Advent Week 2; Peace & Place
Although advent devotionals often assign week two the theme of peace, this idea stems from the traditional theme of Bethlehem or lighting the “Bethlehem candle” where peace on earth was declared. So in addition to discussing peace this week, I’d like to talk about place. We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, the City of David, to poorish parents. Last week we discussed the culture he was born into and how the Roman-occupied Jews would have anticipated the coming of their King. But I want to peel back another layer for a moment. We’ll come back to the concept of visible place; let’s chat about the unseen realm.
Advent Week 1
When Nic was a youth pastor, sometimes he would relish these terrible, awkward silences. Usually, he would ask a question, personal or interpretive, that no one felt inclined to answer. So he’d say, “That’s fine. I can wait.” And he would. It killed me. The silence was honestly painful to my brain. Apparently, the youth kids felt the same because eventually someone would be tortured by the silence into answering. That was a tiny moment. Can you imagine God saying, “Are you going to change your ways?” “Be aware that a time is coming…” And then he just—
Welcome to the USA, Land of Comfort
Welcome to America, the land of Comfort. Or, more precisely: welcome to America, the nation that worships Comfort.
Wait- America is a Christian nation, you say, founded by Christians. Well, friend, let’s chat.
Fellowship; A Short Story
Tony growled a little and then acquiesced, "Okay." He laid the extra oars down along the hull of his boat and picked up one of his normal ones. He nodded at me to pick up one of mine. We each rowed with one oar, still breasted up. As the day wore on, so did I. I refused to admit it though, and rowed with all my might. We spoke little, which should have been a glaring alarm for me that something was wrong. But I poured all of my mental and physical strength into rowing, two hands on one oar, and I still grew more sluggish by the hour.
Darkness fell. Even though I couldn't see straight, I kept telling myself I'd be back to normal in the morning. When I finally lay down in my berth, the relief my body felt morphed quickly into gratefulness for Tony. Who knows where I would have ended up without his knowing friendship. That realization was the last thing I remembered before drifting off.
I can foggily recall two things from the days that followed…
Matters of Good Doctrine
Some of my friends’ bowels are getting turbulent, to use a phrase from Jeremiah. They’re concerned for me, If you don’t have good theology, you could fall for anything! or How will you be saved if you don’t know who God is? The study of God is theology! Take a deep breath, Karen. I’m pro-studying. I’m even pro-”having a position” if that helps. Here are just a couple of limiting factors for me as far as these statements go:
David - Faith That Acts
…In a similar vein, I recently read a quote on instagram that said something like ‘if it’s God’s will, it will come easily.’ I think the author was trying to communicate that we shouldn’t bust through doors that God isn’t opening. Good advice. But are these completely Biblical attitudes toward “battles”? Let’s visit the moment we are introduced to this phrase in 1 Samuel 17…
