Advent End: Reason for the Light

In these awkward celebration days (because it's not Christmas anymore but it's not New Year's yet either) let's remember the reason for it all. The Light has come to us for a specific reason and it was the love of the Father that sent us this Light.

John 3:16-21

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Advent Day 24: Christmas Through the Year

Everyone always talks about how we should keep Christmas throughout the year, so I thought I'd share some images with you of places where I've found evidence of just that in different places.

Advent Day 23: Awake, Ready and Waiting

One of the things we hear about a lot at Christmas time is

that we are waiting for more than presents and Saint Nick. This is true; we are waiting to celebrate the Incarnation and the start of the Passion of the Christ that led to the opening of the way of our salvation. As we wait for something more on Christmas day though I would encourage all of us to remember that we wait every second of every day for something more: Christ's return. He came once but he will come again. Matthew 24 and Mark 13 both record Jesus' words about his return. "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

(Mark 13:32-37)

Author Madeleine L'Engle put these feelings into verse:

When will he come

And how will he come

And will there be warnings

And will there be thunders

And rumbling of armies

Coming before him

And banners and trumpets

When will he come

And how will he come

And will we be ready

Until the Day Dawns and the Mists Roll Away Waiting

Advent Day 22: His Name is John

Luke 1:57-80

"Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,

    for he has visited and redeemed his people 

and has raised up a horn of salvation for us

    in the house of his servant David,

as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 

that we should be saved from our enemies

    and from the hand of all who hate us; 
to show the mercy promised to our fathers

    and to remember his holy covenant, 
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 

    that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,

might serve him without fear,

    in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 

to give knowledge of salvation to his people

   in the forgiveness of their sins, 

because of the tender mercy of our God,

   whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel."

John the Baptist is not a central character to the Christmas story but he is an important character in the gospel story as a whole. His existence is the fulfillment of prophecies (see Isaiah 40:3) and he acts as an earthly herald of the coming of the Messiah (see John 1) . It was John's birth and ministry that prepared the people for the arrival of the person they had been waiting for for so long. Because of the miraculous situation surrounding his birth, everyone knew that John was extraordinary and sent by God. All of his neighbors wondered and spread the word about this special child "for the hand of the Lord was with him." Anticipation began to rise among the weary children of Israel who had been waiting for the fulfillment of this promise for so long. Jesus himself lays out just who John is Matthew 11:7-15 "As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you." Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.'" While John ministered and baptized in the wilderness everyone from common folk to the Pharisees went out to see him. Everyone wanted the hear the message of hope that John had.

The angels get all the credit for being heralds when God sent men as well to bring His message to His people. John does just this; first by preaching the need for repentance because of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven and later affirming the identity of Jesus. "The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the  sin of the world! This is he of whom I said "After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me. I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel..."'And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (Gospel of John 1:29-31 & 34). Elisabeth's relatives disagreed with her when she wanted to name her child John but she and Zechariah followed the instructions that God had given them. John means "God has been gracious" and indeed God was. Shortly after the birth of John the Baptist, the Christ child entered the world and God's grace in full was extended to the world. 

Advent Day 21: Movie List

I thought since Christmas is only a few days away and there are only so many viewing hours left, you all needed to know which movies to watch before the 26th hits and watching Christmas movies becomes weird. I will separate these by movie type but they are in no particular order. Here it is for your perusing and viewing pleasure Anna McFall's Top Christmas Movies
Claymation:

1. Rudolph
2. A Year Without a Santa Clause
3. Santa Clause is Coming to Town
4. Nightmare Before Christmas
5. Jack Frost

Animated:

1. Charlie Brown Christmas
2. Frosty the Snowman & Frosty Returns
3. Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
4. The Polar Express
5. Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Christmas

ABC Family Specials

1. Snow Globe
2. Holiday in Handcuffs
3. Picking Up & Dropping Off

Other Christmas Classics

1. A Christmas Story
2. Home Alone
3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
4. Harry Potter (all of them)
5. The Santa Clause
6. Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with real people)
7. Muppet's Christmas Carol
8. Elf
9. Miracle on 34th Street
10. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
11. White Christmas
12. It's a Wonderful Life
13. The Nativity
14. While You Were Sleeping
15. Die Hard

Well you have about 72 hours left before the wrapping paper coma takes effect. Happy watching.

