December 24, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 24, 2022

I love a story with a happy beginning. Why do we love stories that begin, “Once upon a time…”? As great as that opening line is, there is one better. It is: “Fear not!” It creates enormous anticipation because we don’t know what precedes the assumed conjunction, “but.” Can you think of a line that starts a story with more white-knuckled, slack-jawed angst than “fear not”?

I asked my father, who served as a pastor for many years, to recall a time when he could say that God was very present in the moment. With hundreds of memories to call upon, he didn’t hesitate. One of my father's duties during World War II was guarding German prisoners of war who were being transported to Oklahoma to work on farms. On a cold winter’s night, Christmas Eve, on one of those trains, quiet and full of young men, cold, homesick and afraid, Dad said that all of a sudden a German soldier began to sing: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schlдft; einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh! Before he could finish the first verse, everyone on the train was singing Silent Night, together, in their own native tongue.

In a cemetery at Fort Reno, near El Reno, Oklahoma, some of those young Germans are buried. They never made it back to their homeland. They wore the uniform of one of the most dehumanizing movements in our history. Still, somehow there is something beautiful in a moment when people remember a story that begins, “Fear not!”

- Dave Fuller

December 23, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 23rd, 2022

Recently our Poet-in-Residence, Brent Newsom, shared with me a volume of Christmas poetry titled Remembering That It Happened Once, compiled and edited by Dennis Johnson. Two of Brent’s poems are included in this volume.

Often I feel like the first person to experience things, owing to the fact that I often fall into the “it’s all about me” attitude of life. This incredibly selfish way of looking at one’s existence is something I fight all the time - but I hope as I age that I get better at it.

When thinking about the Story of Advent it is easy to think that our own experiences and anticipation are the only ones, at least temporarily. But it is instructive to see how centuries (nay, millennium) of Christians have devoted much thought and contemplation on the Christmas story and how the anticipation of Advent and of the birth of the Christ Child feeds our soul and enlightens our Christian being. This wonderful volume of poetry encompasses works as old as the early Christian Era and as new as the last few years.

We are part of the ages-old story of the Story of Advent. Our part is important - we must relish the opportunity to re-tell, re-energize, and relate to the Story. But the season of Advent reminds us all to once again to put aside ourselves, think of others, and experience the Story as if we had never heard it before.

The Story is captured in this beautiful ancient poem by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090—1153). May this poem from Remembering It Happened Once help you to think fresh about Advent and the anticipation of the coming Christ Child.

You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms,
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.

- Jim Vernon

December 22, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 22nd, 2022

Advent was something that I didn’t know much about until my family joined University Baptist Church, so most of my thoughts on this time of the year come from piecing together others’ long held traditions and beliefs. One particular facet of Advent that has always stood out to me was the idea of waiting.

There are times when I am very good at waiting…and times when I am just completely terrible at it. Most of the time, waiting comes with anxiety; waiting comes with fear or sometimes even bitterness. I can only imagine what waiting for the coming of the Savior felt like; the rumors, the hope, the “maybe this is He;” we all feel the eager anticipation of the return of our Lord and what that will be like one day.

When we were younger, my grandmother used to say that my brother, like his uncle before him, thought Christmas Eve was an eternity. He would beg to open presents first and eat later. How often do we feel that way about life? Just let me have what I want, I promise I’ll still be thankful for it! We live in a world that is geared around instant gratification, and often we forget about the sweetness of anticipation in light of the anxiety of expectation. In striving for patience–real patience, in our hearts–we strive to see what God has for us, and not settle for what we want at that moment. We may never completely understand why we are asked to wait, but as we are reminded in the Christmas season through the observance of Advent, there is beauty in waiting.

