Advent: Holding Fast

Abraham had been waiting a long time. God promised him a heritage that would bless “all the families of the earth,” but fulfillment of the promise had not been realized. What at first seemed like an extraordinary gift had become a source of frustration and disappointment. In the face of the delay, Abraham’s faith had faltered more than once and he made decisions that had unwelcome consequences. Finally, a propitious wind blew and fanned the flames of his faith and he was transformed. The promise settled into his soul and he was able to heed and trust the word of God, even a command that seemingly negated everything God had previously spoken.

Abraham’s Advent experience is instructive. He had his own period of waiting that placed huge demands on his ability to hold fast to the word that God had spoken. And though he is remembered for his willingness to raise his knife over the promised heir to slay him, convinced that God had the power to raise him from the dead, such bold believing was not always his. He lost confidence and settled for shortcuts and man-made solutions. 

His wait, however, turned out to be a mere 24 years. How long has it been since the church received the promise that Jesus would return to judge the world and gather to himself his own? Nearly 2000 years. 2000 years is a long time. Long enough to cause a soul to doubt that he's ever going to return. Long enough to drift from the teaching that promised reward on that day for the faithful, the “one who overcomes.” Long enough to convince a disciple that deferred gratification is not as sensible as immediate gratification.

This Advent, let’s ask God for the grace to hold fast to our confession of faith without wavering, believing that the one who came and gained the victory over the deceiver and the evil he unleashed is coming again to bring full restoration to all that he has made.

What, Me Worry?

“What, me worry?” Alfred E. Neuman, Mad Magazine

Alfred E. Neuman, the jug eared, tousle-headed, gap-toothed grinning icon that has graced the cover of Mad Magazine for decades, appears perpetually unperturbed by whatever is going on around him. His is an absurdly anxiety free existence. No matter what transpires, “What, me worry?”

Ah, if it were only so easy. In truth, only a fictitious character is capable of uttering such a statement. Real life is fraught with too many opportunities to fret. Whether close at hand or coming to us from thousands of miles away through various forms of media, an uncertain and threatening future looms, troubling our souls.

There’s no denying the many sources of uncertainty, but is there an alternative to worry? The Scriptures clearly teach that there is. Jesus acknowledges the reasons for why we might be troubled, but he urges us to look above the temporal circumstance to the One who dwells in eternity. This is not some “pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by” pitch on his part. On the contrary, he is asserting that we can have a bold assurance that our “heavenly Father,” the one who “clothes the grass of the field” in raiment more wonderful than anything Solomon wore, and feeds the birds of the air who “neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,” will take care of us, for we are “of more value” than the other beloved objects of his creation. (Cf. Matthew 6:25-34)

The apostle Paul similarly encourages confidence in the face of circumstances that give rise to worry. As Jesus assured that he would never leave or forsake us, and he fulfilled his promise by sending the Holy Spirit to communicate his love and care for us, the apostle, knowing that “the Lord is at hand,” instructs us to “not be anxious about anything.” Rather than worry, he teaches that we should pray: “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” What will result from this, he assures, is our worry being replaced with “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” that “will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5-7).

On this side of life, I don’t think we’ll ever get to the place of blissful, unperturbed equanimity suggested by Mad Magazine’s front man. But we can pursue the promised peace that God offers by turning to him in prayer, “casting all [our] anxieties on him because he cares for [us]” (Cf. 1 Peter 5:7).

Becoming Persuaded

It’s not unusual to receive a report from Open Doors or Voice of the Martyrs (organizations that monitor the persecution of Christians) about a woman or man who formerly would have identified as Muslim but has now converted to Christianity, being threatened with death unless he or she converts back to Islam. It's humbling to hear of the threatened brother or sister holding “fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). Why would they rather die than yield up their belief in Christ? It can only be that they have become persuaded that faith in Christ is more valuable than even life itself.

Persuading people is at the heart of the gospel enterprise, while “point-of-the-sword” conversions, like the kind alluded to above, are anathema. Though the church has been guilty of promoting such spurious “conversions,” it was not the practice of the apostles and cannot be the practice of any gospel believing and preaching church.

The gospel is a message to be proclaimed and believed. Both activities engage the heart and mind. Coercive practices subjugate them.  A person might submit out of fear, but fear is not faith – and faith is what is called for by the good news.

In this vain, it’s important to acknowledge that Paul says that he could have “commanded” Philemon to receive Onesimus back but preferred to appeal to him (Philemon 8-9). This is because, I would suggest, Paul trusted the gospel way of getting things done. He wanted his friend to be personally persuaded that forgiveness, love, and reconciliation was the right course of action for a Christian. And being persuaded, he could meet the personal and societal challenges of such a turn of events with persevering faith.

So, whether it’s first coming to faith in Christ or pressing on in the new life set before us, being persuaded as to the goodness of the person, purposes, and power of God is key. Without being convinced of these things we will not joyously follow Christ out of love and faith. Our hearts will lack ardor and our faith will prove tentative and, as we will be prone to doubts and fears, the ability to confess, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13) will not be ours.  The best we will be able to offer him is grudging, reluctant, and timid obedience.