Advent Devotional #13 – “The Invitation” – Friday December 12, 2014 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23 One of the realities of this season is the subtle seduction of the trappings of Christmas which cause us to miss the truth of Christmas. Colored lights twinkle, sleigh bells jingle, the brisk cold makes cheeks rosy, special cards received makes tears roll down cheeks, the smell of pine needles conjures up visions of Christmas past, the aroma of the roasting turkey makes us all hungry, the tree with home-made ornaments link us with memories, and a visit with good friends is the fudge we love to taste. And as a people of faith we must ask ourselves are we missing something or perhaps more precisely-someone? JESUS. This season is also a time when we receive many invitations to gather with friends, family, or attend a special event. Often the formal invitation whether handwritten, postal delivery, emailed, facebooked, and even personal contact is forgotten, ignored, or misplaced even though we genuinely anticipated the occasion. Life becomes busy, schedules over booked, and the mind melts into a muddled mess as we try to keep the Christmas rush balanced and in perspective. Jesus is not a stranger to being ignored or missed. There are over 500 clear prophecies of his coming. Three academic scholars from a far off land knew enough to follow a unique and guiding light in the sky. They were not fooled by looking in palaces or places of worship for the God in flesh, rather they merely followed the light until they came to a smelly, dimly lighted, and crowded stable. But almost the entire nation of Israel missed the birth even though invitations had been sent to all. It is easy to miss the obvious. We do it every day. The people who love us the most, care for us the deepest, sacrifice for us in ways too innumerable to count are often glanced over as to their real importance to us. (Ouch!) There is not a person reading these words who does not know what Christmas means, but there are many of us who have drifted into a semi-spiritual consciousness which is best described as ‘just another Christmas attitude’ or ‘please do not get too serious about this Jesus stuff in December and ruin my New Years Eve blast. The birth of Jesus, God with Us, was serious and seriously missed. Maybe it was the foul smelling stable, the common folk who cared for the infant, the out of the way location for his birth that caused a nation to miss the greatest event of the ages. We have not changed. We are always looking for the bright lights, the action, the presence of the right people; clothing makes the man and king of king or does it? There is something profoundly humbling about Christmas, the birth of Christ for me and I believe for each of us. It was not right in the mind of the world. The bigger and better philosophy that controls too much of our thinking, ultimately, distorts the truth of God’s message. Christmas calls us to humility. The realization and willing acceptance that we are capable of missing the main idea that God is with us should be humbling to each of us. I am humbled by God in the flesh that does not give up on me, even when I tend to give up on myself. Don’t we all, that is give up on ourselves at times in our lives? We make a vow to get serious with God and wait for a fuzzy feeling to feed our engine of motivation. The greatest sign and wonder ever given to humankind was the birth of Jesus. God in flesh, I am humbled by God’s love for me to enter through the backdoor, the servants entrance into this world. I like the image of God entering through the backdoor the servant’s entrance. The backdoor opens to the kitchen and pantry, the place where people break bread and share life. Jesus servant to all comes to offer all of us hope in the midst of whatever we are facing this season. Will you be humble enough to receive God in the flesh, God with us? Will you be humble enough to embrace His healing and hope for a new life, renewed life, holy life, sacred life as you read this devotional? Do you hear God knocking at the backdoor of your life? Answer and open your life this Christmas season to an invitation of hope, God with us. God with you!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:47:50 +0000