December 3, 2022
The Story of Advent
December 3rd, 2022
Advent feels more than a little different this year. Having a baby is nerve-wracking, exciting, and an overall emotional roller coaster. There is pressure from all areas of life to go about child-rearing in a particular way and make the correct decisions.
Now rewind to Mary. For one, she “broke the norm.” I cannot imagine what it would have felt like to interact with a community who would not be understanding while going through pregnancy. Even Joseph tried to remove himself from the situation and when compared to raising a child, pregnancy is the easy part! After having an angel come and tell her the baby she was growing was in fact the child of God, the pressure from the community wouldn’t matter. The concern (for today) would no longer center around if lunch meat is safe while pregnant, when to introduce a bottle, whether or not spanking scars a child for the rest of his/her life, etc. The pressure to then live a life worthy of being God’s child’s human parents, how to answer questions (there are so many questions), what would childhood even look like for this baby? And in addition to all the questions and fears, to not have a community supporting you? I can only imagine the added stress and fear Mary and Joseph felt. But I also imagine that God instilled them with a sense of peace and confidence, after all, that would not be the craziest thing he had done to/for them.
- Sadie Cullison-Case
December 2, 2022
The Story of Advent
December 2, 2022
Advent Reflection
Frankly, I am not sure that I ever experienced an Advent season before we moved to University Baptist Church in 1990. I certainly had some Christmas ‘season’ experiences prior to that, but the emphasis on the Advent calendar and the season of anticipation were a new thing to me. I thank my family at UBC for both introducing me to this rich season and for keeping the fire alive all these years.
Most of my memories of Advent involve UBC and its special people. Hanging of the Green services, Youth Choir performances, Christmas Eve services, special music, Christmas parties, and of course, Barbara Ellen leading us in “Rudolph.”
But perhaps the most special times have been when people - early in our time in Shawnee - invited us to their homes to spend part of the Advent season with them, knowing we were alone in Shawnee and it was too far to travel to see family. Those are good memories, and the anticipation of experiencing the season with others’ families was great and the experiences were rich, meaningful, and memorable.
Advent is a season of anticipation. The Story of Advent should be a narrative, where characters enter and exit, events take place, and the unexpected happens. It is that season for me. I look forward to the planning and implementation of plans, but I anticipate the unexpected. It is the unexpected - think of the Christmas story in the New Testament - that keeps us coming back. If Christ had just appeared to us one day walking down the street it would have been less than the dramatic - and effective - coming to earth as a baby and becoming fully human. He did not have to do that - he chose it. That is something to anticipate.
- Jim Vernon
December 1, 2022
The Story of Advent
December 1st, 2022
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6 NIV)
The last two verses of the Old Testament are thought to be the last prophetic words from God for 400 years. Then, the events recorded in the Four Gospels take place. John 1 begins with the introduction of the Word and then the ministry of John the Baptist. This is the heart of Advent. It is the heralding of Jesus by John and it is the earthly arrival of Jesus by Mary. But more than those two events it is the waiting, the first Advent arrives after 400 years of Divine Silence.
I do not wait all that well. When my family goes to a restaurant and we are handed one of those square devices I do not take my eyes off of it. I must admit that sometimes I shake my hand while holding it in my palm just to encourage it to light up sooner than it wants to. I would prefer to be the one to hold it. This way I am the first to know the minute it goes off and we can take our seats, to wait some more.
When God did speak, he spoke the Word. The Word that fulfilled all things, answered all things, and completed all things. The first Word, and the last Word. The Word was made flesh and in Eugene Peterson’s words, “moved into the neighborhood.”
The ones who serve at restaurants are of course the real waiters. As we celebrate Advent and anticipate the work of God, we do well to learn from them. “Waiting upon the Lord” may very well mean serving and loving in the name of Jesus. I need to be a better waiter, how about you?
-Justin Dunn
November 30, 2022
The Story of Advent
November 30th, 2022
The story of advent is one of great reflection. We look at the birth of Jesus soon to come, wise men bringing him gifts, what all it meant at the time to those who lived during that period long ago and how it came to impact us now. Time spent waiting in wonder for those long ago, a chance to come together and celebrate now.
A tradition my family has always had was a dinner to remember this time. We all would drive down to my grandparents' home, talk, pray, and spend quality time with each other. A time to come together through travel and celebrate and bring out some cheer and happiness. Through song, gifts, and time. This is something we all wait for each year, but not like the wise men or those who heard the prophecy of Jesus.
It makes me sometimes wonder if there was a fear during the waiting period back before Jesus, wondering if his coming would cause problems for those of the time and the thought that when Jesus arrived, would they have to change their ways immediately before Christ. When I stop to think about this now as I get older, it makes the miracle of Jesus even greater.
In today's story, we have peace in Jesus coming, a strong hope in his story. It makes the story of Advent better and more powerful each year. We have peace now knowing what all comes as our own time of Advent is approached.
- Sam Adams
November 29, 2022
The Story of Advent
November 29th, 2022
Advent is mostly about looking forward, it seems, but as I get older, I spend a lot of time looking back, trying to remember and make sense of the past. Of course, memory is partial and imprecise, and in its own way quite as uncertain as the future. My control of both is limited. Better to live in the present, I think.
Shepherds, wise men, inn keeper—characters in a story we tell, all looking ahead and behind, not really understanding the event that has brought them together in a seemingly insignificant place—a stable. We say that the event changed the world, but did it change them? Did they have any idea of their roles, of their story’s conclusion?
Are we invited to a stable? Or have we already been there and returned? Are we awaiting our grand moment, or recalling the ones we think we have known? Perhaps in each present moment, it is possible to do all three things—to look back and remember, to look ahead and hope, to act now with attention and energy, with humility and gratitude. That’s my wish for advent.
- Doug Watson
November 28, 2022
November 27, 2022
- Meredith Bailey