December 21

We often turn our hearts toward the love of family or the love of gifting or food or any of the other events that surround the holidays. But how often do you turn your heart in gratitude or live out a love of the gift of creation. The whole earth longs for and while it waits like us, it lives to rejoices in the gift of Christ. So this year as you wait we encourage you to take time in Creation. Listen to its song of longing and of praise for its Creator. Hear the birds, smell the winter air, touch the pine needles of the trees of the forest and consider the mystery that is their song for their Creator. Take time to consider what a restored Earth will be like when Christ, who we love and await once again, returns.

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December 14

Passage: Luke 7:31-35

 “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” (Luke 7:34)

Jesus tells us that fasting and feasting is often interpreted by others as something that is evil. This Advent, we have begun discovering the discipline of fasting in new ways for ourselves. Perhaps we have already heard some negative comments about some of our deliberate choices. Be comforted, people said John the Baptist had a demon.

As we transition from secrecy to celebration this week, it is appropriate that we be reminded that this, too, will be misunderstood by some people. Jesus was accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard.” Did this stop Him from accepting invitations to dinners and parties? Did Jesus stop hanging around with the ‘wrong crowd’? The rest of the Gospel of Luke tells us quite the opposite!

If Jesus is our supreme example, perhaps we need to ask ourselves if our lifestyle reflects His. Jesus did both: fasting and feasting. Jesus was neither afraid to accept an invitation from a Pharisee nor a tax collector. A mature Christian once asked me if she should accept an invitation to the wedding of a gay couple. What would Jesus do? Notice that the criticism of John the Baptist and Jesus does not come from ‘tax collectors and sinners,’ but from the religious community! Do we base our choices on what we think our friends at church might think? The Salvation Army has proven that we can be in the midst of ‘sinners’ without taking part in the sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll that they offer. Could Jesus be challenging us to do so without a ‘holier than Thou’ attitude? Do others see us as being joyful Christians, gladly accepting invitations to celebrate?

Being reminded of not letting our left hand know what our right hand is doing in this context might lead us to not necessarily broadcasting which Christmas parties we attend or plan to attend. Of course people will find out, and we don’t need to lie about it. We might even be a witness in calmly explaining the reasons for our decision! How would our non-Christian friends react if we offered to be their ‘designated driver’ at the next party? Is there a non-Christian friend in our life whom we could invite out and ask to go to a restaurant or concert of their choice?

Of course we want to be prepared for the occasion. We will have prayed for guidance. We may ask a trusted Christian friend to intentionally pray for us. We should definitely put on “the full armor of God” (Eph 5:14-18) before leaving. But perhaps it would also be good to remind ourselves, that in order to be the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world,’ we need to follow Jesus’ example in going to places that need salt and light! May He give us Joy in partying as Jesus would!

Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, we confess that too often the comfort zone of our church family hinders us from being with the ‘tax collectors and sinners’ You call us to go to. Forgive us for when we have been insensitive to the prompting our Your Spirit in extending or accepting invitations to enjoy time with the non-Christians You have placed in our lives. Please open our hearts to love them as You love them. Please open our ears to hear You calling us to ‘go.’ Please protect us from the evil one when we obediently go to the dark places ‘in the Name of Jesus.’ Thank You for teaching us how You want us to be the salt and light You call us to be. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, Who calls us to follow Him to be with the ‘tax collectors and sinners’ of our day. Amen

Further lectionary texts for today: 
 Zechariah 8:1-7 God's promise to Zion 
Matthew 8:14-17, 28-34 Jesus heals 
Malachi 3:16-4:6 Elijah and the coming one 
Mark 9:9-13 Questions about Elijah 
Micah 4:8-13 God will thresh out the people 
Luke 7:31-35 The Messiah and John the Baptist

December 7

Scripture:

1 Kings 19:11-12, Philippians 4:5-9

 “The Lord is Near”

 Few of us would experience the upheavals the prophet Elijah went through in his life of service to God and to the people of Israel. Elijah stood up boldly for God in a time when idolatry had swept his land. He pronounced God’s curse of famine on the land. He came face to face with the false prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. He And yet more than twice he had fled for his life.

At the end of his long flight from Mount Carmel to Mount Horeb, Elijah had a supernatural encounter with the living God. There was a whirlwind, an earthquake and a fire on the mountain, but the Lord did not appear to him in any one of them. Instead, the Lord spoke through a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12 KJV). Would we hear God when he whispers to us, “What are you doing here?”

Would we recognize how much He loves us to have a care to just check on us? Would we let on everything that’s going on inside of us, as Elijah did (1 Kings 19:14)? Regardless of the situation we are in, God wants to draw near to us so that His peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard our minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.
— John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Application: Solitude Paul’s final exhortation to the Philippians includes what they ought to think and do. Allow some time to immerse yourself in the reading of Philippians 4:5-9 when you practice solitude. What is God speaking to you through His Word? Our time spent in solitude has implications in our active life. It empowers us to love others: “if we’ve truly been with the God of love and his love is purifying us and putting us at peace then we’ll love others better.”[1]

Richard Foster writes, “the fruit of solitude is increased sensitivity and compassion for others. There comes a new freedom to be with people. There is new attentiveness to their needs, new responsiveness to their hurts.”[2]

This Advent week, as we willingly yield to the God of peace, may He enable us to think and act according to His Word in matters that concern others.

Prayer:
A Benediction. (You might consider reading it out loud at the end of your time of solitude to hear these words of blessing.)

Go in peace! Love and care for one another in the name of Christ, And rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice! The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus; both now and forevermore. Amen[3]

[1] Bill Gaultiere, "Solitude and Silence," Soul Shepherding, http://www.soulshepherding.org/2005/08/solitude-and-silence/ (Accessed Nov 21, 2013.)
[2] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth, (San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1988), 95.
[3] Richard J. Fairchild, "Sermon and Liturgy For Advent 03 - Year C," Sermons and Sermon- Lectionary Resources, http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/c-ad03su.php (Accessed on Nov 21, 2013.) 

November 30

Prayer: 
Creator God,
Create in us a desire to hope,
A hope that sees the doors of our lives opened
Opened to you,
Opened to our neighbours,
Opened to strangers.
A hope that sees us all in the image of your Son,
Even in those places where our pride obscures that which has always been there in the other, You. Remind us as we hope for you,
that our hope is in you.
In all of you, in all the places that make us uncomfortable.
All the places we cannot see or refuse to see.
Teach us to desire you and your hope in renewed ways today.
Amen.

Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6, Matthew 6:25-33

Reflection: As we consider hope, our hope in our Saviour who came and will come again, we also consider that which prevents our hope, fear. We fear and our fears from job security and health to how we can perfect our Christmas experience for families, from the tree down to the dinner and ourselves we are left with anxiety and little if any hope. Our fears are not unique, for hundreds of years the hope that God would save his people became thin, as He was silent. As we worry, may we find new hope as we wait in this abbreviated season of waiting and seek the peace of God as we find ourselves worrying.

Application: It is hard and in many ways over simplistic to think we can fast from fear, but we can in those moment reorient ourselves, shifting to hope versus fear. Occupy Advent (@occupyadvent) suggests a simple way to reframe this, “If Jesus is Lord, ______ is not.” If you’d like to join their discussion or see what others are wrestling with consider looking at their Twitter page. But you do not need to do this on Twitter to do it in community, consider having the discussion in your small group or at your dinner table.