Advent: being watchful

“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Luke 12:35-40; NRSVue

the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event

Data from Oxford Languages

Advent is in part the awaiting of the celebration of Jesus’s first coming, but also carries with it the awaiting of his return, commonly known as the Second Coming. There is so much to look forward to in all of that as we learn especially from the prophets as well as the latter part of Revelation. The just and good judgment to come and final, complete salvation. All of that is good, and we do well to think through what that means both in the future and for our witness now, since the dawn of the new Day has already broken into the darkness.

What can get all but lost in all of this is just who we’re waiting for. It is not just for blessing and release from what really amounts to a cursed existence for so many on earth due largely to injustice. This is all meant to be personal. We’re not only waiting for something great, but for someone. In the words of Jesus: for our master and friend.

There are many things we have to deal with. If we question that, all we have to do is open our Bibles, begin to read and keep reading. Yes, it’s personal, about our relationship, fellowship, communion together and with God. But there are many details in the mix. And all of that is important.

But just so we don’t lose sight of the greatest point of all. We are to anticipate and wait for a person. Jesus himself, God in him. Having already come as a newborn baby. And to return as the triumphant Lamb. We await Jesus himself. What better way to do that, than to seek to cultivate the closeness with him now? Especially together, since he after all is present in us as his body on earth.

Advent: we await the restoration of all things

“And now, brothers and sisters, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.”

Acts 3:17-21; NRSVue

Advent was hardly mentioned, at least not on our radar, hardly noticed if at all when I was a child. December was Christmas season. But I’ve come to appreciate liturgy and the tradition of the church. And with that comes the beginning of the liturgical year: Advent. Simply put, Advent involves an awaiting and expectation of the arrival of Christ and all of God’s promises being fulfilled in Christ.

What the Christian story tells us is that Christ has already arrived in what would end up being called his first coming. As a baby in the mystery of the Incarnation. That baby Jesus bringing with him the dawn of a brand-new day, what we celebrate at Christmas. The light is present, piercing the darkness, but dark clouds and storms persist. Such can’t snuff out the light, but still remain. Advent anticipates the celebration of Christ’s first coming when the light arrives and looks forward to his Second Coming when the darkness will at last be forever vanquished.

There is so much wrong now, seemingly lost, yes- even evil. And we struggle ourselves, because we haven’t arrived either. Advent brings with it the idea of hope. And it’s not just a hope we can do better so that we try harder. It’s a hope grounded in God and in God’s promises. And specifically in Jesus. The Spirit helps us in our weakness, so that we have that hope which can help us in the present.

It’s kind of like the effect music, mostly classical in my case, has on me. Music has a beauty all its own and distracts me so that cares and concerns of life either don’t get to me, or don’t weigh me down as much. The hope we have in Christ accentuated during Advent helps us be able to look past the current tragedies, catastrophes and disappointments, even conundrums of life. Because we believe that in the end “all will be well.”

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

Julian of Norwich

We look forward to that with the realization also that the light of day is already present in Christ. So that darkness is exposed, this old world held accountable, even on its way out. That reality pointing to the Day when darkness will be gone forever.

pushing forward no matter what

Even though we speak in this way, beloved, we are confident of better things in your case, things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:9-12; NRSVue

Hebrews was written to a people who were not only struggling but flagging in their struggle. They were ready to throw in the towel, give up and go back to their old ways. The persecution they were facing was stiff and it seemed just too difficult to go on. And that’s in significant part what this letter is about.

I think there are few things more important than the commitment to go on and push forward no matter what. If you read the context (click above link), you’ll see that to the writer it would either be a case of sliding back in danger of losing out altogether or pushing forward toward maturity. There was no static, middle ground.

Plenty will get in the way of that. The entire book of Hebrews along with the rest of the Bible talks about that. Like fear and any number of other things. Whatever it might be that might stop one from pursuing faith and going on.

Just an important note. This is written to individuals yes, but also to a community. We are in this together. We need to be honest with each other and uphold each other in prayer as we regularly meet together.

