Advent Week 2

December 10                                            The Descending Dove

 The dove coming down from the sky is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus  was baptized ,(Mark 1:9-11) the Holy Spirit  came to him like the fluttering of a dove. Have you ever heard the sound of a dove’s wings beating as it is flying? The Spirit comes with movement and energy. The Holy Spirit is how God touches our lives. We cannot see the Spirit but sometimes we can feel the warm love of God or it may seem like God is speaking just to us in a sermon or an event. This is the Holy Spirit.  After Jesus was resurrected, the  Holy  Spirit came to all believers.

Text Luke 4:16-21

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.  He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was   given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: (Isaiah 61)
¹⁸ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ (the year of Jubilee)

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

   O Holy Spirit of God, visit my soul, and tarry within it until eventide. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my imaginations. Suggest all my decisions. Lodge in my will’s most inward citadel and order all my doings. Be with me in my silence and in my speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in the      freshness of the morning and in the weariness of evening, Give me grace at all times to rejoice in thy mysterious companionship.  Amen       

                                                                                                                                             (John Ballie)

 December 11                                                                       The Lamb

Jesus is called the Lamb of God in the Bible (John 1:29).  In the  time before Jesus people would sacrifice a lamb as a way to show God

 how sorry they were for the things they did wrong.

     When Jesus died on a cross some people thought he was like one of the lambs that was killed bringing forgiveness to the world. Jesus was also called the Good Shepherd (John 10:11) because he loves and cares for each one of us like a shepherd cares for the sheep. When we are feeling far from God Jesus tells us that the Good Shepherd is looking for us. (Luke 15:1)

Text Ezekiel 34:11-12, 14-16

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks ...so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.,,   I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land... There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture ..I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, ... I will feed them with justice.

Lend Lease

God did not send technical assistance to our backward world:

Gabriel and a company of experts with their know-how. He did not negotiate for the export of surplus grace on a long term loan.

He did not arrange to send us food, or cast-off  garments of angels.

Instead, he came himself. He hungered in the wilderness. He was stripped naked on the cross. But hungering with us he became our bread. And suffering with us, he became our joy. 

                                                                                                                                                                               (Edith Lovejoy Pierce)

December 12                                                         Chi - Rho

 This is a special symbol, a monogram,  for Jesus Christ made up of two letters from the Greek alphabet: “Chi” which looks like an “X”  and “Rho” the letter “R.” In Greek Capital letters Rho looks like a “P.” If you write Christ in Greek the first two letters are XP. 

 Here the letters are overlapped so it looks like a cross. With the Chi Rho are two more Greek letters “Alpha” which looks like an “A” and “Omega” which looks like an upside-down horse shoe. They are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. They stand for God who is the first and last, the beginning and the end of all things.

Text: Micah 4:1-4

     In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

     He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid;

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

     Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

 Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. 

Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. 

     O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.

December 13                                                                               IHS

 These are the first three letters in Jesus’ name in Greek. In Greek  Jesus would be spelled            

 “IHSOYS. You would pronounce the name this way (Yeah soos). This was  a quick way to write  “Jesus.” It is usually written using the non-capital Greek  letters.The first letter is “iota” or in  English “I.” The second letter is “eta.” the third is “sigma” or in English “S.”  Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Joshua which means “God saves.”

   The letters are inside a twelve pointed star which reminds us of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Twelve is the number which signifies those God calls to be his people.

Text: Matthew 1:18-24

    Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord  commanded him; he took her as his wife,

December 14                                                                    The Butterfly

The butterfly is a symbol of  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Before  there is a butterfly there was a caterpillar. When it is the right time,  the caterpillar climbs a branch and weaves a cocoon. It is a hard case and it looks like the caterpillar has

died. After awhile the cocoon cracks open and out comes a butterfly. The beautiful butterfly is like a new creation.

     Jesus died on the cross, was wrapped in a cloth and put     inside a cold dark tomb. After three days, God rolled away the stone and Jesus came out. He was still Jesus but he was also very different  and he would never die again. The power of the resurrection helps us live in new ways in this world and the  promise of life in the next.

Text : Luke 19:1-10

     Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him... When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.  All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 

     Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of  Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

How are Advent (Christ's coming among us) and resurrection related? The power of the resurrection is not just our hope for life beyond this world. Wherever Jesus' unconditional love breaks through to us we are changed.  New ways of living can open up. Carlyle Marney said"Jesus' work through the incarnation (taking human flesh) was not closed when he ascended. God never closes anything until it is finished and incarnation is not finished.  Jesus is here, where he said he would be, indwelling his own." He became like us so that we might become more like God; that we might love like God loves. 

December 15                                                           The Latin Cross                          

This is a very complicated cross. The cross is a  symbol of God’s love for us. This cross has a shepherd’s crook on top. The crook was used by  the shepherd to rescue and protect the sheep. Jesus said that he was the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sheep. In the middle of the cross is a triangle which is a symbol of God who is Three-in –One; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The shape at the bottom is an “Omega” with the end of the shepherd's crook through it. Omega is the last letter in Greek. It points to Jesus in whom God is fully visible. This cross is usually covered in roses which are Mary’s flower. Mary was the first disciple to follow God’s call to bear Jesus’ life within her.

Text: Luke 1:26-34, 37-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 

³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God....For nothing will be impossible with God.” 

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

Of her flesh, he took flesh: He does take it fresh and fresh,

Tough much the mystery how, Not flesh but spirit now.

And makes, O marvelous! New Nazareths in us, 

where she shall conceive Him morning, noon. and eve. 

New Bethlems, and he born. There evening, noon and morn. (Gerard Manley Hopkins)

December 16 The Third Sunday in Advent

                                                               David’s Lyre - Music - Joy

 The third Sunday in Advent is “Joy Sunday.” Its color is pink. Music and the joy of worship are linked for Methodists. The Wesley brothers  

utilized singing to bring people together. Harmony and rhythm have the power to unite us, to bring healing to our troubled minds, to lift our spirits and to open the door to spiritual experience.

     A young  David is said to have played the lyre so well for King Saul that it quieted  Saul when he was troubled by mental illness (1 Samuel 16:14-23). Because of the tradition of  David’s skill with the lyre many Psalms are attributed to him. His lyre is a  symbol of God’s gift of music.

Text: Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

     Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy 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. Amen. (Charles Wesley)