Beloved friends, let us love one another; because love is from God; and everyone who loves has God as his Father and knows God. Those who do not love, do not know God; because God is love. Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life. Here is what love is: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the kapparah for our sins.

Beloved friends, if this is how God loved us, we likewise ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains united with us, and our love for him has been brought to its goal in us. Here is how we know that we remain united with him and he with us: he has given to us from his own Spirit. Moreover, we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as Deliverer of the world. If someone acknowledges that Yeshua is the Son of God, God remains united with him, and he with God. Also we have come to know and trust the love that God has for us. God is love; and those who remain in this love remain united with God, and God remains united with them.

Here is how love has been brought to maturity with us: as the Messiah is, so are we in the world. This gives us confidence for the Day of Judgment. There is no fear in love. On the contrary, love that has achieved its goal gets rid of fear, because fear has to do with punishment; the person who keeps fearing has not been brought to maturity in regard to love.

We ourselves love now because he loved us first. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For if a person does not love his brother, whom he has seen, then he cannot love God, whom he has not seen. Yes, this is the command we have from him: whoever loves God must love his brother too.

1 John 4:7-21 (CJB)

            Merry Christmas! The waiting of Advent is over. Christmas is here! Emmanuel has come! Praise His Name! 

            I saw a t-shirt design that I thought was clever a few weeks ago. It said, “Love is a verb.” I’ve heard that love is a choice. And grammatically speaking, love can be a noun in that it is an idea. But I liked the idea that love is action—it is a “doing” word. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized all of these things were both right and wrong. Love is a choice. Love is an idea. And love is a verb. But more importantly, love is a person. 

            Christmas is the celebration of Love coming down. How do we know love? Because we have seen it in Jesus? How can we experience and share love? Only in God. All the love in this world is borrowed from God. Only in God do we know love. God became flesh and He dwelt among His people. He became one of us. He walked with us. And then He died for us. Only by having God with Us, only in seeing the Divine in a manger did we find love—or more correctly, did Love find us. 

            As you celebrate His coming, know it was for Love. “He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less” (C.S. Lewis). We love one another today because He loved us. Love is a person. And He made Himself lowly to rescue you. Because He loves you. 

Today’s Song: A King Like This by Chris Tomlin

The post Untriumphantly: Love Is a Person appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

“All you who are thirsty, come to the water!
You without money, come, buy, and eat!
Yes, come! Buy wine and milk
without money — it’s free!
Why spend money for what isn’t food,
your wages for what doesn’t satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and you will eat well,
you will enjoy the fat of the land.
Open your ears, and come to me;
listen well, and you will live —
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
the grace I assured David.
I have given him as a witness to the peoples,
a leader and lawgiver for the peoples.
You will summon a nation you do not know,
and a nation that doesn’t know you will run to you,
for the sake of Adonai your God,
the Holy One of Isra’el, who will glorify you.”

Seek Adonai while he is available,
call on him while he is still nearby.
Let the wicked person abandon his way
and the evil person his thoughts;
let him return to Adonai,
and he will have mercy on him;
let him return to our God,
for he will freely forgive.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways,” says Adonai.
“As high as the sky is above the earth
are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For just as rain and snow fall from the sky
and do not return there, but water the earth,
causing it to bud and produce,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
so is my word that goes out from my mouth —
it will not return to me unfulfilled;
but it will accomplish what I intend,
and cause to succeed what I sent it to do.”

Yes, you will go out with joy,
you will be led forth in peace.
As you come, the mountains and hills
will burst out into song,
and all the trees in the countryside
will clap their hands.
Cypresses will grow in place of thorns,
myrtles will grow instead of briars.
This will bring fame to Adonai
as an eternal, imperishable sign.