Advent Day 20: Candlelight Carol

How do you capture the wind on the water?

How do you count all the stars in the sky? 

How can you measure the love of a mother,

or how can you write down a baby's first cry?

Candlelight, angel light, 

firelight and starglow 

shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn. 

Gloria, Gloria in excelsis deo!

Angels are singing; the Christ Child is born.

Shepherds and wisemen will kneel and adore him,

Seraphim round him their vigil will keep;

Nations proclaim him their Lord and their Savior,

but Mary will hold him and sing him to sleep.

Candlelight, angel light, 

firelight and starglow 

shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn. 

Gloria, Gloria in excelsis deo!

Angels are singing; the Christ Child is born.

Find him at Bethlehem laid in a manger:

Christ our Redeemer asleep in the hay.

Godhead incarnate and hope of salvation:

A child with his mother that first Christmas Day.

Candlelight, angel light, 

firelight and starglow 

shine on his cradle till breaking of dawn. 

Gloria, Gloria in excelsis deo!

Angels are singing; the Christ Child is born.

- John Rutter 1984

Advent Day 19: Nothing to Add

Who can add to Christmas?
The perfect motive s that God so loved the world.
The perfect gift is that He gave His only Son.
The only requirement is to believe in Him.
The reward of faith is that you shall have everlasting life.

- Corrie Ten Boom

Advent Day 18: Christmas Cards

So today I thought I'd let you all know what an ordeal it was sending out Christmas cards from my home in the desert.

I set out at 10:30 in the morning to go to the post office to check and see if a package had arrived for me, and to send some Christmas cards. Unbeknownst to me, all governmental buildings and most businesses were scheduled to open at 11 am instead of their usual time, between 8 and 9, due to the winter weather. When I arrived I found the female staff of the post office sitting on the front steps. The customs lady knows me fairly well now and invited me to sit and wait with them. Sitting in the sun was a nice break from the cold. After a bit, the manager came and opened the door for everyone.

I checked my mailbox but there was no mail for me this day. So I walked up to the counter to ask for stamps for the post cards I was sending home. The lady behind the counter told me I'd have to wait until the computer systems were up and running. In the mean time, the customs lady called me into the office to check and see if I had a package...I didn't but I appreciated her looking out for me. She asked me what I was after if not a package and I told her stamps. As I went out of the office into the main room she walked behind the counter to tell the lady that I was next and that I needed stamps. 

Since the destination of my cards was America, two stamps were necessary for each card. However, it was my job lick each stamp. Sitting down on one of the small benches, I devised a system of stamps and cards and proceeded to go about posting each one. My duty was not without an audience; there were three Bedouin women who sat across from me and watched the whole ordeal. I'm not sure if I was more strange or amusing to them. When all was said and done and posted I had spent an hour at the post office but my task was accomplished. This small adventure is a win in my book since every transaction was in Arabic and I did it on my own.

Advent Day 17: Whispers and Shouts

I wanted to do a post about how Christ's arrival was long awaited and how many people in the Old Testament spoke about his coming. I decided instead to let scripture speak for itself. At times scripture whispers the coming of a Savior and at times it shouts out declarations of Christ that cannot be ignored. The author of Hebrews magnificently depicts how Jesus was Immanuel and how he fulfilled hundreds of prophecies through his birth, life, death and resurrection. I encourage you to read the whole book of Hebrews but here I'll give you the first chapter.

Hebrews 1
"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

'You are my Son, 

today I have begotten you'? 

Or again, 

'I will be to him a father,

and he shall be to me a son'? 

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

 'Let all God's angels worship him.' 

Of the angels he says, 

'He makes his angels winds, 

and his ministers a flame of fire.' 

But of the Son he says, 

'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, 

the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; 

therefore God, your God, has anointed you 

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.' 

