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A Pondering Pause

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 8 Listen: (4:07), Read: Revelation 17 (3:19)

Scripture Focus: Luke 2.17-18

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.

Reflection: A Pondering Pause

By John Tillman

Do you crash after Christmas?

For many, the pressure of making and having a “perfect Christmas,” sends our activity and stress levels soaring like magic reindeer. Once the day passes, we can crash emotionally, physically, or even spiritually.

The disciplines of the church calendar can help prevent this. Advent’s weekly themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, moderate the influence of our splurge and purge, dash and crash culture. But we still may sense the need for a rest. A pause.

Mary surely rested following the excitement, stress, and danger of the day of Jesus’ birth. She had messages of angels and shepherds to ponder. But the revelation that began with the annunciation and continued in her prophetic song was incomplete. There was more to be revealed.

No. Mary didn’t know everything.

She had not yet heard Simeon’s or Anna’s prophecies in the Temple of her child’s importance and the sword that would pierce her. She had not yet received strange foreign Magi and their grand, yet prophetically disturbing, gifts. She had not yet fled into Egypt to protect her child’s life. She had not yet seen him, twelve years old in the Temple, confounding religious leaders with his wisdom. She had not yet heard him call God his father and the Temple his home. She had not yet seen him turn water to wine, protecting the dignity of the unfortunate. She had not yet heard his first sermon, proclaiming liberty for the captives. She had not yet seen the audience for this sermon attempt to kill him for his words.

There was much Mary did not yet know and much we do not yet know. Like Mary, you have not yet seen all that God will do. Like the Magi, you will discover Jesus is so much more than a star, a baby, or an earthly king.

Following Christmas Day, instead of collapsing in exhaustion, despair, or regret, take a more positive, pondering pause. Instead of a post-Christmas crash, find comfort in the slow burn toward Epiphany. Epiphany means “manifestation” and is another gift of the church calendar falling on January 6th.

The days in between can be a beautiful time to ponder the past while leaning forward in anticipation. Take a breath in these days following Christmas and prepare your heart for new revelations.

Rest in what we know and reach toward what will be revealed.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
Incline your ear to me; make haste to deliver me.
Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold; for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, for you are my tower of strength.
Into your hands I commend my spirit, for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth. — Psalm 31.1-5

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Mary’s Story — Love of Advent

God can dramatically transform, and God can dramatically indwell. No matter our story, we belong within the love of Jesus.

Mary’s Story — Love of Advent

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Christmas and Kaiju — Love of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 6 Listen: (3:19)
Read: Revelation 15 Listen: (1:29)

Links for Wednesday’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 7 Listen: (6:37), Read: Revelation 16 Listen: (3:17)

Scripture Focus: Revelation 15.2-4

2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
4 Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Reflection: Christmas and Kaiju — Love of Advent

By John Tillman

The Internet was amused this year by a giant Godzilla-shaped Christmas tree displayed in Japan since 2000.

The Japanese term kaiju, popularized by the creator of Godzilla, means “strange monster.” Kaiju are sometimes interpreted as elemental forces of judgment. When evils such as radioactive waste, greed, or militarism spread, Kaiju rise, wreaking havoc as nature’s vengeance. Often, one kaiju saves humanity from another. In some films, Godzilla is the “good” monster that defeats other monsters.

In Revelation there are “strange monsters,” beasts, dragons, and brutal empires allied against God and God’s people. But instead of a benevolent monster, their opponents are a woman giving birth to a baby, a lamb, and a choir of harpists.

A baby versus a dragon?
A lamb versus a beast?
A choir of harpists versus all the armies of the kings of the earth?

Our world can seem dark as the looming shadows of monsters spread: violence, oppression, political chaos, economic collapse, war, and even nuclear war. In the shadow of such monsters, we may long for a vengeful Godzilla-like savior.

Yet, God sent a baby, not a beast. Instead of a benevolent monster rising out of the ocean to tower over us, a suffering servant descended from heaven to the lowliest place.

“But Jesus’ second advent will be different,” someone may say. True. But even then, Jesus is not our Godzilla. Godzilla battles foes as powerful or more powerful than he is. The battle itself lays waste to the earth. Jesus doesn’t struggle because the battle is already won. He will crush the serpent, no matter how large the lizard grows. The enemies of God and God’s people will face destruction. The power of sin, death, and hell, will be finally and completely vanquished. Jesus will speak a word and they will be powerless and destroyed. Christ’s victory at his second coming was won at his first.

