I love the season of Advent. It starts four Sundays before Christmas. It is a path for intentionally preparing to welcome the King. It involves lights and candles which in the dark Seattle days only make the contrast more apparent.
This year Missio Lux made advent wreaths that look different than the usual evergreen wreaths. The base is a mirror. This mirror is a reminder of two things: one that we have a mission to extend Christ' light to the world, the second is that we are lights that resemble the King that we follow.
Preparing for a king means that the king has a kingdom. Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of God. This kingdom is bigger than any one church; it is the actions of Jesus lived out through people. What are the actions that Jesus took? He brought healing to so many; not just physical healing but freedom from social rejection, freedom from demon oppression, freedom from judgment, freedom from depression and anxiety.
Jesus broke all the boundaries that had been created between the Jews and the Romans, between the men and the women, between the rich and the poor, between the sick and the well, the religious leaders and the regular people. He invites us to do the same.
As you prepare for the arrival of King Jesus this advent season, I want to encourage you to reach out beyond a boundary that challenges you, and extend Christ' mission of light into the world. Remember the truth that his light shines through you as you do the things Jesus himself did!
Then, let us know how you extended light, so we can be encouraged too.
6 comments:
Hello! It's so nice to be reading your blog. This is the first one I have experienced. Good start huh? Rather than one about a TV show or something silly like that! Anyhow, I was so thrilled to hear the story about the womens brunch and how the people were so moved by the story of the womens work they wanted to experience her joy too. Anyhow, thats what I see as Jesus working through us. We must stop serving ourselves(our community within walls) and serve those we come in contact with. Sometimes thats serendipitous, and sometimes it's a planned event. The main thing is having our spirit free and open to Gods calling, and in this world, that can be very challenging. Personally I have found the longer I try the better it gets. Practice not perfection. Anyhow, we are excited about the compass house dinner. I need the date again. Blessings to you and your family. I am preparing for Anna's arrival home Yipee.
Hey Bets,
thanks for leaving a comment. I love watching how the Spirit of God moves through you. I see your understanding of what it means to "be the church, not go to church."
Anticipating all that God wants to do amongst us,
Tamara
Dear Tamara,
Joy fills my heart hearing the “good news” of the ladies throwing a party, a Christmas Brunch for the homeless, who Jesus loves so much. Just seeing people embrace Him, His heart, His passion, His change, and a religion that God accepts as pure and faultless…IGNITES my heart, not just on Christmas but daily. May we learn more of Jesus through them.
James 1:27 (New International Version)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
My prayer is to become so in love with what He loves…who He loves...seeing as He sees, feeling as He feels, sharing as He shares, daring to stretch out the tent stakes, inviting people from the highways and bywaysto celebrate Him! (Matthew 22:9-10). Perhaps just inviting one may be a start! My dearest African friend, Madelyn, got to know road workers traveling over Vail Pass last year. She learned that one of the workers had a birthday coming up, so to everyone's surprise, she threw a birthday party, cake, candles, present, and all for that road worker right on Vail Pass road! She threw a party on the side of the road! There is something inside us, someone inside us…Jesus Christ, the Lover of all lovers! His love burns ..."that the world may know that Thou dist send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou dist love Me." God loves us. He loves us with the same love that He loved Jesus with. Still does! Help us Oh Lord to see, to love,to give.
Doesn’t His love cause us to think bigger than ourselves, dream bigger than ourselves, or imagine more, reaching out, sharing pain, poverty, others burdens, entering their suffering, as well as their joy? It does me. Jesus didn't say go make disciples within your church, although that is good. He spoke of even BIGGER dreams! Jesus said make disciples of all NATIONS! Wow! Look at what God said to Abraham, "I will show you a land...make you a great nation...bless you...name great...multiply you...father of many nations...kings will come from you (Genesis 17:1-6). He spoke things into Abraham's heart that Abraham couldn't wrap His arms around. There is something bigger than where we live, bigger than neighborhoods, cities, states…yep really big...NATIONS! "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...Matthew 28:19.
Maybe…just maybe…we will see the nations at the 2008 Annual Christmas Brunch next year! Let's all think BIG because He Who lives in us is "SO BIG"! Love ya! Annie
Hi Annie,
So good to hear from you. You always inspire me with the vision that you carry~your heart for the world is BIG!
We used the verse James 1:27 as our theme verse for the Aids Experieince and I preached it the week after it was over, it is true religion to care about those that God cares about.
To be a mirror that reflects Christ's light is an awesome thing since this means we must put ourselves aside so the mirror is not flawed - sort of like when the flaking on the back of a mirror goes bad and the intent for reflection no longer is there and the mirror is nothing more than a piece of glass.
This is not always easy to live, especially when it would be so much easier to turn away from someone who has done me wrong; who has hurt my company, or my family. But, to be a mirror and reflect Christ's light to that same person? Wow – what a difficult task! When I think on the Lord's Prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us..." then being that mirror becomes easier and to see the positive change and healing in the person who wronged me, eases my pain and suffering. It is with the hope that in being willing to shine the Light of Christ that the person who has wronged me then will also become a mirror reflecting Christ’s light and shine forth in a world that is otherwise dark for them. In this manner, the world that we live in that seems plunged hopelessly in darkness will be alight to all.
Hey Tamara-
I'm working on a sermon for this weekend and stumbled on this post. I've been feeling kind of stumped as to what to say (not usually a problem for me), but your post was helpful.
Thanks for sharing it.
http://ipreferuphill.wordpress.com
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