- Linsey Brown

December 21, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 21st, 2022

I have never thought about Advent that much. When I was younger I thought it was just a fancy word for Christmas time. I would hear that word here and there, but never put much thought into it. All throughout my life my family has done Advent Calendars, we have 3. The first one is a house with a little bear and you move the bear to a different room every day as he searches for Christmas until he finds Christmas in the living room. The second is a little lego scene that we slowly put together that reveals a family decorating for Christmas. The last one is a stuffed manger and every day we put up an angel, sheep, Wiseman, or anyone involved in the nativity until we bring in Christmas by putting up baby Jesus. Every year there is some quarrel between me and my siblings on who does what for which calendar. I just always saw these calendars as this epic countdown to presents and new pajamas. But as I have gotten older I realize that is correct, but also wrong. Yes, this is an epic countdown, but no, not just for any present. This is for the greatest present this world has ever seen; a present that we have basically built our entire lives around. Christmas is not found in a living room or a little lego set but in the hope that baby Jesus gave us all those years ago. In other words, Advent is one epic countdown to the hope of eternal life, brought by a baby.

Merry Christmas!!!!

-Clara Timmons

December 20, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 20, 2022

The story of Advent is the story of the appearance of the Messiah, the anointed one. How you tell the story of his coming depends on where you want to start. The evangelist Mark, for example, begins the story in the Judean countryside with John the Baptist calling his hearers to repentance, promising them forgiveness. The Baptist also pointed toward One to come, more powerful than himself, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. In this telling, Advent has a prophetic nature: it is both summons and promise.

The evangelists Matthew and Luke begin the story of Advent further back, each with a genealogy of Jesus’ forebears and an account of his birth. Matthew reaches back through King David to the patriarch Abraham, while Luke reaches back to Adam himself. In these tellings, Advent is historical, the unfolding of a human drama stretching back through the generations, heralded by dreams, heavenly signs, oracles, and angels’ songs, culminating in the appearances of John and Jesus. For Matthew and Luke, Advent is a time of fulfillment and new life; it is a human story, grounded in the faithfulness and power of God.

John’s Gospel trumps all these Advent stories by taking us back to the very beginning of the cosmos, when God spoke the worlds into being through the Word, creating light and life. More importantly, in this Gospel, creation issues forth in the incarnation, when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. In this telling, Advent is revelation: light dispelling darkness, word becoming flesh, new birth through faith.

In any telling, the story of Advent is good news. The Messiah has appeared, bringing salvation near. It’s a story that needs to be told, over and over, no matter where one begins.

- Charles Swadley

December 19, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 19th, 2022

There have been three long periods of absence of major wars between the great powers of the period, the first being Pax Romana [27 B.C.-180 A.D.], from end of Napoleonic Wars to beginning of WWI [1815-1914], We have been in the Long Peace since post-WWII [1945] . In the first two periods, peace was achieved by the dominant military powers Rome and Great Britain. The third period results from the balance of nuclear powers [U.S. China, Russia] and mutual defense pacts between smaller nations associated with them such as NATO’s 30 member nations backed by the U.S. and the most likely to lead us into war.

The time for Jesus' birth was quite fortuitous and certainly not random. There is little in the N.T. about Christianity’s relations with Rome because they were good until his crucifixion. Roman law provided protection, their excellent roads and maritime transportation supporting the ‘corn dole’ were essential to missionary travel, and the Greek language and culture underlying transmission of the gospel continue to be key to advancing the gospel.

Jesus’ greatest enemies were not the State but Jewish leaders and their particular interpretation of the O.T. They would lose their perquisites and power in Jesus’ kingdom.

I think few understood the full implication of Jesus ‘ coming, for if they had, they would have killed him aborning. By age 30 He and the world understood his true reality, and some sought to protect him and others to kill him. Hence he was given only 3 years to proclaim the Kingdom. Thus he slipped under Roman radar and was protected by them from the Jewish threat. We need a 2nd advent now in nations hostile to the gospel.

- Bob Allison

December 18, 2022

December 17, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 17th , 2022

Fort Smith...late November... 1953.