Instead of battling for power and causing destruction, Jesus surrendered power and faced destruction on our behalf. He fought by dying on the cross. His victory is his resurrection and ours. His weapon is love, not rage.

Celebrating Jesus’ first advent prepares us for his second. He will not be a monster of rage, revenge, and havoc, but the same messiah of love, protection, and care revealed to us in the gospels. “This same Jesus,” (Acts 1.11) will return. Ready your hearts to worship him.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Praise him from whom all blessings flow; praise him all creatures here below; praise him above you heavenly hosts; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Peace from Labor

“What Child is This?” speaks to the unexpected form of our Savior. Good Christians, fear, for sinners here / the silent Word is pleading. His labor of love never ceases.

Peace from Labor — Peace of Advent

Read more about Silent Night — Carols of Advent Joy

Silent Night was born out of a period of insecurity and instability.

Silent Night — Carols of Advent Joy
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Sing to the Beasts — Love of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 5 Listen: (3:29)
Read: Revelation 14 Listen: (3:51)

Scripture Focus: Revelation 14.1-3

1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

Psalm 42.8

8 By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

1 John 4.8

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

“When he awoke, the song was there.
Its melody beckoned and begged him to sing it…” — The Singer, by Calvin Miller

Reflection: Sing to the Beasts — Love of Advent

By John Tillman

Throughout the Advent story, angels, shepherds, and prophets express themselves poetically. The scriptures, strummed by the Spirit, vibrate into song.

The scriptures, especially the gospels, were not written by documentarians but by artists.

The gospel writers did not merely take Jesus’ driver’s license photo or mugshot to record his identity. They didn’t simply take evidence photos of his birth, deeds, death, or resurrection. They painted portraits of each moment of his life that are more true than photographs and wrote songs that are more real than transcripts of speeches.

Songs go beyond entertainment in scripture. Songs are lessons, prophecies, sermons, memory aids, and weapons of the truth. John’s Revelation looks far into the future to see a choir of chosen followers who will stand with the Lamb and learn to sing a new song. This song pierces the universe, proclaiming the truth and defeating the beast. (Revelation 15.2)

We have beasts to be defeated around us. Beasts of lies. Beasts of violence. Beasts of abuse. Beasts of despair. Beasts of doubt. We don’t defeat their growls with our own. Instead of growling back at beasts, we must sing the song of the gospel. Music helps defeat the Beast of Revelation. The beasts around us can be tamed and transformed by the gospel’s tune. We must keep singing the tune of God’s love.

Some may scoff at the idea of singing at beasts. They think singing of God’s love is weak, diminishing, or enabling, or that it ignores reality.

Singing of God’s love is not weakness because God’s love demonstrates his strength. Singing of God’s love does not diminish him because God’s love makes him glorious. Singing of God’s love is not enabling sin because God’s loving-kindness pulls us toward holiness. Singing of God’s love is not ignoring reality because God’s love is the central reality upon which the universe spins.

God’s love is his distinguishing characteristic. It should be ours. Don’t allow the world’s beastliness to bristle your brow. Don’t allow the world’s brutality to make you a brute. Don’t allow the din of battle to cause you to trade your musical instrument for an instrument of hate or violence. If we are discipled by beastly methods, instead of fighting beasts, we become them.

Sing to beasts about their defeat.
Sing to liars about the truth.
Sing to haters about God’s love.
Sing.

Music: “How Can I Keep from Singing?” — Author unknown, recording by Enya.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Morning Psalm

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, “the Lord had done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses of the Negev.
Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves. — Psalm 126

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Truth and Love — Love of Advent

Make us instruments of your peace…prophets of your hope…singers of your love…founts of your joy.

Truth and Love — Love of Advent

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Jesus’ Family Tree — Joy of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 2 Listen: (3:42)
Read: Revelation 11 Listen: (3:24)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 3 Listen: (5:43), Read: Revelation 12 Listen: (2:58)
Read: Nehemiah 4 Listen: (3:38), Read: Revelation 13 Listen: (3:20)

Scripture Focus: Matthew 1:1, 17

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

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.

Nehemiah 2:3-5

3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

Reflection: Jesus’ Family Tree — Joy of Advent

By Jon Polk

You may have never read the first seventeen verses of Matthew 1. You should, after all, it’s Jesus’ family tree. If you pay attention, you might even recognize a few names.

