The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned. (Is. 9:2)
All our deepest desires are met in the coming of King Jesus.
I love the church calendar. In some ways, I feel like it contributes to saving my soul by anchoring me in the story of Jesus, year-in year-out, regardless of what chaotic thing may be happening in the world around me. And because of that anchor, the story of Jesus also begins to reveal facets of truth to me that I had not previously uncovered in years past.
2020 has been no different. In fact, I have felt a renewed vigor to crawl inside the major themes of Advent - Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love - to find context for all we’ve experienced this year. When so many things we take for granted have been called into question it bears coming back to the central Event of history in the coming of Jesus and ask - what are we saved from? And what are we saved to? This is what makes the Christmas message so important - it is truly Gospel from the first breath. In a year full of darkness, we might incline our ear to the prophet Isaiah speaking of what the light brings, as God reveals what has been hidden so we can do business with Him and be rescued all over again.
Let’s meditate on each of the themes for Advent, those who were present for the birth of Jesus, and what it might mean for us this year.
The hope of Jesus delivers us from perpetual despair that tomorrow will be just like today.
400 years prior to Jesus’ birth, the Israelite people had hit a wall in their collective faith. Centuries of oppression, whether by foreign empires without or unfaithful principalities within, had left God’s people numb to the possibility that things might get better. Enter, stage left, the prophets. When the people had given up and accepted the status quo, these poets stepped up to paint a picture of hope that God will do what He promised. But in order to receive genuine hope, Israel had to learn to feel again, to grieve injustice as a way to open the collective heart of the people.
We, too, have settled into profound despair, an unshakeable sense that tomorrow will be just like today. There is no forward movement, no growth or liberation because we are surrendered to the powers that be. In our modern era of “instant gratification”, hope is a rare commodity because we take upon ourselves the expectation to create tomorrow, but time itself seems to slip through our fingers. What we find in the Christmas story, however, is a God who breaks into time itself and gives history a trajectory. This premise of redemption meets both the destiny of the whole universe and your personal life. You can hope again, because God is on the move. Perhaps it isn’t obvious today, or even in a week’s time. True hope also requires patience, but it’s worth it to see God finish what He began 2000 years ago.
What area of your life might despair be hiding behind bitterness, ambivalence, distraction? Where do you need permission to hope again?
The peace of Jesus is the antidote to the disharmony and brokenness in our relationships.
The Good News of Jesus brought together the most unlikely of people groups to bear witness. Angels appeared to shepherds, who many scholars consider as poor and disenfranchised outcasts, proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). At the virtual other end of the social-ranking order, a star leads the Magi, rich pagan foreigners, to the place where Jesus was born. This set a precedent for Jesus’ entire ministry, as poor country folk, dejected and diseased outcasts, rich and learned upper class, desperate occupying soldiers, and countless others were drawn into his presence. Later in scripture John the Revelator shares his dramatic vision of the Prince of Peace’s work: "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…” (Rev. 7:9).
It only takes a glance at the front page of any newspaper in the country to know our world is shattered. Indeed, what has been most dramatically revealed in 2020 is how discordant everything is; where in previous years these fault lines could be hidden under the privilege of “normal" life, they have now ruptured in a once-in-a-generation way. As I have reflected on what we mean when we say “peace” as jesus followers, I have become more convinced that violence is so often our attempt to fix the world, but because of the myth of “redemptive violence”, our efforts only lead to more brokenness and maintaining systems that oppress and divide. The truly radical nature of the Jesus lifestyle is that we must recognize peace is not just the destination, but also the way we walk the journey. To attempt to achieve peace through violence is anathema to the Gospel. In Christ, peace has been won for us; first with God Himself, and then with our fellow humanity as “every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (Is. 40:4)
In what area(s) of your life are you avoiding conflict or using violence (in words and deeds) to inoculate yourself against true peace?
The joy of Jesus gives meaning and purpose to our lives.
Not much is said of Jesus’ adoptive earthly father, Joseph. We know he was “faithful to the Law” (Mt. 2:19), and sought to protect Mary from shame even as he planned to quietly divorce her, which means Joseph was a “good guy” by modern standards. He wanted to follow the rules, be nice, and generally avoid risking too much. But, as they are so wont to do, an angel speaks to him in a dream and shatters his assumptions about his own life’s meaning. God gave him a job to. His calling was going to be scandalous and risky, and not particularly glamorous, but it would be worth it to see the whole world saved.
Joy is being found in the right struggle - the frustration and pain become worth it because they are drenched in significance. Many of us feel like we’re drifting through life, because we have not an inherent meaning to our days, and the best we can hope for is to follow the rules and stay out of trouble. But the same God that beautifully interrupted Joseph’s life with an infant savior says to each of us, “I’ve got a job for you! And you are so capable!” Being a Christian is an adventure, and like all the best heroes in the epic stories of history, we will be frustrated by insurmountable obstacles and question our abilities often. Perhaps we even, from time to time, lose the plot entirely. Thanks God He has given us His Spirit to guide us and get us back on track. This is where joy is found.
What is the guiding story of your life when it comes to your purpose for living? Is it bringing you joy each day to get to work?
The love of Jesus counters a world beset by indifference, by revealing our identity as the Beloved of God.
“For he has been mindful” begins the Song of Mary (Lk. 1:46-55), in reference to her newly-minted place in history. Before an angel visited her to proclaim what God would bring into the world through her body, I’m sure Mary considered herself not a very important person. She seems taken aback by her own significance in the face of her chosenness, yet she pivots to receive this profound call on her life because she know what God is like. She knows He sees her and cherishes her.
In a hyper-connected world, we feel drowned in the noise of social media and technology. Many of us feel passed over in favor of those who seem to rise to the top because they are richer, prettier, stronger, more successful, more creative, more put-together, less complicated than us. Sometimes engaging in social media can feel like a battle to remind the rest of the world that we exist, but too often we are confronted with indifference - the larger world doesn’t notice us. We, like Mary, consider ourselves to be not very important people.
Love is first of all being seen as inherently valuable beyond all the modern trappings we adorn ourselves to prove our worth to others. Christmas reminds us of the unshakeable devotion and affection of God revealed as “Emmanuel”. Just as the angel declared to Mary two millennia ago in a small village int he middle of nowhere (Lk. 1:28), so God says to us today: “You are highly favored, and I’m with you. Not because of what you have or haven’t done, but because I have decided you’re worth it”. God is not indifferent to us, and He doesn’t make us jump through hoops just to be noticed. He gives us a gift that cannot be taken from us, a new identity with no strings attached. We are Beloved. And as we come to recognize that we are seen and loved, so we shall come to see and love those around us in His way.
What excuses do you use to deny God’s special affection towards you? Where do those disqualifiers come from?
And so, the light of Christmas shines in the darkness to reveal our deepest desires, so that Jesus can address them and bring us salvation. Despair to hope. Brokenness to peace. Meaningless to joy. Indifference to love. As you consider what you are being saved from and what you are being saved to this season, what is being brought to light by King Jesus?