A Light for the Nations

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jonathan Slywka and his wife Sarah excitedly await the arrival of their new little one – a precious gift from God. Jonathan spends his time riding his bike, exploring God’s Story, and reminding the people of Glen Elm “whose” and “who” they are.]

So, how is it true that Jesus is “the missing piece in the puzzle…that makes all the other pieces fit together”? Could it really be true that “every story in the Bible whispers his name”? I finished my last entry by posing these questions, and extending the invitation to place ourselves alongside the first Christians, who came to realize that their scriptures had been laced with tantalizing hints as to the identity of the child whom Mary laid in that manger. One example of this are the beautiful and haunting “servant songs” of Isaiah.

There are four such “songs”: Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12. These occur within the context of God’s prophetic word, spoken through Isaiah. Much of what God has to say pertains to (gulp!) judgement; he is determined to do something about the injustice, unrighteousness, and idolatry of the nations, and of his own people Israel. It becomes increasingly clear that Israel will be punished with exile – by having the touchstones of their identity (e.g. their land, the Temple, and David’s royal line) wrenched from their grasp as they are carried away by a foreign power. What a terrible fate for God’s chosen people! But, alongside judgement, we also hear the word of God’s indefatigable mercy: he will again show compassion to his people, speaking comfort and the promise of restoration to their land and to abundant life in the presence of God.

It is in the midst of this prophetic word that the mysterious “Servant of the Lord” steps into the frame. It is impossible to pin down precisely who is being addressed in these passages. Sometimes it seems that God may be addressing the whole nation of Israel, who are familiar with having the title of “servant” conferred upon them (see Isaiah 41:8-9 and 44:1-2 as just two examples). But other times there is no question that the “Servant” is a personal figure – one who somehow stands in place of the many. Who is this One? Who represents the whole nation of Israel, embodying its mission as God’s holy and priestly people?

Let us focus our view on a portion of the second servant song, to discover something of the identity and task of this One. As this passage begins, it is the voice of the Servant himself that we hear.

Isaiah 49:  ⁵ And now the Lord says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord
and my God has been my strength—
⁶ he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus Christ is the light that has dawned on our darkness. This is what those who witnessed the life of Jesus of Nazareth came to understand about him: he was, and is, the One who fulfills this prophetic word, spoken through Isaiah.

Remember old Simeon in the Temple? He foresaw that this child would be “a light of revelation to the Gentiles”. Jesus himself, whose self-understanding would have been shaped by Israel’s scriptures, and not least the prophesy of Isaiah (think of the time he stood up to read in the synagogue in Nazareth), seems to have identified with Isaiah’s “Servant”. Thus, he would suffer, and, when lifted up from the earth, would draw all people to himself (John 12:32). Remarkably, Jesus also included his disciples in the task of carrying the light – His light – of salvation to the world: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). Embracing this as his personal mission, Paul could even quote Isaiah’s prophesy in interpreting his own God-appointed task of carrying the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47). And, reflecting upon the nature of Christ at the beginning of his Gospel account, John would identify Jesus as the “true light of all mankind”.

This One, this “Servant of the Lord”, is to be “a light for the Gentiles” – A Light for the Nations. Not only will the remnant of God’s chosen people be gathered out of exile, but all nations (among whom you and I are also included) will be welcomed in to God’s salvation. This is good news!

Today, as we place ourselves around the manger, let us give thanks for this One, who is Himself the “true light” that has shone on our darkness, drawing us in to God’s salvation.

God + Mystery = His Good For Us

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chelsa Budd spent a good chunk of her childhood at the Glen Elm Church of Christ. Recently married, she continues to call Regina home and spends her days serving in ministry with Athletes in Action.]

There are so many things that we can’t explain.  But I think God designed it to be that way.  Sometimes we think he leaves us alone in the mystery… but he knows that, that is where faith, trust, and growth intersect and lead us into light.  I think about the crux of our faith, that is, the perfect life, the death, and then the resurrection of Jesus.  This amazing mystery has the potential to frame every aspect of our lives.  Grace is the only thing we can stand on – that which we’ve never been able to do ourselves!  We can’t be perfect, but then, God has known that from the start.  He’s created mystery as this precious place where we meet him and begin to find restoration from our brokenness.

Try explaining the mystery of how Jesus was raised from the dead.  Physiologically.  How?  Right.  You can’t.  I can’t.  No one can!   But it’s not a cruel or unkind mystery that God leaves us with in that.  In fact, would he be worthy of our worship if we could explain him away, put him in a box, set him on a shelf, where we have all the answers?

As we ruminate on our waiting, and ponder advent, we’re brushed, over and over again, with mystery in the story of Jesus.  In Luke 1 we read the following:

⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!    