We’re told in the above passage that we’re not to become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit God’s promises. If only we just keep on keeping on, go on and not quit, God will uphold us and see us through. Even if we do quit at times, Christ is there to help us get back up on our feet with a new resolve and determination to go on. Doing that no matter what.

going through it

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies

Psalm 23:4-5; NRSVue

There are just some things you don’t want to go through. How about many? But that’s life. Psalm 23 is perhaps the most famous and popular of all the psalms, but it doesn’t paint a sweet sentimental picture which will be loved by all. It’s in the setting of real life, right where we live. And those who follow God, Jesus as their shepherd, it’s not going to be an easy life.

Although we would like such, there’s really no escape. We can’t get around it; we have to walk through it. Or at least that’s the way we should take. Yes, there’s various escapes which really end up being no escape because of what one can get into. That’s not saying how one should go through something. Of course, you want to be wise and prudent. 

We have God’s promise to be with us and active through it all. So we must go on. We need to remember that the Lord is our shepherd and will see us through. 

private and public self-control as an act of faith

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust and may become participants of the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with excellence, and excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is blind, suffering from eye disease, forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

2 Peter 1:3-11; NRSVue

The Christian life is not a self-help endeavor; neither is self-effort absent from it. While the foundation is God’s grace and God’s grace alone, in the outworking there at least seems to me to be some sort of balance between God’s grace and human effort. It’s a poor theological understanding to think that it begins and ends with us, that all depends on our own self-effort. On the other hand it’s an equally poor understanding to think that we’re not involved at all, that it’s all God’s grace that picks us up and carries us and makes us do what we otherwise would not. Our effort is not antithetical to God’s grace. Yes, we’re not going to act in a Christian way according to Scripture apart from God’s grace, never. But because of God’s grace we’re called to act. And that’s exactly what the passage above from 2 Peter is telling us.

My focus in this post is on self-control. And private self-control, though the text itself might better be about self-control practiced in community, in fact I think it is. But to practice self-control in community, we must practice it in private. Either can help us do the other, and maybe feed off each other. Certainly both are important. Jesus tells us not to make a show of our praying, instead to do it in secret and that as the disciple does, they will be rewarded openly (Matthew 6). And it has well been said that our true character is evident in what we do when no one is looking.

For many self-control would have to do with battling pornography. And that’s surely important. For others of us it would have to do with anxious thoughts. Fill in the blank. To exercise self-control seems like it’s entirely up to us. But in the context of the passage, because of God’s grace it’s an addition to our faith so that in fact this exercise of self-control is a matter of faith based upon God’s grace. It is an act of faith. We have to do it, but we do so by faith and because of God’s grace.

Self-control is not the only thing in the picture as if in some kind of stoic setting. We need all the virtues mentioned there and they all fit together. According to scholars, the point is not the sequential order, but that they’re all in the mix, love capping it. All of them are important at the same time as part and parcel of our expression and life of faith. The breakthrough comes as we practice them, as we control ourselves in the Christian, Christ-following context. God’s help and promise is certain there.

the faith that’s needed to go on no matter what

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better homeland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:13-16; NRSVue

Hebrews 11 and 12 along with the entire book is a great word on what it means to live in faith, to follow on in Christ no matter what, to live in the sabbath rest of faith in this life. There’s no question about it, we need faith to carry on. We not only want to carry on, but we want to do well. Fact of the matter is though that we will struggle along the way and sometimes will fail. But we’re speaking here of a faith that goes on through all of that.

To really understand what this faith means, we need the entire Bible. The writer of the book of Hebrews takes the readers back into the sacred text, what we call the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible. It is all present for a reason even if the main characters don’t always get it right. We can see it as a study of what it means to go on in faith as well as what not going on in faith looks like. We can learn from it all even while we continue to ask questions.

Christ is the unique, full revelation of God present not only when he appears in the Incarnation but in the text of the Old Testament as well, our understanding of that text in all its conundrums and contradictions seen through the life and reality of Christ. So that there’s much for us to grapple with and gain as we consider it all.