Isaiah 55:1-13 (CJB)

            On Christmas morning, my children will receive more stuff than they know what to do with. They’ll be excited, ripping into festively packaged wrappings and seeing what treasures await. They might get a little annoyed to open some jeans (unless they’re over the age of 12), but for the most part, they’ll be bombarded with stuff. And all that wrapping that consumed so much time, effort, and very little talent will be placed promptly into a trash bag having barely received a glance. And all that stuff? In a week, they’ll struggle to name 3 items they received. In a year, they will probably have forgotten everything they received and will definitely not remember who gave it. Next November, we’ll be cleaning out toy bins and closets to remove last year’s stuff so we can replace it with this year’s stuff. What will they remember? Surprisingly, they’ll remember the cookies. They’ll remember the time we spent drinking hot beverages and watching Christmas movies. They may even remember some of the crafts. They’ll remember who spent the holidays with them. They won’t remember the stuff. 

            We all know we can’t buy the affection of children. We know that kids don’t care who bought them the most stuff—at least, not for long. They remember who was there for them, who loved them, and who spent time with them. Stuff doesn’t make a relationship. 

            Retail therapy is a habit many people in our culture deal with—me included. When stressed, what do we do? Browse the online stores… head to Target… We think we can buy our way out of feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or unloved. It never works—yet we don’t stop trying. 

            Why do we waste our money (and energy) on things that cannot satisfy? Why do we try to fill our lives with stuff? Why do we try to replace our relationships with stuff? Apparently, it is part of our bent nature. Amos 8, God tells Israel that he hates their feasts, their assemblies, and their offerings. Why? Didn’t he tell them to do those things? He told them to do those things as part of them understanding their relationship to Him. Without the relationship, what use are the worship songs? Without a relationship, what use is stuff? 

            Jesus, the Light of the World, comes in fulfillment of the covenant. He comes and brings us the joy and the peace we’re searching for. The Lord promised a Messiah, and He came. In Advent, we wait for that coming Messiah again. Because we know it is about Him—only He can really satisfy. Only He can bring what won’t be forgotten, what we can’t buy or earn for ourselves. In the meantime, we spend our time cultivating our relationship with Him and being changed into the kind of people who rejoice at His second coming. We become people of righteousness and justice through Him. And like the trees, we clap our hands and celebrate the coming Messiah. 

Today’s Song: Instead Of A Show by Jon Foreman

The post Untriumphantly: No One Wants Bought Love appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

On that day you will say:

“I thank you, Adonai,
because, although you were angry at me,
your anger is now turned away;
and you are comforting me.

“See! God is my salvation.
I am confident and unafraid;
for Yah Adonai is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation!”

Then you will joyfully draw water
from the springs of salvation.
On that day you will say,
“Give thanks to Adonai! Call on his name!
Make his deeds known among the peoples,
declare how exalted is his name.
Sing to Adonai, for he has triumphed —
this is being made known throughout the earth.
Shout and sing for joy,
you who live in Tziyon;
for the Holy One of Isra’el
is with you in his greatness!”

Isaiah 12:1-6 (CJB)

            The first question my brain asks when reading this passage is “On what day?” Of course, to find the answer, you just flip back to chapter 11 and figure out what Isaiah is talking about. The day is the day the Savior will raise His hand for a second time. 

            There is a reason to rejoice and be glad! Heaven has stepped down to save us. Save us from what? From what we were without Him. From the chains that had us bound since that garden in the beginning and that snake in the grass. Saved from who we are apart from Him—which is dust which perishes after some toil. 

            I used to be known as someone who was very aggressive. I did not speak with grace. I only knew speaking truth—loudly and often. God changed that in me—so much so, I never quite know how to type myself in the enneagram because who I was isn’t who I am. Such a small change. Such a little thing. Yet, this small change has made a big difference in my life. I can’t tell you how the change came about because I didn’t do it. I didn’t read a book about being sympathetic or showing people grace. God remade me into something I was not—gracious and compassionate.

            I know how God has saved me. I know how He is remaking my life into something that reflects Him more fully. I know the miracles I’ve seen in my life and in the lives of His people. I know what the love of Jesus has done. That is reason to celebrate! And that is reason to share. Even if it seems small—rejoice in little victories. Rejoice in knowing that little by little, God is changing the world. Little by little, God is changing me. 

