By Rodney Marsh —
John tells us that all of creation “received its life” from God and God gave “light to everyone” with the gift of life (John 1:3,4). No exceptions – no time ,place or person in all creation has been, or will be, without the light of God. Darkness will never eliminate God’s light from our world.
There is parable of the light and life of God in the Thai cave rescue. In June 2018, twelve Thai Soccer boys became trapped in a dark, flooded cave for twelve days. Yet God’s light and life was with and within the boys and their with coach, Ekkapol Chantawong (Ek). It was God’s light and life that enabled Ek to show the boys a path through the crisis. After the death of his father, between the ages of ten and twenty, Ek had been a novice Buddhist monk. The mind training Ek received at the monastery was a vital source of his capacity to care for and encourage the boys during the dark days and nights of waiting for rescue. Ek’s fatherly guidance was the reason the boys’ situation did not descend into a “Lord of the Flies” scenario. God’s light within Ek enabled him to teach the boys to meditate and discover the light within them instead of allowing their minds to be trapped by fears prompted by their dire circumstances.
The “Wild Boars” boys and their coach reminds us that God’s light is always searching for incarnation in our darkness. We learn that just as God’s light found embodiment in Ek and the boys, it will find embodiment in you and in me in our darkest times. God’s light will enable us to communicate hope to others in our common darkness. John emphasised the embodied “light keeps shining” at all times and no darkness has been, or ever will be, able to extinguish God’s light of love while time a space endure.
However, Ek and the boys needed rescuing and to be rescued, they needed rescuers. The story of their rescue contains another analogy to coming of the light of Christ into our world. As John says of Jesus, “The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world.” and the light of rescue was coming for the boys. Like the shepherds on a hill long ago, a frightening light soon shattered the boys’ darkness. In oft repeated TV footage, we see the befuddled boys being blinded by the bright lights of the British divers who found them. It was different for the shepherds. Though the light shone on the shepherds they could see into the light. In modern campouts, mutually blinding LED head torches mean we see neither who is looking at us nor who we are looking at. The boys were blinded by the light and, like the shepherds, needed to hear their rescuer’s words of reassurance.
The rescue of the boys was eventually led by Adelaide anaesthetist and expert cave diver, Dr “Harry” Harris. He was called to help by the British team who found the boys. They knew he was uniquely qualified and experienced to manage the risks of the rescue. Harry later admitted thinking, at the time, that the there was only a small possibility of getting all the boys out alive. Harry, along with his dive partner, Dr Craig Challen (a Perth vetinarian), spent over 70 hours in the cave. Harry was the last to emerge. However, “Speaking to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull via FaceTime, Dr Harris said the “big heroes” were the 12 children themselves, and the Thai Navy SEAL divers who looked after them in the cave.” (ABC news). What a beautiful story of the light of compassion reaching into our dark world. Harry paid a price, because shortly after he emerged from the cave he was informed his father had died whilst he was on the rescue mission.
Harry, like all of us, faced a choice to remain a dark person bringing no light into the darkness or to become light to others in a dark place. His boss said of him ,”Harry is a quiet and kind man who did not think twice about offering his support on this mission.” Just so Jesus, who “gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us.” Jesus, our Rescuer, “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col 1:13). However, we can only show we are in the light by ourselves becoming an incarnation of light.
The message of Christmas is that light of God is always seeking embodiment. The light first found complete embodiment in Jesus. Now Jesus names his followers as ‘the light of the world’ and when Paul wished to speak about the commitment to love in relationships, he tells Jesus’ followers at Ephesus “you were darkness, but now … you are light” (Eph 5:8 lit). God’s eternal love and light is always seeking incarnation. Christmas always asks us a question “Are you light in the darkness or are you darkness in the darkness?”
Prayer: Lord, you tell me, I am light in you. Today and every day grant me the gift of the Spirit of your Son to be light in the dark places I will encounter. Amen.
by Christine Sine.
I am embarrassed to say that I have just purchased another Advent devotional. At least I would be embarrassed if it were not for the fact that one of my resolutions during Advent this year is to pause 3 times a day to pray and reflect. Having three devotionals has greatly facilitated that. Now I have one for the morning, one for midday and one for the evening. The reflections in each only take a few minutes but I find myself pondering the words in the times between. It is refreshing and energizing.
God is in the Manger is by one of my favorite theologians Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Evidently Advent was one of his favorite times of year and his powerful reflections, written mainly from prison are powerful and inspiring. Here are a couple of glimpses from my initial readings:
Life in a prison cell may well be compared to Advent” Bonhoeffer wrote his best friend Eberhard Bethge as the holidays approached in 1943. “One waits, hopes, and does this, that, or the other – things that are really of no consequence- the door is shut and can only be opened from the outside.”
Of course for Bonhoeffer the door never opened and he was hanged on April 8, 1945 just ten days before the German forces began to surrender.
