Advent 2015 A Ring of Hope

1 I heard the bells on Christmas day

Their old familiar carols play

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men. 

I thought how as the day had come

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along th'unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

3. And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song 

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

4. Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,

'God is not dead, nor does He sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right previal,

With peace on earth, good will to men." 

5. Till, ringing, singing, on its way,

The world revovled from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime.

Of peace on earth good will to men.

Pax Vobiscum 

Advent 2015 Salted Babies

Who cares why Jesus was born? He wasn't terribly important in his own time. Virtually no one outside of His own ethnic group even bothered about His existence until after He died. Several Chaldean magicians seemed to have predicted his birth through astrology. The Roman governor knew about Him only because the Religious authorities didn't like Him. Besides these two, Jesus had very limited contact with anyone outside Judaism, He was certainly not a worldwide phenomenon. Yet we spend four whole weeks celebrating His birth and future return. What makes Jesus worth all the effort?

The answer is found in the almost untapped gold mine that is the Biblical book of Ezekiel, in Chapter 16.

"The Word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, confront Jerusalem....On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. Then I passed by and say you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!"

Today this passage helps us understand God's mentality towards humanity. We are lost, alone, incapable of helping ourselves. He sees us kicking in our own blood. He called us from the filth of our own depravity and says, "live" To those who are still bound by their cord, tied to the past, unwilling to forgive and let go, He says "live!" Those who were not washed, covered in the dirt of poor decisions. He says, "live!" Those who are vulnerable, who were not rubbed with the salt that purifies and preserves He says, "live!" Those who live with the rain and the sun and wind beating down on their bare skin, He will wrap you in the protective garments, He bids us "live!"

What are the means by which we shall live?
John 1:1, 4-5 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God,...In Him as life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

The life that is from the beginning that is Jesus Christ  is the light of men which equips us to live in the midst of this present darkness. What is the darkness in your world? There is no void so black that it can consume the light of life. Invite Him in, in repentance and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in trust we shall have strength, Strength for today and hope for tomorrow. Jesus is worth the effort because in Him and in Him alone is life to be found and freedom from the darkness that would consume us.


Pax Vobiscum, until tomorrow 

Advent 2015 The Other Half of the Coin

 Advent is a powerful time in which the categories of time fold and layer on each other. In the present, we remember the past, in anticipation of the future. Such a season should not be spent simply existing. In this post we'll try and explain how these three elements of time are combined in the season of advent to create the "magic" of Christmas.

Leo Tolstoy's wise hermit tells us, "That the most important time is now, for it is the only time when we have any power." It is not for naught that the present is called a present. It is indeed a gift that we must be thankful for if we are to understand it properly. We exist in the present, in it we have the power to both remember and to plan, to learn from and to anticipate. Such is one of the many blessings gifted to the human creation. In this present season of advent this gift ought to be utilized so that the season is not wasted and so that we don't begin the New Year with little worth remembering and nothing new to be excited about.

In this moment we have hope for the future by remembering the past. Alone the future is unknown and can be daunting. However, with the context provided by history we are confident that the future is not spinning out of control. The celebration of advent is about the anticipation of Christ's second coming.  His first coming which we celebrate with praise is only the precursor to the triumph that the future will bring. Consider how alive the spirit of Christmas is despite all the modern commercialization and secular fluff that has attempted to suck dry the mystery and glory of the Christmas season. What these leeches have discovered is what they have attempted to destroy is an ocean that does not run dry. The New Covenant of grace which was inaugurated with the coming of Christ on that first Christmas has not faltered or failed.  The celebration has not ceased, because we are not simply remembering a past event which was significant before. Rather we are currently rejoicing in a living savior who was born a human two thousand years ago and continues to live, equipping His saints for godliness and calling the sinners to turn from their wicked ways and live, lest they die.

Advent is defined by the arrival of a notable person. Who is arriving? Jesus Christ. How do we know? He already came. He told us to prepare for His imminent return, and He has never failed to keep His promises. When do we celebrate with praise and thanksgiving, with parties and presents, with families and friends, these two realities? Right...., now. I don't want to miss out on any of the experience of this advent season which is why I am trying to make an extra effort to remember that everything we celebrate, all the carols and gifts, the trees and the lights, the angels singing on high and the star in the heavens. None of these make sense outside of the context of Jesus coming back again. Because this isn't just about what happened, but about what is happening currently and what will happen to come.

By way of example I share with you a photo from a Lagan vacation.

This is me with my niece . I represent the present, she represents the future and our biography of Francis of Assisi represents the past. Together we symbolize this advent season. In the present we look to the past to prepare for the future. I don't know exactly what destiny has in store for my niece but I do know that the wisdom of St Francis will be applicable to her wherever she finds herself. So I make sure to share it with her whenever I get the chance. 

Pax Vobiscum, until tomorrow.