Rejoice, Rejoice

Advent Day 26

Fourth Thursday in Advent

December 22, 2011

Reading: Zephaniah 3:14 (NRSV)

¹⁴ Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

Theme: Rejoice, Rejoice!

Reflection:

What does rejoicing look like to you in the context of the celebration of Jesus’ birth? Our celebration of Christmas has many layers to it. One layer is our Christmas celebration as a Christian community. We rejoice, as we celebrate Christmas in church, following the meditative Advent season. When the Advent light grows stronger and the Christmas tree is decorated and finally lit, I think each of us, present in our CLC community, feels a particular joy at Jesus’ coming. Each of us is touched when we hear the good news of Jesus’ birth come from the mouths of our Sunday School students in the Christmas pageant.

Yet Christmas in our culture has many other dimensions. We rejoice as we gather our family together around home, hearth and Christmas tree. We rejoice when we thank a store clerk for her service in this busy frantic, season. And there is yet another layer of celebration in the public, more secular Christmas gatherings and parties in towns, communities and businesses.

I think we can be full of rejoicing and celebration of Jesus’ birth in any of these layers when we keep the reasons for Jesus’ coming in our hearts and minds. A neighborhood Christmas party can help you connect with friends and neighbors, living out Jesus’ command to love your neighbor. Perhaps that party is also chance to listen to one of your neighbors’ recent difficulties, or maybe it is a chance to re-connect with someone with whom you have lost touch.

It is only when our multi-dimensional Christmas celebration creates stress and bad feelings that we need to realize that we have lost the sense of rejoicing. If trying to buy that last gift causes us to cut off other drivers or snarl at store clerks, then perhaps we need to step back and re-evaluate the meaning of Christmas, and re-gain the sense of rejoicing.

Christmas celebrations are among the most meaningful and tradition laden in our culture. If you associate a particular food or tradition with the celebration of Christmas, and it raises a sense of joy in you, give to glory to God. If your family always decorates your tree at a particular time, and the tree decorating helps ground the spirit of Christmas in you, rejoice! Enjoy all the special things that you love about the Christmas season and use them as a way of giving thanks to One whose coming we celebrate.

Prayer: Rejoicing God, we give you thanks for the coming of your Son, and we give you thanks that we are able to rejoice at his coming in so many ways. Ground us in your Son’s love and help us to use the special traditions of this season as a way of giving glory to you. Amen

Spirit Rejoicing

Advent Day 25

Fourth Wednesday in Advent

December 21, 2011

Reading: Luke 1:46–47 (NRSV)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

Theme: Spirit Rejoicing

Reflection:

“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Here is Mary, singing these lines as part of her song, sung after her cousin Elizabeth greets her, upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s home. Mary, young, unwed, and pregnant is rejoicing. Mary has complete faith that God has blessed her by choosing her to be the Mother of God’s Son. Mary’s faith gives her the courage that God will help her overcome any and all obstacles that occur as a result of her pregnancy. Mary’s song speaks of her trust in God and the apparent peace that this trust gives her.

In this late Advent season, my spirit is also rejoicing in God, my Savior. The sense of Christmas and the joy of the coming of the newborn Savior is upon me. And, somehow, between God and me (with a lot of help from Andrea Green—the church secretary), we have managed to finish nearly everything has be done to celebrate Christmas!!

I know in my heart that God always helps me to finish everything that the church needs done, but somehow that doesn’t let my head rest. Like many of you in this busy season, the to-do lists have been humming in my brain for the past weeks. For the past two weeks, the humming has been so loud that it has sounded like hive of bees had taken up residence in my head. I pray that someday, my trust will be as complete as Mary’s and the resultant peace will calm the humming in my head!!

But even with my incomplete trust, God has walked alongside of me these past weeks and seen me through! I can see the glow of the four Advent candles, and this light gives me the assurance that the God’s light is indeed coming into the world. We are reminded one more time of the miracle of Jesus’ birth, which we will soon celebrate. My spirit is indeed rejoicing in God my Savior.