Christ is knocking. It’s still not Christmas, but it’s also still not the great last Advent, the last coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate runs the longing for the last Advent, when the word will be: “see I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5
The Advent season is a season of waiting, but our whole life is an Advent season, that is, a season of waiting for the last Advent, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Like Bonhoeffer I long for that last Advent, that time when all things will be made new and Christ will come again in all his fullness.
Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the the fruit when it has hardly finished plating the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespectful hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them. Whoever does not know the austere blessedness of waiting – that is, of hopefully doing without- will never experience the full blessing of fulfillment.
Waiting is hard, and as we begin this first week of Advent, waiting for the coming of Christ, whether we wait for the remembrance of his birth, for new birth within ourselves or for that final Advent at the end of time, the longing sometimes seems overwhelming and we are very tempted to taste of the fruit before it is ripe.
God may we learn to wait patiently for what you are giving birth to.
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Week 2 of Advent from John Lewis’ book, Finding the Treasure in Christmas: A Guide to celebrating Advent for Families —
Special Activities:
- Put up some or all of your ornaments and your Nativity set.
- Read a suggested story from the New Guideposts’ Christmas Treasury, found in Appendix II.
- Watch Frosty the Snowman (Theme: the snow coming to life and then melting symbolizes Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection).
Read:
- John 1:14 about the Word becoming flesh as you light the second Advent candle, which is the “Bethlehem candle.” In Bethlehem we will find all the details of Jesus and His coming.
Reflect:
On our tree are ornaments we’ve bought, and ones others have given us. Some were homemade, some picked out in a store. Some are shiny, some faded. These ornaments make our family’s Christmas tree unique. Each year we have added new ornaments to the mix, filling our tree with memories. So, when we decorate the tree, we remember the people, places, and particulars of our family’s story.
Just as our ornaments remind us of our family’s specific story, they can also remind us that Jesus has a story, full of particulars and details. Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem, in the small backwater country of Israel. He arrived on a particular day and year sometime around 4 BC. In the Nativity, we see the stable’s manger, Jesus’ swaddling clothes, and the shepherds from a nearby field who sprinted to see Him first. These elements all point us to the truth that Christmas is rooted in a story, which, like all good stories, is full of details.
When we put up our ornaments and Nativity set, we remember that the “Word once became flesh, and dwelt among us.” God came to earth as a person, a child, an adopted child even, so people could see God in all the particulars of Jesus’ everyday life-and our life, too. Jesus was God’s ornament for us all to see. His glory became inseparable with the ordinary routines of eating and cleaning, listening and learning, working and playing.
Here is the good news: Jesus came embedded in a time and a place. He, the sinless King of Glory, experienced all the everyday details of life so that we could have a new perspective on every aspect of our lives. The places and people of every culture, the ordinary and sometimes the dreary circumstances of life, all of these matter to God. We, Christ’s body, are God’s ornament.
Do/Discuss:
- Share some of the stories or memories of your favorite ornaments.
Sing:
“O Come All Ye Faithful” (verses 1 and 3)
Pray:
God, You were, are, and have always been full of life. In dogs and dolphins, strawberries and sunsets, and Adam and Eve You have shared Your life with us. That first Christmas when Jesus came down to Earth, You pitched Your tent in our very own neighborhood. You came to us fully human and fully divine, full of light and life. For all those times You have made Yourself known to us through people, relationships, and circumstances, we thank You. Amen.
John Lewis lives in Tacoma, Washington and is a father of three grown children and husband of one Christmas-loving wife. He is the director of Kingdom Story Ministries and passionate about seeing the next generation of Jesus followers grow and stay faithful over their life time. Building meaningful and enduring traditions during the Advent season, the month before Christmas, was certainly one way their kids found long term faith roots. Those 15 years of trial and error, singing carols and squirming in their seats, reading and sharing, putting up the tree, lights, ornaments and star one week at a time, they were well worth the effort. Though far from perfect, we offer to you our flexible approach and variety of ideas for developing Christ centered Christmas traditions. May your kids, year after year, grow anticipate the faith element of Christmas alongside all the fun of the season; may their roots run long and deep for the challenging life they have ahead of them.
by Christine Sine
This last week I set up my sacred space for Advent. I got out my icon of the Annunciation and my beautiful photo of the Magnificat stained glass window at Taize. Then I started working on my Advent calendar – this year a rather spectacular succulent calendar (to be unveiled tomorrow). As I worked on it I realized that there was still something or should I say someone, missing from my display — Joseph.
So I went looking for images of Joseph with a pregnant Mary. They are hard to find, unless I want Christmas card images of them heading towards Bethlehem. The photo above is from the Catholic Cathedral in Wichita Kansas, a beautiful sculpture by Rip Caswell that has held me enthralled for the last few days. I love the sense of protection and caring this sculpture conveys. Joseph must have been an extraordinary man yet we rarely think about how loving his behavior towards Mary was.
