in his best interest. This was a woman he loved, and married. If they thought she was crazy, what did that make him? Yes, he was righteous as Scripture tells us, but that doesn't take away his doubt. It came down to simply believing that the God that was silent for the last several hindered years impregnated your wife or your wife had just plain gone crazy. Well, when you put it that way...

I love this little part of the story because it shows, as all the Bible does, the human nature in all of us to say "God can't do that. He would do it this way" or "Naw, God doesn't do that anymore." We would so much rather believe in a logical, well mannered God than a God who goes way outside the box and drives us out of our minds.

Hey God,

Allow me to trust when you sound crazy. Don't let me shrug it off, but let me act on your crazy love.

Amen.

Advent day 3: Highly favored

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^{b]" style="line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]} the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary, what did you chalk this up to? Was it real? Was it a dream? The angel said you were chosen because you found favor with God. Did you believe that? Or did you in your mind sigh a relief that the God who hadn't spoken to His people in 400 years found favor in you?

There must have been deep fear in her eyes. The angel reassured her not to be afraid. Why? She found favor with God! This wasn't a punishment, but a celebration! Or was it a punishment? Before Jesus would ever speak the words that the world will hate those who follow Him, Mary experienced this while He was still in her womb. A young pregnant woman, before she was to be married.A shame to her culture that way. I can only imagine that while the angel was explaining to her what would happen that she doubted her role. She even questioned it, "How could this be since I am a virgin?" Yet unlike Zechariah her question was one not of doubt, but of pure curiosity how God would work in her. And to confirm how God does the impossible, he tells of Elizabeth's pregnancy in her old age. While that's a comfort to know what God is capable of I'm sure it brought up a lot of fears of what would happen to her.

How would Joseph respond? Would he believe her? Does she tell the townspeople of her visitation? How loudly would they mock her? They would, she was sure, but to what extent?

She would have to decide in the morning. For now, sleep was needed to calm her mind.

Hey God,

May I go into my day full of distractions and take comfort in Your promise that Your word never fails. Fill me with those words today, Lord. I'm in desperate need of them and of You. Let me listen if it's You that's calling me. Thank you, Jesus.

Amen.

Advent day 2: Faith in the unknown

^{Luke 1:5-25}

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

⁸ Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

¹⁸ Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

¹⁹ The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰ And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

²¹ Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²² When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

²³ When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴ After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵ “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Zechariah and his wife were both of the line of Aaron (Moses' brother), and belonged to the priesthood. Zechariah lived his life righteously it says, and lived out all the commands of God. So how interesting it is that when an angel appears to him in the temple, while in the middle of worship nonetheless, that he doubts this messenger of God. As consequence he loses his ability to speak and no doubt at that point had so much to say. He was forced into living his faith rather than just telling about the angel.

Elizabeth became pregnant with John, as Gabriel said she would, and five months into it is she that speaks and not Zechariah. Notice the thanks, and the faith of believing what her husband could only show through action.

This story stuck out to me as one that needed to be examined. We never talk about this foretelling of John the Baptist's birth. Luke thought it an important part of the story of Jesus. After all, John would be the one that would prepare the people's hearts for what Jesus had to say. He would challenge them to come back to God so that when God got there they would recognize Him. I wonder how often I question the same as Zechariah did. How many times has God shown me His wonders and I question just how wonderful they are?

I remember a trip to Spirit West Coast (A 3 day Christian festival/concert in CA) where it seemed all was going wrong. The first night we were there I was playing basketball and took a hard hit to the face, breaking my glasses, and cutting my nose. Also that night, one of the girls had lost her contact lenses somewhere within the church. The next morning we went to McDonald's for breakfast at I noticed a eye glass place in the parking lot. I figured I'd take my chances and go see what they could do for me. The guy was gracious and had molded my glasses together, even giving me new lenses in them (as they had been cracked). I thanked him profusely and asked how much I owed him. "Nothing," he said. "Just glad I could help." Without knowing what he did for me, the girl noticed the same place and went to purchase new contact lenses. Again, the man gave them for free. Towards the end of the trip one of the kids had spent all their money at Spirit West Coast. For three days, he had no cash to spend. We all prepared to offer what we could to help out, but we didn't need to. For those three days everywhere we went he was provided somehow with free food. Either there was a special being run, or at a couple places the restaurant made too much food and just offered it to us.

I came back very grateful God had provided, but I also remember how quickly I forgot. I know other things happened on that trip where we knew coincident went out the window, and it was all God that provided. It wasn't too long before the fire went out, and even in the midst of worship, I'd question what God was doing with me. The most amazing thing about God, though, is He always keeps His promises. He tells us He'll provide, and sure enough we are provided for. Not always in ways we'd expect but definitely in ways that work.

The last thing that struck me is God's ability to use these people who by all accounts were not too important to their society. They were old, and Elizabeth was barren. They had nothing to offer but service in the priesthood. While that's an amazing task, it was deemed useless to the likes of Herod. Yet here God uses them to provide the way for Christ. He promises what seems like the impossible (though they had read of God doing the same with Abraham and Sarah) and are brought to live out a faith either of them had probably ever had.

Hey God,

Too often my fear gets the best of me. All my troubles and insecurities leave me without much faith some days.I rely too much on my own understanding of this world and not on the understanding that with You everything is possible. Use me, God. Drive out my fear and replace it with Your love. Let me believe in You as much as You believe in me.

Amen.

Advent day 1: Names and those who name us

^{For this season of Advent, I wanted to try something mostly for myself. I wanted to really meditate on the story Jesus' birth. So for the next 25 days, we'll see what comes out of that.}

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
³ Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
⁶ and Jesse the father of King David.

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
⁷ Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
⁸ Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
⁹ Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
¹⁰ Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
¹⁴ Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
¹⁵ Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

¹⁷ Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Names are interesting. We all have them, we all create them, and they all hold meaning. My name for example in the Latin means "Brave Fighter". Anyone that knows me even halfway well just let out a small chuckle. But in many ways, I find the name to have a truth to it. Either way, our names tend to define us, don't they? Have you ever met someone and they said their name and your first thought was, "They don't seem like a ___"? Me too.

We all have expectations of what names will bring. Above, in the Gospel of Matthew, he starts out by giving us a list of names from which Jesus came from. Some of these names have some pretty retched things attached to them, and some of them are royalty. It's a fascinating line of people from prostitutes to kings: Jesus' family tree.

I began thinking of my own family tree. I was discussing with a friend just last night about my family. It made me realize how much, and how little, I'm shaped by certain people. I'm shaped my Mom's humor (her and I share the same gene of making jokes and being the only ones laughing at them) and my Dad's sense of keeping people close and the abundant, but very much picky, sense of trust. I thought of my brother and sisters and how little I actually know about their lives and how sad that is. But even the lack of knowledge has certainly shaped me. It took 20 years for all four of us to be in the same room. We share the same name, carry the same blood, but really never talk.

We as Christians carry the name of Jesus, or Joshua in Greek, it means "Savior" or "Salvation". He was to be brought from this line of sinners to take the sin away. I have to wonder if Mary and Joseph ever talked about how absurd it was that the Christ would come from their line; from their name. Or if they ever knew that it was His name they were carrying.

Hey God,

Thank You for this season. It gets so misshaped into something that has nothing to do with You, but I pray that I don't forget why You came here. Jesus, grant me the same humility it took to wrap yourself into human flesh, into nothing, and live my life with the sole purpose of serving You, and serving others. Thank you, and I love you.

Amen.