And, 

'You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 

they will perish, but you remain; 

they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed.

But you are the same, and your years will have no end.' 

And to which of the angels has he ever said, 

'Sit at my right hand until I make your 

enemies a footstool for your feet'? 

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?"

That's seven Old Testament passages in the first chapter alone that Christ fulfilled. See how many more the author fleshes out by reading the rest of the book.

Advent Day 16: O Night Divine

Today another song. O Holy Night, a classic Christmas carol. It highlights the coming of the Christ, the hope that he brought and the world's joyful response. I've included my favorite rendition of this song by three of my favorite performers. We've seen them before in the first post of this Advent season: Phil Wickham & Shane and Shane. 

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name

Sing along with me my friends

Advent Day 15: King

With ten days left before the big day, I thought we could reflect on who it is we are expecting. All throughout the Bible the characteristics and names of God and Christ are displayed. It would take the rest of my life and yours to go through all the passages and fully appreciate the details of the Lord that He gives us in his Word. For now, I have listed four scripture passages that testify to the identity of the child whose birth we celebrate every December. After you read the verses, listen to the description of the King of kings that Dr S M Lockridge gives in the video below. I wonder do you know Him?

Deuteronomy 10:17-18
"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing"

Isaiah 9:6-7
"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. Of 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. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this."

1 Timothy 6:14-16
"I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality,who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen"

Revelation 1:4-8 & 17-18
"John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'...When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.'"



THAT'S MY KING

Advent Day 14: Snow

Internet is back on!

The rumors you're heard on the news are true: there is snow in the Middle East. Roads are closed, school is cancelled and flights are grounded. Much like our Jordanian counterparts, we foreigners hardly know what to do with ourselves. I for one did not pack for 45 degree weather, I came prepared for 100 degree days and 96 degree nights. Just two weeks ago the temperatures here stayed steadily between 85 and 90 degrees F. So you can imagine Kara and my surprise to wake up Friday morning and see snow on our mountain tops. This was not the strangest part of the day though. When the two of us left the house to head to the Souk, we got caught in a downpour that became a mixture of rain and hail. Luckily shortly thereafter we found some amazing lentil soup to warm us up.

There is no insulation in my house because it's never been necessary before. Right now my laundry is hanging on racks in my living room because it is too cold outside to hang wet clothes. My struggles are inconsequential though in the grand scheme of things. Many Jordanians associate being cold with catching sickness so no one leaves there house without heavy layers. It's not all bad though. To stay outside, many people build fires and make tea over the flames. Friends come to huddle together and join the impromptu tea parties. As the cold does elsewhere, it brings people together for more than just body heat. Many children are getting to make snow men for the first time. Also, oddly enough, it looks like it will be a white Christmas at least for the towns in the North. 

The record breaking cold brings with it some familiar pieces of home. Yesterday Kara and I joined a group of our friends in a road trip to go a little further North to see the snow. We drove for about an hour up into the hills to where there was a proper layer of snowfall. Once we got out of the car the snowballs started flying of course. We chased each other through the snow and enjoyed losing feeling in our fingers and toes. My friends looked at me strangely though when I declared that it felt like home standing in the cold air with snow up past my ankles. (pictures pending)

Advent Day 13: Mary's Song

I didn't forget! This time it wasn't my fault! The internet is out at our house so this post is a day late. All I wanted to do was to read with you the song of praise Mary lifts up in Luke 1. Mary has heard from the angel at this point and sets out to see her cousin Elizabeth to see if the prophecy concerning Elizabeth's pregnancy was true. Elisabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit at the sight of her cousin and speaks a blessing over her. Any doubts that Mary had or fears that she might have been mistaken were instantly taken away and she lifts up a song of praise to the Lord.

Luke 1:39-56

"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.' And Mary said, 

'My soul magnifies the Lord,  

   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.'

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home."

  

This should always be our response when our faith is affirmed and blessings are received from our Heavenly Father: songs of praise should leap from us. What has been your song this week?