The bottom line here is that we need a faith that continues on no matter what we face. Faith is not a one-time experience but an ongoing day to day practice which doesn’t stop. We never arrive in this life, which is why in part we must keep going, Jesus leading the way.

back to basics (part one: against anxiety)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7; NRSVue

It’s best to see this command or if you were directive in its immediate context (click link) as well as in the context of the entire book. Philippians is written to Christ-followers in community. That said, these words addressing anxiety are for individuals where they are and community as it is. There is no question that all of my life I’ve seen this directive from Paul addressed to individuals. But the words themselves as well as the context of this letter might suggest otherwise. Perhaps it is primarily to the church together as it faces possible persecution and certainly are engaged in a struggle for the gospel. And secondarily to individuals who might seek to apply Paul’s words. Maybe that’s why fulfillment of this promise seems difficult, because this is meant for community. That said, I don’t think for one moment that this doesn’t apply to us in our individual lives and situations. Applied to community, it’s to take our personal concerns to community for prayer.

The idea about not being anxious about anything at all seems like more than wonderful, too good to be true. Or we might water it down by saying that it’s simply saying that the kind of anxiety spoken of here ought not to plague us. By nature that’s what this anxiety does. It serves really no good purpose at all. There surely is another kind of anxiety which is useful and just a part of being human allied to a healthy fear. If something happens which somehow might be threatening, we react, doing something to counter that concern for ourselves or others. That is different. The anxiety Paul refers to here is that which gnaws away at our insides, our heart and minds, and takes away inward peace. A kind of fear which does not let up but takes over. Nowadays we talk about such in psychological terms such as anxiety disorder. And make no mistake about this: counseling along with medication can be absolutely necessary in some cases. Seeking to pray but receiving the psychological and medical help as well. Paul’s words involve whatever might cause anxiety and no one is immune to that possibility.

To be anxious about nothing at all is something more than welcome especially for those of us who are prone to worry and anxiety. We might think, wow, what a world that would be! It brings to mind the question whether or not Paul’s thorn in the flesh which tormented him somehow involved anxiety. That event recounted in 2 Corinthians 12 led Paul to not only accept but even learn to embrace weakness in general as Christ’s means of keeping Paul humble and dependent on Christ. Christ told him that his grace was indeed enough, and that his power is made perfect in weakness. Paul’s thorn in the flesh and what weaknesses which apply would certainly not be sin or the direct effects of personal or communal sin. Therefore, we can rule out the anxiety Paul referred to in Philippians 4 as applying to any weakness that we might or maybe ought to accept.

We’re not to be anxious before we apply this. I wonder about that, but only because I’m so used to trying to apply this directive only after I’m anxious. What if we could develop the habit of trying to apply this in all of life? What if we looked at this passage more like, here comes the next thing, and right now I’m “making it known” to God in prayer, humbly asking for whatever help I or we need from God concerning this? The things we’re already anxious about, we also can take to God in prayer, first confessing that anxiety as likely the sin it is in not trusting in God. And then we can deal with it in the same way. Thanking God for this promise and God’s help.

To end what for me is a long post, I’ll simply look in wonder and hopefully God-given delight at the promised outcome: the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That is incredible, tremendous. Even with the thorn in the flesh, or whatever weakness we have, we’re to have that peace. Something God has for us and wants to give us. Yes, even before anxiety hits.

the devil’s challenge turned into God’s confrontation

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For indeed the good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed are entering that rest, just as God has said,

“As in my anger I swore,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”

though his works were finished since the foundation of the world. For somewhere it speaks about the seventh day as follows, “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” And again in this place it says, “They shall not enter my rest.” Since therefore it remains open for some to enter it and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he sets a certain day—“today”—saying through David much later, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, for those who enter God’s rest also rest from their labors as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.

Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

Hebrews 4:1-13; NRSVue

Yesterday the post was about Israel failing to enter into God’s promised rest, the promised land due to their disobedience and unbelief. The next part of Hebrews expounds on that further, all of this referring to the narrative account in Numbers 13 and 14. Today’s promised land, actually a Sabbath rest refers to God’s promises which are tantamount to saying that in the end and throughout all of life, it’s God’s promise that matters and not our own thoughts and efforts. To clarify, our best effort might get us somewhere, but not to God’s promised rest. Only God can take us there. And what is required is no less than faith and obedience.