There are obvious mysteries here… why here? Why now?  How did a leaping baby lead to such proclamation?

But I think about Mary, and the reaction she likely received from many in her community as they found out she was pregnant, being betrothed, but not yet married.  I’m sure it can’t have been pretty.

⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 

God used Elizabeth’s affirmation to bring hope into Mary’s life.  This hope leads Mary to pour out her heart to God, proclaiming his goodness (47-55).

Mary is in a difficult place.  But God leads her into community, where she is cloaked in grace and seen through God’s eyes.  Elizabeth could have scolded, judged, pushed to the side; instead, the Spirit filled her, and she saw what God saw.  I can only imagine the tears that must have fallen from Mary’s eyes at such a greeting from her loved one.  It’s a small picture of the restoration God wants to do in each of us.  It’s his mystery… that restoration. How does it happen?  And when?

Advent calls us to wait… to sit in the mystery of our returning Savior, but to revel in his grace, to grow, to trust while we wait.

God blessed these women with the mystery of his presence and his plan.  He blessed them with each other, in community, awash with grace, aware of the one Lord of their lives.  This intersection of mystery and love lead to light, where we find grace.

How is God leading you to bring light into the lives of those around you this Christmas?  How is he calling you to wait?  To trust?  To know his mystery for you is ultimately for good?

His heart for us is love… and the greatest light we have is found in the mystery of just that!

Monday Music: “A Christmas Hallelujah”

Leonard Cohen’s classic is familiar to many an ear. This Christmas twist harnesses the power of that single word of praise to the moving scenes of the Christmas story. Enjoy!

Faithfulness

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jason Bandura works with the Glen Elm Church of  Christ.  Married to Shannon, he is Dad to three lovely daughters.  He lives on the Canadian prairies and writes occasionally HERE.]

If Luke 2:22-39 speaks of anything, it speaks of faithfulness. In rapid sequence, one couple and two individuals are held up as models of faithfulness.

Squished into one story, we see Mary and Joseph fulfilling three Torah obligations:

• Purification, presumably from childbirth. (It is noteworthy that this act appears to include Joseph. Perhaps he had helped with the birth. Perhaps he and Mary felt the need for purification together, as they prepared to parent this special child.)
• Circumcision of a son, in accordance with the Abrahamic covenant.
• Dedication of a firstborn child.

The faithful acts of Joseph and Mary introduce us to a man named Simeon. All who knew him esteemed him as “righteous and devout”. He was among those awaiting the Messiah, and his life was known to have the Holy Spirit resting upon it, so much so that he had received revelation that the Messiah would arrive before Simeon breathed his last.

On the heels of encountering Simeon, Mary and Joseph meet Anna. She also is held up as a model of faithfulness – first to her husband of seven years, then to a widowhood characterized by nonstop fasting and prayer in the house of the Lord. Her movements and words also appear to be Spirit-led, and she was counted among those waiting for the Lord’s redemption.

Three scenes of faithful people come together to highlight a faithful God. Most blatantly, this message comes via Simeon’s declaration while he holds the holy infant (2:29-32). Faithful Simeon steps forth to praise faithful Yahweh. He keeps His word. He fulfills His promises. He does what He says He will do.

One imagines Simeon or Anna or Mary and Joseph as scoffing if we were to dwell too long upon their faithfulness. They would seem the sorts to redirect our gaze quickly toward God, the truly faithful one.

How much of the average Christian life is spent obsessing over the level of faithfulness we perceive within ourselves. We beam over what we think possess; we sweat what we fear we lack. We strain and we press, and we can be sure that there is something noble within such efforts.

But one wonders.

• Is it possible that greater power is unleashed in the lives of those obsessed with God’s faithfulness than in the lives of those obsessed with their own faithfulness?
• Could it be that worship yields more than work?
• Might it be settling into His quality moves us further forward than slaving to establish our own?

The lives of faithful people revolve around the life of a faithful God, and the faithfulness of God is the bedrock upon which a life can be built.

Promise and Fulfillment

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: As to work, Stan is a pastor, preacher, teacher, researcher, and writer; as to love, Stan is husband to Pat, father to Rachel, and friend to God’s people; as to passion, Stan seeks first God’s kingdom. Though perfect in none of these, he aspires to be all of them.]

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹ I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
² I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

³ You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to my servant David:
⁴ ‘I will establish your descendants forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’ Selah

When it comes to the Psalms, there’s a lot we don’t know. Take the first four verses of Psalm 89, for example. We aren’t sure what a maskil is exactly but apparently it’s the kind of Psalm this one is. We don’t know who Ethan was nor much about what an Ezrahite was. A follower of Ezra? A scribe in the school of Ezra? Who knows? And finally, we still aren’t quite certain what “Selah” means, but I go with most interpreters that see it as a rest or pause in the poem/song.

