day 15: glory

Exodus 40:34-38; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3; John 1:14

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  Throughout all their journeys,whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out.  But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up.  For the cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.” – Exodus 40:34-38

“When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.  The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. ³When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, ‘He is good; his love endures forever.’” – 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

^“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

glory: praise, honor; beauty and splendor.  the glory of the One who can say “I AM” over all time and eternity…what would it be like to encounter Him?  In time past His radiance had to be accompanied with “the cloud” and “the fire”.  these physical things served to reveal but then also to conceal His glory…something so terrifying and overwhelming…that it completely filled the vessel He entered so much so that no one could be in the same place…and to which the only response was to fall on one’s face with recognition of how awesome He is.

then His glory came in the form of a man…The Man.  at first sight He came in a vessel so ordinary and approachable…seeming to conceal but then also to reveal…to anyone willing to take a deeper second look.  John and some of his audience were able to see the glory of God…in the flesh…in Jesus the Christ.  the glory of God was revealed in the fullness of His grace (undeserved favor) and truth (what is actually True).  grace and truth are qualities of the God who made heaven and earth…they are facts from eternity.

then this next step is mind-blowing…to consider that followers of Him are called not only the temple of Christ but the body of Christ.  if all the fullness of the glory of God dwells in Jesus’ body and we are called His body…what does that mean…what should that mean…and look like?  indeed…as the scriptures remind us “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

how can we, this day, be filled with the fullness of His grace and truth and so glorify Him?  if we find we are not filled with Him…with grace and truth, then what are we filled with?

thank you Lord that you reveal your glory

day 14: incarnation (God as a human)

Isaiah 11:1-9; John 1:14; John 8:12

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump ofJesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.” – Isaiah 11:1-5

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” – John 8:12

the artist joan osborne once asked in a song “what if God was one of us?” God actually gave us an answer: i was and i am…his name is Jesus of nazareth. it is a wonderful and terrifying mystery that God became a human being. so it begs the next question: what was/is He like? well if we use the scriptures listed above we learn that at the very least:

1) He has insight and understanding into ALL things. His discernment goes far beyond physical sensory perception…He sees beyond appearances. He does not make decisions like men do. who really knows anything to the heart, really, except God himself?

2) He really likes being in awesome reverence of God. its strange because even though He is God, He delights in God, and reveres God. maybe this means He has a totally right view of Himself, He is at total peace with himself. who has total insight, even into themselves, and still has total respect for themselves and are at peace with it?

3) He focuses on the poor and the meek. with all this power and authority, this is who He spends time with and lives among? its preposterous…it hurts our pride…its true…precisely because men wouldn’t do that. who, having all the authority and power of the world at their disposal, would give themselves to the poor and the nobodies?

4) His words have such weight people can die from just being in its presence. forget about that dos equis most interesting man in the world…He IS The Man in the world. people are cut to the quick by His words. no one can escape them. we’ve tried to hush them up, ignore them, or get rid of them for over two millenia…they just won’t die. whose words mean anything these days…who actually sticks to them…who actually has any authority to carry them out?

5) He is righteous and faithful. who is righteous and faithful? stop. ’nuff said.

6) He is full of grace and truth. He does not lie…He cannot lie…
He only speaks and lives the truth. yet, even though He knows all the truth about all of us, He overflows with the ability to give us good when we deserve the worst. whom of us pour forth only truth and always chooses to offer grace?

7) He is the guide to life. who can make the guarantee that where they are leading is absolutely the right way? only God who walked the way Himself first.

for reflection i’ll ask the same question joan osborne asked: “…if God had a face what would it look like / and would you want to see / if seeing meant that you would have to believe…?”

thank you Lord for showing us yourself.

day 13: illuminator

Isaiah 9:1-7; John 1:4-5

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined…For 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. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” – Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:4-5

we may be alive but He is the source of true Life.  we may see light but we are in darkness without His Light.  His Light is the common image in both passages.  when light illuminates darkness it brings hope…guidance…warmth…life.  He is the Light of the World…we only reflect Him.  He may have come as a child but even then He was not only Son (Prince of Peace), but Father (Everlasting Father) and Holy Spirit (Wonderful Counselor)…God Himself (Mighty God).  darkness has not won.  darkness cannot win for of the “increase” of His reign of peace “there will be no end.”

in what ways is He shining His light into our lives even now…bringing hope, guidance, warmth, life?  how can we hold onto His truth and allow His peace to reign in our lives?

thank you Lord that you are the light of our lives

day 12: outsiders

Isaiah 42:1-8, 49:1-6; Luke 2:25-32

“‘I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.'” – Isaiah 42:6-7

“he says:’It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'” – Isaiah 49:6-7

