Monthly Archives: November 2016

Why We Need Advent

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“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God an Savior Jesus Christ…” 
Titus 2:11-13

We desperately need a renewed sense of Advent. No. I don’t mean the kind of Advent that is just a countdown to Christmas. Put away your Advent Calendars; those get the whole meaning of Advent backwards. We don’t need to countdown to Christmas, or any more reminders of how many shopping days are left. The world’s got that taken care of.
If you do need help, here’s Toyboy and Santa:

I grew up with this on TV in Wichita. Toyboy was the greatest!

No, what I mean by Advent, and what was originally meant by Advent, was an expectation of the eminent return of Christ. Christmas celebrates Christ’s birth as foretold by Scripture some 2,000 years ago. Advent is the time to refocus our attention on Jesus’ return, as foretold by Scriptures as well.

Christ is coming back! Have you given that much thought today? If we aren’t watching and waiting, if our greatest hope is not the coming again of our Lord and Savior, then do we really know Him? Are we really living in Him? Are we really living for Him?

We need a renewed longing for the return of Christ.

His return is taking time, but rather than absence making the heart grow fonder, it has instead made our heart go wander. Instead of watching and waiting and being prepared for His coming, we have dug in deep roots here and have become entangled in the business and concerns of this madding world. Instead of laying up our treasures in heaven, we have amassed fortunes here on earth, and thus fight and toil to preserve and protect our dynasties from rust and moth and thief (Matthew 6:20). While we tip our hat to the promise of paradise that awaits us, we live as though this life here and now is all that really matters. We think that justice must be swift, and that we must see the results in our lifetime, or the cosmos will be out of balance for generations to come. We continue to put ourselves in the middle of the garden, where God alone belongs, and we think we are fit to reign and rule in His stead.

This is why we need a renewed sense of Advent. We need to be reminded, regularly, that Christ is returning so that we may live accordingly. Perhaps every day should begin with the question, “If Christ were coming tomorrow, what should I do today?” To live each day in faithful obedience, so that when our master returns he will find us as faithful and wise servants (Matthew 24:45-51). We need to be reminded that the treasures of this world are fading, but at God’s right hand are eternal pleasures (Psalm 16:11). We need to be reminded that vengeance and justice are the Lord’s work (Rom 12:19), that the Lord comes with a sword (Isa 66:16; Rev 19:11-16), and He alone will make all things right. We need Advent, to help us lift our eyes to the heavens where we expect his return.

This is why Titus 2:11-13 so perfectly summarizes the Christian life. We begin with the grace of God that has appeared – the birth of Christ, and His life, death, and resurrection – bringing salvation for all people. This is the gospel, the beginning of new life in Christ. Then passage describes the ongoing sanctifying work of Christ in the lives of believers – the training in righteousness, renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions, learning to live self-controlled and upright lives. But then there is the arc of the story, that which is there from the beginning (Gospel) and the middle (training) and through to the very end; namely, Our Blessed Hope in the Appearing of the Glory of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ. We are born again into this living hope, the watchful anticipation of His coming glory.

The last words of the book of Revelation remind us of Christ’s promise, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’” And the reply of all the faithful is, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” Until His return, may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

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As we take time this week to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I thought I would share George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation. While Thanksgiving would not become an officially recognized national holiday until established by Lincoln in 1863 (and made law by Congress in 1941), each state celebrated a day of Thanksgiving in various manners since the original proclamation in 1789. In many places, it was set aside as a time of fasting and prayer, a day of service devoted “that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” What follows is the original proclamation of President George Washington declaring Thursday the 26th of November a national day of Thanksgiving in 1789.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go. Washington