            Share the Good News! Make Him known! Be merry because of what God has done. He’s become one of us. Heaven come to earth so that earth could be more like heaven. There is good reason to have yourself a merry little Christmas! 

Today’s song: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Frank Sinatra

The post Untriumphantly: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

In the days of Herod, King of Y’hudah, there was a cohen named Z’kharyah who belonged to the Aviyah division. His wife was a descendant of Aharon, and her name was Elisheva. Both of them were righteous before God, observing all the mitzvot and ordinances of Adonai blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elisheva was barren; and they were both well along in years.

One time, when Z’kharyah was fulfilling his duties as cohen during his division’s period of service before God, he was chosen by lot (according to the custom among the cohanim) to enter the Temple and burn incense. All the people were outside, praying, at the time of the incense burning, when there appeared to him an angel of Adonai standing to the right of the incense altar. Z’kharyah was startled and terrified at the sight. But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Z’kharyah; because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elisheva will bear you a son, and you are to name him Yochanan. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many people will rejoice when he is born, for he will be great in the sight of Adonai. He is never to drink wine or other liquor, and he will be filled with the Ruach HaKodesh even from his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the people of Isra’el to Adonai their God. He will go out ahead of Adonai in the spirit and power of Eliyahu to turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready for Adonai a people prepared.”

Z’kharyah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man; my wife too is well on in years.” “I am Gavri’el,” the angel answered him, “and I stand in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, to give you this good news. Now, because you didn’t believe what I said, which will be fulfilled when the time comes, you will be silent, unable to speak until the day these things take place.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Z’kharyah; they were surprised at his taking so long in the Temple. But when he came out unable to talk to them, they realized that he had seen a vision in the Temple; speechless, he communicated to them with signs.

When his period of his Temple service was over, he returned home. Following this, Elisheva his wife conceived, and she remained five months in seclusion, saying, “Adonai has done this for me; he has shown me favor at this time, so as to remove my public disgrace.”

Luke 1:5-25 (CJB)

            I imagine that reading was a little tougher for you. I love the Complete Jewish Bible translation for it’s ability to shake me out of my know-it-all-Sunday-School-complacent self. So, I’ll give a tiny guide—though maybe in trying to read through that particular story, you opted to grab your own Bible and read it in a more familiar way, which is fine. The characters in this story are Z’kharyah (Zechariah), Gavri’el (Gabriel), and Elisheva (Elizabeth). You also have mention of the name the child will have, Yochanan (John). I suspect you wondered what a cohen and mitzvot are. (The answer would be a priest and a commandment, respectively.) 

            Now that we have that out of the way, we can dig into the story a bit more. Zechariah (Z’kharyah) is doing his job as a priest. He’s in the Temple burning incense like he did regularly. This is an ordinary day on the job. Then, God disrupts Zechariah’s ordinary. An angel steps into the scene. Angels always seem to start by saying, “Do not be afraid”, which makes me think the natural reaction to seeing an angel is fear. But here is Zechariah, interrupted and awed by what God is going to do. And as God is known to do, He interrupts the ordinary for something even more ordinary—a baby. Zechariah and Elizabeth are old and barren. They have no heir. It seems that common dream is one Zechariah gave up long ago because he questions the angel’s message. But there is no mistake. There will be a miracle-baby named John who is coming to prepare the people for the coming Messiah. 

            Babies are born every minute. In fact, as mentioned before, about 250 babies are born every minute. That is an extremely ordinary and normal occurrence. But ask any parent, and they’ll tell you, whether it is their first baby or their eighth—every baby is a blessing and a miracle. For Zechariah and Elizabeth, this baby is even more of a miracle. (Infertility will make you appreciate the simple act of a baby being born a little more.)

