Advent 2024: The Burning Bush

As we spend time waiting, once again remembering Jesus’ arrival on Earth to be with us, we also remember an earlier time where God was with his people, or rather, one of his people, for a moment, a sacred moment that sustained Moses for challenging tasks ahead. In Exodus 3: 1-6 and 11-15 we read,

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God…[and then after God explains that He has heard the cries of the Israelites in slavery and is commissioning Moses to go free them, Moses asks] “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. 

In Isaiah 7, the prophet tells of a future time when the Great I AM would come again to be with his people:

“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

And in Matthew 1, we read how an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph and gave him courage to stay committed to Mary, saying that the son she carried, Jesus, was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. He would truly be “God with us.” Think about how similar the word Immanuel is to the words “I AM”; God with us is the great I AM.

I’ve been thinking about how God is always with us. Some of you know that Dave and I host a community group that uses the liturgies from a series of books called Every Moment Holy. The premise is that God is in every moment of life, not just the obviously religious ones. When we notice that and invite His perspective and create a moment of worship, we can make any moment holy.

And so I have been thinking about the holy moments that we are having with our Afghan family. Each time when we enter their home, we take off our shoes, just like God told Moses to take off his shoes. And I think about how this simple act reminds me that my time there with them is a holy moment where God is present. Maybe you have the routine of taking off your shoes as you enter your own home. Think about this simple act. Pause and remember that because Jesus came to Earth and was Immanuel— the GREAT I AM is actually present.

The same God who revealed himself through a burning bush and would be born a baby in Bethlehem who would live with his people, is today with His people through His omnipresent Holy Spirit. He truly is the Great I AM and we are part of the generations through the ages who proclaim that to be so.

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Editor’s Note: Whether he walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, spoke to Moses through the burning bush, led the Israelites through the wilderness, or let his presence dwell in the Tabernacle, our God has always shown his desire to have a relationship with his people. These instances found in the Old Testament, amazing as they are, are only shadows of what would come when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Each meeting brought us a step closer on the journey to Bethlehem, to the arrival of our Savior. 

Each week in our Advent reflections, we’ll take a look at one of the ways God drew near to his people leading up to Jesus’s birth.

Christ Stories: Jesus, Our Immanuel

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”             Luke 1:31-33

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

    and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).              Matthew 1:21-23

On this Christmas Eve, we are reminded of the birth of our Savior, Jesus. Jesus, whose name means “the Lord is Salvation,” was born in the humblest of circumstances with the greatest purpose already given to him. Many prophets spoke of this long-awaited king hundreds of years prior to this point. The angels heralded the news of the birth of the Son of the Most High. The star guided foreign seekers to Immanuel, God with us. God spoke through people, angels, and even stars to ensure we would not miss this unprecedented arrival of the Lord of our salvation, God with us. And yet, amidst all the fanfare, Jesus was born in a stable in a small village to a young virgin.

God had dwelt with his people before, first in the Garden—when humans were unstained by sin—then in the Tabernacle, and finally in the Temple— each place, while amongst his people, were still quite separate from them. This time, though, God chose to get dirty and humble himself to become the lowliest of people. He was no longer only with us when we were clean enough to enter his presence. No, Jesus’ humble beginnings illustrate that he now enters into our messy lives, truly “God with us”—in our pain, in our temptations, in our weaknesses and sorrows.

And he is our Salvation. Immanuel’s purpose is written in his name, “the Lord is Salvation.” He does not leave us in the mess to fend for ourselves. He gives us healing, resistance, strength, and comfort. He walks through the valleys with us. And after all that, he saves us from our sin. Salvation from sin and its conclusion is freely given to all who trust in Jesus. The gift of salvation is the greatest gift any of us could get.

This Christmas, let us remember God’s deep love for us in sending the Son of the Most High to take on human flesh to be God with us and the Lord of our salvation. Let us be generous with the grace given to us and extend that gift to others. May we praise him, the Son of the Most High, for joining us in our broken state and lifting us out of the depths of our sin and into his marvelous light.