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.'” – Luke 2:25-32

these passages of scripture for reading today are just so beautiful to me.  they show such wonderful glimpses into the nature of this servant/savior: his humility, his obedience, his great quiet power.  i am sorry i can not discuss them all at length.  instead, i want to focus in on the explicit common thread found in all three passages: that Jesus would come not only for the people of israel but as “a light for the nations” or more specifically “to the gentiles” (non-jews).  we must not forget that when he walked this earth, Jesus was a jew sent primarily for the jews.  this business about hating on jews for being jesus killers is just nonsense.  yes, he was sentenced to death by some jewish authorities but jesus himself was a jew and if it wasn’t for what God did through 12 of jesus’ closest jewish friends (and a certain 13th super jewish friend that came around later) we wouldn’t even know this jesus.  but thank God He’s not racist.  i am so thankful that He is a big God…that He considered it “too light a thing” to only bring back the jews to Him but that He would reach out to us…gentiles.  without His light shining out to us we would not be able to “see.”  He has a mission for reaching out to the foreigner, the blind, the prisoner, the one stuck in darkness, to the very ends of the earth…to us.  i am so glad He loves like that.

do we thank Him for opening our eyes and including us in eternal blessing, even when He didn’t have to?  in what ways are we reflecting him by reaching out to those who are ignored or forgotten?

thank you Lord that you reach out to outsiders…like us.

day 11: identification

Isaiah 63:8-9; Luke 2:1-20

“For he said, ‘Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.’  And he became their Savior.  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” – Isaiah 63:8-9

“‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,’Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'” – Luke 2:11-14

out of His love, He rescued us.  He had to become our Savior.  but it cost Him so much to do so.  to love us He would have to become us…and take on all our pain.  “in all their affliction He was afflicted“…i have to really meditate on that.

one, in order to become our Savior He had to become a human…the Creator would humble himself to take on the form of His creation…in the midst of all its frailty.  second, He became a child, dependent and weak in the eyes of mankind.  third, he was born into poor conditions, in a food trough for animals, to parents in a seemingly scandalous position, as the father was not the biological father of the child.  fourth, he was born to die…a fascinating insight from fructenbaum reveals that the “swaddling cloths” was probably not the regular baby clothes of a child (otherwise why would it be noted as a sign or something unusual to distinguish this child for the shepherds to find?) but the other meaning of the word: burial clothes.  to add to the likelihood of this interpretation is that stables, with mangers for animals, in these days were actually caves…caves also used to bury people in.  burial cloths would thus be kept in caves.  so when Jesus was born he was wrapped in death…literally and figuratively.  in order to save us jesus would be wrapped in burial cloths and buried in a cave after his death.  He would be laid low so we could be “lifted up“.  what affliction of the human experience did he not know or experience at some level?  then there is a very common misreading of the angels’ announcement…it does not say “peace on earth”, it says “on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”  He gives peace not to a land but He gives peace to people.  to think he is pleased with any of us is amazing.  yet He places his favor on us because He offered us this peace even though it meant He would be “afflicted” and knowing that “upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.” (isaiah 53:5c)

how much must He love us that He humiliated Himself so much to do so?  how can we bring our afflictions to Him, remembering that He has experienced afflictions personally?

thank you Lord that you loved us enough to identify with us

day 10: unshakeable love

Psalm 106:1-12; Luke 1:70-75

“Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!…Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.  Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power.  He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.  So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.” – Psalm 106: 3, 7-10

“as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” – Luke 1:70-75

His love is indeed long suffering and steadfast.  He continues to put up with us…that should be proof enough.  even with all the signs and wonders (10 plagues in egypt) we forget all about Him and complain when we hit a wall (in egypt at the red sea)…even when He gets us through the walls and silences the antagonizers (walking through the red sea)…even when He’s gotten us where we need to be (israel)…even after He’s taken us back again and again (return from exile)…even when He has given His own life to save us (Jesus)…we forget how He loves us.  how dare we say He doesn’t love us.  good thing He’s not like us.  good thing He’s God.  He’s got a reputation to uphold.

how has He gotten you through time and again?  how has He taken you back time and time again?  how has He shown Himself to you?

thank you Lord for your unshakeable love

day 9: strength

1 Samuel 2:1-10; Psalm 18:2; Luke 1:67-69

“And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart exults in the LORD; my strength^[horn] is exalted in the LORD.  My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.  There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God…The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven.  The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.'” – 1 Samuel 2:1-2, 10

“I love you, O LORD, my strength.  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” – Psalm 18:1-2

“And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,  ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,'” – Luke 1:67-69

In all three passages we find people praising God after coming out of difficult situations.  Hannah who was barren gave birth to a son.  David who was in danger of being killed by his enemies, even by his own king without reason, got out alive.  Zechariah who was well along in years was given a son.  In all three passages we find in the praises a curious word for a modern audience to describe God – the word “horn” (hannah – “my horn”, david & zechariah “horn of my salvation”).   What does it mean that God is our “horn”?  it seems the horn (as can be discovered from the context as well as other uses of it found in the bible) is a symbol for strength, like the weapon of an ox.  an interesting thing the barne’s commentary pointed out that could be related was that there was a practice in israel that a person could go into the temple of God and hold onto the horns of the altar inside to escape danger (1 Kings 1:50, 1 Kings 2:28).  so in all three passages we find the theme of the strength of God on behalf of his people.

