In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. The Son is the light of Gods’ glory and the imprint of God’s being. —Hebrews 1:1-3a
Click to see full size image.
In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger.
At first glance, this cannot be right. Upon his birth, shouldn’t this “Heir of Everything through Whom All Worlds Were Created” have a higher place of honor than a lowly feeding trough? Doesn’t the list of all things created through him include gold towers, ivory palaces, judgment halls, and lavish resorts? Shouldn’t he have his pick of the lot?
But that’s really not our Christmas story, is it?
Because the list of all things created through him also includes a manger scene—complete with an unmarried mama, a daydreaming daddy, a refugee family, a troubled city, and a captive nation under the thumb of an unrighteous king.
In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger.
Remarkably, this is right. This is our story: that for all the places created through him, the Son of God is to be found among the least of these.
What a condemnation. Throughout the rest of the year, it’s the gold towers, ivory palaces, judgment halls, and lavish resorts that impress us and convict us and compel us to put our trust in them, cast our vote for them, and place our faith in them.
And what hope. In a season of darkness, the light of God’s glory radiates from a manger. In this season of darkness, we have this story, and there is no shortage of manger scenes among us. Come, Lord Jesus.
And he says, You, Lord, laid the earth’s foundations in the beginning, and the heavens are made by your hands. They will pass away, but you remain. They will all wear out like old clothes. You will fold them up like a coat. They will be changed like a person changes clothes, but you stay the same, and the years of your life won’t come to an end. —Hebrews 1:10-12
Click to see full size image.
For over 18 years, I’ve been on the staff at Trinity.
My purpose is to keep the House of the Lord in good order. I’m lucky that the helpful Lord has blessed me with the hands and skills to take care of his foundation, the church.
I know every nook and cranny of this church, and I’m on a first name basis with the Holy Ghost who rides the elevators in the building unannounced.
While at Trinity, I’ve been able to do many things beyond being a good steward for the House of the Lord.
Additionally, I have learned a lot from the people I encounter at Trinity.
By being here I have the privilege of getting to know these people and learn about their ministries. This learning has helped me with developing ministries in my own community.
Many have left during my time at Trinity, but as the scripture in Hebrews states, I have been changed by their departures, but I’m still here caring for the House of the Lord.
When some in the crowd heard these words, they said, “This man is truly the prophet.” Others said, “He’s the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ can’t come from Galilee, can he? Didn’t the scripture say that the Christ comes from David’s family and from Bethlehem, David’s village?” So the crowd was divided over Jesus. —John 7:40-43
Click to see full size image.
Can you see from this picture that it is Advent? Was it the blue paraments, the poinsettias on the altar or the empty manger in the center that clued you in? For those that came to the 4 p.m. Family Christmas Eve service last year, it may have been the wooden framework filling the chancel. For me, the picture shows how we were carefully preparing to tell the story of Jesus Christ’s birth to children and families. The chancel was set for the children in the congregation to offer their gifts of food and to build the stable, which would ultimately house the actors depicting the holy couple and the baby Jesus. The story was told and everyone there was together in knowing exactly who Jesus was and is, right?
The scripture for today is a few lines from a larger, more involved story in John 7. Jesus speaks on the last day of the Festival of Booths. Verses 40 through 43 say that the crowd is divided on who they think Jesus is. Some say he is a prophet, some say he is the Christ, and others say he could not be Christ, because he was from Galilee. Everyone in the crowd heard the same truth from Jesus, but they did not all have the same preconceptions, knowledge or expectations, so they were divided in their beliefs.
People are divided in so many ways in our world today, but I believe we can come together as disciples of Jesus. If we all continue to teach and tell the Christmas story and other Bible stories over and over, every time we can, everywhere we go, children and families will come together and know Jesus.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” —Luke 1:26-28
Click to see full size image.
Everyone loves the moment in the Christmas Eve Service when we as a congregation raise our lit candles and join in singing “Silent Night.” No matter how many times I take part in this climactic moment, I find it invariably moving and beautiful.
