The Advent: Christ

Merry Christmas. The first four candles have been lit and are burning bright. Now the last and most important one of them all joins them and burns brightest in the middle of them. This is the Christ candle.

It’s hard to say anything that has not been said already about who Christ is and what He means to the holiday. We celebrate Christmas being the night of His birth, and give Him glory by sharing the joy and good tidings of the holiday with those around us. We celebrate His birthday with singing Christmas carols, enjoying holiday feasts, giving gifts, and many other ways. We specifically emphasize gift giving because Jesus was God’s gift to us.

Before I continue, think about the kinds of gifts that you give or receive. Maybe it as a toy that you spend hours playing with, or maybe a tool that you can use to fulfill a necessity in your life, of just something that brings sentimental value to your soul and expresses the love of the giver. Whatever it is, there is always a purpose to the gifts that we give and receive. In the same way, there was a purpose to why Jesus was born that night in Bethlehem, but the reason was not as clear as people thought.

As I have written these articles, I have touched a lot on what the people of Israel were expecting from the Messiah and how Jesus trumped those expectations and fulfilling the prophecies in unexpected ways. I will say once more what people were expecting and then say what the people got instead. They wanted a warrior-like king to take dominion over Herod’s dynasty and overthrow the Roman Empire and have Him live in a luxurious palace and rule over Israel forever. Instead of that, they get a baby born in a manger to a small town carpenter and his wife, and grew up becoming a carpenter himself and then changed roles to a wandering preacher who was despised by the religious leaders and killed by them.

It wasn’t at all like the Jews had hoped, but as it turned out His life was all supported by Scripture and Jesus did what He set out to do and did more than what the people expected. He did not come specifically to free the Jews of the Roman Empire like they wanted. Instead He freed everyone from the real enemy and his bondage over us and our condemnation to hell. He did not raise a sword to wage war on the mortal world, but was raised up on a cross to end a war in the spiritual one. He does not set His dominion over us in a large, luxurious palace, but rather in the hearts of those who accept Him as LORD and Savior.

I hope that each of you who have been keeping up with my blogs have enjoyed these articles on the Advent and my take on the meanings behind the candles. I hope your holidays have been blessed by these articles in some small way. Again, to my family, friends and fellow readers, Merry Christmas.

The Advent: Angel

There are two more candles that I have to write about in honor of Advent. I have already covered Prophecy, Bethlehem and Shepherd. Today I will move on to the fourth one: the Angel candle.

The angel is a recurring figure in the Christmas story as he announces the birth of Christ to everyone from Zechariah to Mary to Joseph to the shepherds and to the wise men. The only angel that is given a name in this story is Gabriel, who many consider the special messenger archangel of Heaven. All I can say about that is that I only know Gabriel to be a servant of God like any other angel.

I like to think of the way that angels saw the Christmas story as it unfolded. I imagine how they had to hold back any news about the coming of the Messiah for four hundred years after revealing it through the prophets. Perhaps it was like that feeling we get at Christmas, where we have a gift for a certain friend or family member and we try so hard to keep the secret till Christmas morning. I think the angels wanted so badly to reveal the secret before the time came. Maybe something like, “Hey, guess what. Jesus is going to be born in a manger from a teenage girl named Mary from Nazareth who is betrothed to this guy named Joseph. And wait till you see our choir performance in Bethlehem on the night of His birth. We’re going to really spook some shepherds.” You have to admit, the more you know the more you want to share it with others.

Well, Gabriel finally got that opportunity to reveal part of it, first to Zechariah, the priest who was married to Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth. Gabriel told Zechariah that Elizabeth would give birth to the prophet who would prepare the way for Christ and announce His arrival to people. This, of course, would be John the Baptist. But Zechariah didn’t seem impressed with the news. He replied in Luke 1:18, “How can I be sure of this? I am so old and my wife is well along in years.” For this, God took away his speech until his son was born.

Then Gabriel had another message to deliver, and I think it was the one that he had waited with more eagerness to tell. He went to Mary and told her that she would be the one to give birth to the Messiah. Mary’s response seems similar to Zechariah’s, only her excuse was that she was not yet married. So why did she not lose her voice? The way I heard it preached once is that when Mary questioned, she was telling God that He was too early, but Zechariah was telling God that He was too late.

Joseph needed to hear this message too. He was the town carpenter who was betrothed to Mary. The Bible does not go into a lot of detail with the reaction of Mary and Joseph’s family when they found out that she was pregnant, but in that time they followed the Law of Moses which stated that a woman found with child before marriage was to be stoned to death, and Joseph had the right to declare the offense as her betrothed. There might have been hostility during that time, but what the Bible does say is that Joseph loved her enough not to make any accusation against her. He thought that the best thing for him to do was to divorce her quietly, but then Gabriel came to him and explained what had happened to Mary. Joseph may have had a minor role in this story, but it is no less important, because he was chosen to be the descendant of David that Christ would be born into, and maybe the angel reminded him of that.