however, hannah mentions another person: “his [God’s] king” and “his [God’s] anointed (or messiah).”  zechariah, also recognizes that God has raised up a “horn of salvation” that would be a person from the house of david.  this person, we discover, is Jesus.  Jesus was born to be the strength and power of God expressed on our behalf.  we are unable to save ourselves from our sin, so Jesus came to defeat sin.  we need a horn, a strength, greater than us to fight this overwhelming battle.  yet, this powerful warrior and weapon did not come at first in the way we might have expected…a lowly baby…then as a homeless preacher…then hung on a cross like a criminal.   He fought the battle for our souls with the power of a humble and blameless life.  something no one had the strength to do before.  by shedding no one’s blood but His own as a sacrifice, He completely disarmed the power of sin.  only those that run to Him are safe.  the first time He came, He fought and won the battle against sin.   the next time He comes, He will come to fight and win the battle against sinners.  He is giving us time.  may we be found with the Horn of Salvation.

where and to whom do we run to, especially in times of trouble?  can we admit that we need strength?  do we believe that He is not only strong enough but that He is the only one strong enough to save us?

thank you Lord that you are our strength.

day 8: coming back

Jeremiah 31:15-34; Matthew 2:16-23

“Thus says the LORD: ^‘A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.’ Thus says the LORD:’Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children shall come back to their own country….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 31:15-17, 32-34

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. – Mathew 2:16-21

jeremiah gave a prophesy that there would be a time of mourning for the people of israel. in jeremiah’s time God would bring his judgment on his unfaithful people by exiling them out of israel to a foreign land for a period of time. yet, there would also come a time when the people would not only return to their homeland of israel but that God himself would unite his heart to his people. hundreds of years before jeremiah, God delivered his people from slavery in egypt to a new home in a land called israel. hundreds of years after jeremiah, as prophesied through him, God would deliver his people from spiritual slavery to a heavenly home. The first time children of israel came up out of egypt the people were given a covenant that they would have to obey to receive the blessings of God. This second time a child, The Child, of israel came up out of egypt the people were given a covenant that God himself carried out for us so that we would receive the blessings of God. the second deliverance was even greater than the first. He would bring us home by making His home in us. His love has put His word into our hearts so that we would really know Him. His love has done the work, the work we failed to do. His love has forgiven us. His love is steadfast.

is there anything we need to mourn over in our lives? how can we meditate on His promises and trust that He has and He will do in us a greater work that what we can not do?

thank you Lord that you bring us back…back to you.

day 7: refugee

Hosea 11:1-12; Matthew 2:13-15

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them.” – Hosea 11:1-3

“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod.This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,’Out of Egypt I called my son.'” – Matthew 2:13-15

there were two sons. both were loved by the Father and both became refugees to escape death as children. one would go back so the other wouldn’t have to.

one was rescued from Egypt to Israel but did not recognize his Faithful Father who had delivered him and continually loved him. another was rescued from Israel to Egypt, recognized His Faithful Father who delivered him and continually loved him. the son that continually walks away from God the Father is us, especially those who have already met the Father. the Son whose heart is one with the Father is Jesus. Our Father, out of love, sent His Faithful Son to rescue his unfaithful sons.

in what ways has He delivered us, in what ways has He been our refuge, and in what way has He faithfully loved us…even when we haven’t?

thank you Lord that you are our eternal refuge.

day 6: birthplace

Micah 5:1-5; Matthew 2:1-6

“‘But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.’ Therefore He will give them up until the time When she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren Will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD,
In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. .” – Micah 5:2, 4a (NASB)

“and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who willshepherd my people Israel.'” – Matthew 2:4-6

once again we find the savior and salvation coming from the most unexpected place – from the place where the smallest clan of judah lived, a place almost “too little to be among the clans”, and somehow from a time before he is born.  what does this tell us about Him…about God?  that God recognizes and honors the small, the least…that this child somehow comes from or existed before he was born into the world…who else but God could?  we didn’t expect God to come from such a humble place, we didn’t expect a man to come from eternity. yet Jesus was both and was from both.

how and in what ways do we overlook God in places we don’t think much of?  how can we open up to Him in the midst of an overlooked or unexpected place?

thank you Lord that you are found in unexpected places.

dang John…

 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? – 1 John 3:17

g-dog

“the measure of your compassion lies not in your service of those in the margins but in your willingness to see yourself in kinship with them.” – father gregory boyle (aka g-dog)

don’t think Jesus’ words of warning to the rich refers to you (me)?   we may need to reconsider that position.  if you don’t believe me then you can check for yourself here (or at least here if you have a lot of conditions).  to the one much has been given much will be required.  may we do good with what we’ve been entrusted.

some census and neighborhood data about lincoln heights, los angeles