Good News for a Future

Emmanuel – God with Us Jesus’ story, like other human stories, begins with birth and goes to death. The same but different. Something more is happening so that that event can become part of every human life – our life. Our theme: “God with Us.” Unexpected entry; Refugee; at Long last. God chooses a very distinctive way to create a bridge from God to Us. It’s truly wise and powerful beyond imagining, but overturns every structure of smart power we build. We humans live in a moment. The limitation of life unfolds in Genesis. The Big Bang, 13.75 billion yrs ago. All written human history, 6,000 yrs. But in the scale of God’s infinity, the Big Bang is hardly longer ago than the pyramids or cave paintings. Other things determine value, meaning. 2 Pet. 3:8. God’s bridge draws my human life into the long past and future of the human drama and into the heights and depths of God’s life. Being Part of a Long Past and Long Future We have no idea what it’s like to be God. Timeless?

Joy at Long Last

People Waiting for Joy through Long ... Experience Luke takes us into the life of faithful Jews near the end of Herod’s violent reign. Zechariah/ Elizabeth; Mary/Joseph; Simeon and Anna. Two young, four elderly. The old ones lived through the old days and know they weren’t better. They carry the long expectation. Isaiah, before the exile, foresaw Israel’s royal hope cut off. But a branch would grow from the stump. He would bear God’s Spirit; God’s heart for justice; God’s renewal. What joy! Things started happening: Gabriel, Zechariah, Mary, Elizabeth, John’s birth. Mary and Joseph bring an astonishing child (angels-shepherds) to the Temple for faithful obedience, 6 bc.

Peace Refugee from Human Violence

Refugee, Exile, Alienation – Home Advent and Christmas present positive images of Peace and Love. It’s striking that the Gospels don’t edit the story of Jesus’ birth for sweetness and uplift. The event of Jesus enters the long story of human separation, alienation from God and each other. God strives to bring us back home, to reality, to real life. We’re refugees who enjoy our exile and have set up life in it with our own power structures, pretending all is fine. Exile is all there is. We don’t need a Creator. Alienation hits every level: our hearts, relationships, societal/ political structures, a break of earth from heaven. Can anything really New break in?

God's Unexpected Entry

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Many Anticipations Become One Event After disastrous exiles that ended kingdom in Israel and Judah– prophets and people anticipated the return of God in glory. When, how would he come? Restored Temple. New King-Messiah. Pure priest. Son of Man–people receive kingdom. Suffering servant–for people. Could Gentiles be included? Or a purified people? Or do we just keep up tradition? Jesus, in his teaching and action, is the first to unify and embody all these anticipations. People struggled to grasp uniting glorious Messiah with suffering servant, transformed temple, and included outsiders. In Jesus’ death and resurrection they realized that Jesus was the very Advent of the One God, who used the human forms and anticipated images to show himself in the person of Jesus – the one and only Son, glory, and suffering.