And solemn. The author of the Book of Luke wrote his account of the life of Jesus some 100 years after the event described in these verses—Gabriel’s “Annunciation” to Mary of her “favored” status as the mother of God’s son. Luke thus would have been writing not only with keen interest in explaining how this story begins, but with an acute sense of how it all ends. He would have understood that the joy of “Annunciation” cuts a straight line to suffering, and death, on the cross.
I still recall the striking language Dr. Peters used in baptisms. Just as he placed his hands on the head of the baby, he would repeat (if memory serves) the following beautiful, moving, and solemn words: “Child of God, living, be thou unto God. Dying, be thou unto God. Living or dying, be thou unto God forevermore.” Entering the world as a baby means that God enters the world just like us—as a living, dying thing.
But Luke also understood that the story of Jesus precisely does not end at the cross. The miracle of resurrection means that we are not only living and dying. We are also “unto God”—forevermore.
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manager. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. —Luke 2:16-18
Click to see full size image.
The shepherds went with haste to see this thing that has taken place. What they saw was a baby swaddled in a crib with mom and dad standing by. Just an ordinary sight. But that seems to be the point. We expect to find God in grand places, like our beautiful sanctuary at this time of the year, but scripture reminds us over and over that God chooses many avenues for self-disclosure. Moses heard and saw God in a burning bush and continued to see God in the long journey in the wilderness.
Once I visited a young mother in the hospital after she had given birth to a baby girl she named Emmanuel. I had the privilege of holding Emmanuel for about thirty minutes before feeding time. When I gave her back to her mother, I said, “Thank you for letting me look upon the face of God.” I was not just making a play on her name, which means “God with us,” though that is certainly true. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once asked a United Methodist official who was holding a baby she had just rescued from a garbage dump, “Do you see God in that baby’s eyes? God gives himself to us in the needy of the world.”
The marvelous message of this holy season is that “God is with us, Emmanuel”, and we will see God not only in the sanctuary, but in the faces of everyone we meet.
Through practicing the holy habits of this season, we can sharpen our ability to turn aside and see God in the most ordinary places.
Doug Hill
Acknowledgements:
Teamwork pushed the creation of this Advent devotional book. Thanks to Larry Lenow for giving us permission to take the photographs. Without Dianne Moore’s photographic and technical skills there would be no devotional book. Dianne must have the patience of Job trying to teach Bill Pike camera settings!! Kim Tingler handled the formatting and design, and her gentle tenacity allowed for just the right amount of tweaking to get us a finished product. Judy Oguich’s experience from her work with previous Advent projects gave us a path to follow, not to mention her keen eyes. Shea Tuttle researched and selected the scripture readings. A gifted writer, Shea also had the tough job of editing. Paula Cadden helped coordinate the printing, and way up yonder in northern Virginia, Kim Johnson managed the social media distribution. Finally, we thank all of our writers for their heartfelt contributions.
Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away. Then the Lord will provide a season of relief from the distress of this age and he will send Jesus, whom he handpicked to be your Christ. —Acts 3:19-20
Click to see full size image.
I love all bells—Tower bells, church bells, and hand bells. Especially during this season. It is a time for joy and thankfulness in celebrating the birth of Jesus. This is a very busy time of the year, but save some time to turn to God and be thankful for all he has done for you. Share with others—it doesn’t have to be things that come in boxes with bows on them: a smile, a warm handshake, a hug, or you and a friend can find a seat and have a cup of coffee or tea.
And while listening to the bells, wherever you are, pray and prepare for the coming of Jesus again. Who knows when? It could be very soon, and we want to be ready. Remember, God is always with you. He can ‘talk’ to you in many ways. For example, he can help you change your mind and do something different from what you had planned. Perhaps you find out later that it was a better and safer idea. I know it has happened to me.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness.” We need to follow the light. So look for the light and listen to the soothing bells. Pray to God to take away our sins. In addition, be with your family, if you can, and celebrate. Wait, watch, listen and feel the Joy!