Christmas Stories: Simeon & Anna

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

29  “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

30  for my eyes have seen your salvation

31  that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32  a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:25-38

There isn’t much scripture devoted to the lives of Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described as righteous and devout, waiting for the Savior’s appearance, and that the Holy Spirit was upon him. He had been promised that he would see the Messiah before his earthly life was over. Anna is described as a prophetess of the tribe of Asher, widowed until she was 84, and did not depart from the temple, worshipping night and day.

Simeon and Anna were nearing the end of their lives. Both had spent their lives in love of and service to the Lord. They were each described in ways that seem to indicate they had close relationships with God. But we are left relatively in the dark over much of their life stories. Did they ever, in their decades of serving, wonder what God was up to? Wonder when his promise of a Messiah would be fulfilled? Did they ever grow weary of waiting? We don’t know about the years in between. The moments leading up to their meeting the Christ child probably seemed just as everyday… as every other day.

As I began my study of Simeon and Anna, I was working through a Bible study that included a study of the intertestamental time. In case you’re unfamiliar, the intertestamental time is the 400 years between the end of the prophets’ warnings of the Old Testament and Jesus’ birth in the New. It is sometimes called “the silent years”—a time seemingly without purpose, action, movement. 

But God was actually very much at work behind the scenes during this time. As the intertestamental period began, the Israelites were scattered and in exile, synagogues spread all throughout Asia Minor. It would be the creation of over 50,000 miles of roads and the spread of a common language, Greek, during this period—events that from a glance seem irrelevant to God’s plans—that would in reality be the work that would allow Peter, Paul, and other missionaries of the early Church to spread the Gospel.

Like the intertestamental years, at a glance, Simeon and Anna’s in-between years could be viewed as unimportant, without purpose or movement. But like the intertestamental years proved critical to the spread of the Gospel, I believe those long years of serving and worship were critical years to building both Simeon and Anna’s faith.

While we don’t get to see their “silent years”, we do get to see a pinnacle moment of their faith. Finally, that moment arrives when they each lay eyes on the promised and long-awaited Savior, and they are filled with praise. Their brief meetings with the young Messiah point us to a time of waiting fulfilled. It may not have been easy in the waiting, but this is their moment to celebrate. To hope. To praise.

Maybe you enter this Advent in a waiting season of your own. What will you do after school? Is there a new job or a much desired marriage or child in your future? How much longer before God shows us our new church home? Maybe life feels hard, or it could just be stagnant. You wonder what God is up to. I won’t discount the challenge and hard of silent times. But may we follow the lead of Simeon and Anna. May we serve faithfully and deepen our relationships with God. Trust that God is at work, though we may not know how it will all unfold. Take this moment, this day to remember, no matter what else is going on, even in whatever else is going on, our Messiah has come. Our Savior came here. He is Immanuel, God with us in the Now, and he is with us in the Yet to Come. 

Advent 2022: His Perfection

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Editor’s Note: The theme for this year’s Advent reflections is Immanuel, Jesus has Come Here. God has always been present in the world, but with the coming of Jesus as an infant, he is also made present with his people. Our sin separates us from God, but through a baby, Immanuel, he draws us close.

This week, as we explore the blessings of Immanuel, God with us, we reflect on Jesus coming here and the gift of his perfection.

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One of my sons has inherited his mother’s unfortunate tendency towards perfectionism. When he tries but fails to master some new concept in school or in play perfectly, the frustration, shame, or defensiveness—or some combination of feelings—threatens to pull him down. But just as I know he will never be perfect, our heavenly Father knows he, nor I, nor any one of us, will ever be perfect. In fact, that inability to measure up to a 100%-perfection-all-the-time-every-time standard is the very reason Jesus came.

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:20

Prior to Jesus, the Israelites measured their right-standing with God through adherence to the Mosaic Law. The Law had many purposes, such as to set the nation of Israel apart from other nations, but chief among them was to reveal to God’s chosen people who he is and who they were— people who fell short of his standard of perfection, and were, therefore, in need of saving. For the people of the Law, that saving came through prescribed sacrifices, which needed to be regularly offered to the Lord.   

