"The Nativity" by C.S. Lewis

Many of you are familiar with the wonderful writings of C.S. Lewis. This weekend I found a Christmas poem he wrote. On the C.S. Lewish Foundation blog they wrote: "Rather than anthropomorphizing the beasts by giving them a ‘glad spell’ which allows them to participate in the human spirit of Christmas generosity, he inverts the familiar sentiment and wishes that he was able to respond to Christ’s presence with the virtues which symbolically belong to these same animals." (http://www.cslewis.org/blog/among-the-oxen-a-reflection-on-cs-lewis-christmas-poetry/)

THE NATIVITY

Among the oxen (like an ox I’m slow)
I see a glory in the stable grow
Which, with the ox’s dullness might at length
Give me an ox’s strength.

Among the asses (stubborn I as they)
I see my Saviour where I looked for hay;
So may my beastlike folly learn at least
The patience of a beast.

Among the sheep (I like a sheep have strayed)
I watch the manger where my Lord is laid;
Oh that my baa-ing nature would win thence
Some woolly innocence!

Waiting for Peace

As believers, we live in a state of expectation for Jesus' return. This morning I was wondering what it must have felt like long ago to wait for a Messiah who had not yet come. Living under oppression and opposition, they sought a Messiah King, a righteous ruler who would smite the Romans and bring peace to the nation of Israel. Jesus did come to bring peace, in fact He was peace. But His' peace was a little different than what they expected.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." (John 14:27)

Open your heart to Him, and may the deep peace of Christ be with you.

Are you leaving baby Jesus in the manger?

Sometimes on Sunday mornings my mind begins to wander as I am listening to the sermon. Not usually a good thing. But last Sunday I began thinking about something the pastor said. He said, if Jesus has just come as a baby, He would have failed His mission.

So many people celebrate Christmas, and even recognize that it is Jesus' "birthday." But do they also leave Him in the manger? He is not just a baby once a year, but fully man and fully God forever, who lived and suffered on this Earth, who tasted Hell so that we might experience salvation. That is one powerful Jesus.

I have recently fallen in love with Brandon Health's new Christmas song, "The Night Before Christmas." (You can upload an MP3 of it for free from Amazon.com, btw!) Anyway, here's the chorus:

And the world didnt know mercy was meek and so mild.
And the world didnt know that truth was as pure as a child.
The night before Christmas.
The night before Christmas.
And the world didnt know, redemption was sweet and so strong.
And the world didnt know salvation was writing a song.
The night before christmas.
The night before christmas.
The night before christmas.
Empty manger, perfect stranger, about to be born.

As we celebrate this season and look to His birth, remember that Our Savior left the manger more than 2000 years ago. And He is mightily enthroned on High. Isaiah got it right when he prophesied:

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

I think Advent brings out the best poetry

I'm taking a quick break from the genealogy of Jesus to bring you a poem by one of my favorite writers:

The Glory
by Madeleine L’Engle

Without any rhyme
without any reason
my heart lifts to light
in this bleak season

Believer and wanderer
caught by salvation
stumbler and blunderer
into Creation

In this cold blight
where marrow is frozen
it is God’s time
my heart has chosen

In paradox and story
parable and laughter
find I the glory
here in hereafter

And Ruth begat . . . Jesus, the Messiah

If you would allow me to explore a certain idea for a few days . . .

For at least the past eight months, I have found myself in the presence of the book of Ruth. In the past, I simply thought of it as one of those beautiful stories in Scripture, but recently I have read, and been taught from it in a new light. The theme of redemption is so prominent. And during this time of Advent, it is becoming more and more clear that Ruth (the great-grandmother of King David--the line from which our Savior was born) lived and breathed a Truth that could rival the message of the Prophets. Ruth stepped out in faith to join the family of God, and by doing so became a vital participant in the lineage of God's Son. Much like Mary (Jesus' mother), Ruth was an active respondent to the Lord's will.

As a person who has studied history and researches family history as a hobby, I have an obvious fascination with the genealogy of Jesus. But this is not just about all those wacky names and linking one person to another. The lineage of the Messiah is unlike any other ancestry in history because Jesus was the Son of God. Those who came before Him were fully man (not divine), but they were unique and called participants for God's plan. They were not better qualified to beget a Savior, they were normal people who humbly (and sometimes not so humbly) sought after their Heavenly Father.

