Directional Signals

 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

—Matthew 2:1-2

Consider all the “directional signals” surrounding the birth of Jesus. The phenomena of angel who came to Mary, to Zechariah, to Joseph, to the Magi, and the host of angels who serenaded the shepherds. This phenomenal “happening”—the entering of our physical world by these divine Beings—demanded unusual attention to their guidance for the main characters of the story.

Then, we read of the astronomical sign of the unusual star—or merging of several planetary objects—that “led” the Magi to the vicinity of Jerusalem around the time of Jesus’ birth. This spectacle in the sky signaled to the Gentile world that God was entering earth in wonder and amazement.

But, what of divine direction for us in our ordinary lives in the 21st century? Rarely do we ever hear of such spectacular signs and directions. Does God still guide? How should we decipher His ways for us?

It seems to me that, for those to whom God appeared in miraculous events, He had already prepared by giving them humble and watchful hearts. They awaited His coming. They watched for signs. And, they prayed for their world. These ordinary men and women gladly obeyed the signs they believed to have come to them through the Holy Spirit, no matter the sacrifice and personal pain that their obedience would cause.

We not only have the Scriptures known to the people of that time, we also have the written Word given by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, as well. God still speaks to us through His written Word. He does not speak through magic, or some kind of spiritual voodoo. Yet, we can clearly perceive His direction in His written Word, as we follow and obey this Word day by day.

God also speaks to us through circumstances, sometimes obviously and, at other times, hidden from our consciousness. Sometimes God guides through the words or actions of dear fellow Christians. At still other times, God gives direction in unique ways through the actions and words of ungodly people—remember how the Magi learned from the words of King Herod.

We know that God still wishes to direct His people. As we stay close to Him in prayer and in faithfulness to His sacraments and holy worship, He continues to guide His searching people on their way through this difficult life. He wishes us to see His directional signals, to trust Him, even when we can’t see ahead. And, He delights to have us follow the admonition of Proverbs 3:5,6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

 

 

Suddenly Christmas

 

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven— praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

—Luke 2:8-14 NLT

The familiar story of the shepherds on the night of our Savior’s birth never gets old. This band of societal outcasts, watching their smelly sheep on a hillside, reminds us that God came to earth for all people, no matter how rich or poor, no matter their social stratum, no matter… well, anything. The suddenness of the angel’s announcement and the suddenness of the vast host of angels must have totally blinded and stunned these humble men.

The people of that time may have known the prophecy recorded in Malachi 3:1:

“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

Even so, they certainly didn’t expect Him to come in this manner and to these men. They had waited some 400 years since this prophecy was given to the people of Israel.

Recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus left a guide for his disciples pertaining to His second coming, telling them the manner of that coming, but admonishing them to stay vigilant. In Matthew 24:42, 44 Jesus told them:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you must be ready, because the son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Jesus instructs His followers in Matthew 25 by telling them the parable of “The Wise and Foolish Virgins,” that He, the Bridegroom will come. And, He will come to those alone who stand prepared for Him.

How do we prepare for such a coming? We allow the Holy Spirit to do His work of filling our lives with His light, His love, and by watching expectantly for Him.

In this context, I love the hymn, “Lo! He Comes, with Clouds Descending.” To us who wait for Him—if we remain alive on this earth at the time of His coming—we will see the glory of the Lord, and hear the heavenly choirs praising and singing, hallelujahs to our Everlasting God.

As you take in the music of this glorious hymn, allow the text on the screen to fill you with wonderful anticipation of the next advent of our King of Kings!

 

 

 

Stumbling

 

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.”

—Isaiah 9:2

Even when we walk in places we know well, we can lose our way in the dark, stub our toe, or run into objects. Just ask anyone who has ever tried to escape a smoky blaze in their home or other building. Bottom line: we aren’t good at walking in the dark!

In Isaiah’s time, the whole culture lived in the land of darkness with the inability to find their way, or to make sense of life. When God sent Jesus, He sent a “Light” that would help His people—including us, as well—to find the way out of a life that Satan had shrouded with sin and death.

