Advent, Part 3

Luke 1:26-38 (Phillips)

Then, six months after Zacharias’ vision, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a Galilean town, Nazareth by name, to a young woman who was engaged to a man called Joseph. The girl’s name was Mary. The angel entered her room and said, “Greetings to you, Mary. O favoured one!—the Lord be with you!”

Mary was deeply perturbed at these words and wondered what such a greeting could possibly mean. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; God loves you dearly. You are going to be the mother of a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be known as the Son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his forefather, David, and he will be king over the people of Jacob for ever. His reign shall never end.”

Then Mary spoke to the angel, “How can this be,” she said, “I am not married!”

But the angel made this reply to her—“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the most high will overshadow you. Your child will therefore be called holy—the Son of God. Your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son, old as she is. Indeed, this is the sixth month for her, a woman who was called barren. For no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled.”

“I belong to the Lord, body and soul,” replied Mary, “let it happen as you say.” And at this the angel left her.

(This is off-topic, but Mary was shocked that she could be a mother because she wasn’t married. That’s not an a protest I’m used to. I pretty much assume that unmarried people are in a position to become parents unless I hear otherwise, and that otherwise is always surprising!)

Mary doubted the angel’s promise at first. But the angel told her of another miraculous child given by God. Mary could go and check it out if her doubt lingered. This was proof, the angel said, that “no promise of God can fail to be fulfilled.” Hallelujah! What God has promised, he will do! In hunting the pages of Scripture, I continue to find that he has been trustworthy *so far.* The experience of so many over the years recording his trustworthiness imputes a future trustworthiness. He has accomplished so many rescues of all sorts when people have not seen a way through. Can we doubt that he will accomplish the Ultimate Rescue? That there will be a future with no more tears, no more death, no more sin?

Mary may not have seen the way through or believed that all the angel said could come to pass, but in faith, she told him, “I belong to the Lord, body and soul, let it happen as you say.” She was willing to accept whatever the Lord had for her. I am praying that I will also be willing to accept whatever the Lord has for me, whether it’s difficult or easy, big or little. I pray that my desires would line up with His.

Advent Part 2

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7; 11:1-9

The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: to them that dwelt in the region of the shadow of death, light is risen.... For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness. And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But he shall judge the poor with justice, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of his loins: and faith the girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp: and the weaned child shall thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk. They shall not hurt, nor shall they kill in all my holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea.

God's chosen people were walking in darkness, living in the shadow of death, when Christ came to earth. Even though they had the Scriptures, their religious leaders and traditions had led them so astray that most of them did not recognize their Wonderful, their Counselor, their God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, and the Prince of Peace. That is heartbreaking.

Today the Scriptures have gone out to nearly the whole earth. And yet so many of us who have this immeasurable privilege of reading and studying and searching them also do not recognize our God, clothed in humanity. We do not take advantage of the immeasurable opportunity to search God's word, and we are blinded by so many things of our own choosing, searching after wealth, health, and happiness in all the wrong places. I pray that I will not squander the treasures I've been given in the Word.

I love how Isaiah's prophecies weave together the Jesus who came to bring God' love to the world in his life and death in Palestine, and the Jesus who will come to bring God's peace, judgment, justice to the world again (soon, I hope!) It is the same Jesus.

This verse really stood out to me:

He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears.

I frequently judge by externals, by the "obvious," but I do not look deeply enough to see people as precious creations of God or listen deeply enough to hear situations as a place where God's Holy Spirit is working to bring healing and truth.

I am amazed by the descriptions of the character of God: wise, understanding, of good counsel, possessing of fortitude, knowledge, godliness, just, and equitous. I pray that God will see fit to begin growing some of those characteristics in me.

I was struck by 11:3 in the Contemporary English Version:

His greatest joy will be to obey the LORD.

That must be the way to developing the character of Jesus!

What really warms my heart are the descriptions of the Recreation God has promised: “there shall be no end of peace,” with graphic descriptions of mortal enemies in the world as we know it living together. It also says: “for the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea.” I often long for that day, and I know that it will not arrive until Jesus visits us again.

*The first passages are from the Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

Advent Part 1

Genesis 3: 8-19, 22: 15-18

Our people fell. Long ago. By our disobedience we became afraid of God rather than enjoying his company. We live in fear and deceit. We chose a curse for ourselves: physical pain, relational problems, hunger, death, and decay. Yet, even at that time, God promised a human who would strike down our greatest enemy. I wonder if Adam and Eve knew that human would also be God himself???

Abraham did not keep back his own very special son when God asked him to give him up. The world has been blessed in uncountable ways by that act of obedience. But even more, God did not keep back his own very special Son at just the right time. And the world has been blessed in even more unimaginable ways by that Sacrifice and Gift!