Dr. Josephs walked into the exam room and introduced himself. He then lifted Maggie's radiograph to the overhead light. Daughter Jennifer was with her. "You picked cotton as a young girl, didn't you?" he asked. "Why... yes I did," Maggie responded. "How did you know that?" "It's evident from the way your spine looks... no wonder you have back problems." "Well, I had to go to the fields to help support the family... I was the oldest." "How many mouths were there?" "By high school... eleven... I was always carrying babies around, too." "And what did your father do?" "He was a drunkard." "So was Daddy," Jennifer added. "Goodness," Dr. Josephs said wide-eyed, "you hurt in more ways than one, don't you?" "Yes she does," Jennifer answered. Maggie Sue Podge... eighty-one with three grown daughters, six grown and almost-grown grandchildren, had been widowed from her alcoholic husband for twenty years. Within doctor, patient, and daughter, emotion descended and welled. "If I could have some relief," Maggie said through sniffles, "last Christmas was spent in bed... my back... the other doctor wasn't--" "--any help," Jennifer said through her own sniffles.. "Doctor," Maggie began, "a great-grandbaby is coming in December.... a newborn with Baby Jesus... most marvelous, don't you think?" Dr. Josephs, remembering his own mother's back problems, responded, "I want to help you have a marvelous Christmas." Eyes closed, Maggie prayed softly, "Please... come Lord." With an arm around her mom's shoulder, Jennifer added, "Amen." And Advent entered with threefold hope for Maggie Sue Podge: Togetherness, great-grandbaby, and Baby Incarnate. And Hope did not disappoint.

- Larry Inman

December 16, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 16th, 2022

It was a hot August day. I was seven and my sister was four. It was silage season, and cutting was in full swing. Everyone on our farm was extremely busy! My family was also eagerly awaiting the arrival of a baby any day. As a farm family the seasonal responsibilities of planting, tending crops, and harvesting are the primary focus. There are even times when more than one activity is occurring simultaneously.

The anticipated arrival of the baby was not as pressing as the importance of getting the silage cut and into the silo. When my mother went into labor, she was dropped off at the hospital. No one stayed there to watch or wait. After several hours of labor, a phone call to my grandmother announced the birth. My sister and I were tasked to go out to the nearby field (within sight of Grandmother’s house) and tell my Dad that the baby had arrived. I still remember holding my sister’s hand, filled with joy and excitement as we walked across the field. We were bringing great news to my Dad, Granddaddy and Grandad that we had a BABY BROTHER!

The birth of my brother was a big event in our family! I can recall people visiting our home just to meet Tony.And so it must have been for Mary and Joseph. The angels announced the birth of the Savior! The first visitors were shepherds straight from the fields. After generations of waiting and anticipation the Messiah had arrived!That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were watching their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The angel said, “Don’t’ be afraid! I have good news for you: this very day a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord! You will find him dressed in cloth and lying on a bed of hay.”After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying on a bed of hay. And Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. – Luke 2:8-12; 15-16; 19

- Marguerite McDowell

December 15, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 15th, 2022

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2:18

What exactly was Mary pondering? That the baby she just gave birth to was really the Messiah who was to come and generations anticipated his arrival? Was it a shock that Angels spoke to the Shepherds who came to worship this baby—her baby? That God chose her and her betrothed Joseph to raise this child?

Was she generally a contemplative person or was she anxious about whether she was up to the task of raising the Son of God? That was quite a responsibility placed onto the young woman, not even an adult herself, to take care of the baby Jesus and help him on his path to become the Savior of the world.

This verse leaves many questions and many different scenarios, but what I think this means is that Mary thought carefully about what she had learned from the Angel’s message, Scriptures, and what the Shepherds shared with them. She took that knowledge and prayed for further guidance. In today’s world, it is so easy to live with anxiety and worry and overthink without any benefit. When we ponder decisions we must not forget to recall what we have learned from the Bible and use that inspired Word of God to help us while we contemplate our life situation and seek those answers of how to cope in this chaotic world that is so in need of Jesus today.