The hearts of God’s people, Israel of old were melting in fear. They listened to the report of the ten spies who warned them that they couldn’t take the promised land, even though God had promised that land to them. Caleb and Joshua had a different spirit, and sought to encourage the people to trust and be obedient to God. But alas, we know the end of the story. None of the people who participated in this unbelief entered into the land. They wandered forty more years in the wilderness.

I wonder if for us something very similar happens along the way. The devil will challenge us, will challenge God’s Word, will seek to deter us from trusting God. And for sure right there we’re met with God’s confrontation, a gracious confrontation when you get down to it, but firm. Will we believe God or not? Will we trust God, trust God’s Word, or not? We either do, or we don’t; there’s nothing in between.

I think it’s key for us to learn to recognize both the devil’s challenge and God’s confrontation. There will be certain characteristics of both. On the one hand, the devil’s thoughts to us bring fear and foreboding, sometimes panic, and a sense that it’s up to us, that we have to do something, or that we simply can’t do what we previously had thought we are called to do. On the other hand, there’s God’s voice which comes with peace, persistence, but not pushing us into some power play, but rather into participants in God’s work. 

With the one comes unrest and with the other comes rest. When it comes right down to it, we’re all in need of God’s confrontation because we all experience the devil’s challenge. And that is why in significant part the above passage is written to us. Yes, I know the devil is not mentioned in Numbers 13 and 14, in Hebrews 3 and 4, nor in Psalm 95 for that matter. But we can be sure that it’s the devil who is behind our fears. Or if we prefer, we can simply say that no matter what we’re thinking, we need to submit all such thoughts to God, and seek to listen and hear God’s voice, and trust and be obedient to God. 

The one will bring rest. The other will not.

walk through it (only God can make it work)

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10; NRSVue

I don’t really find very much compelling about living in this present world. Yes, even with all of the problems I face, I know I live in a privileged place compared to the rest. But what is the best this world can give us? Trouble, sometimes heartache along with the many good things we should receive as gifts from God. But trouble to be sure.

Whatever we find ourselves in, we can’t escape it. It’s not like we can be snatched up from it, or can get around it. Instead we need to walk right straight through it. We can make nothing work ourselves. But God can. Only God can make it work and work out for good, whatever that good might be.

Like Abraham, we look to God’s promise and we look forward to a better world to come.

the die is cast

We have heard with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory,
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.

You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

Yet you have rejected us and shamed us
and have not gone out with our armies.
You made us turn back from the foe,
and our enemies have gotten spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.

You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.

All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you
or been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals
and covered us with deep darkness.

If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Because of you we are being killed all day long
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.

Psalm 44; NRSVue

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31-39; NRSVue

There are situations, sometimes no fault of our own and sometimes we have some fault, in which we would rather not live. Hard to live, to get acclimated to, to even accept. Israel of old in the psalmist’s lines was faced with such times. In spite of their faithfulness according to the psalm at least, they did not seem to be experiencing God’s faithfulness. God’s covenant with them mandated that if they were faithful and obedient God would bless them. But they seemed to be under God’s curse.

Yes, in Deuteronomy and elsewhere (like Jeremiah) it seems pretty clear cut. Faith and obedience leads to God’s blessing, unbelief and disobedience lead to God’s cursing. Israel seemed under God’s curse. And yet there are places like in this passage and in Job in which it seems that life may not fall out precisely like that. Underlying it all somehow is God’s faithfulness, even when we can’t connect the dots. It certainly can seem like life is not what it should be, not meeting our perhaps unrealistic expectations because of all the trouble and even hardship which we encounter. But the psalmist’s resolve here is instructive. That no matter what, they will continue to worship and serve God.

Paul’s words in Romans 8 echoes the Psalm 44 passage with the assurance that because of what God has done in Christ that in everything we face we are more than victorious through him who loved us. And that nothing at all can separate us from God’s love that is in Christ Jesus. We are not assured that we won’t experience worse case scenarios. In fact in our following Christ and living in a broken, fallen world, trouble is inevitable. The die might be cast that way beyond our ability to fully understand why. But the die is also cast that God loves us regardless and will see us through. It is up to us to trust and obey. The link to the Romans 8 passage is to that entire chapter, giving us a glimpse of what such obedience looks like in this present time. Like Israel of old we will go on no matter what, assured of God’s faithful love even when can’t see it.