With that Gift comes the promise that one day the beautiful paradise of Adam and Eve, which was marred by fear and deception, will be restored - no more pain, no more relational problems, fullness (more than just food - we’ll be filled with the Lord!), life, and growth. God kept his promise to Adam and Eve in a way so amazing they could not probably have imagined it. He is able to keep his promise of complete restoration - let’s be on the lookout for it!

Christmas is a celebration of a past event, but, like so many of the Psalms which meditate on God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt, it’s a reminder that as God has acted in the past, he will act in the future. Christmas looks back to our fall and to God’s Gift in Jesus, but it also looks forward to God’s miraculous plans for the future. Let’s not grow weary in our faith, because the best is yet to come!

Philippians - In Review (Week 6)

The Big Take-Aways:

I need a big adjustment when it comes to my attitudes toward God and my attitudes toward others. Actually, I’m thinking most specifically about adjusting my attitude toward God. My attitude toward Him is where my attitudes toward others come from. The main thing is that I need to be thankful to God for all the wonderful things He is and that He has done *no*matter*the*present*circumstances*.

My week-long not-complaining experiment (based on 2:14-15) was challenging. I had to look at my experiences in a different light - more from God’s perspective (what little I can see of it from down here!) ...to see what God has done and is doing. And thank Him for that. It helped me see others with a more sympathetic view - looking at what might be difficult or unknown for them rather than just being annoyed they didn’t do things the way I *expected.* Paul expresses sympathy, not judgment, in this book (3:18). Paul has an attitude of joy, and this is the attitude I need to cultivate.

(Sidenote: there is still a question in my mind about what is the difference between “complaining” and “objective state of being” e.g. “My foot hurts.” Complaint? Valuable description? Don’t know. Context might determine the answer.)

The other conviction I have is that I need to pray more faithfully. With thanksgiving. For others. Paul is mentioning prayers and thanksgiving all over the place in this book. I am weak in prayer. There is a new week-long experiment going in which I am reorganizing a little thing in my life to put prayer time higher up on the list. I need a more vital connection with God.

Philippians - Chapter 4 (Week 5)

This chapter has been very much on my mind as I have been working on memorizing verses 4 through 9... Thoughts by translation.

NRSV

Lots about joy here: verses 1, 4, and 10. Joy is fruit of the Spirit. If I'm missing joy, I'm missing out on part of my walk with God.

v. 13: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

It's not a vending machine verse - "I can do whatever I want, because Jesus will help me." Nope. It's a summary of verses 11-12. Paul has learned the secret of living through hardship, riches, full-pantry, hunger... that secret is dependence on Christ!

v. 17: "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account." Wow. Giving blesses the giver maybe MORE than the recipient. I need to become more generous, not to receive the blessings, but there are side benefits. :-)

v. 19: "And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Paul can tell them this, because he's experience it himself.

NLT

v. 1: "Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord."

Therefore... because the Lord will return soon and transform our bodies into one like his, using the power he has to put everything under control (3: 20-21). And furthermore, it's only right, because HE's been faithful to us.

v. 4-9: "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and your minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me - everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."

v. 13-14: "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share will me in my present difficulty."

Two questions to self:

1)Have I shared with others in their present difficulty? hmm...

2)Have I allowed others to share with me in MY difficulty? yes.

Is there an imbalance here?

v. 19: "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches..."

What ARE God's glorious riches? Well, he certainly owns all the wealth of the world - we are only stewards of it. But he has untold greater riches beyond this: all the powers of "magic" in the Universe and beyond are his. Do I EVER need to worry about anything with a God like this? I guess not!

The Message

"Stay on track, steady in God."

"God doesn't want his children holding grudges."

"Make it clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up at any minute!"

This version really brings it home to me - I'm often working from my own sense of irritation in others not conforming to me. But my job is to be on THEIR side. And furthermore, the whole point is that we have an urgent message. Jesus is coming. Soon. Jesus wants them to be on his side, too.

"It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

I'd like that to be a permanent feature of my life.

"Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity."

Imagine glory that big - bigger than the Universe. Bigger than all the time that every has been and ever will be. It's inconceivable! And yet this incomprehensible, magnificent, astounding God invites us to know him personally and has shown us the most tender and beautiful of love. If I thought about that more frequently I might be a little kinder to the people around me.

NIV

v. 6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

What am I anxious about? ... When there is something I am to ask God about it - with thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for already, and sometimes I forget all the wonderful blessings he's given me in pursuit of that "one thing" which isn't mine. Note to self... God has been very good to me and answered so many prayers in unexpected and beautiful ways. We have a good God, and rather than grumbling and being anxious, I ought to every sing his praises!

v. 7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

If I am talking to God about my worries rather than worrying about them, and I realize that He is near, and I am coming to God with an attitude of thankfulness, I will experience God's peace. God's peace will guard my heart. Does it mean my heart will never be broken? Probably not... But maybe it means I'll have my heart set on the right things. God's peace will also guard my mind. Does it mean I'll never be confused or wrong about something? Surely that's not it. But maybe it means that when I'm seeking God, my knowledge and thoughts will be headed toward truth - toward Christ.

