Advent Day 9 - The Curse and the Promise

When I was a child, every year part of our pre-Christmas tradition included the reading of Our Christmas Story by Ruth Bell Graham (wife of Billy Graham). Every night in December, we would snuggle up and hear my mom read the next portion of the exciting story. It's been years since I read it now, but  one of the parts that I remember most is the way she relates the Nativity tale everyone knows (Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus) back to the very beginning of Genesis --  where it all began.

I credit this book with beginning my understanding of how God's plan fits all together all throughout time. And how fitting, to go back to the beginning when celebrating Advent.

The story of Genesis starts out with hope as God creates humans as the pinnacle of his breathtaking creation. It is elysium indeed - environs of such beauty, companionship, meaning and love. And most of all, the personal relationship with God the Father and Creator. But all that is destroyed when humans decided to go their own way. And when God finds out, he pronounces the doom laid on man and woman because of what they have done, and the punishment which will befall their tempter, the serpent. Part of the punishment of the serpent, God's enemy, reads:

¹⁵ 

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.

Genesis 3:15, NIV

The curse came with a redemptive promise. It is foretold that the offspring of woman will crush the head of serpent, that is, Satan.

Note some interesting things:

1) The enmity is between the serpent and the woman and her offspring. This reference says nothing of the offspring of the man. And that came to pass: Christ was indeed born of a virgin woman -- not of the joint union between a man and a woman. 

2) The serpent would bite, or strike the heel of the offspring, but ultimately, would be crushed/trampled upon. Satan worked a deadly blow to Jesus at Calvary, but was defeated when Jesus rose from the dead. Ultimately, he will be crushed entirely and thrown into the fiery lake. 

In the midst of all the pain of the curse, these few words of Genesis 3:15 don't seem like a very great or significant promise, or even very positive. Yet, as the rest of the Bible shows, God doesn't lay all his cards on the table at once. Bit by bit, He reveals himself to humans through the patriarchs and the prophets. He slowly unwinds his master plan, trying to prepare his followers, and even then, it is too advanced for humans to grasp. Even when Christ directly claims his divinity and impending death, he is not believed by those around him. Yet in hindsight, we can see that God had everything under control all along.

The full "head-crushing" of Satan is yet to come, in an epic battle described between Revelation 19:19 and 20:10. Yet it is reassuring that God's plan of salvation started right from the beginning and that He knows what the end will be.

Have a happy cold and wintry evening!

Advent Day 8 - Joy of Every Longing Heart

A friend asked me today, "How was church?" I thought about it a bit and finally answered that the sermon was very good. But even as I was thinking about it, I realized that didn't really sum up my joyous thoughts about church today. In fact, these snippets of thought ran through my mind -- emotions that are hard to sum up in a text message: the glorious feeling when our worship team hit the right chord for the key change, and also when we belted out the final song ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel") at the celebratory tempo of 106bpm... the satisfaction when we finished service 3 minutes early so that we didn't make the next congregation start late... my confession moment during communion admitting my judgmental attitude to God... the enjoyment of our leadership Sunday school and the camaraderie of the youth counselors. All these thoughts and emotions were rolled up together: joy in worship, joy in community, joy in God.

Joy is a funny thing. You know when you have it, but it's definitely not something you can manufacture or fake. It seems to go hand-in-hand with a deep repose of spirit - the times when I know I have joy are when I'm not striving and fighting to get anything, but I just can relax and see where God takes me. It's a gift that goes along with trust. 

Here's a song from our service today which made me grin from ear to ear (Ah, the swell of music and meaning in the line: "Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art"). As I read the song now, the last line of the first verse reminds us what Joy is really all about -- it is the fulfillment of that deep desire in each one of us, that emptiness inside that we think will be filled by food, sex, money or love. In reality, the fulfillment, the satisfaction, comes only in Jesus. 

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set your people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth thou art:

Dear desire of every nation, 

Joy of every longing heart.