            There is so much joy in this rather ordinary story. I’m going to admit, an angel visitation is not ordinary. I’m not denying how miraculous this story is. But heaven is peeking through the ordinariness and making it holy. The light of the coming Messiah is peeking through the curtain. 

            Have you stopped to examine your ordinary to see heaven peeking through? This time of year, I feel like you can see those little pinpricks of joy more easily. Look around you. What do you have to be joyful about? I’m listening to the Dora theme song for about the thousandth time, but hearing the giggles of a very content three-year-old sprinkled in. What joy! I’ve got a fat little baby napping and dreaming of more milk, an eighth baby after being diagnosed with infertility. What joy! I’ve got fuzzy slippers on my feet that are completely not stylish but are oh so cozy and warm. What joy! Joy comes from the simplest things. This Advent, this week, let’s take the time to notice and take note. If we’re still and look hard, we’ll see a little heaven peeking through. 

Today’s song: Today Is the Savior’s Day by Rend Collective

The post Untriumphantly: Joy in Simple Things appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

Then Miryam said,

“My soul magnifies Adonai;
    and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
who has taken notice of his servant-girl
    in her humble position.
For — imagine it! — from now on, all generations will call me blessed!
    “The Mighty One has done great things for me!
Indeed, his name is holy; and in every generation
    he has mercy on those who fear him.

“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm,
    routed the secretly proud,
brought down rulers from their thrones,
    raised up the humble,
filled the hungry with good things,
    but sent the rich away empty.

“He has taken the part of his servant Isra’el,
    mindful of the mercy
which he promised to our fathers,
    to Avraham and his seed forever.”

Luke 1:46-55 (CJB)

            I’m always amazed at Mary’s (Miryam) gratefulness and joy. This is a girl whose entire world is going to be turned upside down. Her reputation will be completely trashed. Her life plans and goals—there they go out the window. Most people aren’t even willing to move to a town a few miles away at the call of God, and here, this girl is willing to give everything up to be part of His plan. It is hard to even fathom faith and sacrifice like that. 

            Christmas is the grinchiest time of year. It comes right after Thanksgiving, where we try to remember to be grateful, until those Black Friday sales drop. Then we head right back to our consumeristic mindsets, and gratefulness is a thing of the past. 

            The day after Christmas, my inbox will be flooded with advertisements from companies telling me to now buy what I really wanted for Christmas but didn’t get. How selfish are we? The kids don’t buy us “the right” thing, so we’ve got to treat ourselves to what we “really deserve”. I have to say, the gift-giving scene around Christmas makes me want to never buy a gift again. 

            Even beyond gifts, the self-centeredness this time of year is evident everywhere. Everyone insisting on having their tradition in their way. People just get so set on having their holiday the exact way they want them; they don’t even have room for anyone to participate. It is sad, really. 

            What would it look like for us to be radically grateful this Advent? Grateful for that little nip in the air (even if it isn’t exactly the white Christmas of our dreams). Grateful for the long nights, the hot chocolate, the silly Christmas movies, the neighbor’s inflatable Rudolf. That little bit of gratitude in those simple, ordinary things would begin to look a lot like joy. We can choose this Advent to have a soul that magnifies the Lord. We can choose gratefulness in the simple that leads to joy in the eternal. 

Today’s song: Shepherd’s Song by Josh Garrels

The post Untriumphiantly: Gratefulness appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice in your presence
as if rejoicing at harvest time,
the way men rejoice
when dividing up the spoil.
For the yoke that weighed them down,
the bar across their shoulders,
and their driver’s goad
you have broken as on the day of Midyan[’s defeat].
For all the boots of soldiers marching
and every cloak rolled in blood
is destined for burning,
fuel for the fire.

For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us;
dominion will rest on his shoulders,
and he will be given the name
Pele-Yo‘etz El Gibbor
Avi-‘Ad Sar-Shalom
[Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God,
Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace],
in order to extend the dominion
and perpetuate the peace
of the throne and kingdom of David,
to secure it and sustain it
through justice and righteousness
henceforth and forever.
The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot
will accomplish this.

