Advent readings, Day 22 - Micah 5: 2-5

But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
    the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
    who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
    His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Meanwhile, Israel will be in foster homes
    until the birth pangs are over and the child is born,
And the scattered brothers come back
    home to the family of Israel.
He will stand tall in his shepherd-rule by God’s strength,
    centered in the majesty of God-Revealed.
And the people will have a good and safe home,
    for the whole world will hold him in respect—
    Peacemaker of the world!

 And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,
    invades and violates our land, don’t worry.
We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,
    and watch his every move.
Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,
    to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.
Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,
    from anyone who invades or violates our land.

This is one of the texts being used today in worship -- Micah's familiar passage that mentions that the Messiah will arrive in Bethlehem.  

We know about Bethlehem. We read about it every year. There's a wonderful Christmas carol written about Bethlehem, so it must be important, right?

In Hebrew, Bethlehem literally means “house of bread.”  If the birth story were found in the Gospel of John Bethlehem would take on added meaning.  After all, in several places in the Gospel of John Jesus calls himself the bread of life in the Gospel of John.  That would preach – the bread of life is born in the house of bread!  But the Gospel of John does not tell the story of Christ's birth, only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke do, and they don't call Jesus the bread of life.

Bethlehem is a 100 miles from Nazareth. Google maps says you could walk it in 34 hours. That seems a bit ambitious to me. Maybe if you just counted walking time, and not the time spent on breaks or eating.  If you were Mary and Joseph, that might have taken a week or more make that journey. In some ways, the point of mentioning Bethlehem in the birth stories seems more geared to explaining how Bethlehem fit into the story when Jesus is really from Nazareth and begins his ministry there.  in fact, in the Gospel of Matthew there is no journey to Bethlehem. Matthew just notes that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the significant part of the story is Jesus and his parents fleeing from Bethlehem to Egypt to escape from King Herod. Then they return to Nazareth. but Bethlehem is where Jesus is born.

From an unexpected place comes and unexpected Messiah, at least unexpected in the sense that they were looking for a great leader and got a baby instead.  Maybe it prepares us for the unexpected things God brings to our life when we choose to follow the one born in Bethlehem.

Advent readings, Day 21 - Jeremiah 31: 31-34

Jeremiah 31: 31-34 “That’s right. The time is coming when I will make a brand-new covenant with Israel and Judah. It won’t be a repeat of the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant even though I did my part as their Master.” God’s Decree.

“This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” God’s Decree.

I sometimes use this passage in worship as a call to confession.  I find the idea of God's new covenant being written on our heart to be very powerful.  It also helps us understand why in the world God's Son would come as a human baby, instead of some godlike warrior.  God's covenant with humanity grows out of God's love and makes love, not compulsion, the foundation for the covenant.  Could God force us into covenantal relationship?  Yes.  But God chooses the path of love.  Will your heart receive the God of love who comes in the Christ-child? 

Advent readings, Day 20 -- Numbers 16: 1-19

 Numbers 16: 1-19:  Getting on his high horse one day, Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, along with a few Reubenites—Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—rebelled against Moses. He had with him 250 leaders of the congregation of Israel, prominent men with positions in the Council. They came as a group and confronted Moses and Aaron, saying, “You’ve overstepped yourself. This entire community is holy and God is in their midst. So why do you act like you’re running the whole show?”

On hearing this, Moses threw himself facedown on the ground.

 Then he addressed Korah and his gang: “In the morning God will make clear who is on his side, who is holy. God will take his stand with the one he chooses.

“Now, Korah, here’s what I want you, you and your gang, to do: Tomorrow, take censers. In the presence of God, put fire in them and then incense. Then we’ll see who is holy, see whom God chooses. Sons of Levi, you’ve oversteppedyourselves!”

Moses continued with Korah, “Listen well now, sons of Levi. Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has selected you out of the congregation of Israel to bring you near him to serve in the ministries of The Dwelling of God, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them? He has brought you and all your brother Levites into his inner circle, and now you’re grasping for the priesthood, too. It’s God you’ve ganged up against, not us. What do you have against Aaron that you’re bad-mouthing him?”