Born, your people to deliver,

Born a child, and yet, a king.

Born to reign in us forever,

Now your gracious kingdom bring.

By your own eternal spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By your all sufficient merit

Raise us to your glorious throne.

--Charles Wesley 

May you be blessed with Joy today and fulfillment in Christ.

Advent Day 7 - Promised Messiah

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

"I will send my messenger ahead of you,

     who will prepare your way" --

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 

    'Prepare the way for The Lord, 

       make straight paths for him.' "

Mark 1:1-3 (New International Version)

I've been having a gloriously relaxing day. It started with sleeping until noon. After making my way out of bed in a leisurely manner, I sat down to catalogue my favorite recipes in the recipe book my brother gave me a year ago. I had to have something listen to, so I made my way through various youTube videos starting with Handel's Messiah and ending up with Elaine Page.

It then occurred to me that perhaps I should start something for dinner, so I cut open the deliciously knobbled kabocha squashes I bought last week at the Berryessa farmers' market, scooped out the seeds, and put them in the oven to soften up. They will probably end up as some form of soup. Yum.

Getting back to Advent. It all starts hundreds of years before Christ, with the prophets sent by God to bring His people back to Him. The prophet Isaiah spoke the second quote: "a voice of one calling in the desert." He was an influential Jewish prophet who ministered in around the years 740-680 BC. His name means "The LORD saves," which can be seen as a summary theme of his prophecies. (The prophet Malachi spoke the first quote; he also foretold the coming of the Jesus).

Isaiah foretold the judgments of the LORD that would fall on Israel for their faithlessness and rebellion. Yet he also reminded them of God's compassion. Isaiah told the people of Israel that God would send them a Savior, a king descended from their Israel's greatest king, David. This Savior, or Messiah, as he would be called, would unite their kingdom and bring not only an end to their oppression at the hands of foreign nations, but also cause Israel to be a blessing to the whole earth. 

Imagine living in Jesus' time, 700 years later. The words of Isaiah the prophet have come true. After years of war and uncertainty, Israel was exiled in Babylon. Though later returned to their land, they are currently subject to the harsh rule of the Roman Empire. The prophecy of a Savior, though remembered, seems far away and unrelated to their current suffering. Yet there is still a distant hope, that God has not forgotten them and will still send his promised Messiah.

And God did remember. Soon His messenger John would come to prepare people's hearts for Jesus the Messiah.

My kabocha is ready. It's time to go make soup. We'll continue tomorrow... 

Advent Day 4 - Waiting

Okay, so I'm late (as usual) starting my Advent observances. I should have started on time on December 1st. But late is better than never. Advent has come to mean so much to me, in the past few years, that I find it more and more important each year to observe this season.

The word Advent means "the coming" or arrival. And what greater arrival than the Christ-child's appearance on Christmas Day so long ago? But somewhat ironically, the period of Advent comes before the Arrival. It is in fact, not about the actual arrival but about the stretch of time spent waiting for Him.

Waiting in our time and culture is not glorified. I watched a recent Colbert Report (Monday, Dec. 2) where he mocked the Amazon Overnight Delivery service. "It takes FOREVER. If I have to wait until tomorrow for my items to arrive, there goes tonight's plans..." he mock-complained. He then went on to describe Amazon's plans to potentially adopt delivery service by drones - that would cut down the delivery time to half an hour. Yes, he was only complaining in jest, but I find I have the same problem - I have no patience with anything that makes me wait. For example...

