Joseph, Lighting the Candle of Peace

art by Gerard van Honthorst 

As we greet this second Sunday of Advent, we prepare to light the candle of peace and I am thinking about Joseph. Surely, Joseph was a man of peace. 

 

artist not known

I'm reading Luke 2:4-7 and Mathew 1:18-25 & Mathew 2 and asking what in Joseph's life shows us how to be a follower of Christ? First, Joseph was a man of caring and righteous justice. He did not seek to shame Mary, even if he did not ask for this conflict in his life nor understand it. He displayed restraint in both action, word, and deed. Second, Joseph listened to the Angel of the Lord. He believed the words of the angel concerning God's work in the world through Mary and also in regards to Mary's innocence. At a highly volatile time, Joseph's voice was in tune with God and God's messenger. He listened to God's words not the world's words. Third, Joseph obeyed the civil authorities and laws of the land by obeying and going to the town of his birth. Fourth, after the birth of Jesus and the passage of time, he is still actively listening to God. His life shows a consistent pattern of receptivity to God. As a result, when it was time to flee King Herod and head to Egypt he led his family to safety. Lastly, when it was time to return home, he again received direction from God and obeyed. He did not let living in a foreign country with foreign gods keep him from living his own personal relationship with God.

In Hebrew, Joseph (said Yosef) means “he will add.” Joseph desperately needed grace for the journey, and God added it to his life. Joseph brought peace and stability to the stable. Joseph shows us how to light the candle of peace in our communities. 

 art by Gerard van Honthorst

We don't know much about Joseph's life. But we do know he was a listening man and a man of peace. Surely, when Jesus said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," He learned those things from His earthly father and His heavenly Father. 

(Mathew 6:25-34)

Advent and the Purple Candle of Peace

Because everyone wants to light the purple candle of peace.

Excerpt from Jonathan Martin's, On Israel, the Church, Politics and Jesus.

There are still a distressing number of Christians, many of whom citing Scripture as quickly (and as recklessly) as the micro-machine man Jack Van Impe, who believe not only that Israel as a modern nation-state is especially chosen by God, but that the will of God is for us to stand by Israel in war.  In fact, many of them express a perverse pleasure when there is suffering in the Middle East, because these are mere signs that the end is drawing near.  That end is not defined first and foremost as the reign of the prince of peace breaking into the world with healing for the nations, but the vindication of those on the right side of Armageddon by the heavenly godfather.  The means by which Jesus will come to rule and reign will not be the cross (which failed) but a larger sword than that of the infidels.  “With the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other,” they sincerely and wrongheadedly expect the reign of God to be manifest in human violence.

I do not have time in a short treatment here to say all I’d like to about what’s wrong with these systems.  But at heart is a fundamental misreading of the Book of Revelation.  The apocalyptic language and imagery can easily be misinterpreted.  Revelation is a book about how God overcomes the evil of the world through the cross of Jesus.  It is through the blood of the Lamb that God wins in the end.  His people do not share in His victory by beating their enemies with bigger weapons, but by sharing in the sacrifice of the Lamb, “following the Lamb wherever He goes…loving not their own lives even unto death.”  The subversive victory of love and sacrifice over the forces of the evil make a mockery of the so-called principalities and powers of the world, from the Roman empire to every tyrannical and oppressive empire in our own time.

The cross is not just the message of the kingdom, the cross is the means of the kingdom.  The trouble with a lot of popular eschatology is that it assumes Jesus did not win through the cross and resurrection, and will have to resort to something other than the way of the cross to accomplish His purposes in the world.  There is of course much language of judgment in Revelation.  But judgment does not come through guns—“Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.”  God will judge His creation by the same means in which He brought it into existence—by His word.

8.  The response of the people of God to conflict in the Middle East is not to take a side but to take up a cross.

Don’t get me wrong: Jesus Himself said that the days to come would be full of wars and rumors of wars.  But the manifestation of the sons of God will not be through us being on the “right” side of any of those wars, but on the side of radical enemy love.  We want to be on the side of the one who, even on the cross, said “Forgive them Father for they know what they do.”  There are no other sides besides the way of the kingdom and the way of the world, the way of the cross and the way of the sword.  There are no middle ground alternatives.

No matter what your persuasion or how you interpret the sociopolitical dimensions of this conflict, all authentic followers of Jesus should be able to agree that “God so loved the whole world that He gave His only begotten Son;” and that God’s desire in and through Jesus Christ is for all people in all parts of the world to be blessed and whole.  I think to simply get the people of God together on these handful of basic assumptions could make all the difference in how we learn to be the Church for the world.

The world tells us to take sides; we are told to take up our cross.  We are called to bear witness to the kingdom of God by living our own lives as peacemakers.  We pray for peace, we work for peace.  We learn as much as we can about our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and we support kingdom work among them–from the preaching of the gospel to caring for the poor, the marginalized, the orphan, the widow and the oppressed.  We refuse any options that are presented to us other than the cross–which means we look for ways to sacrifice our own comfort for the sake of hurting people all over the world.

