*A slightly different service with briefer reflections throughout the service and LOTS of caroling*
Reflection on the Advent Wreath ~ O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Focus on the Advent wreath…filled with rich symbolism…lighting…4X Blue / Ctr People awaiting a Messiah / Christ….liberator…bring peace In history…story contained much slavery – Babylon / Egypt / Rome Yearned that one day the light of the world would come and teach the ways of peace Hope / Peace / Joy / Love First Carol we sing… easy to find in the song book because it is the first one It was put there for a reason. It all begins with the awaiting for God’s arrival When we sing “O Come, O Come”. We do so in the long tradition of our faith ancestors who awaited God’s coming. That was what the Advent journey was all about. Yet, there is another very powerful word in the title ~ Emmanuel, which means ‘God with Us’. Some prophets had told that the one who would come, would bring along God’s presence. Emmanuel – which means ‘God with us’ is that deep promise in our faith that joy that will come with the dawn
The song we are about to sing lifts up all this wonderful imagery. It begins: O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel (Imagine that…having one’s ransom paid, and being free) It continues remembering the desert journey after escape from Egypt where Moses receives the law in Sinai “To your tribes on Sinai’s heights” And it concludes considering the divine lineage fulfilled in Jesus. Singing of “The rod of Jesse” and “the key of David”
The Paradox of Salvation – “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
Today, we are going to dive into some rich and wonderful concepts in our faith Prophetic longing….salvation…incarnation…and evangelism You will notice, as is the case with words that these words have morphed by the church over the years Salvation, in its purest form, was that essence of God’s presence
Meeting us in our distress When we think of a rescuer, we think of the rescuee being in distress. In a state of weakness. And the rescuer to be in a position of strength and power. The rescuee comes to the one in trouble and lifts them out. Salvation in Jesus’ terms turns this concept upside down It is, what some call it, a paradox of salvation Because God’s salvation is simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. In the past, the one who rescued, or ruled was always the one who had power and dominance. Might made right The paradox of God’s salvation through Jesus Was that God’s arrival was one of both power and vulnerable humility Jesus would be born to the humble little city of Bethlehem. Not the majestic city of Rome. Jesus’ birthplace is VERY significant for it tells of the humility of a God’s arrival. A God who will no longer come in a dominance-based power. But a God who will arrive in a power, that is based in humility. And the world will see in the manger….and later, on the cross, the immense power. Kingdom – God’s kin-dom
The Carol we are about to sing lifts up this paradox of salvation. Listen to the words we sing. As you consider the meaning of the vulnerable babe. Birthing a new kind of power into the world for all.
An Incarnational Faith ~ “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”
One of the challenges in speaking in church, I find, Is balancing language that is – on the one hand – accessible, and on the other hand language that authentically lifts up the deep meaning of faith. One beautiful word in this area is the “incarnation” The mystery of the incarnation is the theological understanding of God arriving in the flesh. The incarnation…God enfleshed in the humanity of Jesus. Each faith is rich and beautiful in its own expression. The incarnation is one mark of the unique beauty of Christianity. God being expressed through the humanity of Jesus. Many speak about finding God in nature We see God’s majesty in sea and sky We might feel God’s expression in quiet devotion. But, it is hard to fully understand the depth of God’s presence in these majestic ways. The truly unique gift of the Christian faith is the birthing of God’s presence in Jesus. The Christian faith does NOT understand Jesus to BE God Jesus is the human expression of God’s divinity Fully human and fully divine The mystery of the incarnation.
The next carol lifts up, better than any than I can think of, This mystery of the incarnation This beautiful theological expression of our faith veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail th'incarnate Deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel.
‘Living our Faith’ ~ “Go Tell it on the Mountain”
Of the four concepts we will touch on this morning, Prophetic longing, the incarnation, salvation, the final one is probably the one that will contain the most emotion and passionate opinion. Evangelism
Long before a division of the church centred upon this theological concept holding it out as a central expression of their existence. It was a critical part of the balanced expression of faith
Evangelism….In the purest form of this faith concept. It is the call to live one’s faith. To follow the ways of Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to take root in other’s lives, and for the Body of Christ to grow into the world.
Go tell it on the mountain is one such carol which lifts up this faith concept