Advent Week 4

Advent Week 4

Love (Day 20) 

For Christ loved us too much to leave us in darkness. 

Wonder (Day 21)

I often wonder what the Lord is doing in my life. But how often do I look at him with wonder and awe?

Community (Day 22) 

There have been many influential communities in my life and these represent a few of the many.

Gift (Day 23) 

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! - Matthew‬ ‭7:11

Birth (Day 24)

We wait. We wait for the birth of a savior. Of Immanuel. Of light. We wait for the birth of something new.

Light (Day 25) 

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -John‬ ‭1:4-5‬ ‭

Advent Week 3

Advent Week 3

Joy (Day 13) 

I have loved this season ever since I was a child. Christmas is magic to me. It fills me with a deep sense of joy. The lights. The decorations. The cookies.

Ponder (Day 14) 

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. - Psalm‬ ‭111:2

Sign (Day 15) 

This sign took us to some amazing adventures in Yosemite.

Praise (Day 16) 

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Release (Day 17) 

Yes I did an advent day about Star Wars because it is the release of the Force Awakens and Jesus does care about our loves and passions.

Promise (Day 18) 

He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations - Psalm‬ ‭105:8‬

Faith (Day 19)

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" - Mark‬ ‭4:40‬ 

Advent Week 2

Advent Week 2

Peace (Day 6)

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah‬ ‭9:7‬

Listen (Day 7)

Stop to rest and listen to the Holy Spirt. Be still and hear the voice of the Lord.

Free (Day 8) 

The place in the world I feel the most free is here in Yosemite. To be at full peace and full freedom sitting in this meadow watching the sun set.

Justice (Day 9) 

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! - Amos‬ ‭5:24

Awake (Day 10) 

Awake my soul. Rise up and see the son being born

Mystery (Day 11) 

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians‬ ‭2:2-3‬ ‭

Grace (Day 12) 

I wish grace and healing were more abracadabra kind of things. Also, that delicate silver bells would ring to announce grace's arrival. But no, it's clog and slog and scootch, on the floor, in the silence, in the dark. - Anne Lamott

Advent: Week 1

Wait (Day 1)

Lord we wait for you. We wait for you to come and bring light to a dark world. We wait with expectation. Hopeful expectation.

Journey (Day 2)

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.” Ruth‬ ‭1:16‬. We journey together to seek the Lord in advent. He journeyed from heaven to us and we goes with us.

Open (Day 3) 

"Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.” Psalm‬ ‭51:15

Comfort (Day 4)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew‬ ‭5:4‬

Wisdom (Day 5)

We hiked to a wisdom tree once. I wonder if it made us wiser.

Advent

Advent started in darkness. The world was in darkness. Joseph finds out his wife his pregnant though he never had sex with her. King Herod murders thousands of baby boys searching for the messiah. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus flee to Egypt as refugees. They hide for two years trying to escape slaughter.

Advent season promises light. A savior is born in an unlikely way in a unlikely place. Hope is born into a dark world. Advent shows us that light can shine through the darkness. Advent directs us back to the light. Advent breaks through the darkness.

So we prepare. We hope. Our world today is a lot of darkness. Terror and fear running rampant. People being persecuted, tortured, and murdered for their faith or their ethnicity or culture. People living in terror and believing the worst about their neighbors. Mass shooting after mass shooting. Injustice and darkness feels like it reigns in our country and in our world.

But we hope. We hope and look to the light to be stronger than the darkness. We prepare our eyes and our hearts to see the light. We cry out to Jesus to see the light breaking through.

From the prophet Isaiah:

"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

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

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.

Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this."

Unexpected (30 Days of Gratitude)

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 29 

Today is the first day of Advent. Advent is a season of hope, of waiting, of leaning into Jesus as he draws us to the unexpected places. At church today the pastor asked us: "How open are we to the unexpected messages God sends to us?"

Unexpected. The Kingdom of God is unexpected.

I was reminded of some powerful words from my college Bridget. "You may be like me, and nothing in life is what you expect it to be right now. What I've found though, is that the Kingdom of God is exactly like that! Unexpected. Hidden. Unseen. And all the while, God is in control and he is still good. I lose sight of that when I feel like life isn't what I want it to be. I get all bratty and entitled."

The advent seasons invites us to go to those unexpected places, to receive unexpected messages, and to dwell in the hidden and unseen mystery of God. It was not expected that Zachariah would have a child so late in life, it was not expected that the savior of the world would be born in a manger, it was not expected that Jesus' ministry would be about bringing peace and hope to the chaos and the hopeless.

But it's really hard to feel grateful when life isn't what we expect it to be. More often I  feel resentful. Resentful that I had a plan, and what felt like a perfectly good one, that no longer has any use. I feel bitter because I had hoped for something and now it's not happening. I feel frustrated because I had worked hard for something and it seems to have failed. I'm disappointed because what should have come to be, is fading away. But if we turn to our bitterness and resentment then we miss what Jesus is doing. If we turn toward the light - even in places we would not expect - then we can see the Kingdom of God at hand. 

