Advent 2008: Week 1

Last year, I mentioned the tradition of the advent wreath that my family does every year. Please join us in our celebration this year as I post the thoughts, scriptures and songs that make up our worship this holiday season.

Week 1: The Prophecy Candle

The first candle to be lit each year is the "Prophecy Candle" which represents hope. With all that our world faces in the coming year, hope is definitely something that we could all use. The beauty of Christ's birth is not just that He fulfilled some of the prophecies, but that He will continue to fulfill them. Just as God kept His word concerning the coming of the Messiah, so will He keep His promise to come again. This week, take some time to reflect on the promises of the Lord, and the everlasting hope that we have in Him.
"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD." Psalm 31:24

Verses to read: Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Luke 1:30-35

O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Latin Hymn

O come, O come Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lowly exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's Tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, O come Thou Lord of might
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times did'st give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

Thankful

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is a time to be together with family and friend without the overwhelming hustle and bustle of Christmas. I also love that, perhaps even more so than Christmas, it is a time of reflecting on the goodness and provision of God. Each year, I like to sort of pick out one thing that I am especially thankful for, beyond the standard family, friends, provisions, etc.

This has been a challenging year for me and my family. God certainly seems to be sending us through a spiritual refining. If there is one word that could sum up what God has been teaching us this year, it would be "obedience". From the seemingly mundane to the really important decisions, God has been showing us how important it is that we follow the commandments found in His word. It has certainly been a step by step process, one that has had many unforeseen implications. One of my biggest concerns was how some had tossed the word "Pharisee" around regarding some of our convictions. The last thing I wanted was to be Pharisaical in my walk with God, yet I knew that obedience to the commandments of the Bible was important. Then God began showing me the importance of another word: "grace".

Too often, people seem to treat God's grace as a "get out of jail free" card. And then there are those who ignore it all together and feel that we can earn our way to heaven. Both views are wrong, of course, but how can grace and obedience effectively co-exist? As I thought about this, I was reminded of a Caedmon's Call song called Thankful. The chorus is just one simple line: "So I am thankful that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own."

I am incapable of obeying God's commands on my own. This does not change the fact that God has called me to walk in obedience to His word (1 Peter 1:13-16), but it does mean that I must rely, not on my own strength, but on His grace to accomplish the plans He has for my life. So, this Thanksgiving, I truly am thankful "...that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own.", and for the grace of God that allows me to walk the path that He has set before me.

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand it, we must act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God."

~Soren Kierkegaard from "Kill the Commentators". See in context here.

HT: Rabbit Room