God Times for November 21-25
(start with five minutes of appreciation memories)
Monday November 28
Isaiah 9
Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He contemptuously treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined.
Hope is gathering evidence. The word hope in the Old Testament, tiqvah, is related to the word for gathering sticks for a fire.
There is something about fire that gladdens the heart as well as warms us. People have been looking into a fire since humans first began using fire. Up until modern times, looking at a fire was entertainment, warmth and community building all in one.
Fires still have this effect. This is why so many of us still have a fireplace.
Well, one of the things we know about fire is that it needs fuel. So, we also know that humans have been collecting firewood since the beginning. Gathering it into bundles or stacks. These stacks represent confidence in the future. We have enough. Tomorrow is going to be good. There will be fire again.
Welcome to the Advent season where we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Hope involves waiting because what we have hope toward is not here yet, but we can see it, just as we can see a campfire in the middle of the forest on a dark night. Like this fire, God is showing us hope. Coming hope.
Hope comes where it is least expected…
Yes, there is nothing like a warming fire to cast off the gloom. God’s people have not had much reason to be be hopeful. Their enemies keep them cast down and make sure they realize there is no escape. But God has other plans.
Remember everything in the Holy Land centers in Jerusalem and then fans out from there. Jerusalem is at the center. Galilee? About as far from Jerusalem you can go and still be in Israel. Why mention this area of God’s holy land that is most removed from the blessings of Jerusalem? Only if something is going to happen that comes out of Galilee. Or someone. A great light will shine out of the darkness God’s people find themselves in.
It is right to think of this today. There is never a time of darkness that is not affected by the light of Jesus. This is why when we walk with him closely, the warmth and the glow do not disappear. We have hope, even if we can’t explain it, other than to say we are walking with him.
ME
Why is hope in Jesus so meaningful for you?
Tuesday November 29
Isaiah 9
You have multiplied the nation and increased the joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the bar of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
And hope comes where it is most potent…
When we allow God to have reign in our lives, he expands his influence. God’s expanding influence can be called his Kingdom. Here we see “joy” takes center stage once again in God’s Word. Four times in one sentence is a lot of joy!
Here is what God is saying to us. When you look for God in life, you discover him where there is gladness. This is where his Kingdom is expanding. When you look for the things that are not of God, you discover either dull lifelessness or rage. Going through the motions or being filled with anger leading to contempt.
Where do you experience gladness right now? Stay there. Let the gladness of being with god and being with others penetrate any gloom that remains.
God will break whatever is binding us up and keep us from giving in to the hopelessness that comes from everything that tries to work against God. Nothing can overcome his power.
ME
Where do you see gladness in the world today?
Wednesday November 30
Isaiah 9
For all the sandals of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
And hope comes where it is most evident…
Here we see another kind of fire. A fire where the sandals of warriors and their blood soaked clothes are burned for good.
We talk a lot about a world without violence and war. When you don’t seek revenge and you work for the good of others, no matter who they are- That is a formula for working towards a world without violence and war.
In other words following Jesus. We move in a world of less violence when we raise children with this hope. From day one when children realize they are loved by us and we are glad to be with them, when children are encouraged that their lives will go well, this is possible as we follow Jesus.
Jesus never used hate as a motivator. Jesus never saw himself as a victim, though no one had more reason to see himself as treated unfairly than he. This is why following Jesus makes so much sense and why true hope can be a way of life. If you raise your children to hate or raise them to see themselves as victims their lives will not go well. The evidence of this is all around us if we have eyes to truly see.
ME
Where are you most peaceful?
Thursday December 1
Isaiah 9
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
And hope comes where it is most gracious…
As we know, “Grace” means you are special to God and you don’t have to do anything to be considered special by him. As we begin the season of Advent, we are once again surprised by the way God works. If we need an illustration of how special God considers us, think of the alternative message. Think of how the divine appears when humans make us their religion.
Think of the ancient gods of thunder, lightning, the sun, powerful animals, like the bear or the lion. Why didn’t the ancients ever worship O, great God of the mouse? The sparrow god? God of the puddle?
Here is why. The true God comes to us in the most unassuming and gentle way possible. He becomes one of us as a baby. We might be wary of babies, discombobulated by infants, but no one is afraid of a baby.
God, in his wisdom, comes as baby Jesus announcing once and for all time as John says in Revelation 21:3,
“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.“
ME
What does it mean to worship a gentle God?
Friday December 2
Isaiah 9
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with justice and with righteousness, from now until forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. And hope comes where it is complete…
It is God’s zeal that will bring lasting peace. It is his ways that will take hold. People will treat each other like they do already in any good home. With fairness, with graciousness, quick to forgive, slow to anger, and filled with laughter and gladness. If we can already live this way now when we are our best true selves, why do we think that this will not be a way of life for all people forever?
God won’t let his dreams fail. His destiny for us is that we will live with him as he lives in his fullness in the Trinity. We even get glimpses of this the words of Isaiah from even before the time of Jesus. Isaiah calls him a Mighty God, but listen to what else he calls Jesus and then consider the words of Jesus himself from the Gospel of John.
Wonderful Counselor…
John 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.
We are not alone in the world relying on our own strength and wisdom. We have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus who remains with us and teaches us everything. Way more powerful than Wikipedia or the whole internet itself, there is nothing The Holy Spirit cannot show us that will give us confidence in Jesus.
Eternal Father…
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
You either trust that Jesus is God himself or you don’t. There isn’t anything that God the Father has that Jesus doesn’t have. And Jesus ruling from the heavens now is doing so as a human being. He is the first true human in God’s new creation and everything he has is available to us. We even get to experience the power of Jesus in glimpses now. Hope for the hopeless, strength, even in our weakness. God is for us and not against us.
Prince of Peace…
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Remember peace is not just the absence of violence or war. The world can give us laws and treaties and resolutions. Again, like our best true selves living in community, we don’t need any of this if we have his peace. His peace means everything is in harmony. Our life with God and others is in synch. We don’t have to be anxious, we don’t have to be fearful, the Prince of Peace has perfect love and perfect love casts out fear.
This is not only our hope, this is our destiny. No troubled hearts. No fear. The peace of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is true reality and it is available to anyone who wants it. Real peace is available to you.
ME
How does knowing God as community help in your understanding of what it means to live in community?