Advent 2023: Peace – God Is Under The Rubble

Christ Under The Rubble by Kelly Latimore

On this final Advent Sunday before Christmas Day, we light a candle for Peace. 

 The Bible word for peace is 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘮 ( שָׁלוֹם) in the Old Testament, and 𝘦𝘪𝘳é𝘯é (εἰρήνη) in New Testament Greek, which go beyond “absence of conflict” to suggest the presence of something even better. The In explaining the biblical meaning of peace, The Bible Project suggests that: “[W]hen rival kingdoms make 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘮 in the Bible, it doesn’t just mean they stop fighting. It also means they start working together for each other’s benefit.”

 It’s hard to think about peace without considering the Israel-Palestine conflict. I’m struck by this powerful image, created by Kelly Latimore Icons and released by Shane Claiborne and Red Letter Christians, which is inspired by the prophetic words of Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, a Palestinian Christian theologian and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. When asked where God is as Gaza is being bombed, Munther said, “God is under the rubble.”

Red Letter Christians are now raising funds that will go to support families in Gaza. For each gift of $100 or more, they will send you a signed copy of this limited first print of Christ in the Rubble, signed by Kelly Latimore. Here’s the link to give at Red Letter Christians: https://www.redletterchristians.org/gaza

 Praying and working for peace, especially for a #ceasefirenow.

𝘒𝘺𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯.

Advent 2023: The Joy Of Being Pursued By God

Psalm 23 is probably too familiar that we mentally disengage whenever it’s brought up. However, as we reflect on the joy of the shepherds this Advent, let’s pause deliberately and look closer at verse 6. Did you know that the Hebrew word popularly translated as “𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸” in “Surely goodness and mercy shall 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 me…” is actually better understood as “𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘦,” as in “𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘥 by enemies?” (The Hebrew word is “𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘩” – if you want to look it up in a Bible dictionary.)

Yahweh our Shepherd’s goodness and unfailing love pursued us all the way into creation that His angels could not help but declare to the shepherds, who are often among the lowest rungs of the social ladder at the time: ℙ𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕖𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕨𝕙𝕠𝕞 ℍ𝕚𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕤!

Regardless of our station in life, we can join in the joyful celebration of the shepherds as we recognize that God’s goodness and unfailing love pursues us all the days of our lives, and that we will in His house forever.

Advent 2023: Mary’s Faith

Today’s church sermon was focused on Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was a good reminder, especially as a Protestant Christian, to reflect on her example. Mary shows us what it’s like to truly walk in faith – trusting and obedient, even in the face of potential ridicule, humiliation and judgement.

What was it like to be a young teenager and told this life-altering destiny, yet to still respond with, “𝔹𝕖 𝕚𝕥 𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕖, 𝕒𝕔𝕔𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕?”

How resolute was her voice when she said that? How many more times subsequently did she have to affirm that for herself…

…when she broke the news to a heartbroken fiancé?

…when she was bundled up to flee from a persecuting despot?

…when she looked up through tears at her beloved Son, humiliated, bloodied and broken, on an instrument for torture and death?

Perhaps Mary understood that being blessed was not the same as getting what she wanted. It was not, “You’re so blessed your kids did so well in school!” Instead, Mary shows us that saying yes to being blessed means being open to what God will do, which is far more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Advent 2023: Our Hope – God Can’t Be Kept Out

I’ve been on a bit of a @rachelheldevans binge, it would seem. 😅 However, as we celebrate the first Sunday in Advent today, counting down to Christmas, I love this powerful reminder of how ✨𝕚𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖✨ the Incarnation was. In the fullness of time, God entered our reality in Jesus–amidst scandal, persecution, foreign occupation–and could not be kept out.

He 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 be kept out!

He wants to be present. He wants to be here… with us.

That is why we call Him, “Emmanuel,” which means, “God with us.”

Keeping Hope

As I’ve been going through this series of Advent meditations on Hope, I actually received news of dashed hope today.

Having recently moved to a new country, I had hoped that my children would be admitted into public school here. In order for that to happen, they needed to sit for an entrance exam, after which we would be informed whether they were allowed places in the local schools here. Unfortunately, we received news just a few days ago that we were unsuccessful in placing our children in the school system here.

We were, understandably, disappointed. Even though we had prepared ourselves mentally for this possibility, there’s really nothing quite like receiving a cold email from the ministry of Education informing you that your children have not been allocated places in schools and that there would be no review of such a decision (yes, the note stated that).

Then today, my colleague tells me of how she shared my situation with her friend at church over the weekend because she felt sorry for my situation. Her friend proceeded to give some advice on how I might still be able to explore further avenues of getting into the public school system here.

I’m certainly going to try it. I don’t know how things will pan out… so we’ll see.

I originally purposed for this blog to be a place where I remind myself of things I learned in the light when I find myself in the dark. This is one of those posts.

I don’t know whether we will ultimately be successful at our attempt to appeal, but I am nonetheless thankful. The incident with my colleague is a clear reminder that God continues actively care for me.

I’ll be keeping hope.