Adonai sent a word to Ya‘akov,
and it has fallen on Isra’el.

Isaiah 9:2-7 (CJB)

            Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year. I know I’ve already mentioned this fact, but it bears repeating. This dark season of waiting is how we begin the year. I know everyone around us is just counting down the days to the end of this year. But as the Church, we stand and say, “This is the new beginning.” It might seem odd to begin a new year with waiting, but we often begin things with a season of waiting. When we’re getting married, we typically preface that with a season of engagement—the time of waiting to be married. When we’re having a baby, we must first be pregnant for what seems like both the longest and the shortest nine months on the planet. We begin by waiting. When beginning a new job, there is the interview process, which then turns into the days before we begin our new path—a time of waiting. When we begin college, we first apply and decide which college we’ll choose, and there is also a time of waiting before that first class begins. Waiting is a common way for things to begin. 

            Waiting in the dark of December often doesn’t feel like a new beginning. For me, August feels like the beginning of a new year. Those sharp new pencils just scream “new beginning” for me. Dead trees, long nights, sometimes cold temperatures—none of those things says “new” to me. But this is how it is. 

            A seed begins by sleeping. It is just a seed as it waits. It waits to be buried, fall apart completely, and sprout up something new and green. But that seed—that’s the beginning. By the time we see that little plant above the ground, so much work has already been done. 

            In Isaiah, we find this expectant waiting. He knows the Redeemer is coming. He knows God always fulfills His promises. He waits. Something is happening. Something is coming. This waiting is part of the beginning. The Child born so long ago for us—that is the beginning. These days waiting to the second coming—this is also the beginning. Jesus is making something new—not just for Israel, but for me now. Jesus is making me new. As I wait in the darkness, as I fall apart completely, something is growing—something new.

Today’s song: We Three Kings (We Are Not Lost) by Rend Collective

The post Untriumphantly: A New Beginning appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

On their way Yeshua and his talmidim came to a village where a woman named Marta welcomed him into her home. She had a sister called Miryam who also sat at the Lord’s feet and heard what he had to say. But Marta was busy with all the work to be done; so, going up to him, she said, “Sir, don’t you care that my sister has been leaving me to do all the work by myself?” However, the Lord answered her, “Marta, Marta, you are fretting and worrying about so many things! But there is only one thing that is essential. Miryam has chosen the right thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:38-42 (CJB)

            You probably know this story. Hopefully the translation did its job of making it feel a little bit new, but you know this story. Not only do I know this story; I feel this story. I’m usually pretty good about balancing my Martha and Mary (Marta and Miryam) sides in life. But this time of year is just a Martha time of year. There is so much to do. There is so much magic to create. There are still the usual Tuesday messes to be attended to, but these are magical Tuesday messes. There is more baking. (And more baking messes.) There are more crafts. (And more craft messes.) There are more guests. (And more cleaning the bathroom for those guests.) There is so much to do; it is far too easy to slip into harried Martha mode. 

            But there is one thing essential during this season. Those cookies—they aren’t necessary. The elaborate Christmas dinner—not necessary. (We all know that from A Christmas Story.) Those gifts—not necessary. The pony bead candy cane ornaments (Lord, help me!)—not necessary. What is essential? What is necessary? Jesus. Taking the time to sit at the feet of Jesus during this season—that is necessary. 

            Learn to sit. Learn to just be with those you’re with. Learn to ignore what we feel is pressing in on us for what is eternal. Those people, they’re always more important than presents. (Presence over presents!) That Baby in the manger is so much more important than a stocking on the mantle. Sit with your people. Sit with Jesus. 

            Those stockings aren’t bad—if you’ve got time for them, fine. The cookies aren’t evil—make them, and sit and enjoy them with your little ones (instead of cleaning while they enjoy them). The gifts aren’t awful as long as you know they aren’t the most important thing. Anything that is taking you away from sitting at the feet of Jesus—give that up. If Santa turns your house into a gimme zone, kick that fat man out. If the elf on the shelf occupies too much of your cuddling-by-the-fire time, the elf can pack his bags. If anything is keeping your eyes off Emmanuel, be done with it. Embrace a Mary’s heart this Advent, and sit down! 

