an advent of our own ..

so much pain in this world tonight ..

people sick

people abused

people poor, hungry, cold

people persecuted

people under the horror of war

people enslaved .. in their bodies, in their minds

.. .

and then there's advent

and then there's the revelation

and then there's somebody that took all that pain, all that sorrow, all the brokenness in the world, and internalized it, became that and overcame it

because of that man we have a confident hope

of new birth

of new life

of new creation

and of oneness with God, in person

blessed be the God that delivers us all from slavery

and makes us children

blessed be those that take that hope and make it apparent now, here, today, in this life

another kind of advent ..

peace

adventing ..

it's christmas, whatever that means for you

there is (has been for some time) a movement within christendom that looks to be original and groundbreaking by deconstructing the scriptures, removing the non-scientific (miracles, including the virgin birth), questioning the authenticity of the texts, relegating to 'fable' many of the stories - basically undoing the divine nature of the bible, leaving it solely a human-constructed effort

i choose not to
although my thinking has changed radically from what it was up to a decade ago, i still retain a reasonably 'high' view of scripture, albeit not nearly as literalistic

i do not shrink at God's becoming human, and God's choosing of how that would come about
God is still God, and could have done it any way God wanted, really

and so, when i think of the advent of the Jewish Messiah, i am pleased to think of God leaving what God was to become human and associate with us at the most intimate level
that rocks me still, sends chills through my soul, even after all this time

and i am yet to find an explanation for the inexplicable tone of friendliness that permeates the atmosphere among all people around this time, christian or not
and no, i don't think it has to do with holidays and gifts and parties and food and such
people who have existed in mortal-enemy status all year are wont to be at least civil, even if they revert later

so here comes my favourite time of year
filled with memories of family gathering, food - endless food, gifts, giving, laziness and such
and progressively filled with the simple awe that accompanies the birth of the long-awaited Jewish Messiah who would set on course the liberation of all humanity from its bondage to the fear of death, resetting the consequences of the Fall, inscribing hope in the human heart, radically displaying the very love-nature of God in his life and ultimately in his death
he set us free, and if the Son sets free, that is indeed freedom

to whom shall we go ?
we shall go to God in due time, as God comes to us in due time
as God has come to us in human form
and when we do, we shall embrace a human, Jesus, king of kings and lord of lords who loved us and gave himself for us all

those barebones words elicit all sorts of exciting chills and emotions and thoughts
and expectation

that's advent
anticipation
a longing for the long-awaited one
from God to us
with love
all boxed and wrapped and bowed
and given
Israel's Promise
overflowing to all the world, just like God promised to Abraham, father of all of faith ..

go there

peace


O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save and give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

release ..

you might have know it all along
read it somewhere, heard of it, considered it ..
it's not until you reach the level of being able to relinquish your hold on your life, your self, that you're able to release completely into the arms of God

it's not a 'level' in the sense of achievement or accomplishment, like "i did this"; it's more like a stage of life, a place you arrive

'abandonment' is one term used to describe it (i think andrew murray)

Jesus used 'deny yourself'
on one occasion, to illustrate, he told a rich man who came to him with a question about 'eternal life' to sell everything he owned and give the proceeds to the poor; i believe Jesus absolutely meant what he said to that man; that was his particular ball-and-chain
Jesus also mentioned a willingness to leave family, if necessary

thing is, that release is the embodiment of complete trust, and nothing, including your own family, your possessions, or your best-friend-dog should be seen as a 'no' to his beckon
and it's not that God is cruel, but God understands us. God became one of us. God knows that this kind of trust is only available to those who relinquish their hold on everything - all, barring none - and see their very life as disposable for him

it is just this kind of release God calls for; few find it, i think; and it sometimes takes tragedy and suffering to allow us to recognize it in ourselves

anything other than that utter abandonment to God is missing the mark of God's intention for us, for God created us in his own image, like him, and God knows what it means to  be God ..
for us to be transformed into the image of God's Son means we abandon all, even life itself, to God, in trust, and acknowledge God continually, second after second, in everything in this life

God is the point of it all

God is truly the 'final frontier'
and Jesus will take you there

God created us in his image and after his likeness
then he created himself in our image, after our likeness
the circle is complete
join the circle
do not be afraid
only trust
then let go of everything
and with arms spread wide open

jump

i'm a jew ..

ha
readers that know me are laughing at the title ..

actually i'm adopted ..