Advent 4 – In Obedience To Hope

Advent 4 Readings:

• Isaiah 7:10-16
• Romans 1:1-7
• Matthew 1:18-25

In this week’s Old Testament and Gospel readings, we observe two people’s different reactions to Hope.

In the Isaiah passage,  Judah’s King Ahaz faces a precarious situation – Israel’s King Pekah and Aram’s King Rezin have formed an alliance to attack Jerusalem, because Judah apparently refused to participate in a coalition against Assyria (for a fuller context to the passage, please read this excellent commentary over at Working Preacher).

Ahaz had obviously hoped to avert this crisis – and the LORD, through Isaiah, offered assurance, “‘Be careful, keep calm and don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood—because of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and of the son of Remaliah” (v.4). God dismissed the threats and even assured Ahaz that the attempt to conquer Jerusalem “will not take place, it will not happen” (v.7). The LORD then warns Ahaz that if he did not stand firm in his faith, he would not stand at all.

As a further gesture to assure Ahaz, God even offers to give him a sign – anything he asked (v.10). Ahaz demurs (some commentators have mentioned that, rather than respect for God, Ahaz hid his fear and lack of faith with a false piety) and, in frustration,  Isaiah tells Ahaz that, despite his refusal to ask for a sign, God is going to give him one anyway:

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since Ephraim broke away from Judah—he will bring the king of Assyria.” (Isaiah 7:14-16)

(As an aside: I note with interest that we often only remember the first part of the passage, i.e. the bit about the virgin conceiving a child, who will be called Immanuel. The rest of the passage would seem out of place on a Christmas greeting card, but it underscores what the Advent season is all about: remembering Jesus’ first coming as Saviour and His second coming as Judge.)

Contrast Ahaz’s response to God with Joseph, Mary’s husband. Joseph, in his plan to marry Mary, had certainly hoped for “the right start” to wedded bliss. He was an upstanding man and wanted to make sure things were done “properly”. However, his fiancée comes him with a seemingly preposterous story: she was pregnant, despite being a virgin. When I think back to the months prior to my own wedding, I imagine how I would have felt as Joseph: roiling in raw emotions of betrayal, incredulousness, and anger. I’d certainly call off the wedding and would want to extract my pound of flesh by humiliating my bride by publicly announcing the reason. Yet, this was not what Joseph did:

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Sometimes, there are things we hope for – whether it’s to be saved from an impending crisis, or something that is intended to bring just great joy.  God may promise these things-hoped-for; but we are faced with a choice: will we stand in faith and trust God in obedience like Joseph, or will we waver in doubt like Ahaz?

This Advent, even as I live in Hope, I am also reminded to remain in hopeful obedience. God has made His promises and – like the coming of Jesus – it may not be the time of fulfillment or the deliverance seems too impossible in the face of our present trouble. But I press on, in obedience to Hope, to declare the words of Apostle Paul:

Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. (Romans 1:5)

Paying The Ultimate Price For Hope

“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it…” Hebrews 11:13a

I watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story earlier this week. As a Star Wars geek, I didn’t get as much of the feels as I did for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens; but that’s a whole different conversation. However, the one part that I really enjoyed was the Final Act of the movie.

(SPOILER ALERT. Please stop here and come back once you’ve watched the movie)

Advent 3 – Hope, Amidst Tenacious Waiting

Advent 3 Readings:

• Isaiah 35:1-10
• James 5:7-10
• Matthew 11:2-11

Patience is not my strong suit. My mother maintains that I have always been an impatient person. So, it’s with much self-reflection that I read this week’s readings and realise that hope sometimes has a lot to do with waiting.

Not the wait-five-minutes-and-we’re-done type of waiting.

Nope.

It’s the kind of waiting that turns into an acheful longing; the kind of tenacious waiting that causes doubt even amidst the staunchest of believers.

It’s the most apparent thread in the three readings this week.

I could almost hear the acheful longing as John the Baptist asked whether his cousin Jesus was truly the Messiah they had been waiting for. By this time, he had spent years in ministry and, for all his faithfulness, he was thrown in prison awaiting a gruesome death (from which we get the saying “head on a silver platter” from).

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” – Matthew 11:2-3

You could almost hear the desperation in his question and his bracing for potential disappointment… “Or should we keep looking for someone else?”

Isaiah – my favorite book in the Bible – talks about a coming restoration. It sounds great and we often use passages like these as pictures of when Jesus returns during His Second Coming. But we must remember the context – Isaiah was written when Babylon had annexed Judah and taken its people into exile.

Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those
The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers
and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,
as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.
There the Lord will display his glory,
the splendor of our God. – Isaiah 35:1-2

And then, he exhorts,

With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
and encourage those who have weak knees.
Say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
He is coming to save you.” – Isaiah 35:3-4

During this Advent season, there is another kind of waiting and longing (and I don’t mean time to open presents). While we await the celebration of Jesus birth during his first coming, Christians also remind ourselves of His Second Coming – when He returns at the conclusion of HiStory as we know it.

