The Coming of Jesus into Our Midst

This is the second week of Advent: a time to prepare ourselves for the Return of the King.  Are you ready?  A couple of years ago I came across this letter by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  Enjoy!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20

When early Christianity spoke of the return of the Lord Jesus, they thought of a great day of judgment. Even though this thought may appear to us to be so unlike Christmas, it is original Christianity and to be taken extremely seriously. When we hear Jesus knocking, our conscience first of all pricks us: Are we rightly prepared? Is our heart capable of becoming God’s dwelling place? Thus Advent becomes a time of self-examination. “Put the desires of your heart in order, O human beings!” (Valentin Thilo), as the old song sings.

“Our whole life is an Advent, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, when all people will be brothers and sisters.”

It is very remarkable that we face the thought that God is coming so calmly, whereas previously peoples trembled at the day of God, whereas the world fell into trembling when Jesus Christ walked over the earth. That is why we find it so strange when we see the marks of God in the world so often together with the marks of human suffering, with the marks of the cross on Golgotha.

We have become so accustomed to the idea of divine love and of God’s coming at Christmas that we no longer feel the shiver of fear that God’s coming should arouse in us. We are indifferent to the message, taking only the pleasant and agreeable out of it and forgetting the serious aspect, that the God of the world draws near to the people of our little earth and lays claim to us. The coming of God is truly not only glad tidings, but first of all frightening news for everyone who has a conscience.

Only when we have felt the terror of the matter, can we recognize the incomparable kindness. God comes into the very midst of evil and of death, and judges the evil in us and in the world. And by judging us, God cleanses and sanctifies us, comes to us with grace and love. God makes us happy as only children can be happy.

God wants to always be with us, wherever we may be – in our sin, in our suffering and death. We are no longer alone; God is with us. We are no longer homeless; a bit of the eternal home itself has moved unto us. Therefore we adults can rejoice deeply within our hearts under the Christmas tree, perhaps much more than the children are able. We know that God’s goodness will once again draw near. We think of all of God’s goodness that came our way last year and sense something of this marvelous home. Jesus comes in judgment and grace: “Behold I stand at the door!  Open wide the gates!” (Ps. 24:7)?

One day, at the last judgment, he will separate the sheep and the goats and will say to those on his right: “Come, you blessed?  I was hungry and you fed me?” (Matt. 25:34).  To the astonished question of when and where, he answered: “What you did to the least of these, you have done to me?” (Matt. 25:40).

With that we are faced with the shocking reality: Jesus stands at the door and knocks, in complete reality.  He asks you for help in the form of a beggar, in the form of a ruined human being in torn clothing.  He confronts you in every person that you meet.  Christ walks on the earth as your neighbor as long as there are people.  He walks on the earth as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you and makes his demands.  That is the greatest seriousness and the greatest blessedness of the Advent message.  Christ stands at the door.  He lives in the form of the person in our midst.  Will you keep the door locked or open it to him?

Christ is still knocking.  It is not yet Christmas.  But it is also not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ.  Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev. 21:5).

Advent is a time of waiting.  Our whole life, however, is Advent – that is, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, when all people are brothers and sisters and one rejoices in the words of the angels: “On earth peace to those on whom God’s favor rests.”  Learn to wait, because he has promised to come.  ”I stand at the door?”  We however call to him: “Yes, come soon, Lord Jesus!”  Amen.

(Reprinted from Watch for the Light)

SDG

Things to be Thankful For

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise !
Psalm 95:1-2

Once again Thanksgiving is upon us, and I’m not ready for it.  For me as a Pastor, Thanksgiving tends to get overlooked.  The fall is so busy in the church with the start of all the new programs and classes.  Even in October I start looking ahead to Advent, Christmas, and the start of a new year.  If it wasn’t for Thanksgiving, I don’t know if I’d ever stop to think about the things that I am really thankful for.  Just for tomorrow’s big day I thought I’d share some things for which I am truly thankful.

• My Family – I know it sounds cliché, but I am very thankful for my family. 
  • I have four wonderful children.  They can try my nerves, they’ve given me gray hairs, and sometimes I wonder how much I could get for them on eBay.  But the joy they bring and the pride I have in them far outweigh anything else.  I love watching them grow and learn, to see their unique personalities emerge.  Thank you God for these wonderful blessings.
  • I have a wife who knows me and still loves me, and for that I am eternally grateful.  She gets me, and that’s quite a miracle.  I wake up every morning and she’s still there – and I’m the luckiest guy on earth.  I know I don’t deserve her, I often take her for granted, but I do thank God for bringing us together and giving us the love we share.
• My Job – I have the opportunity to do what I love for a living, and that’s something rare.  I am blessed to be called to the ministry; I get to share on a daily basis the Good News of God’s love; I get to witness the grace of God changing lives; I’m called Pastor and I am trusted and respected as a teacher of God’s Word.  Some days I am overwhelmed by the calling, but I am thankful that God has led me here to serve Him and His congregation.
• My Nation and those who defend her.
  • I thank God that I get to live in a nation where Liberty and Justice are the foundation of our society.  Some might say that those great ideals are being eroded, but the fact that we can say that without threat of violence or repercussion is evidence that we are still a free nation.
  • I am truly grateful for those men and women who volunteer to serve this nation in the Armed Forces.  Every day they offer themselves in defense of our freedoms, they fight to protect our way of life.  They don’t hear it enough, so I’ll say it again, “Thank You!”
• My Salvation in Christ – Most importantly, I give thanks to God for the gift of Salvation He has given in Jesus Christ.  I am constantly aware of how little I deserve God’s love and favor, how far from Him I strayed.  Left to my own ways, I would never earn God’s forgiveness, nor would I even care.  But God, who is rich in mercy and love in Jesus Christ, has made me alive with Him, has washed me of my sin, has called me to walk with Him, and has filled my heart with hope.  Thank you, Father, for your love for me in Jesus my Lord!

Have a great Thanksgiving, and may you find many things for which to be truly thankful!

SDG