According to New Testament theologian Kenneth Bailey, we misinterpret Matthew 1:20 “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit” He says “he considered this” should be translated “he became angry” and planned not to marry her. Not an unexpected reaction for a righteous man who finds his betrothed is pregnant by another”man”.
The amazing thing is that Joseph changed his mind because of a dream. How easily he could have ignored the angel. His acceptance of Mary and the baby she carried had consequences not just for her reputation but for his too. From the viewpoint of those around either the child was his and he was not quite as just and righteous as they previously thought or the child was someone else’s and he was a fool to accept Mary. He would have been” just” in condoning her stoning. Yet he stood by her. What courage it must have taken to stand against the culture of his day.
I love the way that Kenneth Bailey talks about Joseph in his wonderful book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes.
In his cameo appearance, Matthew presents Joseph as a human being of remarkable spiritual stature. He possessed the boldness, daring, courage and strength of character to stand up against his entire community and take Mary as his wife. He did so in spite of the forces that no doubt wanted her stoned. His vision of justice stayed his hand. In short he was able to reprocess his anger into grace. (46)
That Joseph’s extraordinary love protected and surrounded Mary and eventually Jesus continues to be seen as the story unfolds. The trip to Bethlehem, the flight into Egypt, his teaching of Jesus to be a carpenter are all indications of his love and care.
Once again Kenneth Bailey helps me understand:
… in the Middle East, men usually represent their families in any official or legal matters. Why did Joseph take Mary with him to Bethlehem for the registration? The easiest explanation is that he was unsure what might happen to her if he left her in Nazareth without his presence to protect her. It behooves us to see Joseph as the hero of the story without whose courage and understanding of the prophets there would have been no Christmas story to tell. (46)
What Is Your Response?
Take a few minutes to contemplate the Rip Carwell’s sculpture above. Pay particular attention to Joseph standing behind Mary. Imagine Joseph as a courageous and loving man, supporting Mary by standing against the law of his culture. What are your thoughts as you gaze on this image? How does it change your impression of Joseph and his place in the story of Jesus.
Now take a few minutes to think about your own father. Some of us have loving fathers and it is not hard for us to imagine them standing in support of our mothers when they were pregnant with us. Others have less loving impressions. The abuse and violence of my own father meant that I ignored Joseph for a long time. I also ignored the loving gestures my father made towards me. When I was premature infant in a baby incubator it was my father who brought the milk my mother expressed to the hospital each day. It was my father who provided a home and food. As I look at this image I can imagine his love for me and my mother, even though he was rarely able to express it.
Who else has been a father to you? For those of us who don’t have loving fathers to look back at, God often provides substitutes, loving friends or relatives who take the place of fathers and help us create healthy images of a father’s love. I suspect that Joseph did this for Jesus. The stories of his conception by the power of the Holy Spirit must have created distant father images for Jesus, extraordinary as his knowledge of God was. Was it Joseph who formed early impressions of a God of love for Jesus before he fully understood who he was? Was it Joseph who provided loving images that made it possible for him to call God “Abba” and became stories of the warm welcome for prodigal sons? Obviously we do not know but it warms my heart to think of these possibilities.
Now watch the video below. What else comes to mind as you think about Joseph singing a lullaby to Jesus? Is there a response that God is asking of you?
A few years ago we produced a series of podcasts on the theme Coming Home; Uncovering our roots in the Advent story. I enjoyed these so much that I have been listening to them again this year and thought that some of you would enjoy them too and so decided to repost them.
Advent Podcast #1
- Story by Christine Sine
- Music by Tara Ward, The Opiate Mass and Church of the Beloved
- Reflection by Dr. Chelle Stearns, Seattle School of Theology and Psychology Seattle WA
- Meditation by Christine Sine
- Produced by Ryan Marsh, Church of the Beloved
Listen now:
By Lilly Lewin
This week we light the first candle in our Advent wreaths. The first candle is known as the HOPE candle or the PROPHET Candle depending upon what flavor of church you grew up in….
I am very grateful that HOPE is the first candle because I am in need of HOPE this week and this year.
HOPE for healing for friends who are hurting both physically and emotionally.
HOPE for our world that is broken and bleeding with wars and famine.
HOPE for refugees around the world who just want a safe place to live.
HOPE for those who are living in fear and want to build walls rather than bridges.
And I’m grateful for the HOPE that the Prophets gave the Children of Israel and give to each of us today!
Isaiah reminds us that The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
The Prophet Jeremiah reminds us
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” Jeremiah 33:14-16
What hope do you need today? What things give you hope?
What things help you have hope on dark days? A sunrise? A baby’s smile? A great cup of coffee in the morning? Make a List and refer to it often. Take time to find a bit of Hope each day.