Philippians - Chapter 3 (Week 4)

Well, this is a bit late. Again three translations...

NRSV

We aren't to be confident in what we have done or what we have (v. 3-4). We don't get to get circumcised to be saved - we are the circumcision, because God has made us that - He has set us apart as holy for His purposes.

v. 8: "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."

Luke 14:33 "Any of your who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Francois Fenelon: "They sacrifice themselves, but to what they love most. They suffer, but they want to suffer, and they prefer the suffering to every false joy."

FF: "Happy are they who give themselves to God! They are delivered from their passions, from the judgments of others, from their malice, from the tyranny of their sayings, from their cold and wretched mocking, from the misfortunes which the world distributes to wealth, from the unfaithfulness and inconstancy of friends, from the wiles and snares of the enemy, from our own weakness, from the misery and brevity of life, from the horrors of a profane death, from the cruel remorse attached to wicked pleasures, and in the end from the eternal condemnation of God."

FF: "Many people [...] only know what religion exacts without knowing what it offers, and they ignore the spirit of love which makes everything easy. They do not know that it leads to the highest perfection by a feeling of peace and love which sweetens all the struggle. Those who are wholly God's are always happy. They know by experience that the yoke of the Lord is 'easy and light,' that we find in him 'rest for the soul,' and that he comforts those who are weary and overburdened, as he himself has said."

v. 9: "...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith."

Faith=trust. If I have faith in my husband, I trust him. If I have faith in my doctor, I trust she knows what she's talking about and that she has my best interest at heart...

"...and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes from actually trusting Christ to be trustworthy, the righteousness from God based on a relationship of trust." (RMB version :)

v. 11: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death..."

1. I want to know Christ personally - to be related to him as a friend, a daughter, a sister, a pupil...
2. I want to know the power of his resurrection - to be resurrected myself when he returns, and to be made new daily by the power of his Spirit.
3. I want to share in his suffering as he did. I love him and want to experience everything just as he did - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
4. I want to become like him in his death - courageous, compassionate, obedient to the end. And his death was not his end - he was resurrected, and I too, want my death to be just a short interlude before my resurrection and participation at that Great Feast in the Kingdom.

v. 12: "I press on to make it [resurrection from the dead] my own, because Jesus Christ has made me his own."

v. 13: "...but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead..."

Paul is not living in the past - he's not wallowing in his past mistakes or resting on his laurels. He has a goal for the future, and he's laboring away right now to make that possible. The goal?...

v. 14: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

We are not to remain the same when we meet Jesus but to draw ever closer to him, and to grow in our faith and trust.

v. 16: "Only hold fast to what we have attained."

Let's hang on to the progress we've made so far, not backsliding, so that we can venture ever further!

The Message

"The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash - along with everything else I used to take credit for ... Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life."

Can I say this? Do I rely on my credentials rather than valuing Christ above all? Do I take credit for my own successes, or do I thank God for all of his blessings and the opportunities I've been given? Am I willing to give up the sources of my pride for Christ?

"I didn't want some inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ - God's righteousness."

God want my obedience - and for my puny mind he's created rule lists. But those lists aren't exactly what it's about - he wants my character to become as true, as honorable, as just, as pure, as lovely, as gracious, as excellent, and as praiseworthy as Christ's. But as long as I'm clothed in this mortal body, my understanding is stunted (I need those lists!) and my obedience is faltering. God offers me Christ's beautiful righteousness instead!

"There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them."

And it's so easy for me to be caught up in that. I need to measure every offer against the standard of Christ.

"But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting for the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him."

It's sometimes easy to think that the people "out there" have all the fun, and "in here" we're all cloistered up and restricted. But we're not. Here are some words this passage uses to describe the life in Christ we're called to: far more, high heaven, glorious, beautiful, whole, everything as it should be. That's most definitely not boring or restrictive!

NLT

v.1: "Whatever happens my dear brothers, rejoice in the Lord."

Just like what he says again in 4:4: "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice!" When I've been reciting memory verses on my morning walk and Phil. 4:4 comes up, I'm jolted to a sense of needing a big attitude adjustment. I need to be thankful and look at all God has given me and all he's protected me from, and think of what a wonderful Person he is and how much I want to be like him.

v. 3: "For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised."

What does it mean to "worship by the Spirit of God"? At the very least, I understand that the Spirit knows better how to pray than I do, and He makes intercession for me...