there are things that swish around in my mind, sometimes for years
it's just that putting them in an understandable format can be difficult, not to speak of the horror they could well elicit ..
not to speak of the response " well who are you that i should listen to you " ..

this is one of those things

i'm sitting in a noble bookstore with a recent issue of newsweek, titled 'the birth of Jesus Christ'
and i have to laugh
really
we are so silly
stupid?

i merely glanced through it, by the way; no serious reading
first thing that hits me with all the classic paintings is .. everybody is white
except for those 'three wise men'
which absolutely begs the question - if the renowned artists were able to find a darker colour for them, why is Jesus and Mary and Paul and Matthew and ... white?
why indeed

one other mentionable issue: the brilliant contributors to newsweek completely confused matthew and luke (see caption p 48) .. crazy

which leads me to .. Jesus was an Israelite, a Jew
his last name is not 'Christ'; that's a title meaning 'anointed one', and is the greek translation of the hebrew 'messiah'

although his purpose was to boost God's intention of reconciliation for the cosmos as a whole, for the Earth as a whole, for creation as a whole, for humanity as a whole, he entered the scene with a nod to Israel first, in acknowledgement of his own Jewish identity as well as God's covenant with Israel

there's a passage that states
' He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.
But to all who did receive Him, to those who trust in Him, He gave them the right to be children of God. '

Jesus opened the door to all people everywhere without their having to subscribe to Judaism, as in the past; no more need for circumcision, for observing sabbath, for eating/not eating certain foods, etc.
in his death he destroyed absolutely the dividing wall between Jew and non-jew (gentile)
all people everywhere are now on the same footing
which is how i became adopted

however
that's not to say that God has rejected Israel's place in his scheme of reconciliation
God is not a man that he should lie; he made a covenant with himself that Israel would be his chosen people in the earth, to represent him to all peoples, and apparently he's not going to back-off that covenant, even if Israel is unfaithful to it

apostle paul speaks to this in his letter to Roman christians, chapters 9-11 specifically, but addressed throughout the letter
the book known as 'Hebrews' speaks to it as well, big time
Paul points out that Christ-ians are 'wild olive branches' 'grafted on to the olive tree', i.e. Israel
he asserts that christians shouldn't neglect recognizing that adoption, because God has chosen to work through Israel
christians shouldn't be arrogant, as if Israel is a done-deal, as if christianity has replaced Israel ..
Paul was not throwing Israel out in his theology (even though God had changed tactics)
Christ-followers are made a part of Israel by trusting in Messiah Jesus

so
what's the point

i don't know .. you figure out how that affects you and your theology

for me, the issue is that it's another illustration of how we simply passover significant themes in the biblical narrative, as if they aren't important
and it's important, for it speaks to who God is, how he operates, who we are
who i am ..

be careful who you listen to
be careful who interprets scripture, who decides for you what is important and what isn't
be careful to get it for yourself
do not depend on someone else
God had it written down for you

if you claim to trust Jesus, to be his disciple, it's the very least you can do
considering what he has done for you
don't slight him
honour him by getting to know him and the God who is there behind it all, in scripture

peace

it's my road ..

as we follow Jesus, let's be sure that our purpose remains clear - following Jesus

that means there will be some (many?) that don't understand. Jesus doesn't lead us all on the same path; some head for the hills, some for the cities; some take the high road, some the low road. that's why it's not in our purview to judge.

it also means that as many possibilities as there are for alliances, there are just as many possibilities for misplaced allegiances. people naturally pull on us; they are our relations after all - family and friends and associates and fellowchurch - and they all deserve our respect and loving relation; but they should never replace or substitute for the vision and passion Jesus alone speaks into our heart. and we should never allow them to obstruct that vision.

he once said “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be My disciple". the use of 'hate' was a common employment for emphasis, but the point is well made: everyone else takes a secondary place in life next to Jesus.

discipling to Jesus is quite a bit more than many of us allow for. really, it requires everything we have. wasn't it he that said "if a person wants to be my disciple, let them deny themself every day, and take up their cross; then they can come follow me."? Jesus said that, to me and to you. that's rockin' stuff; that's the stuff of real serious stuff; that's like "listen, get real. don't just be wanting to be seen hanging around me, calling yourself a christian, 'going to church', wearing that cross. if you're coming with me all else goes: money and possessions, relationships, careeers - everything".

everything is up for grabs, unless Jesus uses it for his purposes. thing is, it isn't yours, and you have to relinquish your grasp on it, give it to Jesus - he may give it back.. or not

maybe i'm trying to say this: noone and nothing should acquire such an influence over us that we don't feel comfortable asserting ourselves as disciples - first; as in numero uno priority; as in this is my life, this is who i am, this defines me. we can't allow anything to detract from that or distract from it. period. all in .. all, if we want to follow Jesus.

