[Mcgregorpage] McGregorPage 533, Advent #2, 12/10/06

[rmcgregoralbq at aol.com]

Advent 2, December 10, 2006

Malachi 3:1-4
Luke 1:68-79
Philippians 1:3-11
Luke 3:1-6

Back We Go, Looking For The Future

Ad-vent anticipates an e-vent: “...the Lord whom you seek will suddenly 
come...”  (Malachi 3:1); “...the dawn from on high will break upon 
us...” (Luke 1:78); “... in the day of Christ you may be pure and 
blameless...” (Philippians 3:9).

Advent anticipates a transforming event: “...he will sit as a refiner 
and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi ...” 
(Mal 3:3); “ ... we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might 
serve him without fear...” (Lk  1:74); “...the one who began a good 
work among you will bring it to completion...” (Phil  1:6).

Advent anticipates the consummation of God’s plan begun in a classical 
period: “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to 
the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years..."  (Mal 3:4); 
“...Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors...”  (Lk 
1:72); “... the one who began a good work among you will bring it to 
completion ...”  (Phil 1:6).

So, we decorate -- not permanent decorations but party decorations.  An 
event is coming.  It won’t last forever, but it will be a high moment.  
It will be the Garden of Eden revisited.  The lion shall lie down with 
the lamb, and the grown man will play with electric trains.  The Lord 
will restore unto us the joy of God’s salvation.  Therefore, we set out 
snow-covered, plastic New England villages and put up pictures of Santa 
drinking a Coke and listen to music that was popular in 1950, hokey 
stuff we wouldn’t tolerate any other time.  Back to the womb we go 
expecting this event.  Back we go, looking for the future This is 
hardly the behavior of people expecting to be transformed.  Fasting, 
not eating; praying, not shopping; pondering, not partying are 
preparation for transformation.  All that emerges after Thanksgiving is 
about nostalgia, about the good that used to be, not the good that will 
be.  It implies the degradation of life from a better time.  It implies 
the despair of the future.  Or does it?  Perhaps it is all a way of 
saving that which is of lasting value, that which God has done in the 
past is a key to what God will do in the future.  This event we hope 
for will gather up all that is good and leave the rest.  The problem 
for us in anticipating the “refiner’s fire”, though, is that we are so 
attached to the dross and so confused about the distinction between 
dross and gold that the fire frightens us.  We settle gladly for a cool 
Christmas.  But, Paul prays for God to complete the work begun in us.  
That means a Christmas just like last year’s is not the right Christmas 
at all.
 _ Paul’s dreaming of a right Christmas_   (Oops, sorry.)

What is a right Christmas?  It is one that gathers and celebrates the 
mighty acts of God from the past.  Among our tree ornaments is one made 
by our grown son when he was in the third grade with his picture in the 
center of it.  The baby in the manger is ours too.

It is one that foreshadows the coming kingdom characterized by the free 
gift, especially the free gift to the needy, that foreshadows the  
Messianic Banquet by gathering people joyfully, that foreshadows the 
end of enmity by gestures of peace.

But, a right Christmas is always one ready to be completely transformed 
by the sudden appearance of God’s self.

May these thoughts strengthen you.

An Open Letter to Fellow Pastors
>From Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor
 (an e-mail service)

[See Web Page address below for a Children’s Message coordinated with 
these lections.]

http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/

Multiple Sermon Starter Essays are available at
http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/

The MCGREGORPAGE is available free to your email inbox
To subscribe, write the word SUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send it 
to mcgregorpage-request at intenex.net.

To unsubscribe, write the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and send 
it to mcgregorpage-request at intenex.net.

You may contact the author at RMcGregorAlbq at AOL.COM.


      --Copyright 2006, Roland McGregor, all rights reserved—
You have permission to share this material with any individual provided 
that you include the source with e-mail address.



________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL.  Most comprehensive set of free safety and 
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from 
across the web, free AOL Mail and more.