Prayer: God of miracles, if it be your will, give me please, just a fraction of the faith and trust that Mary had in you. Amen

Sing a New Song

Advent Day 24

Fourth Tuesday in Advent

December 20, 2011

Reading: Psalm 33:2–4 (NRSV)

²Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

³Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

⁴For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

Theme: Sing a New Song

Reflection:

Some of you know that my husband John is a Christmas music aficionado. He has been collecting for years, and now having an iPod and access to iTunes has given him totally new opportunities to acquire different renditions of Christmas carols. We usually play Christmas music in our house from the time Thanksgiving is over, throughout December and the entire Christmas season, until Epiphany. Even though we play Christmas music frequently during the season, each late November, the music is NEW again. Because we play this music for only a short season each year, it is special music that somehow helps to create the aura of Christmas.

It is hard for me to think of Advent without thinking of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Messiah.” There are certain German Christmas carols that just mean Christmas to me. I find it nearly impossible to sing “Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming” in English. When the music is played, I revert to German, and suddenly in my mind, I am standing next to my grandmother in the church of my childhood.

Music has the power to evoke powerful memories and thoughts in each of us. For people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, music is often their last contact with their memories. People who don’t recognize their relatives may be able to sing “Silent Night.”

Music is an important component of devotion and worship. It is a means of giving praise to God. In addition, words set to music have a way of enhancing the meaning of Biblical texts that surpasses mere oral reading of the passage.

We are in that transition time from Advent to Christmas. Savor these days and enjoy the music of the season (preferably not “Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer”). Let music be a form of worship and praise to God for you in these busy days. Sing along with the radio, your iPod, or whatever musical device you use. Give praise to God with the CD, iPod, iTunes, iSymphony or even your low tech voice! Make a joyful noise to the Lord. “Soon and Very Soon, we are going to see the Lord!”

Prayer: God of Glory, lift our spirits with song and help us to give praise to you with whatever musical instruments and devices are available to us. Amen

A Sign

Advent Day 23

Fourth Monday in Advent

December 19, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Theme: A sign

Reflection:

In the same way that most of us like prophecies about the future, we also like signs. If we can’t know for sure what is going to happen, at least a sign would give us some clue as to the future.

In the original context of this 7^th century B.C. Biblical passage, Isaiah spoke God’s word about this sign to King Ahaz, the King of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). This sign was an indication for him that the two Kings whom he feared would not be successful in an attack against Judah. Kings often asked prophets for signs from God about their potential success in battles.

Because the word Immanuel means, literally “With us is God”, in the centuries after the 7^th Century B.C., this text from Isaiah was often interpreted as God’s promise of a Messiah, God’s special anointed one. From a Christian context, looking back into the Hebrew Scriptures, this passage from Isaiah is viewed a God’s prophecy of the birth of Jesus. In his Gospel, Matthew uses this quote, translated slightly differently, to reveal the birth of Jesus. (Matthew uses the less common translation of the Hebrew word for young woman; Matthew translates this word as “virgin”)

²⁰ …An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:20–23).

Matthew quotes Isaiah to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of this sign spoken about by Isaiah, that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, “God with us” !

In this latter part of the Advent season, when we have been waiting and watching for a sign—a sign that the Messiah will be born, this sign from Isaiah is particularly hopeful for us. We wait for Christmas Eve, when we will hear the story of the birth of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. We wait for the hope that this Gospel (Good News) brings us. We long to know and experience “God with us”. We want the reassurance of hearing the treasured story, yet one more time, that God did indeed send a special baby. We long for the holy night when we will hear the story of how God’s own son came to live among us, a very human baby, born in very human and very poor circumstances. The virgin is with child, and soon, very soon there will be a baby born in Bethlehem, the baby whose very birth name means that he will save his people. The Lord, himself will give YOU a sign and send His Son to YOU.

Prayer: Emmanuel, God with us, we also pray for signs. We pray for signs of your presence among us. We pray for signs of hope in a troubled world. We pray for signs that Your Kingdom, the world envisioned by Your Son, will indeed come. Amen

The Servant of the Lord

Advent Day 22

Fourth Sunday in Advent

December 18, 2011

Reading: Luke 1:38 (NRSV)

³⁸ Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Theme: The Servant of the Lord

Reflection:

How many of us have heard Mary’s words: “Here I am the servant of the Lord” and wondered at her faith. She has just been given ‘mission impossible’ by the Angel Gabriel—the task of carrying God’s son—as an unmarried teenager. Her amazing response is: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Her faith is so strong that she willing submits to the role that God asks of her.