Today’s song: Carol of the Banjos by Beta Radio 

The post Untriumphantly: Sit Down! appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

Here is how the birth of Yeshua the Messiah took place. When his mother Miryam was engaged to Yosef, before they were married, she was found to be pregnant from the Ruach HaKodesh. Her husband-to-be, Yosef, was a man who did what was right; so he made plans to break the engagement quietly, rather than put her to public shame. But while he was thinking about this, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,

“The virgin will conceive and bear a son,
and they will call him ‘Immanu El.”

(The name means, “God is with us.”)

When Yosef awoke he did what the angel of Adonai had told him to do — he took Miryam home to be his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua.

Matthew 1:18-25 (CJB)

            First things first—the first thing you probably focused on in today’s reading is that weird name “Ruach HaKodesh”. This is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit—Ruach being breath, spirit, or wind. (If your mind went to Genesis, you’re not alone, my friend.) HaKodesh meaning something like Holy One. Now that we have that burning question out of the way, we can continue. 

            So, here we have the story of Joseph. His tale was destined for the Maury show—am I right? His fiancé is pregnant; he resists the urge to put her on blast and instead is trying to come up with some way that he can handle this quietly. Now, I’m just going to say that not many of us would be so gracious. We’d definitely be tempted to blast this girl all over social media. But Joseph, well, he’s a man of great character. 

            Joseph (Yosef in Hebrew) is pondering all this when he falls asleep. An angel appears to him in a dream and tells him that the baby daddy is God and he should still marry Mary (Miryam in Hebrew). He wakes up, and he does what the angel in his dream told him. 

            Most people these days would find this story even more odd. Not only does an angel tell Joseph about Jesus in a dream, but then Joseph follows the dream advice. Most people these days find dreamers a bit strange. I’ve got a secret for you. I’m a dreamer. I’ve been told a number of things in dreams and then, in my waking moments, have had to make the choice to do what my dream said or not. That is such a weird place to be. “Honey, we’ve got to do X.” “Why? That doesn’t even make sense.” “God told me in a dream.” Such a weird conversation… (And probably equally weird to be on the other side of the conversation.) 

            Joseph is faced with a problem: he dreams the answer. His waking self then accepts this, and he calms down and does what his dream told him to do. In all of this mystery, in the miracle of a virgin conceiving the promised and long-awaited Messiah, we have a man sleeping and then waking and obeying the voice in his dream.

            You might not be a dreamer. You might not have these deep revelations or instructions from God laid out in a dream. But what we all do have is the Word of God in our hands and in our hearts. If we can quiet the noise long enough, we can hear the voice and obey. I know it isn’t popular to talk about hearing the voice of God, but if you aren’t listening, you’ll never hear it. And if you never hear it, your soul will never find the calm you’re looking for. So hush! Sleep! Dream! Read! Listen for the voice of God, get comfortable with living this mystery, and obey His Word. God is really with us. We can all calm down.

Today’s song: Noel by Chris Tomlin with Lauren Daigle

The post Untriumphantly: Calm Down appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

Adonai, you are my God.

I exalt you, I praise your name.
For you have accomplished marvels,
[fulfilled] ancient plans faithfully and truly.

For you have made a city a heap of stones,
turned a fortified city into rubble,
made the foreigners’ fortress
a city that will never be rebuilt.
Therefore mighty peoples glorify you,
the city of ruthless nations fears you.
For you have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in distress,
shelter from the storm,
shade from the heat —
for the blast from the ruthless
was like a storm that could destroy a wall.
Like desert heat, you subdue
the foreigners’ uproar;
like heat subdued by a cloud’s shadow,
the song of the ruthless dies away.