Mail: Just this Sunday, I was griping because the Advent candles that I ordered 11 days prior (with free shipping of course) had not arrived by Dec. 1 in time to use them for our first Advent service of the year.
Traffic: I hate being stuck behind a slow car and make frequent lane changes.
Family: I get annoyed when I am dressed to go out, and my husband isn't ready yet.
Lines: I pick late nights to go shopping because I know there won't be any queues.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, created the world and then proceeded to endure thousands of years of man's forgetfulness, betrayal and folly, before sending a Savior. He waited patiently for us to remember, for us to turn back to Him. And He is waiting still. Sometimes I wonder why He waited so long when the world was in darkness. Even so, the Christ-child was born at exactly the right time ("But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son" - Galatians 4:4)

Is there something you are waiting for in your life? Do you know why God is keeping you waiting? What does He want you to do with your time while you wait?

Hostess: The first face we see

As part of my job, I design the flow of our worship service, including scheduling everyone involved. One of the very important jobs is person who introduces the service, or in non-church terms, the MC. At Southbay, we call them Hostesses - we've chosen to have mainly women fill this role, since we mostly have men preaching and it's nice to see a variety of faces up there.

Recently, one of our hostesses brought up some good questions which really made me think through the "whys" and "hows" behind hosting. Here are some of my answers to those questions... feel free to add your thoughts.


1. What's the real purpose of hosting for Sunday Worship?

The purpose is to create a clear "flow" so that the congregation and newcomers will understand what is happening next. Also, as a hostess, you are the "face" of the church. Most people feel they cannot relate to a pastor, but they see an ordinary person up there being warm, friendly and welcoming them and they get a feel for how our church is.


2. Are there any techniques you recommend to begin the worship? 

To begin the worship, the purpose of the host should be to gather people's attention and focus it on God (aka "call to worship")

I have seen some different techniques from hosts that I think are helpful in different ways. For example, reading a very short Scriptural "call to worship" (For example, Psalm (95:1, 95:2 or 95:6, Psalm 66:1, etc.)
OR
Relating to some current event (say we are in mourning for something or happy about something)
OR
Relating to today's theme. For example, our current sermon series is on Hope. You could say something like, "Good morning everyone. In this month's sermon series, we have been hearing about the Hope that Jesus gives us. Let's stand and worship Him, and remind our hearts to be hopeful." Something like that.

Just from a Google search, I found an eHowarticle with some helpful tips at the end (from an unnamed eHow contributor):

Greet the congregation with a smile and a confident movement toward worship rather than a bland 'Good morning.' The first words should be more than casual greetings...this is a worship service.

Project your voice with breath support from the diaphragm and speak with a smile.

Raise the arms and turn up the palms in a welcoming gesture during your last sentence of invitation to worship.

Calls to worship are not long affairs. Avoid the long winded introduction.

If you are reading a call to worship avoid the reading voice with its downturned towns and predictable rhythms. Practice reading the call to worship well enough that it lives and breathes.

Don't think you can avoid the call to worship. Whatever is spoken first (outside of song) in a service is the call to worship. So craft it well.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_5359076_perform-call-worship.html#ixzz2lhv6ybbB


3. What are some ways to welcome newcomers without asking them to stand up to make them feel uncomfortable?

As a background, we don't have newcomers stand up in our congregation. Too often, that makes people feel like there's a lot of unwanted attention. But we do have a greeting time part-way through the service and many hostesses encourage people to talk with those they don't know. 

Also as a host, you can invite newcomers to our post-service snack/mingle time, saying something like, "If you are new this Sunday, we would love to get to know you, and the best time for that is to join us upstairs for food and conversation right after service."

Please feel free to add your own ideas.

Have a great Thanksgiving week!

God on our side

The Psalms are full of quotes about having The Lord on our side. Now, I'm sure that imagery means a lot to those who are actually fighting a war...  but what about those of us who are civilians and whose Great Challenges consist of fighting a stubborn zit, or trying to hold our tongues when someone says something that makes us bristle?

A few weeks ago, I was lying in bed, trying to shake a bout of sickness. It was in this state of forced reflection and stillness that I have been reminded of the Enemy we all face - and the great Grace of God who is on our side.