Jesus' calls us on particular paths. we follow that path, whether others get it or not. we should learn to respect that in others, and take pains not to be a naysayer or a stumbling block, even if we think we're doing 'the right thing' for that person. interfering with that path in a disciple's life is serious stuff; it could confuse that person, and it frustrates Jesus.

so while i try to do my thing in walking with Jesus, don't be offended if it doesn't suit your agenda, doesn't fit in your philosophy, doesn't meet your expectations, is contrary to your think, puts you out.

i'm not looking to offend anyone, i'm simply walking my road, trying to keep up with that man.

ours must be to find the path Jesus wants for us, our own particular, peculiar road, and go there. everything else is huff and puff; it'll blow your house down, eventually.

peace
and when you find your path, walk it. there's only one person you're accountable to in the longrun. be sure your conscience is clear.

spirit

the opening chapters of John's gospel account find Jesus repeatedly pointing-out a different and mostly neglected reality: that of the spirit

our failure to 'see' the spiritual rests solely with our almost-exclusive dependence on our soul, that intangible piece of us which relates through our senses - we see, we smell, we touch, we hear, we taste

the reach of Jesus extends us beyond the rational into the perception that lies within our hearts and speaks to our conscience. nutshelled, it resonates 'trust'; and it speaks to trust in the spirit of God who, like the wind, blows where she will. all we can do is trust the movement of the Spirit, forsaking sense.

that resonates 'genuine', the MeThatIAm reponds to the IAmThtaIAM, the imago dei resurrects, God-connectedness, God-awareness; God blowing through me, inspiring; windblown hair in an incredibly refreshing breeze, cleansing the soul of me

i am born from above

God is very present ..

church, and the like..

like prayer and candles and liturgy and the Communion Table

like wearing crosses and teeshirts that say 'God is love' .. or 'God hates fags'

like pledges and offering plates and the good deeds we 'do'

like 'grace' at the table and gospel tracts and missionary funds

like missionary conferences and revival week

like reading religious books and devotionals and watching those preachers on the tele, maybe giving a 'seed-offering' 'cause you'll be blessed to overflowing, or as one of 'em allegedly recently said to someone on the street, "give me everything you got; you'll be a millionaire in 10 days" ..


like that we try to bring God close, down to where we are, kinda like get-God's-attention ..

think on that .. we try to get God to notice us, like some kid jumping up and down with their hands in the air
it becomes laughable
it is laughable
imagine, a teeny humanoid bouncing and crying out "I'm here! I'm here! Look at me" to the very God that created everything, including weeny humans .. whiny humans

God is here already
we simply are not aware of his presence; we're not open to his here-ness
it's like we live outside ourselves, wanting for us to feel God, while the reality of God is close at hand, nearby
fact is God is all around us, everywhere
present in the tree, the flower, the bird, the breeze, the dog, the whitecloud sky, the gliding bird ..
they all reflect the glory of their creator, like many tiny mirrors, all adjusted to face God

and God is there in the doing
there in the kitchen, in the workplace, the game, the social get-together, the churchplace, the charitable activity

the issue is never "where is God?"
truth be told, God is very present, intimately so - involved, caring, open, inviting, listening, speaking, breathing
God is here

when are we going to open ourselves, become completely vulnerable, exposing our realself to the gaze of the God who is here .. ?

trust is what it takes
trust
trusting God to be the god he's supposed to be
trusting that God is pure, with no secret motives, no manipulation in mind, no illwill
that God loves
that God is love
love
not hurt or pretense or angry or excommunicating or marking-off or excluding from this or that 'table' or a liar or cheat or hateful or resentful or ornery or racist or selfish ..
like us

mine is to recognize that God is here, and i don't have to put on religion, or go on a pilgrimage to some holy place, or repeat some mantra over and over to get God, or to get to God ..
God is here
once i've brought that into me, I can begin to act like it, attitude it, live it
God is here
i only have to look up, listen, watch
be
i only have to be, be in the now of it, and i will know God, for God is there, close at hand
i will see God
i will talk with God, God will talk back
i will respond to my conscience warning me, or blessing me

i will notice God
everywhere

i don't have to find God
God is here
all i need to do is admit it