How can you plan to see more Light this Advent, rather dwelling in the darkness? What adds LIGHT to your life? What can you do to bring LIGHT to your world, your family, your neighbors? Start by Lighting an actual candle.
What righteousness and justice would you like to see Jesus execute in your land, your life, your neighborhood? Set a timer on your phone and pray daily for a place or an area that needs the justice of Jesus and the healing of his righteousness. Find a globe ornament, add it to your tree to remind you to pray for places around the world that need justice, healing, and hope.
Here’s one of my favorite prayers to pray during Advent.
Lord God
Calm us as we wait for the Gift of Jesus
Cleanse us to prepare the way for his arrival.
Help us to slow down and prepare our hearts.
Help us to wait and take time to be with you.
Teach us to contemplate the wonder of God with us.
Teach us to know the presence of your Spirit.
Teach us to bear the life of Jesus and live out his Kingdom.
Today and Always.
Amen
(adapted from Ray Simpson, Lindesfarne)
May we all feel the Hope of Jesus this Advent and may we all shine his Light and be bearers of Hope to our world.
check out sacred space resources for Christmas and Advent and beyond at freerangeworship.com
Each week for Advent we will be posting activities that you can do individually or as a family by John Lewis from his book, Finding the Treasure in Christmas: A Guide to celebrating Advent for Families —
Special Activities for the 1st Week of Advent:
- Make/buy your Advent wreath. The “evergreen” symbolizes eternal life, and the circle,
- His never-ending love.
- Put up the tree. As this tree came from nature, Christ came from His natural place in Heaven to be with us and bring us new life. (If you have an artificial tree, use your imagination.)
- Read a suggested story from the New Guideposts’ Christmas Treasury, found in Appendix II.
- Watch options: Charlie Brown Christmas (Theme: Jesus is like the little green tree); How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Theme: The light and life of Christmas are not found in stuff but in the heart).
Read:
- Start by lighting the first Advent candle, which is the “Prophecy Candle.”
- Read Isaiah 9:2 and Isaiah 11:1. These verses are prophecies, messages given to God’s people long before Jesus was born. Do you notice how Isaiah 9:2 says, “. . . those walking in darkness will see a great light?” As we light the first candle, we are reminded that God brings light and life to the world. These prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, as we read in John 1:4: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of us all.”
Reflect:
Every year, our family’s first Advent tradition is to cut down our tree, put it up in our house, and decorate it with lights. But where did this tradition come from? Legend has it that centuries ago, on a Christmas Eve night, Martin Luther looked up at the forest trees with the moon and stars behind them. Inspired by this beautiful scene, he introduced the tradition of the Christmas tree and candles (this, of course, was before the invention of electric lights). The candles stood for Jesus, the light of the world. The green pine tree, already a recognized symbol of life in ancient Druid festivals, became a symbol for Christ’s abundant and everlasting life.
The rich greenness of a Christmas tree stands in bold contrast to the stark landscape of Jesus’ homeland in Israel. The stars over ancient Bethlehem shone brightly in the countryside darkness. Jesus came as light and life, and what a welcome gift He was and is! As the Apostle John reminds us in his Gospel’s introduction of Jesus (John 1:4), Jesus is all about light and life.
“Welcome, Christmas, bring your light:” set in the context of the true meaning of Christmas, this quote from, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” perfectly sums up our wish for Advent.
Do/Discuss:
- Hang up inside/outside lights. When it becomes dark, shut off all the house lights. Sit in darkness for a moment, and then plug in your lights. What is an example of how Jesus brought light to the world when He was on Earth.
- How has He brought light and life to you and to our family this year? (e.g., provision for our needs, wisdom, understanding, direction, relationships, new things, etc.)
Sing:
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” (especially verse 3, “Lightand lifeto all He brings…”)
Pray:
Lord, Your light is greater than our darkness and shows us the way. Your life is greater than what our world and its ways could ever offer us. Where we are still living in shadows, shine brightly this Christmas season. Where we thirst for Your life, keep us expectant and eager. May our lights and tree remind us how You are ready to meet us with Your light and life. Amen.
John Lewis lives in Tacoma, Washington and is a father of three grown children and husband of one Christmas-loving wife. He is the director of Kingdom Story Ministries and passionate about seeing the next generation of Jesus followers grow and stay faithful over their life time. Building meaningful and enduring traditions during the Advent season, the month before Christmas, was certainly one way their kids found long term faith roots. Those 15 years of trial and error, singing carols and squirming in their seats, reading and sharing, putting up the tree, lights, ornaments and star one week at a time, they were well worth the effort. Though far from perfect, we offer to you our flexible approach and variety of ideas for developing Christ centered Christmas traditions. May your kids, year after year, grow anticipate the faith element of Christmas alongside all the fun of the season; may their roots run long and deep for the challenging life they have ahead of them.As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
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