A friend of mine asked me recently, “How do you prepare for Advent?” I sat there to reflect for a moment. I don’t think I’d ever thought of it. I’m not prepared because, if I’m honest, I’m not anticipating or expecting anything. It’s just another round of the Christmas season and the calendar.
We hear the word ‘gospel’ all the time which tells of the coming of Christ. And, yet, how often do we take for granted what it means? How often do we use “Jesus” language to define or explain it as others scratch their heads?
I did a little soul searching and reading to explore with fresh eyes. I started in the ‘gospel’ of Luke which has the most detailed birth narrative of Christ. I figured if we say it was ‘good news’ that Jesus came I could explore some of the reasons why. I came across some interesting, obscure lines in Scripture that I’ve likely passed over many times.
The first mention of the gospel in Luke is actually by the angel Gabriel. He’s talking to a man named Zechariah when it says…
And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
Zechariah was confused and so are we sometimes. About a year later when his son (John the Baptist) was born, he said…
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
Just after Jesus was born, he was brought to the Temple for dedication, it says something interesting about those who were waiting there for him.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel…
In that same event, Mary and Joseph encountered a woman named Anna. It is said of her…
And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
And later in one of my favorite stories of all time, Jesus walked with two men and asked them what they were talking about as they walked on the road to Emmaus.
And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
These references are quick and involve no explanation. The gospel writers felt no need to paint the picture. They assumed all modern readers would know the context. What was the situation? What condition were God’s people in? What was the ‘bad news’ that made this ‘good news’ so good?
I have a theory. We don’t prepare for or practice Advent (the longing and anticipation of something good) for a very simple reason: we don’t know the bad news. And even if there is bad news in his Tory or in the present world we don’t care much sometimes because it doesn’t pertain to us. I have been blissfully unaware of the depravity of first century Israel as well as our 21st century world as well. This is especially true for middle class Americans like me who have lived in relative prosperity all our lives. How do we talk about Advent to a high school student with the latest iPhone and a convertible BMW? How do we beg for Christ to return with our friend who just bought his new lake house and is busy picking out his new boat? What are we longing to be rescued from?Context is everything in this case.
So, I asked some simple questions: “What was the context at the time of Christ’s birth, life, death, and resurrection? What consolation and redemption were these people seeking?” The “gospel”, as we have often described it, does not exactly seem the same as Jesus’ own disciples described it. Today we hear phrases like ‘having a personal relationship with Jesus’ and ‘asking Jesus into our heart.’ But, the earliest Chrstians were living in a storyline that is difficult to picture, at least for Americans who are unconscious of such things as: living under foreign rule in a police state, widespread demonic possession, rampant disease and health issues, political oppression and brutal taxation, religious corruption, abuse, and hypocrisy. But for heros like Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, and Zechariah these realities were just a day-in-the-life.
Every December, we ‘anticipate’ many wonderful things. We decorate trees, put up lights and start singing carols. We are excited about something that is ‘coming’ like maybe Santa down our chimney. But, often the true meaning of Advent is lost on us. The light of the good news is only as bright as the dark backdrop behind it. As one of my favorite musicians David Wilcox sings:
If it wasn’t for the night, so cold this time of year, the stars would never shine so bright…so beautiful and clear….
If it wasn’t for the babe lying helpless on the straw there would be no Christmas day and the night would just go on
When it seem that death has won, buried deep beneath the snow where the summer leaves have gone, the seed of hope will grow
I wrote a devotional as my attempt to help me, and anyone who wants to join me, truly understand Advent and the backdrop of the gospel. It’s my attempt to fill my head and heart with the truth that Jesus’ followers knew intimately. And perhaps as I come to grips with the depravity of first century Israel, I will come to grips with my own desperate needs for a Savior in the 21st century. My method is crude and simple. I started with the gospels and played the tape backwards. I went back to the best point in Israels’ history, some 1,000 years before the birth of Christ. And then I walked forward slowly as the story unfolds.
I have to admit the Scriptures in this collection are the ones I have read the least throughout my lifetime. Perhaps I’m not alone. Who’s Habbakuk and when did Micah live? Why is Nehemiah a big deal? Where did this guy named Herod come from? I try to cover all these questions and more. And I cover them by (1) compiling excerpts from these biblica books, (2) providing a brief summary, (3) placing everything along a simple timeline, and (4) adding some relevant artwork, amateur research, and thought provoking questions.
My hope is that by reading you will see what I’ve seen. But, most of all, I hope that you will be filled with true appreciation for our Savior’s first coming and genuine anticipation for his 2nd coming. This is the spirit of Advent: ‘Thy Kingdom Come!’
I call this devotional, “If It Wasn’t For The Night”
Click here to read Part 1