I love the Season of Advent. It is a time of darkness that reminds us of our lost-ness, of our need for a Lamp to guide us and to light up our sin so that God can remove that sin and bring us into His glorious light. I love the reminder that no matter how dark our lives may become—with troubles, sorrows, pain, or disappointment—Christ comes to offer us His healing light.

Psalm 91 tells us that the person who dwells in the shelter of the Most High rests in His shadow of protection. I like the way Psalm 91:11 (MSG) explains our tendency to stumble and God’s ability to protect us:

He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling.

We have the tendency to stumble in the dark, trying to find our way into places we may have been, as well as into places we may have never been. If we try to walk in God’s way, He will give us the Light of His presence and command His angels to lift us high enough above our troubles to keep us from stubbing our toes.

During this Season of Advent, take comfort in your darkness today. Be assured that God knows the way that you take, and that He knows how to keep you from falling. Trust His hand and His guiding light. Amen!

—Posted: Monday, December 16, 2019

 

 

A Beautiful Silence

 

“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

—Habakkuk 2:20

Silence adorns the Season of Advent. While the world around us goes crazy with shopping and parties, God calls us to wait in quiet for Him.

In the northern climes, nature hides the earth in a blanket of white stillness. No birds call to us from the wooded glens. Even the sleeping animals and foliage wait in quiet. We, who recall the Nativity, wait in silence for the coming celebration of our newborn Savior.

To prepare for this coming—to prepare for the Holy Spirit’s coming at any time—or for the hearing of God’s word, we should prepare in silence and wait to recognize the coming of His awesome presence. We must practice silence and wait for Him.

Can you imagine the period of silence before God first spoke, when He said, “Let there be light!”? Or, the 400-year period of silence between the last prophecy of the Old Testament from Malachi until the angel spoke to Mary? In Heaven, at the opening of the seventh seal, a half hour of silence preceded the blowing of trumpets and the message of the seven angels. (Revelation 8:1-2)

We need to pause and refresh our poor brains in silence, separating ourselves from the cacophony of our materialistic world by spending time before our God and in His written Word. Many people can find this kind of re-set walking in the penetrating stillness of nature. Others experience a re-set in the ministry of quiet music. Still others gain a re-set by contemplating great works of art. God’s written Word speaks so much more powerfully when we have prepared ourselves for its work in silence.

This silent waiting for Christ, this Advent stillness, often results in giving us the most blessedness of the Season. We know from Genesis 3:8-9 that God waited for Adam and Eve in the quietness and beauty of the Garden. He waits for companionship with us, as well. The Babe came for this very reason—to restore fellowship between heaven and earth.

This Season of Advent, let’s purposefully appreciate the anticipation and joy of waiting for the Promised One to come to us with His gifts of joy, hope, light, power, and presence. He waits this Advent Season to bless us.

—Posted: Monday, December 9, 2019

 

 

Half-Spent

 

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

—Isaiah 9:2

In the Christmas Carol from as far back as the fourteenth century, the images of the rose with its tender stem, its fragrance, and the half-spent night, remind us of the largely unnoticed way in which Jesus, the Messiah, came into our world. The first and second stanzas of the carol “Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming” use this phrase: “When half-spent was the night.”

When we think about that phrase, it suggests that the night still goes on. We continue to have darkness in our world. Yet, in the last stanza of the carol we see that “this Flower dispels with glorious splendor the darkness everywhere.”

This tender rose depicts our Savior, who has come to us as a beautiful baby and at a time in history that God chose while things were void of His light. Depending on our circumstances, we may face a time of darkness and seeming absence of light this Advent season. But, we must remember that we do indeed have a Savior. And, we must remember that He does come to us in the darkness of our lives. When we know Him—when we look for Him and seek Him—He has promised to come in His glorious presence to us.

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming
   from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming
   as men of old have sung.
It came, a Flower bright,
   amid the cold of winter,
When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
   the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
   the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright
   she bore to men a Savior,
When half-spent was the night.

This Flower, whose fragrance tender
   with sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
   the darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
   from sin and death he saves us
And lightens every load.¹

The Baylor University Chamber Singers share this lovely carol:

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1 Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming. German Carol, Public Domain.