Advent Day Three: His Resting Place

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

"He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.  He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

"In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious." - Isaiah 11:1-10

Know what my favorite part of these passages is?  The absence of danger.  The absence of fear.  The absence of destruction.  Just last night, after I had a minor parenting breakdown at Lydia's basketball practice with Henry in tow (oh, Lord, basketball season...), I put the kids to bed and returned a phone call from a neighbor who warned me to lock the doors because there was someone driving through our field who was suicidal, and I felt the muscles in my chest tighten even more than they had earlier.  A minor threat, really, but one nonetheless.  I locked my doors.

What did every heavenly body come saying?  "Do not be afraid."  What did Christ come saying?  "Do not be afraid."  The wolf will live with the lamb.  The infant will play near the cobra's den.

Oh, to know that kind of peace, to rally around the Lamb and rest in that place always!  Come, O come, Emmanuel.

Advent Activity: Play Christmas Music
I need to stay late at work tonight, so the advent activity had to be non-labor intensive.  We will play some Christmas music while we cook, and after dinner is over, my plan is to have ourselves a merry little Christmas dance party.

I was thinking about the measure of sobriety and the contrasting portion of merriment in these posts and feeling a little false with both sentiments at once.  But isn't that the way of the world?  How can we survive under the weight of reality without a little gaiety, a little joy and conviviality?  And isn't the season of advent not just about the waiting and longing for a Savior but also the rejoicing and celebration of freedom and grace that we already know because of Christ?  The troubles might seem heavier some days and some seasons than others, but these frivolous moments might be just enough to lift the burden for a bit and let the light shine in, to give us a glimpse of the kingdom where infants play near the cobra's den.

So dance to Jingle Bell Rock we will.

Advent Day Two: Isaiah 9:2-7

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. 

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:2-7

The prophet Isaiah speaks to a nation whose people were oppressed.  Here in 2013, in the land of the free and the home of the brave, we know very little about national oppression - we vote our leaders into office, for better or for worse, we are free to voice our beliefs, worship our gods, publish our words, work for a living, etc. etc. etc. You know the list of our freedoms.

For most of us, oppression manifests itself in quieter, darker, more internal ways.  There are a myriad ways our hearts may be heavy, the burden across our shoulders pressing our gazes to the ground so that we can't see the great light.  It could be the burden of debt, the burden of illness, the burden of disease, the burden of addiction, the burden of want, the burden of hunger, the burden of discontentment, the burden of depression, the burden of helplessness in the face of so many other griefs and injustices.  It is all so heavy.

What do we yearn for in times of trouble?  Maybe a wise counselor who could give guidance and encouragement.  Maybe a mighty God who can defeat the oppressors.  Maybe an everlasting father whose love and embrace can lift us up out of the darkness.  Maybe a prince of peace, who can deliver a calm that passes understanding in the middle of the storm.  We yearn for justice.  We yearn for righteousness.

God is eager to deliver these things - that's what zeal is - an eagerness, a fervor, a passion, a desire, and it is this zeal that promised to shatter the yoke that burdens us and destroy the rod of the oppressor. 

Who is this Deliverer? He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. "...In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4-5

Advent Activity: Make Cinnamon Ornaments

The kids and I are off today for the last day of Thanksgiving break, so I thought we'd make a few cinnamon ornaments for homemade Christmas gifts.  These were great when we made them a few years back, and maybe our friends and family are ready for them again.  Here's an easy cinnamon ornament recipe.