See the whole article here. 

Advent Acting Adventures

Pre-performance - We might as well wear pj's under that outfit!

We've been trying our hand at acting and singing in our community. 

It's been a whole lot of fun, but a whole lot of work. 

I love that they are building confidence in and through Christ.

And I love watching them get to know our community. 

Right now? 

They are napping and we all sing...

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!

Post performance

I need to sign up for a camera class that teaches how to take pictures in darker settings. If you have book or internet suggestions for me, please do send them on! They would be much appreciated!

Advent Baking and St. Nicholas

I have discovered Christmas Crack. Make some soon!

 Christmas Crack

Line a jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lay graham crackers or saltines (salt side down) on the foil. Boil one cup of butter and one cup of brown sugar for about 3 minutes. Pour over the crackers. Immediately place in a preheated 425*F oven. Bake 5 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle one cup of chocolate chips over the mixture and one cup of chopped pecans or almonds. Let cool. Break into pieces and serve. Eat!

Did you know today is St. Nicholas Day? Learn more here.  The kids and I spent our devotional time this morning talking about Santa vs. St. Nicholas and how western culture has changed St. Nicholas from a focus of giving (because Christ gives to us) to Santa and a focus of getting. Interesting dialogue!

Art by Elisabeth Jvanovsky

Advent, Books, and Cheer: A + B = C

 Summer morning 2012

Kathleen to Joe in You've Got Mail, "I started helping my mother after school here when I was six years old. And I used to watch her. And it wasn't that she was just selling books, it was that she was helping people become whoever it was (that) they were going to turn out to be. Because when you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does...."

Books belong under the tree. We share our love of the world and of story with those we most love. In part, we learn how to form our story by reading great stories. Books under our tree this year:

The Story of Doctor Doolittle

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

A Life of Faith Series - because she loves all things old!

Twig by Elizabeth Orton Jones

The Fables of La Fontaine

A Young Scientist's Guide to Defying Disasters with Skill and Daring by Doyle

Makezine: For Dad

For Girls Only: Devotions

The Story of Shell by Repp

Pibben the Small by Repp

Reading to Learn: Book One by MacMillan 1935 - list price was .84 cents

Hans Brinkers on the Silver Skates

How to Build Treehouses, Huts and Forts

A Pink Bible

The Ordinary Princess by Kaye

The Christmas Story by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to be read on Christmas Eve

Shh....don't tell. 

Most all of these books were thrifted finds for a dollar or less.  Yes, a dollar or less. Books do not have to cost a lot. Secreted away during the year, they now patiently wait to delight children. What will be under your tree this year? 

Advent + Books = Cheer

Advent Illumination

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

 by Caleb Voskamp

Advent Walking

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 

John 1:5

We gather under the big oak. The light of lanterns hangs low. By day, we walk in the world, and boy it's been a day. Coming from pageant practice, we race in the rain with little rest and life feeling like a test. One angel has momentarily lost her song of happiness. The pressure to perform weighing heavy on wings that were made for soaring. We bicker in the car and I'm asking why are we here under this oak? We have come to walk words.

The walkway is wet. The heavens let loose water today, but thankfully this moment is dry. We begin walking and we follow the light. Soon, walkers fall silent, and the line of light slowly advances in the darkness. Voices hush and still, and even the wind is silent. I see what I'm sure is the North Star, but really is probably Saturn. One can wish. We walk on and the wind decides to gust, snuffing out our light. Several attempts later, it is re-lit, soon to be re-extinguished. We give up and follow the light in front of us. Surely, as we march in the darkness of the world, we also walk towards the light. Words call out from the darkness and meet pondering souls on the walkway.

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)

A angelic sphere of black slate opens up above us, and starlight twinkles through. Every so often, divine words interrupt the darkness and our thoughts. Little boy begins to flag. He is not grumpy, but slowing. I am tugging on a tired body. We walk around the dark abyss of a pond. He is intrigued. Mom, I just saw a head pop up. And I believe him. In the darkness, who knows what can happen? Silence comes again, and we walk and walk. His boots go, thud, thud, scuffle. Thud, thud, scuffle. Mom, is this how long they walked? To be small is to understand the value of great distances. He fathoms, what I can only try to feel. He asks, How long until the manger? I realize, isn't that what we all want? We just want to get there and see the manger. He's sure he's walking the same great distance Mary and Joseph walked and through his walk, I really do see the manger. The words come alive and I get it. 

He marched resolutely into the darkness, that you and I might walk in the light. He did not waiver, He walked. 

The heavens open up and wash us. A down pour of watery words released to revive the weary. The washing of the world by the Word. Soon, the clubhouse looms large with an other worldly light. We march into the world. Walking by lighted windows, diners seated by candle light dangle crystal wine glasses. A diamond commercial is on the big screen screaming bling. And it doesn't mean anything. 

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  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.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Tonight we participated in an Advent Walk. 

Find one near you, or create one! 

Walk the Word in the woods.