Advent 2014: And He Shall Be Called . . . Christ

The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the child that was to be conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit, would be given by the Lord “the throne of his father David,” and he would “reign over the house of Jacob forever,” and “of his kingdom there [would] be no end.” The pronouncement signaled the fulfillment of a covenant that God had made with David some thousand years before (2 Samuel 7:12-13). What’s remarkable is that Mary didn’t need any explanation as to what the angel’s announcement meant. Neither did Simeon, or Anna, or Zechariah, or even the lowly shepherds who learned of the Christ’s birth from an angelic messenger. Despite the fact that the promise was a millennium old, the people of Israel had imbedded in their collective conscience that a Messiah, an anointed one, the anointed one, was going to come.

What would keep such a promise alive in the minds of the descendants of Abraham? Two things to suggest: the first is that it was stated by Yahweh, the one, true, and living God, whose word does not fail; the second is that with the Messiah’s arrival would come to pass all the wonderful things that had been prophesied about him, and chief among those promises was that his reign would be one marked by peace, prosperity, justice and righteousness (among the many passages see Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:1-12:6). Who wouldn't want to live under the reign of such a perfect king? Who wouldn't continue to hold fast to God’s promise no matter how long it took to fulfill?

We have even greater reason to hope than those who received Jesus into the world. He himself announced that his reign had begun (see Luke 4:14-21) and Scripture testifies that it will continue until all his enemies are subdued (Hebrews 1:1-13). The envisioned “peaceable kingdom” will come. 

What are we to do in this “already, not yet” state? Knowing what the consummation of history looks like we must help others to see it and experience it even now. If we faithfully follow our king and allow him to use us as ambassadors of his kingdom we can offer people a picture of what it’s like to live under his gracious rule. 

Advent 2014: And He Shall Be Called . . . Jesus

The name of Jesus is an ordinary name. It was in wide use during the first century AD. To the Christian, however, it is an extraordinary name. It means “Yahweh saves.” It is the name that the angel told Joseph he should name the child that would be born to Mary, his betrothed: “. . . you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Jesus is an extraordinary name for it has within it the problem that plagues humanity, the purpose for which Jesus was sent, and the promise that his purpose would be fulfilled.

All people are plagued by the same problem, they are sinners. This is because all human beings have inherited the penchant for defining their existence apart from God. This makes all human beings, in one way or the other, idolators, and idolatry is the root of sin. Idolatry places all human beings under the judgment of God. No one, therefore, escapes the need of a savior; and Jesus came to save his people from their sins.

The merciful reality is that the baby to be born will be named Jesus on purpose. Through his life, death, and resurrection he would accomplish all that was necessary to save his people from the consequences of their idolatry. He would take upon himself our need to fulfill all righteousness, and he would take upon himself the penalty due for our having not fulfilled all righteousness. He is, therefore, aptly named Jesus, “Yahweh saves,” for the purpose for which his heavenly Father sent him was to save his people from their sins.

Lastly, the name of Jesus holds within it a promise. The angel speaks with certainty of the completion of the purpose for which Jesus in named: “you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Read that statement again. He does not say, “may save,” or “might save,” or “possibly save.” He says Jesus “will save.” The angel can speak with confidence because what is unfolding in the lives of Joseph and Mary is a plan of salvation that was established in the will of God before the universe was even created (see Ephesians 1:3-14).

The name of Jesus is an extraordinary name. Indeed, it is “the name that is above every name,” and the only name “under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Philippians 2:9; Acts 4:12).

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.

Advent: Regaining the Future

“She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate . . .” A fateful moment, a terrifying moment. They had been warned of the consequences, but something, someone, had convinced them that things would actually be better this way. The effects were immediate and devastating. In a flash, all was lost. Cast out, the bounty and beauty of Eden was irreclaimable. Angels and flaming swords barred re-entrance and whatever future would have been theirs in that magnificent place was now destroyed.

Such a radical reordering brought on by their own foolishness could have caused a soul destroying hopelessness to overtake our first parents were it not for the promise that had been uttered in the garden. God had decreed that one born of the seed of the woman would triumph over Satan and the evil he had unleashed. This seed of hope took root in their souls and sustained the offspring of the woman from that moment forward. For generations they had looked for it to bear fruit.

This looking forward with hope-filled expectation in God’s promise is what the Advent season marks. It is the restoration of the future in the face of human failing. It is the belief that God is true to his word, not just in justice but also in mercy. It is a time, therefore, when we can seek God for his grace to attend our future shattering impulses. 

It can only take a moment. A rash decision, a destructive action taken, and the expected future vanishes. Though it was only a dream to begin with, it had the substance of hope to sustain it. Now with the future gone, a hopelessness begins to seep into the soul with corrosive effect. There appears no way out of the consequences of the error. The life that might have been will never be, and justification for pressing on is hard to obtain. Have you experienced this? I pray you haven’t. But if you have, I pray you have discovered the redemptive and restorative work of the one who came to us in Bethlehem. I pray this season of Advent will bring Jesus into your life and with him the future and hope.