We'll continue this more later. Try reading through the book of Ruth (it's pretty short) and then Chapter 1 of Matthew. See if any connections pop out.

Isaiah knew what he was talking about . . .

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

Isaiah 11:1

The theme of this first week of Advent is HOPE. This is most clearly seen in the words of the Prophets who spoke throughout the Old Testament about the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah paints a picture of the Messiah's lineage and gives a hopeful message of His work here on Earth.

CHALLENGE: Read the rest of Isaiah 11 and see if that gets you motivated to work on your "Jesse Tree."

Thought for the day . . . more to come later

A friend and I were recently chatting back and forth about God's plan for us and faith. After I interjected that I just wanted to know my role in God's story, she reminded me that all I am required to do is be faithful in reading in between the lines of what God is doing.

He is in fact, in the details. One cannot look at the Biblical narrative--from creation to the foretelling of Christ's return-- without seeing an awesome and all-knowing Hand at work.

Revel in those moments when God spoke to you from in between the lines of His story. It is from there that your testimony will form.

A carol to prepare the way . . .

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely 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.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree . . .

This is a topic very dear to my heart: the Christmas tree.
For those of you who know my family, you know that Advent always begins with a trip to the Christmas tree farm. Once the tree is safely in the driveway, there's the issue of the hauling of it from the top of the car into the living room--imagine an elaborate pulley system on the front porch (if you are getting flash backs to a certain scene from "While You Were Sleeping" then you're on the right track). The tree is then decorated with dozens of strands of white Christmas lights, and weighed down by a multitude of memorable ornaments. Some are homemade; some are from our trusty Advent calendar (yes, we have an ornament calendar--quite spiffy); others are annual gifts from our parents so that we can have a collection of meaningful ornaments when we grow up.

As you read this, I bet you can imagine what it looks like--all those sparkly lights and red glowing balls. But there was one thing I neglected to mention, and it makes all the difference.

Every year my family selects a "Charlie Brown" tree to grace our home. It is never plush, it usually has a few branches missing, and it is often too tall, forcing us to chop off the top (adding to it's akwardness). But it is always the best tree. Just like the tree in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," it is not about what the tree does--how well is serves as a gift repository--but what is symbolizes. For Charlie Brown, the rejection of his tree causes him to ask, "Does anyone really know what Christmas is about?" Enter Linus, our trusty voice of reason who replies with his timeless quotation of Luke chapter 2.

*So a challenge to all of you who only see your tree as only a place to lay your gifts: Look at your Christmas tree with new eyes and see the beauty of God's creation, redemption and grace.

But there's more. The traditional Christmas tree is not the only shrub that can point us towards our Savior's birth. Have you ever heard of a Jesse Tree? Most of your probably haven't, but much like our trusty tanenbaum, a Jesse Tree is decorated with ornaments. These ornaments serve a specific purpose, however. Each item tells a story of the genealogy of Jesus, the HOPE of His coming, and (you've guessed it folks) a LINEAGE OF EXPECTATION.

*A second challenge: make a Jesse Tree this year. It doesn't have to be an actual tree--in fact, throughout history it has often appeared as a illustration or mosaic, somewhat like a family tree. Remember the history of God's promise, and examine the key players/events in the story.

Keep an eye out for some of these. Later this week I am going to introduce a few of these key players. Most of the time we dread reading through the lists of names in Chronicles and the beginning of Matthew, but these are all important characters in the story leading up to Jesus' arrival.

You mean it's not about consumption?

To really understand Advent, we cannot have a consumer mindset. We must be receivers--joyfully awaiting the Father's free gift of His infant Son. This is completely counter-cultural. Every direction you turn during this season, the Western world is telling you to BUY, BUY, BUY. But NEWSFLASH: that is not what Christmas is about.

I think the Advent Conspiracy (www.adventconspiracy.org) gets it pretty right. Their concept? "To worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all."
Watch this VIDEO to see what I mean.


I'll close with an Advent prayer by Henri Nouwen.

Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
Amen.