Advent Day 19 – Bethlehem

Posted on December 19, 2013 by David Nuottila

DSC_0277But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2

The story of Christmas brings with it scenes of peace and tranquility. So when the church gathers and sings the beloved hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem, we do so with a certain vision in mind. We envision a starry night sky above the heads of shepherds tending their flock. The story is so familiar that we can almost hear the angels as they sing “Glory to God in the highest.” And Bethlehem, that sleepy little town lies just over the hill, peaceful and serene as the new born Christ child is laid in a manger. This is our beloved vision of Bethlehem on the first Christmas.

The reality of Bethlehem, however, is much different. It was a small insignificant town; a town on the outskirts hidden within the shadows of Jerusalem. Bethlehem was a watering hole for shepherds, and shepherds were anything but the peaceful gentlemen we envision being visited by angels. No, Bethlehem was a blue collar town filled with transients and those who provided basic services for people who could not afford a night in the big city.

Today, Bethlehem suffers from much the same identity crisis. As drivers park buses filled with tourists alongside narrow streets, curious vacationers pile into the Church of the Nativity hoping to stand in the spot where Jesus was born and have their picture made marking their visit to this most holy place. Street vendors pedal their wares to anyone with a desire for a souvenir and an open wallet. And lest any of these unsuspecting tourists notice, interspersed throughout the crowded streets is a well armed militia keeping watch. This is Bethlehem, touristy, grimy, noisy and caught between two warring peoples. It hardly seems to be the place for a celebration of Christmas. Yet this is precisely her purpose.

Through the prophet Micah, God promised this little town would give birth to the One who would rule over Israel forever. The long awaited Messiah would come to free people from their sin, deliver them from bondage to the powers that defy God, and reconcile those places fallen and given in to sin; places such as Bethlehem. The ancestral home of Israel’s most beloved King David would also give rise to Israel’s eternal King and the Savior of the world. So even as we must face the harsh reality of a city such as Bethlehem, we also have hope, for the one born unto Mary and Joseph is the Savior which is Christ the Lord. The promise God made to Bethlehem so long ago has been fulfilled. Certainly, O Little Town of Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

Holy and loving God, just as you kept the promise of Bethlehem, so to do you keep your promise to your people. We give you thanks and praise that your have provided your people a Savior, Christ the Lord. Open our hearts and minds to receive him in faith that we may prepare ourselves to welcome him when he comes in glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Advent Day 18 – The New Covenant

Posted on December 18, 2013 by David Nuottila

???????????????????????????????“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34

When God delivered the Hebrew people from bondage in Egypt, he made them a holy nation, establishing his law among them and thus providing the guide for living a godly life. With this covenant agreement, God’s promise of his goodness and presence was met with the people’s promise to receive the law gladly and to obey the one who had liberated them. Yet once again, sin became a stumbling block to their obedience turning the peoples’ hearts and minds away from God and his law.

Even as the people disobeyed God, he did not give up on them. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God calls out to his people with compassion, promising to establish a new covenant to replace the one broken by human sin. Through this new covenant, God would establish the means to remove their sins and inequities forever. As the Psalmist states, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this covenant; he is the one through whom God delivers his people from their sin. Living among God’s people, teaching them according to the law and the prophets, and having not sinned, Jesus fulfilled the obligation of obedience for a people who could not remain true. Through his suffering and death, the selfless giving of his life, Jesus provided the final atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. Through his death Jesus accomplished what the law could not; he saved God’s people from the consequences of sin.

With the New Covenant, God makes us His people through our baptism into Christ. Reborn through the water and the Word, Christians are joined with Christ in this covenant agreement established by God in order to save His people from sin. Sealed by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s law is written upon our hearts and we are marked with the cross of Christ forever. We give thanks for this most gracious blessing received through Christ, for through Him, God remembers our sin no more.

Gracious God, we give you thanks for your fulfillment of the promise of your covenant through Christ Jesus. Fill our hearts and minds with the joy of your salvation and bring us to life everlasting in your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Advent Day 17 – Prophecy of the Suffering Servant

Posted on December 17, 2013 by David Nuottila

994889_407823709329714_1487317214_nSurely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

Advent is a time of devotional reading, worship, singing and prayer. It is also a time filled with rich symbolism reminding the Church of her heritage. The many lessons of Advent remind the people of God of our need for a Savior and God’s keeping His promise to send one. Advent, therefore, is a time when we reflect upon God’s gift of His Son, the Christ, and in our longing for his grace look toward the day when he will come again and reveal God’s kingdom in its fullness and glory.

The symbols of Advent are perhaps not as well-known as the symbols of Christmas. As Advent leads us into the celebration of God’s most precious gift, most symbols on display in December have more to do with the birth of Christ, rather than his suffering and death. But it cannot be overlooked that, without the events of Good Friday, Christmas would not have meaning.

