Advent: The prophets

And so we enter the second week of Advent, thinking about the Prophets. Jesus is, as the Evangelist Matthew says, come as the "Fulfillment" of all the prophecies. Many of these prophecies given by Isaiah foretold His Miraculous birth 650 years before the events took place. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman[e] is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel" Isaiah 7:14 My friend Mike Beaumont often refers to prophecy as a "Sign Post," a path pointed out that we are to follow, which leads us into our destiny. Prophecy is not a matter of arbitrary fate but rather the shaping of destiny in God that wise men follow. All over the world creation points as a prophecy to the Glory of Christ. In every sacred story, of every faith there is something that points to Christ. Yet it is in the Hebrew scriptures, the writings of the descendants of Abraham, Gods covenant people that the signs are clearest. At times His being is concealed, at times people follow mistaken paths. Yet when you know Him, your way is straight, for He is as he says, the Way, The Truth and The Life. He is the door to eternal life, and no-one comes to the father except by Him. The writer to the Hebrews says of Him who was prophesied. " Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1: 1-3 Christmas, and in fact life, makes no sense without Him. So can I ask you, what are your "signposts" and where are they leading you? Who are your Prophets and where are they taking you? For me the prophets that lead me to Christ are good guides..... I guess you could say, "I have seen the Light."

A messiah from Nazareth?

Advent 6th of December... I awoke in the night wrestling with a major decision and found myself reflecting on, why did God choose Nazareth, why a Messiah from the North. The simple answer is because it was prophesied, but the question needs to go deeper, still why there, why Nazareth? I've recently been reading RT France's excellent commentary on Matthew (France, R. T. . The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co.(2007)Where he says that Nazareth was a Jewish enclave in a predominately pagan area of Galilee (of the Gentiles). His upbringing was in a good Jewish family and many of His disciples were of a middle class background. (Peter, James, John, Andrew, Matthew for certain)Yet it was still a people living in a Pluralistic society on the margins and largely scorned by the proper religious people around Jerusalem. In other words Jesus grew up on the margins, the margins of Jewish society and the margins of pagan society, the margins was the place where the word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The majority of his Messiah "tour" was among those on the margins and villages on the margins. The nature of His triumphal entry was not a moment of pomp and pageant but almost a "flashmob" entry of a "King for the people". From the moment of His birth to the shameful despised death on the Cross, The King of Kings lived on the margins. He spoke prophetically and intimately (Nicodemus) with those at the top of the food chain, even Herod, Pilate and Caiaphas themselves, but he lived on the margins. So I ask myself this Advent as a City Missionary am I still hanging out on the margins, are the poor the despised, the quirky, the crackpots, the sinners, the broken, the lame, where I hang out. Or have I become religiously correct, do I court the clever, the cool, calm and the collected. Is my life surrounded by the nice people who see no need of a saviour, or is it with those on the margins. Experience shows me that Jesus is usually around the margins...

Advent Sunday.

Tomorrow is Advent Sunday and I finally get to go and worship with my "home" church for the first time in 2 months. I've been on the road now for two months and it's going to seem strange going back to the event of a Sunday morning gathering at Community Church Derby. I've been worshipping in loads of other church settings these last two months from Pentecostal to high church Anglican.... But tomorrow's Advent Sunday and I really hope we do, do Advent. Since turning 50 I've become much more liturgical... Possibly a little Anglican in my spirituality. I like times, seasons, living in the Christian story that liturgical life brings.... Remembering that the events of the Bible set the rhythm of life not the frantic pace of life today. But why do I like Advent? Well it's all about Hope. Hope, that he came like he promised and he's going to come back just like he promised and whilst today doesn't make sense tomorrow will.... So tomorrow I want to do Advent because I want to look forward... With assurance that in the mess that is life .... He is the one thing I can be sure of.