Moses then ordered Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, to appear, but they said, “We’re not coming. Isn’t it enough that you yanked us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? And now you keep trying to boss us around! Face it, you haven’t produced: You haven’t brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, you haven’t given us the promised inheritance of fields and vineyards. You’d have to poke our eyes out to keep us from seeing what’s going on. Forget it, we’re not coming.”

Moses’ temper blazed white-hot. He said to God, “Don’t accept their Grain-Offering. I haven’t taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven’t hurt a single hair of their heads.”

Moses said to Korah, “Bring your people before God tomorrow. Appear there with them and Aaron. Have each man bring his censer filled with incense and present it to God—all 250 censers. And you and Aaron do the same, bring your censers.”

So they all did it. They brought their censers filled with fire and incense and stood at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron did the same.

It was Korah and his gang against Moses and Aaron at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. The entire community could see the Glory of God.

I have no idea why I chose this text for today's Advent reading.  I thought all the texts were part of the daily lectionary, but I cannot find this text in the lectionary (for any of the three years).  This text finishes before the story finishes.  You may want to continue reading beyond vs. 19 if you want to see how the story ends.

It does not speak about the coming of the Messiah or have any other discernible Advent theme.  Basically, it is a story about disgruntled Israelites turning against Moses, and in essence, turning against God.  Some repent, but others face judgment (in later verses).  The main complaints from the angry Israelites is that Moses has led them into the wilderness and that Moses is too bossy.  I don't mean to minimize their complaints -- surely it was scary being uprooted from Egypt and traveling through the wilderness, even if the hope of the Promised Land is attractive.  

Perhaps that point connects with Advent.  The hope and the promise of the Christ-child calls to us, but we have to travel to Bethlehem, so to speak.  We have to venture out to find God present in our midst.   

'You Have to Go" Luke 2: 1-4; Micah 5: 2-5

As we continue reflecting on sings that Christmas is coming, I am thinking about traveling for the holidays.  Growing up, we never went anywhere for Christmas; as an adult, my family has often traveled for Christmas.  Many Christmas Eves ended on the road.  In fact, that sense of peace on the empty highways between here and TX (or FL on occasion) as Christmas morning arrives still feels like a great way to experience Christmas for me.  one year, we flew to the NW on Christmas morning and had to drive through blowing snow to arrive at the airport.

Many people travel for the holidays.  For some, it adds to the stress (I remember the stress of rushing home from the Christmas Eve service to start on the road trip, only to discover that we still had lots of packing to do before leaving); for others, traveling is part of the joy of that particular holiday.

Traveling was a critical part of the Christmas story as told by Luke and Matthew.  In Luke, Mary travels to see Elizabeth when she becomes pregnant; Joseph and a very pregnant Mary travel to Bethlehem to register for the census; the shepherds travel from the fields to Bethlehem and then back again; presumably Mary and Joseph return to Nazareth from Bethlehem.  In Mark, Mary and Joseph somehow arrive in Bethlehem (no reason is given for their presence there); wise men from the East travel to Bethlehem to find the one who was born king of the Jews (we remember they travel home a different way after being warned in a dream to avoid King Herod, who was the actual King of the Jews at that time); Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus flee in the night to Egypt after Joseph is warned in a dream about King Herod.  

Although this is not the central point of the sermon, it is fascinating to read about Jesus' family fleeing to another under the threat of death while reading and hearing in the media our nation's debate over allowing/not allowing refugees into our country.

Facts that may only be interesting to me:  1.  Bethlehem is a 100 miles from Nazareth. 2. Google maps says you could walk it in 34 hours. That seems a bit ambitious to me. Maybe if you just counted walking time, and not the time spent on breaks or eating. 3.  If you were Mary and Joseph, that might have taken a week or more make that journey. 4. Bethlehem is 5 miles south of Jerusalem, which begs the question, "Why is the Son of God born in this little town, instead of in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish faith tradition?"  

