Read Luke 2:8-10
God is aboout replacing fear with joy. That is what happened that night on the hillside with the shepherds. Luke 2 says, "the glory of the Lord shone around them." The glory is the presence of God, and it caused them to be afraid. The angel's first words were, "fear not." The angel then said, "I bring you good news of great joy." The angel is speaking the words of God, and essentially they are: "I want to replace your fear with joy."
Their fear came from the knowledge of themselves. When faced with the presence of God, the immediate response in scripture is fear. From Abraham to Moses to Isaiah to these shepherds, they were all afraid when the encountered God. They were afraid because of their sin. But the message of Christmas is: "Fear not, the long expected Savior is here."
That is joy! Moving from "I am dead" to "I have been completely accepted" is God replacing fear with joy. It is the message of Christmas.
Sin is born in our mistaken thought that we can provide pleasure for ourselves. All sin is a conscious or unconscious statement to God that we know how to give ourselves pleasure better than He does. The result is a disconnect with God, from the source of true joy. God has not come to ruin you; He has come to get you back. Our King is here.
Advent 2009:: The Coming JOY Monday
Monday Joy
Joy is and elusive concept. Because it is elusive, we will spend our first day just thinking about the word and what intends to communicate.
Joy, as a concept, is especially elusive for us in the western world in 2009. The inclination of the mind is to bind happiness and joy together. This is a legitimate binding, there is happiness that comes from joy. However, happiness for the western world is bound up in our health, our bank accounts and having enough time to enjoy our hobbies. It is bound in our pursuit of the American dream. Our happiness is tied to how we are doing in that pursuit.
The joy that Jesus brought to the earth with his birth is so much more than the American dream.
The dictionary defines joy as the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. The joy definition from scripture adds the word gladness. To be filled with joy is to be glad, to have pleasure, to be delighted, to be exceptionally happy.
Think of it like this: Happiness is something you feel on the surface. Joy is something you feel in your bones. It is not easily wiped away. The opposite of happy is sad. The opposite of joy is sorrow. There is a depth to joy. Joy is what Jesus brought into the world.
Joy is and elusive concept. Because it is elusive, we will spend our first day just thinking about the word and what intends to communicate.
Joy, as a concept, is especially elusive for us in the western world in 2009. The inclination of the mind is to bind happiness and joy together. This is a legitimate binding, there is happiness that comes from joy. However, happiness for the western world is bound up in our health, our bank accounts and having enough time to enjoy our hobbies. It is bound in our pursuit of the American dream. Our happiness is tied to how we are doing in that pursuit.
The joy that Jesus brought to the earth with his birth is so much more than the American dream.
The dictionary defines joy as the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. The joy definition from scripture adds the word gladness. To be filled with joy is to be glad, to have pleasure, to be delighted, to be exceptionally happy.
Think of it like this: Happiness is something you feel on the surface. Joy is something you feel in your bones. It is not easily wiped away. The opposite of happy is sad. The opposite of joy is sorrow. There is a depth to joy. Joy is what Jesus brought into the world.
Advent 2009:: The Coming HOPE Friday
Friday Hope::
Reread Luke 2:1-21. Again, pay special attention to verse 11. Today we will look closely at the phrase “Christ the Lord.”
When you see the word “Christ” in the New Testament, it is the same word as the Old Testament word “Messiah.” It means anointed one. All of the Old Testament points ahead to this anointed Messiah, who will bring this eternal hope to the world. Here in Luke, with this proclamation of “Christ the Lord,” the angels are proclaiming that this long-awaited anointed one is here.
God’s plan to redeem the world to Himself has always been through this Savior, this Messiah, this Christ. He is here, and we are celebrating the hope that has come in Jesus.
Advent 2009:: The Coming HOPE Thursday
Thursday Hope::
If you watch the television show 24, you know who Jack Bauer is. For those who don’t, Jack works for the U.S. government, and his job is basically to be awesome and kill bad guys. He finds himself in situations where death is certain and the safety of his family and country is in peril.
In one particular season, Jack volunteered to fly an airplane filled with nuclear devices that had to be destroyed. The plan was to crash the plane and detonate the devices in a secluded desert where no one would be hurt – that is, no one but Jack. So Jack takes off in the plane and is prepared for this suicide mission. How will Jack make it? There was no one else on the plane, and the plane had to go down or millions of people would die. Maybe Jack was going to die.
