Saturday, December 7

 

 

 

All creation is groaning
We feel it in our bones
The hope of love returning
For the lowly and alone
The heart of God is beating
Through a mother’s suffering
With us in our weakness
Emmanuel, the King

Can you hear the savior sing
Welcome home, welcome in
Peace on earth shall he bring
Born to us the baby king
Let all creation see
And together let us sing
Peace on earth shall he bring
God is love, love is king

The brightness of the vision
When days of strife will cease
Is swaddled in a manger
Born to bring us peace
Soon will dawn the morning
When all will be set free
So let there be peace
And let it start with me

Written by senior ministry major Emily Blaylock and Daniel Brunjes
With Paradise Hymns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday, December 5

 

 

 

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
(John 1:29, RSV)

 

When this scripture is read the accent is most often placed on the second part of the verse: sin. Because God’s plan of salvation is such a wonderful provision, we are prone to continually re-examine the fact that Jesus came into the world to free us from it. Indeed, freedom from the bondage of sin is at the core of the Good News of the Gospel, but I would like to take a few moments to examine the first part of the verse: Behold, the Lamb.

 

What does it mean to behold? The dictionary defines the process of beholding as, “to gaze at, or look upon.” The word is also used to express amazement. Middle English usage includes the idea of possessing or holding onto something. Today, that meaning is nearly lost, and the notion of beholding is rarely used. But just what is beholding, particularly in the context of “the Lamb of God,” and why is it of any significance?

 

It is one thing to read the scriptures and learn of God’s wonderful purpose of salvation entering the world the day Jesus of Nazareth was born, and quite another thing to behold Him in our hearts and realize that He, indeed, is our Savior, our Shepherd! Something deep and transformational happens when we begin to behold our Lord.

 

My first Christmas in Christ was like that. For 17 Christmases I was in church with my family. From infancy, mom had me by her side. But it was not until I truly beheld the Lord and received Him as my own, that I knew what the Presence of the Lord meant. What a joy to learn that the incarnation was not only an event in history, but that Jesus Christ was alive, and I could know Him and actually walk with Him in the Spirit! It was not until that 17th year of my life that I began to turn my gaze upon the living Lord and experience the reality of salvation, truth, meaning and purpose in my life. What dazzling Christmas gifts ⏤ gifts that far surpass anything money could buy. “Oh what fellowship, oh what joy divine” ⏤ I began to learn the true meaning of Christmas!

Before very long I learned that to “behold the Lamb of God” was not just for Christmas day or for the three wise men. With each year it seemed the Lord bid me to come and fellowship with Him, to transform me and get a hold of my heart in deeper ways. This process is part of the normal Christian life and accomplished in as many ways as there are people, but always through the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:1-5). As I grew in my faith I learned that the great Apostle Paul discusses this need for transformation at length and in one instance to the young Christians in Corinth he wrote, “But we all are beholding the glory of the Lord, and being transformed into His same image, from glory, to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). Indeed! There is a glory and a joy of first beholding the Christ, but there is an ongoing and increasing glory as we get to know Him better! As we behold the Lord, or gaze upon Him intently, our lives are inexplicably changed. How the Lord actually does it, we do not really know, but in beholding Him, it is clear that we take the focus of our eyes off our needs, our desires and our day-to-day challenges, and bring the focus of our attention on who He is and all that He is doing. In His Presence, we begin to see things as they really are; we begin to gain a view of life from the eternal perspective.

 

Moving more deeply into this Christmas season let us remember that He is the gift, and we need only behold Him. Behold … the Lamb of God.

 

Dr. Stephanie Bennett
Professor of Communication and Media Ecology
Fellow for Student Engagement

 

Sunday, December 1

 

 

As a little boy growing up in Central Virginia, I can remember how excited I would be about the Christmas season. There were several ways I knew the season was upon us; but I would get most excited when I came home from school and the furniture would be rearranged. On the couch I would find boxes that I hadn’t seen since last January, full of Christmas ornaments, lights and tinsel for the tree. My parents were making room and I knew that our Christmas tree would soon follow.

 

But as you read Luke’s Gospel you will find this was not the case for Jesus. The text tells us that Mary had to give birth to Jesus, God Incarnate, the Light of the World, in the presence of dirty animals, and he was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn.

 

During the Christmas season, how many of us make room for Jesus? We make room for Christmas trees, decorations, parties and gifts, but if we are not careful, we can neglect the One who is the true reason for the season. We should all remember the greatest gift given to humanity — Jesus.

 

Gospel recording artist Jonathan McReynolds penned a song entitled “Make Room.” In this song the artist makes a public declaration that Jesus is central in his life and he is committed to making his relationship with Jesus a priority. He commits to making room.

 

If Jesus is what we treasure during this season, I challenge you to make room for Jesus in your plans, in your attitude, in your itinerary, in your celebrations, in your hearts and minds. In this glorious season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, will you make room?

 

The Rev. Kevin Jones ’07
Alumnus, Assistant Pastor of Tabernacle Church

 

 

Saturday, November 30

 

PREFACE

 

As the season of Advent begins December 1st, you will receive daily devotionals written by members of the Palm Beach Atlantic University family. Dr. Brittany N. Melton, editor of this digital Advent Guide, introduces the theme today.

 

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:29, NIV)

 

We often wonder at the magnificent, the unlikely, and even the ridiculous.

 

Think of the sense of magnificence and majesty you feel at the foot of a great mountain, the puzzlement and intrigue at the unlikelihood of “the miracle of life” and even the marvel and curiosity of a circus, with its ridiculous cast of interesting characters.

 

The fact that God sent his Son into the world as a baby is reason to wonder in all of these respects. Mary marveled at the magnificence (Luke 1:46-55); Zechariah was dumbstruck at the unlikelihood that he and Elizabeth would give birth to a child in their old age who would announce the coming of the Lord (Luke 1:8); and Mary was perplexed by the ridiculous, the seemingly “impossible” (Luke 1:37, ESV); indeed, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34, ESV).

 

The whole cast of characters in Luke 1 is filled with wonder about what is about to happen, at these strange things God is doing among them. Even “the neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘What then is this child going to be?’ For the Lord’s hand was with him” (speaking of John the Baptist in Luke 1:65-66, NIV). They see clearly that God is working, but they don’t understand his strange methods.

 

It is magnificent that God would take on human flesh and enter into everyday life with humanity. It is unlikely that in Jesus we would find all the expectations of the Messiah satisfied, exceeded. And it is also ridiculous, according to our values of efficiency and hierarchical structures, that God would entrust his Son in the form of a helpless babe to a young girl and lower himself to be born in a mere stable. What kind of plan is this? What kind of Savior? One we should wonder at, one we should be in awe of, because the ways of God, in his infinite wisdom and grace, are so much higher than ours, so far beyond what we could grasp or imagine. I am struck with wonder every time I hear the bridge of the Hillsong worship song “Seasons,” which speaks of how God could have saved us in a second, but instead He sent a child.

My prayer is that this season you would stop to be struck with wonder at the birth of Christ, because that is the wellspring of our worship this and every Christmas.

 

Dr. Brittany N. Melton
Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
Advent Guide Editor