I have been reflecting on how the Christmas story calls us to go.  Maybe go in a new direction in our lives; in our relationships; or to go with new information.  When we see the Christ-child, when we discover God in our midst. it compels us to respond.

Where are you traveling -- in spatial sense or spiritual sense or relational sense - this Christmas?

Advent readings, Day 19 -- Isaiah 11: 1-9

Isaiah 11: 1-9  A green Shoot will sprout from Jesse’s stump,
    from his roots a budding Branch.
The life-giving Spirit of God will hover over him,
    the Spirit that brings wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,
    the Spirit that instills knowledge and Fear-of-God.
Fear-of-God
    will be all his joy and delight.
He won’t judge by appearances,
    won’t decide on the basis of hearsay.
He’ll judge the needy by what is right,
    render decisions on earth’s poor with justice.
His words will bring everyone to awed attention.
    A mere breath from his lips will topple the wicked.
Each morning he’ll pull on sturdy work clothes and boots,
    and build righteousness and faithfulness in the land.

The wolf will romp with the lamb,
    the leopard sleep with the kid.
Calf and lion will eat from the same trough,
    and a little child will tend them.
Cow and bear will graze the same pasture,
    their calves and cubs grow up together,
    and the lion eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will crawl over rattlesnake dens,
    the toddler stick his hand down the hole of a serpent.
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill
    on my holy mountain.
The whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive,
    a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide.

Isaiah offers us an idyllic vision the wolf and lamb, calf and lion, cow and bear all living together in peace.  A powerful, concrete image (in fact, artists through the generations have found this to be a beautiful scene to paint).  But, do not let the idyllic image disguise the radical change that must take place in order for this image to be the reality.  Rattlesnakes that won't bite or animals and humans that will not hurt or kill?  Can you imagine that?  Better yet, can you imagine what must happen, how we must change, in order to make that vision possible?  The Christmas image of the Christ-child being born often obscures the pain and hard work of Mary's labor.  As you reflect on the coming of Christ, do not ignore the changes his coming demands of us.

Advent readings, Day18 - Philippians 4: 4-7

Philippians 4: 4-7  Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Paul suggests that the Philippians pray instead of worry.  We often pray intercessory prayers that connect with our concerns of the wolrd and our lives.  How do we lift up those prayers without letting those thoughts drag us down into worry?  Because Paul believes that God "could show up any minute" and because he believes that everything will come together for good, he prays with confidence.  For Paul, the process of prayer that praises God and lays claim to what God will do allows him not to worry, or at least helps him shift worry to prayer.

Advent readings, Day 12 - Luke 7: 18-30

Luke 7: 18-30  John’s disciples reported back to him the news of all these events taking place. He sent two of them to the Master to ask the question, “Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?”

The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?’”

In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:

The blind see,
The lame walk,
Lepers are cleansed,
The deaf hear,
The dead are raised,
The wretched of the earth
    have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them.

“Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”

After John’s messengers left to make their report, Jesus said more about John to the crowd of people. “What did you expect when you went out to see him in the wild? A weekend camper? Hardly. What then? A sheik in silk pajamas? Not in the wilderness, not by a long shot. What then? A messenger from God? That’s right, a messenger! Probably the greatest messenger you’ll ever hear. He is the messenger Malachi announced when he wrote,

I’m sending my messenger on ahead
To make the road smooth for you.

 “Let me lay it out for you as plainly as I can: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer, but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him. The ordinary and disreputable people who heard John, by being baptized by him into the kingdom, are the clearest evidence; the Pharisees and religious officials would have nothing to do with such a baptism, wouldn’t think of giving up their place in line to their inferiors.

Advent is a time we look toward the coming of Christ again.  But will we recognize Christ when he is in our midst?  When some of John's followers ask Jesus if he is the one who is to come, Jesus basically replies, "See for yourself."  He then describes what he and John have been doing -- baptizing those whom the religious officials would ignore; giving sight to the blind; healing the lame; and extending God's hospitality to the wretched of the earth.  Do we even want to be part of that?  What might that look like in our world?