So go ahead. Here it is. I’ll wait.

In the old King James, Matthew 1 is the “begat” section. So-and-so begat so-and-so and one hard to pronounce name begat another funny sounding name. It’s the passage to be feared if called upon to read aloud in church.

Ancient genealogies were written with a purpose in mind. Names can obviously refer to a specific person, but they can also reference a family name. The phrase “the son of” can mean literally “direct offspring of” or it can mean more generally “descendent of.”

Matthew carefully shapes Jesus’ ancestry with a goal in mind. Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage back to Abraham and outlines three sets of fourteen generations: Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian exile, and the exile to the Messiah.

Do the math and this equals six sets of seven generations, making Jesus the beginning of the seventh. Seven is a biblical number representing completion. Therefore, Jesus inaugurates the fulfillment of God’s plan for the world.

As expected, there are prominent names in Jesus’ lineage that anyone would love to have in their family tree: Abraham, faithful father of many nations; Judah, the royal tribe through which the Messiah would come; David, a man after God’s own heart; and Zerubbabel, who led exiles back from Babylonian captivity.

Not a bad pedigree.

But wait, there’s more!

Surprisingly, there are a few scoundrels on the list as well: Jacob, who tricked his father out of the family blessing; Rehoboam, son of Solomon who brought about the divided kingdom; and even David, who committed adultery and murder.

Everyone has a few stories in their family history that they would like to keep secret. Even Jesus.

And you thought there were interesting characters in your family?

As we draw near to the holiday break, maybe you’re dreading interactions with your crazy uncle or your weirdo cousin. Perhaps there is tension between members of your extended family. You might be preparing to tread lightly if certain topics come up in conversation.

Somehow there is an odd comfort in knowing that even Jesus’ earthly family history was less than perfect. So go easy on your family this year. Allow the grace of God to saturate every conversation, every interaction.

Because you never know, to someone else, you may be the weirdo cousin.

Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading

Now his mother and his brothers arrived, and standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, “Look, your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.” He replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers? Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.” — Mark 3.31-35

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more about Bathsheba’s Story — Love of Advent

These are the matriarchs of Jesus: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. This is Bathsheba’s story.

Bathsheba’s Story — Love of Advent

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What About Those Shepherds? — Joy of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Nehemiah 1 Listen: (2:06)
Read: Revelation 10 Listen: (1:59)

Scripture Focus: Luke 2:13-20

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.

Nehemiah 1:8-9

8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’”

Reflection: What about those Shepherds? — Joy of Advent

By Jon Polk

In Luke’s nativity narrative, an unlikely group of shepherds takes center stage. These poor guys are out in the middle of the night, minding their own business, doing what shepherds do night after night, guarding against wild animals and thieves.

Nothing. Exciting. Ever. Happened.

As for career choices, they were the blue-collar of the blue-collar. We romanticize shepherds as if they stepped out of a Thomas Kinkade painting, but reality was harsh.

Shepherding was a despised occupation. They were considered shifty and untrustworthy, often grazing their flocks on other people’s lands. If Mike Rowe had been around in the first century, shepherding would have been featured on Dirty Jobs Israel.

Not only were they social outcasts, but the nature of their work kept them ceremonially unclean according to Jewish laws.

So when the angel showed up in the middle of the night with a big proclamation, they were dumbfounded by what they were hearing.

It was customary in the Roman Empire for the birth of an emperor to be heralded by poets and orators declaring peace and prosperity across the land. These angelic messengers, however, proclaimed not a new emperor, but one they called Savior, Messiah, and Lord.

This royal birth announcement came not to the secular or religious rulers of the day, but out in the fields to the poor and lowly, to the most common of common folk.

Jesus would later inaugurate his own ministry by quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… (61:1)

Indeed, the good news was first announced to these poor shepherds, social outcasts of Jesus’ day.

There are many reasons to be unhappy at Christmastime. Financial difficulties, health issues, difficult job or family situations. It can be a dark and difficult world we live in. It’s not surprising that many people have difficulty with the holiday season.

Jesus came to bring hope, peace, and joy to the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor, the saddest of the sad. Those shepherds remind us that no matter who we are or what we have experienced in this life, the good news is for us!

As the prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light!” (9:2).

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. — Psalm 85.9

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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