However, there is a lot we do know. For example, the power of Hebrew poetry comes from its ability to reframe ideas by repeating those ideas. The fancy word for this is parallelism. These four verses are a stellar example of such. For example, in the first line of v. 1 and the first line of v. 2 you have essentially the same idea:

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever

I declare that your steadfast love is established forever

You can see the same thing in the first lines of v. 3 and v. 4.

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

                     ‘I will establish your descendants forever …’

Sometimes whole stanzas can be set against one another. In these verses, for example, the first two verses captures the certainty of God’s intent, while the last two verses express the impact God’s intent on King David and his descendants. Of course, those of us who know the story know that the future for David and his family is really about Jesus and will ultimately include us. But Ethan did not know that.

The beauty of the Psalms (and most poetry for that matter) is that poetry has a timeless quality, the ability to help us imagine implausible, if not impossible, things. For a moment we are Ethan.

And like Ethan, we stand between the times, between the promise and the fulfillment. Ethan believes that God has kept his promise to restore his people to Holy Land following their seventy years in Exile. Ethan, standing at the beginning of that fulfillment, celebrates God’s everlasting love (chesed; covenant love; loyalty), a love and faithfulness as firm as the heavens themselves. How does Ethan know that God is faithful? Because God kept his promise to David’s descendants.

Like Ethan, we, too, live between the times, between promise and fulfillment. God has promised that a descendent of David would be on the throne of an everlasting kingdom (Luke 1:32–33). That kingdom, though here, is yet to be seen fully. And though the times now can be turbulent, the one who made the promise is faithful. God will once again bring his people home. God’s steadfast love is everlasting. Our confidence, as was Ethan’s, is in the fact that God said it. Selah.

Enlarged in the Waiting

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Slywka loves following Jesus alongside her husband, Jonathan. She is excited to become a mom in the spring.]

Pregnancy.

Of course, I write this post about pregnancy. My apologies for the predictability and shameless cliché-ness, but it’s difficult to ignore parallels in the Advent season when you are a pregnant woman. Never before now have I understood what it felt like for Elizabeth to feel her baby leaping in her womb when she heard the greeting of Mary. Never before now have I understood eager anticipation and awaiting such an arrival. Never before now have I understood the miracle of a baby being knit together in a womb. Cliché, yes – but also, honest. So bear with me.

One thing I have come to appreciate in the past 6 months is the mystery of pregnancy. It has been a strange experience to have little control over my growing belly. Perhaps it is my personality, but perhaps it is the newness and miracle of it all. Forced into surrender, I’ve had to embrace weight gain and maternity pants just as I trust this baby is “doing its thing” as I carry on with “life–as-usual.” However, as I have been occupied with days of teaching, ministry, and a full curling schedule, there have been moments when the baby simply demands my attention and makes its presence known. A kick or flutter forces me to take notice of the miracle of life growing inside of me. Thank goodness, because what a shame it would be to miss this season. What a shame it would be if I did not attend to the growth of this little one – longed for, hoped for, and prayed for. Truly, I am being “enlarged in the waiting,” whether my attention is always focused on this baby or not.

I realize my life in Christ is often similar. Once the initial commitment to Jesus is made, we can either choose to carry on with “life-as-usual” and add church on Sunday to our schedules, OR we can truly embrace a growing relationship with the living Christ. There are times when Christ demands my attention, and there are other moments when I turn and come to Him – longing for His presence and Word to dwell. How often I need reminding of his Presence and His love!

“During the waiting times, God is vibrantly at work within us. And if through the Spirit of God we have been united with the Father in dynamic relationship, if God has sewn his gospel seed in us, then Jesus is being formed within us, little by little, day by day. But we have to wait if the Word is to become flesh in us. And that kind of waiting feels like work.”    – Luci Shaw

Yes, a life following Jesus is work, as growing a baby is work. But it’s wonderful work! Whether I, Sarah Slywka, choose to pay attention or not, Christ IS coming. He has come, and is coming again. And how he longs for our attention! Christ speaks (a kick, perhaps?) in countless ways. With the miracle of a sunrise, a scripture that jumps from the pages of my Bible, an encouraging word from a friend, or a quickened heartbeat in prayer – I must take notice of the Spirit becoming flesh in me! And oh, how my heart is enlarged in the waiting when I am attentive to His presence – when I listen and allow Him to speak and be heard; when I am open to having Him enter and make His home in me – just as this baby has already made its home in me. As a pregnant woman awaits the birth of a baby, let us eagerly long for the birth of Christ. Let us lean into Advent, and have our hearts be HOME to our Saviour, baby Jesus.