...Paul has quite the spiritual pedigree. Mine's not nearly so impressive, and looks kinda shabby next to some others' - like even my husband's. But even then I find *reason* to be self-righteous:

• I don't worship at one of those feelings-over-substance churches like _____.
• I know the truth about XYZ in the Bible unlike _____.
• I followed God's laws and did LMNOP unlike ______.
• I know much more about God's principles for health and follow a much better lifestyle and diet than ______.

But my righteousness doesn't come from any of this. All my righteousness is Christ's righteousness, and any of my righteous acts are merely what's rubbed off from Jesus. I can't claim credit!

v. 9: "I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ."

And there is an interesting paradox - the less I claim the law as my righteousness and accept God's instead, the more I am enabled to do what the law requires... by God's grace!

v. 18: "For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ."

Paul is not judgmental towards such people. He, instead, is brought to tears thinking of them. That is a real attitude of love - he want their best and is tender toward them.

v. 20: "And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as Savior."

Am I? This should be my greatest hope!

Philippians - Chapter 2 (Week 3)

I would like to apologize to any of you who were trying to leave comments. Abigail mentioned that it was not possible, and I can't figure out why not. So if any of you are good on blogger, maybe you could email me some tech help? My email is rmbridge AT hotmail DOT com

Or you could email me your comments and I could post them as a new entry!

This week I only got around to reading three translations. Thoughts again posted by translation...

NRSV

Verse 4 stood out : "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others." Along with verses 5-8 : "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross."

So the question is, what's my attitude? Not probably in line with this...

Luke 14:33 "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Give up everything she has... that means my self-righteousness, my dreams, my comfort, my happiness, my free time, my aspirations, my health, my beauty rest... I have to be willing to forgo all these, even the very good ones in order to be His disciple. Lord, help me!

Verses 14-15: "Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world."

Do ALL THINGS without murmuring and arguing ... even practicing, taking out the garbage, washing dishes, scrubbing the toilets, keeping all our family stuff organized... THIS is what it takes to be blameless and innocent before God and the world.

...So I read this on Monday night. And Tuesday morning I got into a *discussion* with my husband (my fault - I started it) in which he mentioned again that I complain way too much about the things that need done and don't spend enough time doing them, so he goes and does them. Um, that's not good. So as of 10 am this past Tuesday there is a one-week experiment running in which I do not complain. At all.

This has brought up some interesting questions in my mind about what exactly is complaining and murmuring? I decided if I mention a problem as part of the search for a solution it is NOT complaining, but if I am mentioning a problem because I want pity or I want out of having to do it or I'm feeling whiny, then that IS complaining. What do you think? Am I on the right track?

Verse 21: "All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."

Is that what Paul would have to say about me? What can I do to change and seek His Kingdom first in ALL things?

The Message

"Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."

That even applies to my husband, our exchange student, my parents, or any of my college students, not just to random strangers...

"Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever..."

Lord, forgive my constant disobedience and sinfulness. What a quagmire!

"Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God."

I need to put forth effort to follow God - it won't just happen.

"Do everything readily and cheerfully - no bickering, no second-guessing allowed!"

So obviously my side of the *discussion* was not that.

"Carry the light-giving Message into the night..."

That sounds so adventurous and courageous!

NIV

Verse 1: "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion..."

Being UNITED with Christ should be an encouragement. His love should be a comfort; we should have fellowship with the Spirit. Union with Christ should produce tenderness and compassion. If these things aren't happening, my problem is lack of UNION with Christ.

Verse 2: "...then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

Seems like this doesn't mean that all believers need to agree on everything. But rather that we need to love each other as well as those who do not know God yet, and we all need to be working together on the same goal - spreading the Good News of the Kingdom and making disciples. There are so many different jobs involved in all of that; each person has plenty of room to exercise his or her talents.

(I'm no Bible scholar, so I can't say for certain, but it seems that verses 6-11 are a creed or hymn which Paul is quoting, which would then predate this letter. These might be some of the earliest writing in the NT.)

Verses 12-13: "...as you have always obeyed...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good pleasure."

Our salvation involved obedience. Our obedience is imperfect, but we know Christ's was/is perfect - his obedience will stand for ours. Figuring out and working out our salvation involves fear and trembling. Elsewhere we learn that we are to fear only God - so the working out of our salvation involves a right attitude toward God. God is at work, as well as we - our salvation must be a joint partnership between us and God. We are enabled to will and to act in a godly manner - even though our obedience isn't perfect, it seems important that the general trend of our desires and actions is more and more Christlike.

Verse 14: "Do everything without complaining and arguing."

There's that verse again...

Verse 15B-16: "...you shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life..."

I was struck by how at the time the letter was written people really did have to navigate their journeys by the stars. So by holding out the word of life - the Message about Jesus - we become the navigation system for the lost on their journey. If I am not holding out the word of life, I am not giving those around me an opportunity to find their way to the Great Destination - and we know from Jesus that the way there is narrow, and the path is hard.