And finally, the moment that all the angels in Heaven were waiting for: the night of His birth. As I imagine what that moment was like, I think of it like this: The very moment that you hear baby Jesus crying as he exits Mary’s womb, the sky is blasted with light as angels enter the atmosphere right above where the shepherds are herding sheep. And then Gabriel declares that the Messiah had come at last while the angel choirs are singing the most beautiful sounding melodies anyone could have heard in his or her lifetime. Sorry Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber, but I don’t think it was such a “silent night” at all. I think that the angels were so excited to send this message that they could not contain themselves.

I think the angels represent the hope and expectation of the season that we repeat when we give gifts to our loved ones. And like them, we have the news of the Messiah that needs to be shared with those who need to hear it most.

The Advent: Shepherd

My articles on the season of Advent continue with the third candle, which is known as the Shepherd candle.

The shepherds have a rather interesting role in the Christmas story because they are the first to receive the news that the Messiah had come on the night of His birth. As it is, they were just doing their job taking care of sheep, when out from nowhere the glorious choir of Heaven announces that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem. In response, the shepherds head for Bethlehem to see the baby and find him where the angel said: in a manger.

The question that many people have is why the shepherds were the first to hear the good news. Of all the people groups that may have seemed worthy to know, like nobles; religious leaders; the whole city; the whole Roman Empire; why the shepherds and why just them? Throughout Scripture, shepherds are looked down upon for having the most insignificant job. In fact, as early as Genesis it talks about how the Egyptians did not even associate with shepherds because of their lowly position. I imagine that even David received such ridicule and despise for his job as a shepherd.

Even though a shepherd was not the most popular of occupations, there was a high demand for sheep, especially in Israel’s culture. Sheep were important because they were needed to be used for sacrifice at the temple. In the Old Testament because the people had no direct contact with God, they needed to offer up sacrifices to cover their own sins, usually through that of a sheep. The shepherds needed to make sure that each one was strong and healthy, especially the firstborn males, to be worthy of presentation to the temple. So I don’t know why are looked down upon for doing something that people really relied on.

As far as their significance to the story, let’s go back to King David and what people expected out of the Messiah. The prophecies would have people believe that the Messiah would be a warrior like David. As I said before, people may have overlooked that David was a shepherd before he was a king. No one would ever think David as kingly material as a shepherd, but there is a quality that shepherds have that relate them to kings. Though both may seem extremely different, like the top versus the bottom rung, both the role of the shepherd and the king are positions of guidance, security and responsibility. Shepherds protect and lead their flock while the king is to lead and protect his nation. Really the king and the shepherd are not so different, and Jesus was born to fulfill the role of shepherd and king.

It was not just a shepherd and not just a king that the shepherds came to see, but also a sheep. Remember, it was the shepherd’s job to tend to the sheep so that they could be used for temple sacrifice to cover the sins of an individual. Jesus came so that He would be the once and for all sacrifice to cover our sins by taking them with him on the cross.

There is more that I want to say about the shepherds, but the only thing I know to say about them is that they were given an opportunity to witness the arrival of the King of kings, the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God. Whatever the reason God chose them to see Jesus first, they had as much right as anyone to see Him.

The Advent: Bethlehem

Last week I wrote an article about the Prophecy candle for the season of Advent as part of the Christmas celebration. Now I will continue writing about these five candles, now on to the second candle.

The second one to be lit is known as the Bethlehem candle. This one represents the city that Jesus was born in. Bethlehem has a lot of history in the Bible that makes it a fitting birthplace for the Messiah.

One of the earliest mention of the city is in Genesis. Before it was named Ephrath and was along the way that many of the patriarchs crossed during their travels through Canaan. Somewhere close to the town is the burial place of Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife. It has also been the home of some significant leaders in Israel’s history, like Izban, one of the judges that led Israel before they had a human king. The most significant person to have been born in that city was King David, the successor of Israel’s first king, Saul, and described to be a man after God’s own heart. Micah prophesied this place to be the city as the birthplace of the Messiah, possibly to remind the people of its legacy. Some of Israel’s greatest and most unlikely heroes emerged from this city, so it was a very fitting place for the Messiah to appear.

Another point to add with the fact that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, known as the city of David, is that the Messiah would be born from the line of David. I think this adds to the effect of the prophecy, because this told people what kind of person to expect: a hero just like David. However, I think people were still expecting a leading general or someone of great stature as the Messiah, not a carpenter’s son. So perhaps most completely disregarded the fact that anyone from Joseph’s family could be the Messiah. I wonder if the people disregarded the fact that David came from a humble origin as well. He didn’t start out as a mighty prince living in full luxury in a palace, but rather out in the fields as a shepherd.

