By James Wilson
Advent – the four weeks prior to Christmas
– is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists,
a large majority of the Body of Christ.
Orthodoxy – another fifth of the Body – celebrates it as The Fast of
Christmas. The season originated
somewhere between the middle of the second century and the middle of the
sixth. It focuses on two realities –
active anticipation of celebrating the birth of Messiah or Christ, the Son of
God, and active anticipation of Messiah’s return as King. The name means “coming” or “anticipation” and
it operates through the scriptural lens of the life and ministry of John the
Baptist. Jesus said of John that no
greater prophet had ever arisen. Why is
this important?
John’s
ministry has three features that mark him as a kind of second coming of Elijah,
and again it is Jesus Himself who so identifies him. First he recognizes Jesus as the incarnation
of God Himself when the latter comes to him seeking baptism. He speaks as God speaks, identifying acts of
compassion and mercy as the fruit of repentance and thus the road to authentic
worship. Second, he treats Jesus as
family; they are cousins after all, and when God comes among us this way He
expects to be treated as He treats us. This
is what Richard Foster describes as real worship. And finally he says that he must decrease as
Messiah increases – in other words, he both humbles and empties himself before
God, which is genuine worship. All this
makes John a forerunner of Messiah – then and now.
Jesus
Christ says mercy trumps sacrifice in one Bible passage while obedience does
the trumping in another. But He speaks
of trumping the kinds of sacrifice that passes through ceremonial motions
simply because it is that time of year.
When we actually recognize Him in the services of Lessons and Carols,
the lighting of special candles, and the absence of certain frills in our
worship we are led back to appreciate the spirit of John the Baptist. When we take it a step further and begin
sharing our food with the hungry, carrying the packs of the needy, and visiting
the sick and the lonely before going home to a warm place of rest we begin to
actively re-focus on God – the essence of repentance – and pragmatically anticipate
the return of the King.
The
world is based on an economy of sacrifice, not survival of the fittest, and
this should be as visible to people of no faith as to the most faithful
Christians. The vestiges have survived
the epochs since the accelerating Fall of Mankind. Astronomers know our planet is the fruit of
the sacrifice of multitudes of stars that went nova over the billions of years
since our universe has lived and kicked just the right amount of heavy and
light elements into this sector of our galaxy so that a rocky and watery planet
is born to enable the human race to walk and talk with God. In the animal world zoologists know parents
routinely sacrifice their lives for the sake of their children – as do most
human parents. Every human body is born of
the sacrifice of individual and living egg and sperm, and your white blood
cells sacrifice themselves in a kamikaze attack on anything that breaks into
your body. We reserve maximum admiration
for the person who risks or gives his life for another. Jesus Himself came into the world to ignite
restoration of this world as it was intended by its Creator.
Our
generation of the Church, however we define ourselves, is clearly a John the
Baptist generation. The dark signs Jesus identified as signaling
His near return are wars and rumors of wars, men calling evil good and good
evil, and hatred focused on those who name His name worldwide. Although no one can predict when or how soon
He returns, we are clearly and factually in the last act of world history from
that standpoint. As the numbers of
miracles and decisions for Jesus escalate we have to recall His apocalyptic
prediction (John 14:12-14 and other places) that His return would be foretold
in this way as well. Likewise, the prophetic witness is overwhelming that we
need to become ready with every hour left to us – whether a week or
centuries. And, as in John’s day, so the
Church practices Jesus’ commands selectively and coldly.
Candles
and carols are important if they light the season. But the spirit on John is crucial – now more
than ever. The fruit of repentance is
actively awaiting the Awakening in a season and lifestyle called Advent.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living
As Ambassadors of Relationships and The
Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by
e-mailing him at
praynorthstate@charter.net
No comments:
Post a Comment