Perhaps, the lesson is we should all be more like Mary and ponder more and speak less. We are so quick to voice an opinion or a thought that causes more strife and discord, instead, let us ponder and pray and remain silent until we feel God has given us a reason to speak or to act.

- Shelley L. Levisay

December 14, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 14th, 2022

As we enter into the coldest darkest part of the year, we celebrate the coming of the light of the world. It is a beautiful reminder that when things feel dark, cold and lonely God is with us. When our lives feel hard, overwhelming, and dark God shows up with light and love. God is with us. God humbly meets us where we are. God sees us. God wants to know us. God identifies with God’s people. God hears us. God came to live among us. We have a God that shows up over and over again. God is with us, declaring we all belong, offering connection and unity. God reaches out to the outcast and the marginalized. God offers reconciliation and healing. Love offers the invitation to be transformed. We are given strength and wholeness rooted in the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.

The Christ child is born to a young girl. Angels tell the good news to lowly shepherds. The stars declare the good news to noble foreigners.

All are welcomed in. All are seen and loved.

The advent story is a story of goodness, brokenness, and love. There is a world needing to be reconnected, a world needing wholeness.

The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not overcome it.

Often God shows up in surprising ways. Often Love surprises us. Often Love challenges and transforms us. The God of love showed up in an unexpected way to challenge, serve, transform, bring wholeness and make new. Love and Light transform the dark places and bring wholeness into the broken places.

Advent is the story of the Hope, Peace, Joy and Love Christ brings.

- Allison Kentle

December 13, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 13th, 2022

My childhood Christmas memories always involved an advent of sorts. Not advent calendars and certainly not anything related to church, but there was always a period of expectant waiting. Every Christmas we would gather at my grandparents’ house and, inevitably, it turned into a waiting game as my Auntie M. and Uncle Pat drove up from Texas. We had to wait for them to arrive before we could eat. And we had to eat before we could get to the good stuff…the presents! The thing about Auntie M. and Uncle Pat is they were (and still are) notorious for running late. Like, really late. As the minutes turned into hours, my anticipation and excitement turned to nervousness and despair, exasperation and sheer agony. My little sister and I would take turns standing at the front door, peering out the window, checking the driveway. Until finally, with such excitement and sweet relief we could exclaim, “They’re here! They’re here!”

Since then the Christmas season (and Advent specifically) looks a lot different, both as a Christian and as an adult in general. And although my focus has shifted, the expectant waiting remains. Advent is a time for me to set life’s distractions and my current worries aside to reflect on the wonder and awe of the humble birth story of Jesus. A time to remember the precious gift of His presence in this world. A time to consider all the ways that He continues to offer hope, joy, peace, and love to everyone on this earth. And finally, with excitement and sweet relief, it is a time to proclaim, “He is here! He is here!”

– Courtney Lewellen

December 12, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 12th, 2022

Mary, Did You Know?

As a Bible teacher and sometimes preacher, I tried to help people dig a little deeper into the meaning of the Bible for their lives. One strategy I learned a long time ago was to imagine I could interview a biblical character about his or her actions and motives. In the Advent season you and I might imagine time travel were possible, and we could interview someone mentioned in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, the chapters that treat the events leading up to Jesus' birth. The composer of a popular, newer Christmas song ("Mary, Did You Know?") imagined he could interview Mary, the mother of Jesus. Who would you interview? Mary, Joseph, the wise men, the shepherds who visited the newborn Jesus, Elizabeth, or Zechariah? Since I am an older guy, I might want to talk to Anna or Simeon (Luke 2: 25-38).

Presuming you or I talked to Mary, we could ask about her hopes and anxieties before the birth of her son. Maybe we would ask about the family’s visit to the Temple when Jesus was 12 years old. Mary was present for Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water to wine at Cana. The gospels report many reactions to the baby Jesus. Even more important is how you respond to Jesus now! Advent is the time we prepare for Christmas, the celebration of Jesus' birth. Are you a follower of Jesus? How do you honor Jesus in your daily life? The Advent and Christmas seasons will be over in a few weeks, but our lives as Jesus' disciples stretch out before us in 2023 and beyond.