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoptions as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

Immanuel came down to a broken world full of imperfect people, the spotless lamb. He faced earthly temptations, experienced the realities of this world, knew the exacting nature of high standards, and yet he remained without sin. His perfection covers our imperfection. And even more mind-blowing is that the driver behind this greatest act of all time, as identified for us in John 3:16, is God’s love for us. Timothy Keller famously says,

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

From one recovering perfectionist to anyone else out there that struggles under the weight of something that is impossible, nor was ever meant to be attained, let us give endless praise to the One who has always been, is always, will forever be Perfect.

This Advent season, let us push off the weight of guilt and shame set by impossibly high standards, not as an excuse to continue in sin, but to fall headlong into his arms of grace. He came. Jesus came. Immanuel came.

Reflection:

1. Do you tend to hold yourself up to an impossible standard or do you use grace as an excuse to continue in sin?

2. Spend some time reflecting on who Christ is and the fact that Immanuel, the Son of God, was both without sin and came to cover us with his righteousness.

Advent 2022: His Presence

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Editor’s Note: The theme for this year’s Advent reflections is Immanuel, Jesus has Come Here. God has always been present in the world, but with the coming of Jesus as an infant, he is also made present with his people. Our sin separates us from God, but through a baby, Immanuel, he draws us close.

This week, as we explore the blessings of Immanuel, God with us, we reflect on Jesus coming here and the gift of his presence.

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Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign; Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Name him—Immanuel. It means God is with us.

Have you ever noted that sometimes it’s not the pain or seriousness of an injury that matters in the end? I have more traumatic memories from my childhood of splinters and scrapes than the concussion I sustained from gymnastics. And my first sickness, a cold, as a freshman in college was worse than the flu I had had at home with my parents in high school. The difference between each scenario was that I was alone with the lighter, seemingly easier afflictions, but held and comforted by my parents with the more serious maladies.

It is curious that Immanuel is the name God chooses for His Son in this passage. He could have named himself “Chesed,” (grace), “Shalom,” (peace), or “Hesed,” (love). God is in fact all of these things. Other places in the Bible God calls Him these exact beautiful words and more!  But when His Son was to be born, it’s almost as if God just didn’t want us (and Israel, the original recipients of this sign) to miss it. “I have come near. I am here. I am with you. You are not alone.”

During Christmas time there is both a beauty and magic about the celebration of Jesus’ arrival. Yet, there can also be sadness and grief. Perhaps you feel the loss of someone you love to sickness, or you have a wayward child, or a much desired expectation wasn’t met in your life.

The name God gives His Son tells us you are never by yourself in both these delights of the season—lights, gifts, food, friends—nor the strange heartache. He is with you. He is near.

Jeremiah 23: 23-24 “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places, So I do not see him?” Declares the Lord, “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” Declares the LORD.

Psalm 139: 7-10 Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me.”

When the God of the Bible draws near, it is to be like a balm to cracked skin. When Moses asked God to go with them as they travelled through the desert, it was to be a strong protection over the Israelites. And when Jesus came near as a baby who grew into a man who willingly died for people who would reject Him, it was to bring healing to our broken, rebellious and hurting souls. When God sends His Son to be “with” us, it is a very very good thing.

So when you feel alone…

•    When you have met yourself as a new Mom for the first time and are bone tired

•    When you have your grown children living outside your home for the first time.

•    When you are working with your difficult child NOT for the first time.

•    When you are up late studying for that impossible test and you’re running out of time

•    Or up late working on a budget that just won’t stretch any more

•    Or even up late flirting with temptation to sin and you just can’t walk away and you already feel the shame that inevitably comes when we choose sin.

In those times this season, let the beauty of the lights, the music, the unique tastes of this season remind you that the presence of our gentle, kind, forgiving, powerful, perfect Savior is with you. Though your feelings may try to convince you otherwise,  your prayers are not just hitting the ceiling. You are talking to your Savior. You are crying with your Savior. You are fighting the good fight against sin with Your Savior. When it seems no one else cares about the strange heartache of things that didn’t materialize, or things that did, remember and believe that Jesus came to show us just how near He wants to be with us.

Immanuel.

Reflection:

1. Can you remember a time that someone’s presence with you in a hard time brought comfort or peace?

2. In what situation you are currently facing do you need to remember that Jesus came to be with you on this earth?