Readings: Ps 63, 149; Zechariah 14:12-21; Philipians 2:1-11; Luke 19:41-48
Happy New Year! "What?" you might say, "Aren't Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving bad enough? Do we have to get an early jump on this holiday too? Am I already behind for Valentine's Day?" While the answer to that last question depends on your loved one, New Year's greetings are in order because today is the first day of Advent, the beginning of the Christian liturgical year. That must be why we start celebrating Christmas so early, right?
Wrong. Today's scriptures are anything but celebratory. In Zechariah 14 we read about "panic from the Lord" (v 13) and plagues on camels, donkeys and other innocent creatures (v 15). In Luke 19 Jesus weeps over the city and drives the merchants from the temple. How do plagues and weeping jibe with tinsel, wrapping paper and a baby in a manger? Well... they don't. And that's the point of Advent.
Thinking as a Christian almost always means upending cultural expectations. While the world twinkles and parties, we are called to deeper considerations. Advent is a season of reflection on why we need Christ to enter the world in the first place. Jumping right to the tidy manger on the mantel is tempting, but it's the preceding journey that gives it meaning. Not just the difficult journey of Mary and Joseph. Not just the tumultuous history of the Jewish people. The journey that led to the plagues of poverty, conflict and injustice Christ weeps over today. Taking time to mourn the world puts Christmas into context and transforms it from a secular holiday to a true holy day. If, as greeting card companies suggest, we keep Christmas in our hearts every day, we may not have room for Advent, which helps us discover where Christmas needs to happen next.
We don't have to eschew trees and parties as some sign of external piety. But maybe for this short season we can let excess remind us there is poverty, feasting remind us there is hunger, and festivity remind us there is suffering. Christmas truly begins when we invite Christ to enter the world through us so all these things may be transformed.
Evening readings: Ps 125, 90
Showing posts with label Phillipians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phillipians. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Lenten Journey: Citizenship in Heaven
Today's readings: Ps 27; 147:12-20, Hab 3:1-18, Phil 3:12-21; John 17:1-8
Have you ever heard someone described as a “citizen of the world?” Such people are usually considered well-traveled, sophisticated and fluent in diverse cultures. We perceive them as feeling at home in almost any setting. Though we may sense in them a bit of restlessness, we generally admire their ease and poise.
In Paul’s letter to the Phillipians, he claims their citizenship is in heaven. What does it mean to be a citizen of a place you can’t physically visit? First, we must recognize that in Paul’s Roman Empire, where slaves outnumbered citizens, the term “citizen” carried significant meaning. When Paul told people – regardless of legal class – they were citizens of heaven, he was telling them they had full rights and protections bestowed by God. Today’s strife over illegal immigration gives us only a small taste of the feelings that must have arisen - in citizens and non-citizens alike – when Paul announced all people were on equal footing under God.
As we progress in our Lenten journey, what will be the implications of our citizenship? Certainly it adds perspective to any form of nationalism; the borders of heaven are limitless, after all. How will we conduct ourselves in non-native lands, among people of different or no belief? How can we avoid becoming the Christian equivalent of the “ugly American” who treats other cultures with disregard? In many physical countries, we might rely on an ambassador or embassy to coach us in diplomacy and respect. Fortunately, we have Christ as our ambassador. His example of moving among all peoples with a strength born of peace and love is our example.
One last component of citizenship is responsibility. While citizens of the world have a responsibility to comply with local laws and customs, citizens of heaven are responsible to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8), even when doing so conflicts with expectations. Simultaneously loving and confounding is quite the balancing act. We can expect that not everyone will admire or even like us. We may even be outright rejected. But our true home and Lord will never abandon us.
Comfort: No one can revoke the citizenship God grants us.
Challenge: Try composing a Christian “Bill of Rights.”
Prayer: God of the journey, thank you for my rights and responsibilities.
Evening readings: Ps 126, 102
Discussion question:
Has there ever been a conflict between your national and heavenly citizenships?
Have you ever heard someone described as a “citizen of the world?” Such people are usually considered well-traveled, sophisticated and fluent in diverse cultures. We perceive them as feeling at home in almost any setting. Though we may sense in them a bit of restlessness, we generally admire their ease and poise.
In Paul’s letter to the Phillipians, he claims their citizenship is in heaven. What does it mean to be a citizen of a place you can’t physically visit? First, we must recognize that in Paul’s Roman Empire, where slaves outnumbered citizens, the term “citizen” carried significant meaning. When Paul told people – regardless of legal class – they were citizens of heaven, he was telling them they had full rights and protections bestowed by God. Today’s strife over illegal immigration gives us only a small taste of the feelings that must have arisen - in citizens and non-citizens alike – when Paul announced all people were on equal footing under God.
As we progress in our Lenten journey, what will be the implications of our citizenship? Certainly it adds perspective to any form of nationalism; the borders of heaven are limitless, after all. How will we conduct ourselves in non-native lands, among people of different or no belief? How can we avoid becoming the Christian equivalent of the “ugly American” who treats other cultures with disregard? In many physical countries, we might rely on an ambassador or embassy to coach us in diplomacy and respect. Fortunately, we have Christ as our ambassador. His example of moving among all peoples with a strength born of peace and love is our example.
One last component of citizenship is responsibility. While citizens of the world have a responsibility to comply with local laws and customs, citizens of heaven are responsible to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly (Micah 6:8), even when doing so conflicts with expectations. Simultaneously loving and confounding is quite the balancing act. We can expect that not everyone will admire or even like us. We may even be outright rejected. But our true home and Lord will never abandon us.
Comfort: No one can revoke the citizenship God grants us.
Challenge: Try composing a Christian “Bill of Rights.”
Prayer: God of the journey, thank you for my rights and responsibilities.
Evening readings: Ps 126, 102
Discussion question:
Has there ever been a conflict between your national and heavenly citizenships?
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