On this mountain Adonai-Tzva’ot
will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food and superb wines,
delicious, rich food and superb, elegant wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil which covers the face of all peoples,
the veil enshrouding all the nations.
He will swallow up death forever.
Adonai Elohim will wipe away
the tears from every face,
and he will remove from all the earth
the disgrace his people suffer.
For Adonai has spoken.

On that day they will say,
“See! This is our God!
We waited for him to save us.
This is Adonai ; we put our hope in him.
We are full of joy, so glad he saved us!”
For on this mountain
the hand of Adonai will rest.

But Mo’av will be trampled down where they are,
like straw trampled into a pile of manure.
They will spread out their hands in Mo’av,
like a swimmer using his hands to tread water;
but their pride will be humbled and sunk,
no matter how clever the strokes of their hands.
Your high, fortified walls he will level,
strike to the ground, lay in the dust.

Isaiah 25:1-12 (CJB)

Let me say this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot share in the Kingdom of God, nor can something that decays share in what does not decay. Look, I will tell you a secret — not all of us will die! But we will all be changed! It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will be changed. For this material which can decay must be clothed with imperishability, this which is mortal must be clothed with immortality. When what decays puts on imperishability and what is mortal puts on immortality, then this passage in the Tanakh will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

“Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin; and sin draws its power from the Torah; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah!

So, my dear brothers, stand firm and immovable, always doing the Lord’s work as vigorously as you can, knowing that united with the Lord your efforts are not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (CJB)

            There is a difference in what is eternal and what is temporal. We all know this deep down, yet we all spend our lives toiling for the temporal. We all hang our hats on pegs that will not last. We know this, deep down. In the musical Hamilton, King George famously sings, “Oceans rise, empires fall!” We know this to be true from history class. Yet, none of us really thinks about these things as they pertain to us. Yes, we think, America won the Revolutionary War! We don’t think about the fact that England lost. We don’t think about the fall of Rome—not in a way that pertains to us, anyway. 

            Isaiah says, “Look, we’ve been hoping in this God, and He’s now saved us!” And we think, “Yes, yes! He did come and save us. We know about that Holy Baby in the manger. We know about that King who died for His people. We know how He rose again!” We rejoice in a day that was saved. But the saving isn’t over; it’s still underway. All things are being made new as we speak! Because of the lowly, lovely king (mewithoutYou), I’m being made new, even now. The Day-with-a-capital-D is still coming. And we’re still waiting. While oceans rise and empires fall (Hamilton), we’re waiting. Because on that day, we’ll all be changed! The temporal things—they’ll do what temporal things do: they’ll disappear from sight and, eventually, memory. What will remain? The eternal. Those things that are really important. Those people made in His image who He came to save and change into something new. There will be victory in Jesus for the slaves who have remained captives all these years. We’ll be changed. We’ll still be. 

            This Advent, as we prepare for that coming Day when we’ll be changed, let us remember to spend our time on the eternal things.  What are the eternal things? Not the presents, not the tree, not the tinsel—but the people you’re sharing the season with. The people you worship alongside. The neighbors you pass on your drive home. The family you sit and enjoy the season with. The beggar on the street. The foster child whose gifts you buy. People. That is what is eternal. Pointing those people to the God we have waited for and still wait for, Who will save us—that’s eternal. That’s worth our focus. 

Today’s song: Joy Unto The World by The Afters

The post Untriumphantly: All Things New appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.

This is the word that Yesha‘yahu the son of Amotz saw concerning Y’hudah and Yerushalayim:

In the acharit-hayamim
the mountain of Adonai’s house
will be established as the most important mountain.
It will be regarded more highly than the other hills,
and all the Goyim will stream there.
Many peoples will go and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Adonai,
to the house of the God of Ya‘akov!
He will teach us about his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For out of Tziyon will go forth Torah,
the word of Adonai from Yerushalayim.
He will judge between the nations
and arbitrate for many peoples.
Then they will hammer their swords into plow-blades
and their spears into pruning-knives;
nations will not raise swords at each other,
and they will no longer learn war.