This longing for the Second Coming shouldn’t be about “fire insurance” – i.e. “get me the hell (literally) out of here!” This is best depicted in the book of Revelations – Christ’s Second Coming is a marriage. Finally, after the courtship, I get to spend the rest of my life with you… and I can’t wait! A favorite worship leader-songwriter I know, Dennis Jernigan, once put it this way, “When I can finally put sight to the voice I’ve embraced.”

When we hope, we are holding on to a desire to see something happen, even though we don’t see it yet. And, until we see it come to pass, we have to wait.

Sometimes, that means waiting tenaciously; being stubbornly convinced that it will come to pass.

We can do that because we trust not in circumstances, but in God Himself. He is the God of Hope, and we can rely in His grace and on His faithfulness.

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” – James 5:7-8

Advent 2 – Hope, From The Seemingly Impossible

Advent 2 Readings:

• Isaiah 11:1-10
• Romans 15:4-13
• Matthew 3:1-12

So, I’ve whimsically decided to make it a thing to write a devotional response or meditation based on the Advent readings every week. I started with Week 1, then decided to quickly browse through the rest of the readings for Advent to see if there was a recurring theme. I think there is.

Hope.

Much as I tried to make it more “interesting” (e.g. seeing whether the weekly readings could align to all four traditional themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, love), I kept coming back to hope.

Why?

I don’t know – but I think there’s something God wants to me to learn through this devotional journey. (It’s also set my mind off an entire thing: to unpack and write about Hope – but that’s the subject of another blogpost – series? One thing that has struck me is to better understand what Hope is.)

This week’s readings paint (part of?) a picture of what Hope is.

This week’s readings, for me, center on the phrase in Isaiah 11:1, “a new branch bearing fruit from the old root.”

Hope can be like that. It emerges from the unlikeliest circumstances.

Despite seemingly impossible odds.

Against the backdrop of utter finality.

As I write this, I am reminded of many occasions in my life where I thought, “That it, it’s over. There is no return from this.”Yet, in these instances, God did something new… something hopeful… despite prevailing circumstances.

I remember a love lost. It was a year of darkness and the painful road to restoration that followed.

I remember a career path’s dead end. Followed by financial struggling where I couldn’t even afford RM150 to let my kid participate in the annual school concert), a coming and going that strained a friendship, and a recovery that led me to finally achieving what I was seeking this year.

Each time, I… well, I lost hope.

“That’s it, it’s over. There is no return from this.”

And yet, we are reminded again and again that God has His promises and He is not done yet.

“Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Romans 15:4

Our hope is in Him and His promises. And His greatest promise to us is in Jesus… the fulfillment of our Advent Hope.

I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. – Matthew 3:11

And with Jesus, we see what great new thing God is doing, even in a world of seemingly impossible odds and against the backdrop of utter finality.

Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—
yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
He will delight in obeying the Lord.
He will not judge by appearance
nor make a decision based on hearsay.
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
The earth will shake at the force of his word,
and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.
He will wear righteousness like a belt
and truth like an undergarment.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together;
the leopard will lie down with the baby goat.
The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion,
and a little child will lead them all.
The cow will graze near the bear.
The cub and the calf will lie down together.
The lion will eat hay like a cow.
The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra.
Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm.
Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for as the waters fill the sea,
so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
In that day the heir to David’s throne
will be a banner of salvation to all the world.
The nations will rally to him,
and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.

During Advent, we commemorate Jesus’ first coming as a baby in Bethlehem while also reminding ourselves that He will also return during His Second Coming. As we look forward to His eventual return, I join Paul in his prayer: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Amen.

Advent 1 – Hope, When We Least Expect It

Advent 1 Readings: 

• Isaiah 2:1-5
• Romans 13:11-14
• Matthew 24:36-44 

Earlier this week, I was reminded that it was the start of the Advent season, which reminded me about the Liturgical Calendar. In my previous post, I mused about how much I enjoyed the ebbs and flows of the liturgical seasons. In a way, it was  a kind of “managed expectations”: Advent, is followed by Christmas, is followed by Epiphany, is followed by…  so on, and so forth.

It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. However, this week’s Scripture readings for the first week of Advent shakes me from my stupor.

Here I am thinking about the steady, rhythmic flow of life in Church – and by extension, life as a Christ follower. Then, Scripture reminds me that, one day,  it will all come to an end.

When we least expect it.

“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.” – Romans 13:11-12

Just as the first Advent, no one expected the scandal of the everlasting, holy God breaking through to humanity in the form of a humble, vulnerable baby.  Once again, He will break through  – in the midst of our ebbs and flows of life, during our ongoing rhythms of daily comings and goings.

When we least expect it.

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.  People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” – Matthew 24:37-39

And yet, contrary to the apocalyptic narratives about the “End Times” in popular culture, Jesus’ return is actually Good News. When He comes again, Jesus will break through the cacophony of human civilization and usher in about peace.

When we least expect it.

“The Lord will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.”- Isaiah 2:1-4

So, what do we do from now till then?

Scripture reminds us to keep watchful hope:

So, be ready and keep watch – “let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. – Romans 13:12-14

I remain in watchful hope. Come, Lord Jesus.

Amen.