- Warren McWilliams

December 11, 2022

- Ford Mastin

December 10, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 10th, 2022

When I was a child, Advent was intricately linked with those Advent calendars that had little chocolates behind the door flaps for each day. I’m sure I was vaguely aware of us lighting the Advent candles at church, but those chocolates really had my attention. I had no idea what chocolates had to do with the coming of baby Jesus, but they were delicious.

Later, when I was in graduate school, I had a good friend who shared her family’s Advent traditions with me. Her father even wrote a book called, “Christmas Out of the Advent Box” (available on Amazon). For me, this was the first time that the season of Advent and all its many activities and traditions began to focus on the telling of the story of the coming of Christ. Instead of containing chocolates, the Advent box contains daily activities and adventures for families to do together to tell the story of Christmas throughout the season of Advent. Each activity focuses on Christmas traditions such as presents, lights, Christmas trees, and Santa Claus and points these traditions to the coming of Christ. For example, one day contains pencils so that family members can make plans for the Christmas season, just as God made plans for the coming of Christ. Another day contains a light bulb to signify that the family put up their Christmas lights and be reminded that Jesus is the light of the world. One day contains a gingerbread house tree ornament with a reminder that Bethlehem means “House of Bread,” and the family makes gingerbread houses on that day. The list goes on, but the point is that everything we do during the Christmas season can be a part of telling the story of Advent.

- Cherith Tucker

December 9, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 9th, 2022

The story of Advent is, in some ways, a story of home—of Jesus leaving His home in heaven to come to our world, of families eagerly anticipating reunions “back home” to celebrate Christ’s birth, and of each of us finding a home for our hearts in the true meaning of the Christmas season.

Despite growing up in church, my first memorable exposure to the term Advent occurred when I started dating my husband, Patrick, whose family follows a different Christian tradition. I remember attending services with his family, being in awe of the warm glow of their church sanctuary, and wondering at this thing called Advent. Rather than having a single Sunday in late December devoted to the story of Jesus in the manger, their tradition devoted an entire season to preparing their hearts and minds for Christmas. I found this to be a beautiful practice both of inviting the Holy Spirit to be at home in us throughout the busyness of the Christmas season and of us finding our home (hope, love, joy, and peace) in Him.

The idea of “home” might mean any number of things (not all of them easy) to you, and our view of home might change across different seasons of life. But, the warmth and beauty of the Advent season offer a simple but poignant reminder that we can find a home in Christ this Christmas—and we can invite Him to find his home in our hearts (John 14:23). After all, as the song says, “there’s no place like home for the holidays.”

- Sarah Marsh

December 8, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 8th, 2022

In the church where I grew up, I don’t remember ever hearing the word Advent. When it became part of my vocabulary, I spent time helping write an Advent book. Now when I think of the baby Jesus, I want to know the rest of the story. The baby spoke no words, but the adult Jesus gave us a number of reasons why he came. One verse that comes to my mind is John 10:10b: “I have come in order that you might have life–life in all its fullness” (Today’s English Version).

E. Stanley Jones in his book Abundant Living said that “our age knows almost everything about life except how to live it.” Too many people never find that life because they are looking for it in all the wrong places.

How do we find life in all its fullness? First, the Christian life is God-oriented. The Westminster Catechism says man’s chief end is to glorify God. This is the motive behind all we do as Christians.

Next, God is the ultimate authority. Jesus prayed, “Not my will but Thine be done.” When we follow God’s will for our lives, full or abundant life is possible. The ideal for a Christian is Christlikeness. We don’t reach this ideal here on earth, but we work toward it. The full or abundant life is a life of love. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Let us pray for God’s help to truly love as he loves.