Even though Bethlehem was the birthplace of some of Israel’s heroes, it wasn’t as large of a city, especially in comparison to its neighbor, Jerusalem. So it was probably no wonder that Mary and Joseph could not find any room to stay at the time of Jesus’s birth. In fact, in a New Testament survey class that I took in college, I learned about what the average household in Bethlehem looked like, and an inn was not what most think of when they think of an inn. It was probably not like a hotel with individual rooms, but more likely a relative’s single-room house filling up floor space with sleeping mats. Not only was the stable their only means of finding room, but also privacy while giving birth.

Given these thoughts about the prophecies and history behind the town of Bethlehem, the point to take away from this part of Advent is that Bethlehem teaches us about the humility of Christ. To put aside the glory of God and leave His throne in Heaven, to be born as a human being in a small village, and in a stable of all places, was probably humbling enough without later having to grow up to become a falsely accused criminal and to die a death that would subject him to ridicule and torment. Jesus’s whole life tells us an amazing story of how much He loves us. He gave up so much for us to give us the freedom to receive Him as Christ as LORD and Savior.

The Advent: Prophecy

It is hard to deny that Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year. When I get to the last week of November and see my family start to get the Christmas decorations out, see Christmas lights in the city, hear Christmas music on the radio, and see special Christmas programs on TV, I get excited. I enjoy seeing signs of the season and seeing how people participate in the holidays with a festive spirit in their hearts.

As a Christian, I know that the decorations and seasonal traditions are not the most important part of the holiday, but knowing the meaning behind all of them makes it all the more memorable. How we use the evergreen to represent the eternal life that was made available by Christ Jesus, how the red foreshadows the sacrifice that He would pay on the cross, how giving gifts reminds us of the gift that God gave us through His Son are a few of the examples of how God’s Spirit remains in the holiday.

One tradition that is common at the church, or in someone’s household, is the Advent candles. These are five candles, each with its own meaning that is lit within the appropriate time of the days before Christmas. There are four candles that circle around one, which represents Christ that is lit last, often on Christmas Eve. I thought that to honor the Christmas holiday I would focus on the Advent candles and write an article about each before Christmas.

The first one that is lit is the Prophesy Candle. This candle represents the prophecies that were foretold of Christ before He came. When we think of the prophecies of Jesus we might recall names like Isaiah, Micah, Habakkuk, Zechariah and others who have foretold His coming centuries before it happened.

The prophets may not be the most popular figures of the Christmas story, but they are as much a part of it as Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds and the wise men. They are important because they are referred to in order to confirm Jesus as the Messiah.

The prophets lived in hard times in Israel’s history, such as the destruction of two divided kingdoms, and their time of exile in Babylon. During these times God gave a message to the people like Isaiah, Jeremiah and others promising them deliverance that would take place with the coming of a hero known as the Messiah. They told how the Messiah would be the Son of God and that He would live among the people of Israel and display a righteousness and grace and deliver them from bondage.

Since then the Jews returned to their homeland and fell into the hands of the Roman Empire. Things did not seem to improve for the people of Israel and around that time they were waiting intently for the Messiah. Most likely they were expecting a warlord of some kind to rise up and fight against King Herod and the Roman Empire. After four hundred years of waiting, a new message had come to a teenage girl named Mary from the small town of Nazareth: she would be the one to bear Him.

What followed was an incredible turn of events that may not have made sense to Mary or her fiancé, Joseph. This hero that the nation was expecting was conceived in her and would cause her labor pains in a smelly stable near an inn, one of many in an over-packed city of Bethlehem. Sometime later she and her husband were on the run bound for Egypt in order to protect Him from a citywide genocide on the babies of Bethlehem.  After that they headed back to the town where they grew up and would raise the long awaited Savior to be a carpenter.

While all of this was going on, I think Mary and Joseph had to stop and wonder why such a humble beginning for who would be their hope of salvation. But at the same time, I wonder if they took a moment to marvel at the turn of events around them and see the prophecies unfold before them. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit to be born of a virgin; He was born in the city of David; He came out of Egypt; He was a Nazarene. As they doing what God called them to do, it must have been evident to them that everything was lining up to what the prophets had said about Him beforehand. It must have confirmed for them that this was indeed he promised Messiah who had come to save. It may not have been clear to them what He was to save them from, but they had peace of mind that this was the will of God.

As the rest of Jesus’s life unfolded, more prophecies were fulfilled in unexpected ways. No, it was not what the people expected, but all of the prophecies were confirmed through Him in one way or another. Jesus did not do what the Jews expected and rule as king over them and disband the Roman Empire. Instead He did something better: He died and rose again to free us from the bondage of sin. That was the intent all along.