As we look upon the cross of Christ we see the purpose for his coming. Jesus entered into our time and space to dwell with God’s people, teaching them the ways according to God’s righteousness. He came as a gift for all people and to give his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. The prophecy of Isaiah moves through the promise of God’s Anointed One, continues with the prophetic message of his birth and culminates at Christ’s victory of the cross. Without the events of the cross of Calvary, there truly is no need to celebrate the wonder of Bethlehem.

Christmas is a time of joy, a time of festivities and a time of celebration. But in the midst of this Advent journey, the Church understands this to be a season of reflection, preparation and thanksgiving. Through the Prophecy of the Suffering Servant, we learn of the depth of God’s love and the lengths he will go in order to save his people.

Turn our hearts and minds to you O God, making us thankful for the mercy and grace you so freely give to all who hear your gospel of truth. As we await the celebration of the coming King, we remember his sacrifice for the sake of our people. we give you thanks that through Christ we are forgiven and we look forward with faith to his coming again. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Photo credit: David Baer; 2013 NALC Convocation

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Advent Day 16 – The Shepherd and His Sheep

Posted on December 17, 2013 by David Nuottila

lent99Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.  He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:10-11

As the prophets foretold of the coming Messiah so long ago, they did so through images familiar to the people of God. Isaiah, in his prophecy concerning the Christ likened him to a good and faithful shepherd caring for his flock. The sheep whose hope of gaining the kingdom of God are lost through sin yet, the shepherd gathers them into one flock and makes them his own. Their sins will be forgiven and the relationship between God and man will be restored in the fullness of God’s mercy.

As Jesus walked among God’s people, he taught them using this same image of shepherd and sheep. As people continued to wander in sin and doubt, Jesus, the Good Shepherd called out to his flock. He gathered them unto himself, feeding the hungry, healing the sick and lame, restoring eyesight to the blind, raising the dead to life. Not all people who heard Jesus teach or witnessed his miracles believed him to be Messiah and Lord. But those within his flock recognized his voice; when he called, they followed.

Today we still wander through a world filled with sin and doubt. Our intentions and our actions are not always pleasing in God’s sight. Yet we have Christ as our shepherd and guide. As we hear the words of the gospel and follow Jesus’ example of service and love for our neighbor, we hear the voice of our Good Shepherd, the one who has given his life for the sheep. Through him comes light in the lives of people walking in the darkness of sin. Through him comes God’s mercy and grace. Through Christ Jesus, our Good Shepherd, God gathers His people into one flock and leads us into the green pastures and still waters of the kingdom of heaven.

Come Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd and gather your people into one. Forgive us our sins and give us the power and will to love our neighbor as you have loved us. Create within us clean hearts that as we await your coming in glory, we might live for you alone. Amen.

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Advent Day 15 – Prince of Peace

Posted on December 16, 2013 by David Nuottila

IMG_1433For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

It is difficult to imagine living in a world of peace. From the time Adam and Eve took a bite from the forbidden fruit, the world has been anything but peaceful. The struggle of human disobedience brought with it conflict between families, communities and nations. Everywhere we turn we see the result of sin and the powers that defy God. The only cure for the sickness of sin is God’s divine mercy and grace. When the kingdom of God is fully revealed to the earth and the heavens, only then can we begin to understand what it means to live in a world of peace. This does not mean, however, that God’s people cannot receive His peace while living in a fallen and broken world.

Long before the birth of Christ, the prophets of God announce the coming of the Messiah, the One who would rule God’s kingdom with power and might, bringing God’s justice and righteousness to those who believe. The prophet Isaiah says his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. When he comes in his fullness and glory, his kingdom will have no end. Yet, even as the people of God await the forever coming of their king, God entered our earthly realm born as a human child unto Mary and Joseph. This Prince of Peace would first take upon himself human flesh, live among his people and offer his live as sacrifice for the sin of the world.

Throughout our history, the Church has longed for the peace of God’s kingdom to be revealed in all of its glory. Until such time when Jesus comes again, the Church has the assurance of God’s mercy and grace. We live with the peace of knowing that through Christ our sins are forgiven. As followers of our Lord and Savior, we strive to share the good news of the gospel with all whom we meet. We hear Jesus’ command to love one another, to feed the hungry, care for the sick, bring shelter to the poor and welcome the stranger into our midst. As we do these things, we ask our Father in heaven to continually strengthen us in faith and give us the will to do them, so that all people might one day live in the peace of Christ.

O Lord our God, Prince of Peace, come to your people and fill our hearts with gladness. That as we continue our Advent journey toward welcoming you, we continue to strive for peace throughout the world. This we pray in your most holy name. Amen.

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