Those of us who walk in relationship with Jesus and have experienced His salvation have a story to tell. It may begin at different points in our lives, under a set of different circumstances and have had a range of impact, but the story is the same: “I was walking in darkness and saw a great light.”

Many of us have had our advent with Christ: the period in time in which we responded to the gift of salvation. As John 1 puts it: “ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men—” Christ is our light. My light. He’s a light worth sharing.

You have a light. Matthew 5 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on the hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Telling our story is telling God’s story. In a couple of weeks, when we gather with our loved ones and friends, let’s be open to His leading and share when the opportunity arises. It only takes a bit of transparency and to be clued into the Holy Spirit’s leading. If you walk with Christ, you’ve got a story to tell. And whether they know it or not, others are desperate to hear and receive it.

The Light has come. He came as a baby. And he is coming again. We have no right to hide our lights under a basket: not when we are loved this well by a God this faithful.

I ask that you prayerfully consider who needs to hear your story. A three-fold prayer is highly effective: Lord, open a door, open a heart, and open my mouth.

Go tell it on the mountain, or in a card, phone call, or over a meal: Go tell it everywhere! Down in a lowly manager our humble Christ was born/ And brought us all salvation/ that blessed Christmas morn!

Father,
Help us to honor the gift of salvation we have received by sharing our light with others. Help us to understand the divine opportunity and responsibility you have given us when we were offered Your grace so freely. Help us to see like You do, and help us to love like You do. Help us to glory You by placing our light on a lampstand for all to see.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

I’m sure you’ve heard that famous song by Faith Hill: “A Baby Changes Everything.” Most of us can recall the shift in the cosmos that happens when our firstborn comes into the world and into our arms and hearts. Babies do change a lot, but there is one baby who quite literally changed everything.

We are so familiar with our traditions and cycles of the calendar in our lives that we sometimes miss the opportunity to sit and ponder the mystery and miracle of Jesus as “the new-born King.” We don’t live in a “before Jesus walked on earth” part of history. We can’t really understand the system of necessary sacrifices or the laws, rules and regulations that needed to be meticulously followed to meet God’s standard. Afterall, isn’t the very point that we can’t do it. Effort alone cannot make one holy.

However, Jesus as a baby brings the opportunity to reconcile God and sinners. Jesus as a baby–”God coming in flesh to dwell / our incarnate Deity–” is the beginning of our way back to the Father. Jesus’s birth is the birth of hope. Our only hope. As the Christmas hymn says “Life and Light to all he brings / Born that we no more may die / Born to raise us from the earth / Born to give us second birth.”

Jesus explains his purpose in his own words recorded in Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And for whatever reason, he came as a baby.

As we reflect on the 2nd week of Advent, take some time to sit and ponder the miracle and mystery of Jesus- our Savior, Creator, and Sustainer in the arms of his mother Mary.

Father,
We thank you for sending Jesus to earth as a baby. Thank you for making a way for us to be reconciled with you. Thank you for the hope that comes with the birth of Jesus. Help us never lose the wonder of Jesus: our newborn King.
Amen.

Advent is the anticipatory time when we prepare our hearts for the arrival of the Christ-child into our world which we celebrate on Christmas. It’s a busy time– full of errands and gatherings. It’s also special and sacred. Our worship services feel a bit more enriched as God’s people turn their attention to our coming and returning Savior.

We long for Jesus’s second return not unlike the Jewish people longed for and awaited for the Messiah. Isaiah 9: 6-7 is a familiar Messianic prophecy:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.

These words were spoken some 700 years before our Jesus was born. Roughly 25 generations waited on Prophet Isaiah’s words to be fulfilled and sadly some still wait, for they are unable to recognize Jesus for who He is “Emmanuel, God with us” . The anticipation must have been great. As it is today: Is it this year? This week? Perhaps, it’s 700 years more? It is not for us to know when Jesus will return.

However, we have the responsibility to prepare. We have the opportunity to accept Christ as our Messiah and to dedicate our lives to His teaching and lordship. And we can bring Jesus, our Emmanuel, wherever we go. “O, Come, O Come Emmanuel—come bless us here. Oh, Lord, we need you now.”

As we light the first candle of Advent, let’s open our hearts to the presence of God in our lives.

Father,
Prepare our hearts for the return of your Son. By Your grace may we welcome Him afresh or for the first time into our lives. Let this advent season be one of deep revelation of Your purposes for our church and our lives. May we live expectant lives and our actions and words reflect an urgency to share the story of our Messiah with all who wait for their Savior.
It’s in Jesus’ most holy name, we pray. Amen.

When Jesus walked the earth, He explained his dependence on the Father in John 5:19: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” Clearly Jesus is explaining that the Son and the Father are in perfect alignment. And while Jesus walked as a man, He was dependent on the Father.

Later, as Jesus was preparing to leave his earthly ministry, He explains in John 16: 13-15 the role of the Holy Spirit: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.”

Jesus explains that the Holy Spirit  equally depends upon and is in alignment with Jesus who is in alignment with Father. Jesus says the Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me and all that belong to the Father is mine.

The Trinity is part of the beautiful mystery that is God and I believe is not intended to be perfectly comprehended. However, I fear that we sometimes treat each personhood of the Trinity as if they are lesser versions of the true God. As if each person is a third of the wholeness of who God truly is. Because the Holy Spirit is the person of God that we interact with in a more regular (in which I use “regular” to indicate numbers of encounters) way that He is somehow holds  less power, authority, and prominence as Creator and Sustainer of the universe than the Son or Father. But that’s not how Jesus explained it. Three persons in perfect alignment and perfect dependence. There is no lesser God.

“For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Corinthians 1:5

Paul speaks to the purpose of suffering when he opens his second letter to the Corinthians. Suffering is inevitable. However, just like we who believe do not mourn like those with no hope; we do not suffer the same way as those with no hope either. There is purpose in our affliction and Paul explains that in part our suffering is for the comfort and salvation of others (see verse 4).

I like to call these opportunities redemptive moments. They usually come up as we are able to minister out of our personal experience and journey through affliction. We can offer someone advice, counsel, or prayer because we’ve been where they are.

We can bring hope to seemingly hopeless situations. We can be committed to prayer because we carry a level of empathy that compels us to persevere. The redemptive process of grace allows even our hurts and wounds to further the kingdom; nothing is wasted. We can be used as a beacon of hope as we patiently endure affliction and bring comfort to others. We serve the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

At times I read books of the Bible like the Psalms and think: What kind of experience prompted these words? I recently faced some trials that may have rightly answered that for me.  When I read Psalm 27- I understood it anew and ringing true to my experience.

Psalm 27:5 reads, “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (ESV).  Life has brought me a series of circumstances where I am in need of God’s sheltering in a way that I had not needed before.

This part of Psalm 27 does not speak of God being a strong tower or fortress (as the Bible accurately describes elsewhere). This speaks to a certain intimacy: a tent covering.  A tent is temporary and transitory; it’s enough for a specified amount of time before it needs to be moved or a more permanent structure is warranted. At the time Psalm 27 was written, I’d assume they’d be made of animal skin or handmade fabrics carefully stitched together. They’d be designed to keep out the elements: sand, wind, and the sun for a while.

This verse remains me of those hide and seek memories as a child, when I was smooshed between clothes in the back of a closet waiting nervously. I felt the softness of the fabrics pressing against my skin on all sides. God’s care is this intimate.  We can be concealed under His tent covering in our day of trouble. We can hide in Him.  He will lift us out of our trouble and safely place us high on the Rock.  He offers a place of hiding.