- Lynda Pence

December 7, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 7th, 2022

My closest experience with advent growing up was with a felt fabric Christmas tree that hung on our wall with 25 little pockets and we looked forward to getting a chocolate every morning during the month of December before school. Every Christmas Eve my family would read Luke 2 and we would discuss the real meaning of Christmas. My understanding of Advent as an entire season is still expanding and growing, and after looking up the meaning of the word, I’m now pondering what it means to have expectant waiting, hopeful anticipation, and joyful preparation for the Savior leading up to Christmas. I think for me, the waiting, anticipation, and preparation have been tied to candy and presents as a kid, and as an adult, my focus has mainly been on providing those outward experiences for my own kids. I’m learning now there is potential for so much more.

There seems to be a lot of symbolism for the gospel story within the advent themes. It reminds me not only of the second coming of Christ, but also how we can live on a daily basis. With God working in our lives, there is hopefulness and joy even when things get complicated and painful. In the depths of winter, we hope for the coming of spring and new life! Waiting without meaning or purpose feels empty and frustrating. But finding purpose and anticipation from God in your life through both the ups and downs helps us discover joy in the journey. I’m looking forward to applying these themes to advent this year and focusing more on our Savior Jesus Christ throughout this entire Christmas season.

- Megan Hardy

December 6, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 6th, 2022

I grew up with lots of cousins: 28 first cousins on my Mother’s side, and 2 on my Dad’s side. When we were children, visits from our cousins were the cause of much anticipation. Some cousins lived near enough to visit frequently; others lived long distances and only visited occasionally. The visits were always the cause for celebration and preparation. We cleaned the house. My mother prepared favorite family recipes. Space was arranged for overnight guests. We could hardly wait for the day when the cousins arrived! We were excited to share about our lives and catch up on events since the last visit; hear the telling (and re-telling) of family stories; and share the joys of playing with the cousins near our age. Our cousins always looked forward to coming to Shawnee: roaming the farm, helping with chores, and getting into all kinds of mischief were part of the experience! The experience of spending time and sharing with family might have caused Mary to seek out her cousin, Elizabeth. The angel Gabriel told Mary about Elizabeth’s pregnancy and that was a good reason for the visit. “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age. For nothing is impossible with God.”. Luke 1:36 So, Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea for a visit with Elizabeth. As Mary traveled, she must have thought about all the things that she would tell her cousin. Elizabeth, too, must have awaited Mary’s arrival with many things on her mind. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1:41 It states in scripture that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and returned home. Imagine the conversations these two women might have shared – the wonders of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Zechariah and later to Mary; the joys and worries of pregnancy; and their hopes and dreams for their babies’ futures.

- Marguerite McDowell

December 5, 2022

The Story of Advent

December 5th, 2022

When I was growing up in the 1940s, in midwinter my parents set up little characters and animals for a manger scene. The figures were made of a plaster that chipped easily, so the paint was damaged and the shepherd broke and was replaced by a shepherd that was too large. It was a motley and battered group.

We built a little manger to house the scene and lit it with a candle. My father read the Matthew/Luke birth story aloud on Christmas eve, mixing that story into our memories of the manger scene, the cedar tree we cut and brought in, and the gifts that mysteriously appeared on Christmas morning.

All these created a yearly mini-drama that my parents put on. It said that we children were lovingly cared for in an imperfect way that had magical edges around it.

I found the figures for the manger scene in their old box not long ago and showed them to my brother, the only kin remaining from those childhood joys. Now in our 80s and less starry-eyed than we were so many years ago, we were nevertheless disappointed by how small and damaged the figures are.

My brother asked, “Why don’t you throw those away?”

Not yet, dear brother. These mismatched broken figures recall memories that shaped our lives. Yearly Advent gatherings in darkening winters wove hope and security into the experiences that helped sustain us. Look again at this scene from our childhood and think on the encouraging mystery as death looms for us. Then, after that last event, a son or daughter can throw away the old manger scene.

- Joe Hall