Descendants of Ya‘akov, come!
Let’s live in the light of Adonai!
For you have abandoned your people
the house of Ya‘akov.
Now they are filled from the east,
full of sorcerers, like the P’lishtim;
even the children of foreigners
are enough for them!
Their land is full of silver and gold;
They have no end of treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
They have no end of chariots.
Their land is full of idols;
everyone worships the work of his hands,
what his own fingers have made.
A person bows down, a man lowers himself —
don’t forgive them!

Come into the rock, hide in the dust
to escape the terror of Adonai
and the glory of his majesty.
The proud looks of man will be humiliated;
the arrogance of men will be bowed down;
and when that day comes,
Adonai alone will be exalted.

Yes, Adonai-Tzva’ot has a day in store
for all who are proud and lofty,
for all who are lifted high to be humiliated;
for all cedars of the L’vanon that are high and lifted up,
for all the oaks of the Bashan;
for all the high mountains,
for all the hills that are lifted up;
for every high tower,
for every fortified wall;
for every “Tarshish” ship,
for every luxurious vessel.
The pride of man will be bowed down,
the arrogance of men will be humiliated,
and when that day comes,
Adonai alone will be exalted.
The idols will be completely abolished.
People will enter cracks in the rocks
and holes in the ground
to escape the terror of Adonai
and his glorious majesty,
when he sets out to convulse the earth.

On that day a man will take hold
of his idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
and fling them away to the moles and bats!
Then they will enter the cracks in the rocks
and the crevices in the cliffs
to escape the terror of Adonai
and his glorious majesty,
when he sets out to convulse the earth.

Stop relying on man,
in whose nostrils is a mere breath —
after all, he doesn’t count for much,
does he?

Isaiah 2 (CJB)

            I’m sure coming to the end of this year, all Christians breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this isn’t all there is. We’re in on a secret. This world is being remade, even now, and there is more than just this sickness, this bickering, and this violence. We have this hope in a coming day. 

            Advent is all about waiting with hope. We’re waiting for that coming day. We celebrate Jesus come to earth in that manger in Bethlehem. But we’re also waiting for his second coming. Talking about the second coming gets weird for most Christians. Some talk about it like an escape ticket. Some talk about it like the apocalypse. Some just don’t talk about it. But our hope isn’t just in what Jesus has done, but in what He is doing and what He is going to do. 

            This waiting might be especially hard for you this year. You may be mourning losses from this year. You may be mourning the loss of your usual Advent. Whereever this Advent finds you, know that this isn’t all there is. There is more. The day is coming. We’re another year closer to our hope, and we’re another year comforted in that hope. Hope in Jesus is a now-and-not-yet business. 

            Preparing for Christmas looks different in a Christian household. The Christmas holiday has been largely secularized. While we could rant all day and night about it, it won’t change if we don’t change. Let’s face it—a season devoted to looking toward the second coming of Jesus is going to be weird. It is going to look different. If it doesn’t look different—question what it is you’re doing and where exactly your hope lies. But that takes some pressure off, doesn’t it? It isn’t about buying the perfect gift or having Instagram-worthy decorations. It isn’t about being busy and doing all the things. That is a load off my plate, for sure. 

            Preparing for Christmas looks like preparing for the day when the Lord alone will be exalted. What does that look like? Are you living the kind of life that finds good news in Yahweh alone being exalted? (That means I will not be exalted.) Preparing means preparing my life and my family for that day when the idols (of busyness, consumerism, pride, selfishness, haughtiness, self-righteousness) will vanish completely. That is a hopeful day. It is a day that we prepare for now because the day is coming. It is a day we hope in now, knowing, one day, it will be. Stop relying on man, yourself included; instead, put your hope in Him. 

Today’s song: In The Morning by JJ Heller

The post Untriumphantly: Hope for Now and the Future appeared first on Notes From the Parsonage.