However, I had just read on some entertainment website that Kiefer Sutherland (the actor who plays Jack) had just signed on for three more seasons. So Jack could not die. He had to be around for three more seasons. So while I did not know how this subplot would end, I did know that it would end with Jack being alive.
This is the sort of hope that Jesus came to bring to this earth. There is death all around, and at times all looks hopeless. Jesus is a tiny baby in a dirty barn with poor teenage parents who are in a strange town. But, even as that tiny baby, Jesus is destined to live and teach about truth and be killed and then rise from the dead. This is hope.
If you watch the television show 24, you know who Jack Bauer is. For those who don’t, Jack works for the U.S. government, and his job is basically to be awesome and kill bad guys. He finds himself in situations where death is certain and the safety of his family and country is in peril.
In one particular season, Jack volunteered to fly an airplane filled with nuclear devices that had to be destroyed. The plan was to crash the plane and detonate the devices in a secluded desert where no one would be hurt – that is, no one but Jack. So Jack takes off in the plane and is prepared for this suicide mission. How will Jack make it? There was no one else on the plane, and the plane had to go down or millions of people would die. Maybe Jack was going to die.
However, I had just read on some entertainment website that Kiefer Sutherland (the actor who plays Jack) had just signed on for three more seasons. So Jack could not die. He had to be around for three more seasons. So while I did not know how this subplot would end, I did know that it would end with Jack being alive.
This is the sort of hope that Jesus came to bring to this earth. There is death all around, and at times all looks hopeless. Jesus is a tiny baby in a dirty barn with poor teenage parents who are in a strange town. But, even as that tiny baby, Jesus is destined to live and teach about truth and be killed and then rise from the dead. This is hope.
Advent 2009:: The Coming HOPE Wednesday
Wednesday Hope::
Read Romans 4:13-21 and connect with the hope that was in the heart of Abraham (God made a promise to Abraham that he would have many children and that they would be the foundation of God’s people). Pray that God would allow you to push this hope to the front of your brain this week.
Pay special attention to the last verse in this reading. Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Let those words ring in your head today and this week. God is able to do what He has promised.
Read Romans 4:13-21 and connect with the hope that was in the heart of Abraham (God made a promise to Abraham that he would have many children and that they would be the foundation of God’s people). Pray that God would allow you to push this hope to the front of your brain this week.
Pay special attention to the last verse in this reading. Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Let those words ring in your head today and this week. God is able to do what He has promised.
Advent 2009:: The Coming HOPE Tuesday
Tuesday Hope::
Read Luke 2:1-21. It is the traditional Christmas story. It may be very familiar to you. If it is, read it several times today. Pay special attention to verse 11. The titles for Jesus are profound. Do not miss them.
In this verse, Jesus is called “Savior” and “Christ the Lord.” Today we will look at the word “Savior.” This word means “the one who rescues from danger.” There are difficulties in this world. We live in a world of broken relationships and physical and spiritual pain. We live in a world where evil is present and prominent. But it is not God’s ultimate plan.
God created us to live in deeply intimate relationships with Himself, with each other and with nature. But there was a fracture that broke the rhythm of those relationships. That fracture is sin. That fracture leaves us in this world of brokenness. But it does not leave us without hope, because Jesus has come as the savior of this world. This season, we celebrate THE COMING of that hope.
Read Luke 2:1-21. It is the traditional Christmas story. It may be very familiar to you. If it is, read it several times today. Pay special attention to verse 11. The titles for Jesus are profound. Do not miss them.
In this verse, Jesus is called “Savior” and “Christ the Lord.” Today we will look at the word “Savior.” This word means “the one who rescues from danger.” There are difficulties in this world. We live in a world of broken relationships and physical and spiritual pain. We live in a world where evil is present and prominent. But it is not God’s ultimate plan.
God created us to live in deeply intimate relationships with Himself, with each other and with nature. But there was a fracture that broke the rhythm of those relationships. That fracture is sin. That fracture leaves us in this world of brokenness. But it does not leave us without hope, because Jesus has come as the savior of this world. This season, we celebrate THE COMING of that hope.