Brady Toops has a beautiful song worth sharing on this theme. It can be heard HERE, and the lyrics are posted below.

Make Your Home – Brady Toops

Verse 1:
For a heart that is a beacon
Burning bright and strong and true
In my waking and my sleeping
May I ever reach for You

For a will that is a shadow
Only moving with the light
On a road that’s straight and narrow
Keep me ever by Your side

Chorus:
Oh hear this humble prayer
Oh from a heart laid bare
All that I ask of Thee
Make Your home, make Your home in me 

Verse 2:
Grant me faith to move the mountain
And be cast into the sea
When I’m lost and when I’m doubting
Seal my confidence in Thee

Let my praise be like the thunder
Breaking through the darkened skies
Oh may I never lose the wonder
Of my Savior crucified

I am Caesar

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Wade Grocott lives in Moose Jaw with his wife Richelle.  He is currently trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up.  He feels blessed, loved, and forgiven and figures that’s enough for now. ]

I am Caesar, busy making my plans and trying to be the ruler of my world. God is up to a bigger plan, though. One that encompasses me, surpasses me, and fulfills me all at the same time. I can choose to live within God’s will or outside of it, but in the end his plans will come to pass.

I am Simeon, waiting for God to show up, sometimes wondering if my prayers will be answered, maybe feeling as though I have been at this a long time, questioning if its worth it. But still I ask, in the hope that God will do what he has promised.

I am Anna. In some mysterious way I have been given the power to speak about the mysteries and truths of life, to tell who He is to those I come across. Even more unfathomable (at least to me), some may begin to grasp who he is through this.

I am a shepherd, feeling at times like I don’t fit into culture, messed up when God comes to me in ways I don’t expect. Sometimes I am so caught up in tending my flocks I would miss it if He didn’t almost knock me over in order for me to stop and pay attention.

I am Joseph, a little unsure of the origins of this plan, with a hundred questions in my head about what this means for me and where we go from here, but with just enough light – if I can manage to trust – to take the next step. I have my questions and even some doubts, but I know this is the way.

I am Mary, wondering “Why me?”, and with another hundred questions about what it all means and what will be asked of me. In the same breath, though, I am so thankful that God sees something in me and has decided I am fit for the task.

The advent story is at once messy and perfect, appearing weak, yet redeeming and powerful. There are a lot of diverse characters who play a part in this unique event in history. I am thankful as I read the story I find that there is a place for me in it. Indeed, there is a place for all of us in the story, we need only look.

Where are you?

Surrender

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Esther Dupperon calls Regina home, though she has lived at numerous Canadian locations throughout her life.  Part of the Glen Elm church, she is a faithful servant and a treasure to all who know her.]

Surrender has been on my mind a lot lately. It first popped up in November when I was learning a method of meditation. The purpose of this meditation is to prepare you for prayer and call upon the Lord, then surrender to the message.

This concept of surrender was interesting to me. I looked it up in the dictionary and it was defined as “ a giving over of ones self to power or influence “. I am in tight control of my life and how it plays out. Control of my environment and the events that occur is the way I live.

As an experiment I went on a holiday with family and gave over the planning and booking of flights, hotels and events to them. I had a very good time. That needs to be said. However, I had great chunks of my tongue bitten off and a walk or two to work off the frustration of things not being done as I would have done them. This showed me that I truly do have an issue with control in my life.

Later in November I was able to attend a seminar at church with Brad Jersak. This was also about prayer, learning to listen to God’s message and surrender.

Now Christmas is upon us and again we are learning of surrender. Focus on Mary and the task she was called upon to do. A young woman who was shaken to her core by God asking her to flout the society she lived in, have a child while unmarried and potentially lose the man she was to marry. She surrendered. Her life was completely altered.

Would I do that? Many questions come to mind when I think of God working in my life. Am I good enough? Do I have the skills? Who would listen to me? How would I know what to say anyway? I fear I might even question how things are done if they didn’t go my way.

We have been taught to pray “Thy will be done”. I have indeed often said this and then bargained or suggested how God’s will should be rolled out. It seems I have to stop this, be still and wait upon the Lord.

At work the other day I walked into a room and the TV was on. Joyce Meyer was speaking. The minute I was in the room her quote was “Stop living in fear you are going to do the wrong thing – if God gives you something to do he will anoint you to do it”. She went on to expound on Romans 8:31-39, a great place of reminder of the power and victory awaiting those who surrender to the One who loves us most.

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.