I don’t know that I could respond in the way Mary does. I think that I would be tempted to don my size 7.5 ASICS running shoes to get out of town. “Not me God, I’m not up to this; I have other plans for my life. My dream wedding is coming up, and I don’t want to be pregnant for it. Can’t you find some other Mary, one who is willing to do this. I know someone, maybe I could fix you up with her.”

And so it goes with many of us. When God calls you to do something, whether it is to teach Sunday School, to write a devotion, to sing in the choir or to serve on the Church Council, do you find yourself looking over your shoulder to see if maybe, just maybe, you overheard the call intended for someone else. Do you find all kinds of excuses why you’re not the right person. If Mary is a typical example, God often calls us to do things that are far out of our comfort zones. God often sees things in us that we don’t see in ourselves. God also supports and guides us when we do reach beyond our self-imposed boundaries to do God’s work.

Pray that when you hear God’s call to action, you, too, can answer: “Here I am, the servant of the Lord.”

Prayer: Challenging God, when I hear your call to service, help me to see myself in the ways that you see me. Help me to realize that you will be there to “bear me up” when I meet challenges in your service. In your son Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Name Him Jesus

Advent Day 21

Third Saturday in Advent

December 17, 2011

Reading: Matthew 1:20–21 (NRSV)

²⁰ But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Theme: Name Him Jesus

Reflection:

Naming a child is one of the great dilemmas that new parents face. What does the name mean? How does it sound with our last name? What persona will this name create for this new baby? In Biblical times, naming a child had even more significance. For the Hebrew people, a child’s name was not just a label, or the way he/she was called. The name was the essence of the person. Children were typically named after a relative who was no longer living. Some of the relative’s identity was thought to be transferred to the child.

The angel tells Joseph that the child to be born to Mary is to be called Jesus (the Hebrew version of this is Joshua) because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus’ name, given before he was born, gives his identity as the Savior. His name is derived from a Hebrew verb (yasha) which means to save, deliver or liberate.

Imagine Jesus, growing up from a young age, aware that his name means that he is to save his people. Even for a child whose is both human and divine that is a large responsibility to put on small child. Jesus’ identity was shaped by his name, and the community’s awareness of what his name would have signified.

As we come ever closer to the celebration of this child’s birth, let us thank God for sending a Savior to us—the young child who bears the responsibility of saving us.

Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus—the One who Saves. Help us to realize the magnitude of your gift and to express our gratitude in love. Amen

Son of David

Advent Day 20

Third Friday in Advent

December 16, 2011

Reading: Matthew 1:1–2 (NRSV)

¹ An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. ² Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Theme: Son of David

Reflection:

What does it mean that Jesus is the son of David, and why did Matthew think it was so important to point this out in the first verse of his Gospel? Later in this same chapter of Matthew, the writer also points out that the child to be named Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ ” (Matthew 1:20-21)

There are two streams of information in these two quotes. First, Jesus is the “son” of David, and second, that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Obviously, Jesus is not directly David’s son since there are 28 generations between David and Jesus (Matthew 1:17). However, Jesus is in David’s lineage. Being in David’s linage is important as Hebrew prophecies have consistently predicted that God’s promised Messiah would be a descendent of David. By beginning his Gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew immediately signals to his readers that Jesus, whom he calls the Messiah has the right credentials. Additionally, by listing Jesus’ family, Matthew points out that Jesus was truly human, with a human family.

By letting his readers listen in on the angel’s announcement to Joseph that Mary’s son was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Matthew also signals that this very human baby is also divine. Before Matthew even relates the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the wise men from the east, he has revealed to his readers the paradox of Jesus’ identity. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.

In this Advent season we have the gift of Matthew’s Gospel which reveals to us, the one for whom we pray. We call out “Come Lord Jesus, Come”, and we pray for God to come among us in a human form that we can recognize and who can identify with our struggles, but who yet has the divine power to save us.

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, Come. Come and be our brother. Come and be “God with us,” leading us, guiding us, and saving us.