A Great Light

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing their plunder. For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and pace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 

Isaiah 9:2-7

When Jesus entered the world over 2,000 years ago, he entered a world covered in great darkness. Israel was harshly oppressed by the Romans and God had been silent for almost 400 years (between Old Testament and New). Women were treated poorly, those who were not Jewish were barely allowed to worship in the temple, and as the Romans oppressed Israel, Israel oppressed others - the poor, the sick, the possessed, and the hurt. 

We also live in a world of great need. A world that feels still covered in darkness. The race tensions in America are at a high, with young black men being killed at an alarming rate, with women still out of reach for true equality, with injustice imbedded within our government systems and in our hearts. We too are living in a land of darkness, one we may not be able to recognize. We are again in a time in desperate need of Jesus. 

We need a Wonderful Counselor. We've made some really bad decisions as humanity, as a country, and as individuals. We've let a lot of bad theology, ideologies, and the like get into our minds and hearts. What was supposed to be "love God and love your neighbor" has been replaced with "look out for my own". We need Jesus' wise counsel to flood our minds once again. To have the wisdom to truly understand Jesus' commands in scripture and to live them out fully. 

We need a Mighty God. There are a lot of crappy things happening in our world today. Powerful and overwhelming systemic injustice feels impossible for the single person to change. We need a mighty supernatural God to bring waves of change in places we had not imagined possible. We need justice in the places were there isn't. We need Jesus to bring about reconciliation and restoration. We need to admit our own faults and shortcomings and look to Jesus. 

We need an Everlasting Father. Many of us have had poor father figures, and all the more leads to a distrust of those in positions of authority. We've seen fathers and those in authority abuse, neglect, torment, abandon, and betray us. But Jesus promises an Everlasting Father. One who will never leave, who will never neglect, who does not torment or abuse. We need redemption and a true Father. 

We need a Prince of Peace. It's not hard to look around us and see chaos. With young black men being killed on what feels like a daily basis, with terrorism, with power abuse, with human trafficking, with drug use and abuse, and even natural disasters that we have no control over, our world sometimes feels too chaotic to handle. Jesus promises peace and comfort. Not just for eternity but for the here and now. 

When Jesus was an adult and began his ministry he said the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe. The Kingdom of God - this kingdom of restoration, of peace, of justice, is not just one for heaven. It's one for the here and now. It's for our present and for our future. We must still repent of our sins - both individual and communal and believe in our deep need for Jesus.

I want to have the answers of how that will happen. To solve the problems I see on my newsfeed every day. I want to use the privilege I have to make a difference. When we admit of our desperate need for Jesus, we see things in the light. We no longer live in the darkness of bitterness, of hatred, and of chaos. So Jesus come, bring your wonderful counsel, your might, your fatherly love, and your peace into your hearts so our world may turn more towards your light.

Little Drummer Boy

I love Christmas music. I always have. Growing up Christmas was my favorite holiday for three reasons.

1. My mother LOVES the season. She is get super festive and our house turns into a winter wonderland. So even not being a child anymore, Christmas decorations still makes me feel more at home. 
2. It always comes around my birthday, so there was just a lot to celebrate. 
3. The lights and the music. Christmas music just seems so much better than most. 

But I am very selective about the music that I like during this season. I like Advent music, music that really expresses the amazing fact that Jesus came down to earth on during this season and that is something worth celebration, that our Savior, has come. Little Drummer Boy was never one of the songs that made it onto my powerful, emotional, Advent songs list. 

That is until now. One of my favorite bands, Pentatonix, did a version of it that changed my view on the song entirely. Listen to it here first: 

I can't quite put to words what made me love this version so much more than the rest of it, but I think it was the right musical composition to make me actually understand the meaning of the song. A small boy, knowing he has nothing to give Jesus but his drum playing, plays at the feet of Jesus. And Jesus accepts this child's gift, because he gave all he had, he gave willingly, and he gave freely.

Isn't that all Jesus wants from us - to give him what we have, whether much or little. Many times we withhold our best gifts from Jesus because we fear they aren't good enough as the person standing next to us. Let them lead, let them serve, let them play because they are ultimately the better one. We have become so entrenched in a world of comparison and jealousy that we withhold the best parts ourselves from Jesus.

Jesus doesn't care if you are the best drummer or the worst drummer, he wants you to give yourself, your talents, your gifts to him and let him use them as he will. I like this song because this young kid gets it - he doesn't have much to give so he gives what he has, and he gives it all. If he had been given wealth beyond belief he would have given that and if he could bake he would have made Jesus pie (which would be awesome). But he couldn't do those things, so he played his drum.

May we all find our drum to play for Jesus and play it like we would for a king.