That day, I had planned two appointments to meet with youth. Then I got sick. Not the type of sick where you sniffle a bit, but don't notice most of the time. It was the full-out lying-on-your-back-in-bed-because-else-you'll-have-a-splitting-headache type. Instead of calling up the kids to cancel like I should have done, I instead planned to suffer through it, martyr-like. It's my own twisted sense of reasoning: I hate it when people cancel on me, so I never want to be the one who cancels on someone else.

Well, that's when God stepped in. I checked my Facebook to confirm plans to meet up with the first one - and found she had cancelled due to other school plans. Normally this would have made me frustrated, but I gratefully accepted it this time.

Then, around 12pm, I received a phone call from the other one, calling on his lunch break: Hello. Do you still want to meet up today or do it another day?

For a split second, I thought about keeping stubbornly to our previous plans, like a soldier who has been dismissed but doggedly stays at his post. Then, common sense won out.

Me: Um, actually, I'm really sick right now. Can we meet up next week?

He readily agreed, and God's Grace won out over my stubborn pride.

See, the Enemy doesn't always show up in obviously evil ways such as child prostitution or bullying. Most often, we encounter sin's temptation in the self-sufficient attitude or the snarky remarks we make to loved ones. These are the battles we all face everyday. And The Lord is on our side. He is there whispering a gentle reminder to hold our tongues, or giving us a way to remain patient under criticism, or, in my case, providing a way that I didn't have to let anyone down by cancelling appointments, but still enabling me to get the rest I needed. Small things that could be coincidences... but then again... maybe they aren't.

Let's all look for ways that He is on our side today.

I'm Sorry

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to graciously forgive someone when they have already said those magic words: "I'm sorry"?

Recently, I had a humbling interaction with a client. She let me know late that her daughter would not be attending an event which we had be preparing for over the past six weeks. I sent back a rather severe email letting her know that she should have informed me earlier.

After sending the email, I had a fit of conscience. That is, God tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that I should have been nicer. I regretted using such a strong reprimand, but since the email had already been sent I couldn't do much about it.

Later that day, I received a reply. The woman began her email, "I'm really sorry about the poor communication on my side." She went on to say that her mother had been sick all year and that she had not been able to commit to anything else since she was spending all her time taking care of her mom.

Imagine what a jerk I felt when I read that. She not only took responsibility, but she had a very good excuse for her actions which entreated my compassion. I sent her back a very gracious reply, letting her know that it was okay, that I understood, that I should have confirmed with her earlier, and I wound up saying that I would pray for her and her mother.

But as I stepped away from the computer, I was very disturbed to examine my heart. Yes, I had quickly forgiven this woman after she had admitted her fault and offered to make amends. But it was her apology which had made me feel like I could be magnanimous. I felt like the Royal Ruler who had been Justly Offended, and she was the Poor Serf kneeling before me in abject humiliation - it was easy to forgive her, with a wave of my lordly hand!

But what if she had been defensive, blaming me instead for the poor communication? Would I then have pushed away the guilt I felt for treating her somewhat harshly? Would I have been able to admit my own poor communication? I'm not sure, and I'm glad I didn't have to find out. But it wasn't a pretty sight to look deep into my own motives and realize that they're not always as pure as I would like to believe.

Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

I just finished watching The Bible series on the History channel. Great series. It summarizes the stories of the whole Bible into a few hours. But what I appreciated most was seeing the story of Jesus come to life. Finally I had a picture of what Isaiah meant when he said about Jesus: "He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..." (Isaiah 53:3). In the last moments of His life, Jesus asked His Father to forgive those who had mocked him, spit on him, crucified him. Even though they had never admitted their guilt or shown any remorse.

I find it really hard to wrap my mind that kind of love. A totally selfless love which does not receive and yet keeps on giving itself totally. And yet it seems to me that if I could let go of needing to hear others' contrition, I might be able to feel a little more remorse myself. Then I would truly understand what my salvation cost my Lord.

Oh Lord. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Even when they don't say, "I'm sorry."