Long Lists

Col.2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ."

Santa
Such a fun tradition...
such a benevolent fellow...
if you behave yourself!
There's always the threat of coal.

But God is not like Santa Clause...
Yes,
He knows when you've been sleeping
He knows when you're awake
But
He knows He must crush bad for good
He IS good
For Heaven's sake!

All this fussing about the long list of who's been naughty or nice.
God made a way to erase your name from the list of crimes and punishment. "Love keeps no record of wrongs..." 1 Cor. 13:5
He made a way to write your name on a longer list in
The Book of Life.
His greatest reward
is bestowed in unconditional love.
It is
a gift.
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Mt. 1:21

It's a week before Christmas. I'm still reconfiguring my living room and the tree is not decorated. The gifts are piled up...waiting to be opened and enjoyed. God is also making things ready. His gifts are waiting to be opened and enjoyed, but we have a death grip on our lump of coal. It's hard, it's dirty and we don't even have a match to make it useful. So, God lights it up. He burns it away so we will be rid of it. Sometimes we get scalded in the process because it's so hard to let go!
This is how I've come to see sin. We turn away from Him and all the good He offers us, while the fingers of our soul reach and wrap around things that offer us nothing. We despise Him for the burning pain...
and are blinded to the hope His "severe mercy" secures...

"They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. This is the ultimate defeat of evil and suffering. It will not only be ended but so radically vanquished that what has happened will only serve to make our future life and joy infinitely greater.” Tim Keller quoting C.S. Lewis

Col. 2:9 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority...

13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[d] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 (having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us- NASV),  which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. "

Who decorates your family tree?

John 17:20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

There has been much discussion over the years about our family tree. Mystery lies within the line of Phil and the line of Jill!
Like any family tree, it is full of names both familiar and unfamiliar...storied and over-looked...compelling and sad.
Our family tree has lost branches,
mended broken ones
grafted in new ones...
that carry the family name.

There's been much discussion about Jesus' family tree as well. Mystery lies within the pages of Matthew and Luke...the line of Joseph and the line of Mary.
An ancestry full of no-names, big-names, good-names and bad-names.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, flesh of Mary's family tree
grafted into Joseph's line,
to redeem the lost
mend the broken
and graft His family back together.
So that we may be called by His name...
Christ-ian.

And so, our family celebrates the coming of Christ at Christmas.
His grace and beauty glow from our family tree, not because we are big-names or good-names;
not in spite of our no-names and bad names...
but because we carry His name.

Eph. 3:14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Advent: Promises Kept

Promises, Promises...
Last Christmas one of my children was severely disappointed with a promised gift. The request made, the wait long, the hopes high...the gift? Not quite right.
Advent celebrates promises kept in answer to the desperate need of God's people.
The requests- made
The wait- long
The hopes- high.
The gift?
Perfect.
The Gospels share personal stories of personal experiences with The Gift.
But before we get to Mary,

Elizabeth:

Jesus,

the fruit of Mary’s womb

root of Jesse.

The story is God's, but I am in the story...

Trace the tree of life and see

Fruit to bloom and bloom to leaf

Leaf to limb, and limb to bough

Bough to bole and bole to root…and

Jesus there as well

Jesus fruit

And Jesus root.

The beginning and the end.

I am only Elizabeth

But I played a part in the epoch of eternity...

Like two trees growing side by side

Zechariah and I

Were grafted together in the soil of our faith

Waiting.

I thought:

If I were as big as God

I would press my cheek upon cerulean blue

Roll back the cloudy covers

reach through atmosphere and ages.

And wrap My people in My promise…

Immanuel.

But I was only Elizabeth;

Old, disgraced in barrenness

Waiting.

I was Elizabeth…

“My God is an oath”

…that’s what my parents named me

it IS what God became to me…

The promise keeper, The promise kept

And all the years of shame were swept

Away

By Immanuel.

He was Zechariah.

“The Lord recalled”

…that’s what his parents named him-

it IS what God became to him…

The Lord remembered, He could not forget…

and the months of voiceless wonder met

John

Who was the voice.

He was John.

“The Lord is gracious”

…that’s what we were told to name him-

it IS what God became to him…

The Lord showed favor to His elect

And the hopes of hearts in waiting set

To rest

in Immanuel.

“The Lord IS gracious”!

I carried the messenger

of Immanuel.

I felt him leap

In the presence of

The fetal Messiah

I knew him as son

whom you call:

“John the Baptizer”.

I raised

the martyred messenger

of the risen Christ,

I am only Elizabeth

But I

know

Immanuel.

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us

and accomplished redemption for His people,

...to remember His holy covenant

...to give His people the knowledge of salvation, by the forgiveness of sins,

Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 

To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 1: 68, 72b, 77-79