Advent 2009:: The Coming HOPE
Each day during the Advent season we will post the day's reading. Be sure to check back daily and interact by posting your thoughts on this blog. Today's reading also includes the introduction.
Introduction::
Thousands of years ago, during the time the Old Testament was written, God spoke to his people through prophets. Prophets were people chosen by God to communicate truth about God, revealing His character and His love to His people. When Jesus was born, these prophets had been silent for more than 400 years.
God’s people had no autonomy and were being ruled by Rome. The people were lost, oppressed and lacked hope. But God’s plan was to send his son to redeem the world. His plan was to bring hope, joy, peace and love to the world. His plan was to demonstrate His love by sending His son to the world as a baby.
This booklet is a study that is written to experience the Christmas season in a deeper way. It is designed to help you connect with THE COMING of Jesus. We will center our study on four concepts that Jesus’ coming brought to the world: hope, joy, peace and love.
This booklet is meant to help you celebrate THE COMING.
Monday Hope::
Hope- The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word that appears in the New Testament that we translate as “hope” is defined as:: confident expectation. Hope is a general term that is more a sense that you have than it is a tangible feeling.
We use the word “hope” in a totally different context. We say things like, “I hope my team wins this game” or “I hope I pass my math test.” There is uncertainty involved in that sort of hope. The hope that Jesus has brought to the world is confident expectation.
Tim Keller wrote,
When September 11th happened and New Yorkers started to suffer, you heard two voices. You heard the conventional moralistic voices saying, “When I see you suffer, it tells me about a judging God. You must not be living right, and so God is judging you.” When they see suffering they see a judgmental God.
The secular voice said, “When I see people suffering, I see God missing.” When they see suffering, they see an absent, indifferent God.
But when we see Jesus Christ dying and suffering on the cross through an act of violence and injustice, what kind of God do we see then? A condemning God? No, we see a God of love paying for sin. Do we see a missing God? Absolutely not! We see a God who is not remote but involved.
You and I live in a world where there is darkness, suffering, pain and confusion. Much of the time God gets the blame for these things. But God sent Jesus into the world to bring hope in the middle of a dark world filled with suffering, pain and confusion. This week we will look at hope and how God sent the gift of hope into the world with this one life.
Introduction::
Thousands of years ago, during the time the Old Testament was written, God spoke to his people through prophets. Prophets were people chosen by God to communicate truth about God, revealing His character and His love to His people. When Jesus was born, these prophets had been silent for more than 400 years.
God’s people had no autonomy and were being ruled by Rome. The people were lost, oppressed and lacked hope. But God’s plan was to send his son to redeem the world. His plan was to bring hope, joy, peace and love to the world. His plan was to demonstrate His love by sending His son to the world as a baby.
This booklet is a study that is written to experience the Christmas season in a deeper way. It is designed to help you connect with THE COMING of Jesus. We will center our study on four concepts that Jesus’ coming brought to the world: hope, joy, peace and love.
This booklet is meant to help you celebrate THE COMING.
Monday Hope::
Hope- The New Testament was written in Greek. The Greek word that appears in the New Testament that we translate as “hope” is defined as:: confident expectation. Hope is a general term that is more a sense that you have than it is a tangible feeling.
We use the word “hope” in a totally different context. We say things like, “I hope my team wins this game” or “I hope I pass my math test.” There is uncertainty involved in that sort of hope. The hope that Jesus has brought to the world is confident expectation.
Tim Keller wrote,
When September 11th happened and New Yorkers started to suffer, you heard two voices. You heard the conventional moralistic voices saying, “When I see you suffer, it tells me about a judging God. You must not be living right, and so God is judging you.” When they see suffering they see a judgmental God.
The secular voice said, “When I see people suffering, I see God missing.” When they see suffering, they see an absent, indifferent God.
But when we see Jesus Christ dying and suffering on the cross through an act of violence and injustice, what kind of God do we see then? A condemning God? No, we see a God of love paying for sin. Do we see a missing God? Absolutely not! We see a God who is not remote but involved.
You and I live in a world where there is darkness, suffering, pain and confusion. Much of the time God gets the blame for these things. But God sent Jesus into the world to bring hope in the middle of a dark world filled with suffering, pain and confusion. This week we will look at hope and how God sent the gift of hope into the world with this one life.
