Sunday begins Advent, a season of preparation, a season to look ahead to the hope that Christmas brings. Beginning Sunday, November 28, I will blog everyday until Christmas about a book by World Vision CEO, Richard Stearns, called The Hole in Our Gospel. I invite you to buy the book now. Follow this link, buy it, and read it with me.
Today is March 25th, nine months until Christmas. If you know me, you know I love Christmas - and I celebrate it from the beginning of Advent until the end of Epiphany. Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. It is that day every year for centuries when Christians around the world celebrate the visit of Gabriel to Mary to tell her that she would give birth to the Son of God.
Heaven and Earth meet in Mary's news. Mary, the mother of Jesus, grew up in a devout Jewish home. She had been to the temple in Jerusalem - many Jews traveled there regularly for feasts and festivals. She had worshiped there in the Court of Women. She had been to that place where heaven and earth meet, the holiest ground in the universe.
The angel Gabriel came to Mary and said to her, 'Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you!' She was, understandably, confused. Then Gabriel said to her, seeing that she was afraid, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.' The angel goes on to tell her that, though she was still a virgin, she would give birth to Jesus, and Jesus will be a king whose kingdom never ends. And then Mary remained, understandably, confused. How?!? Then she learned that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and the power of God will make this child holy. Mary is told by the angel Gabriel that in her heaven and earth will meet. In her is holy ground. This is big news! This is troubling, confusing, and fearful news! And this is the mystery of the incarnation. And this is what we celebrate with the Feast of the Incarnation - that the everlasting God takes up residence in our temporary lives.
'Annunciation' by Pablo de Matteis, 1712.
You can hear my sermon from Sunday here:
This is the final sermon in a 3-part series on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Last weekend, a Christian orphanage in an Islamic nation was raided and the foreign staff was ordered to leave the country. Plenty of other great organizations have experienced similar heart-breaking setbacks, as have we. These kinds of obstacles, changes, and challenges are not uncommon when trying to do good in certain parts of the world.
It reminds me of something I've said often in the last several years: Access Is Our Greatest Asset. When trying to operate in cross-cultural settings and provide hope and help to our neighbors from different people groups, nations, tribes, and languages, without the access to be in relationship to them, all the money and well-designed programs and flashy marketing materials in the world mean nothing.
There are no guarantees, and if you engage in cross-cultural activity, leisure, business, or charity, there are risks involved. But by following these six principles, we can hope to guard our greatest asset: access!
Remember, access is our greatest asset.
Glenn Beck recently advised his listeners to leave their churches if they hear the words 'social justice' and 'economic justice'. Beck claims that these are code words for Nazi or communist activity. I don't know that I've ever used the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' from the pulpit, but that's not because I don't believe that the Gospel preaches that Christ makes ALL things new and that God is reconciling ALL things to himself through Christ. Mr Beck - I believe in justice in all spheres of life and I believe that God is a just God. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. A pastor from Denver has posted a thoughtful and thorough response to Mr. Beck here.
Make Poverty Personal by Ash Barker is an absolutely critical read. This became real to me when it was sitting on my desk and somebody walked in, saw it, and said, ‘That’s your problem. You think about the poor too much.’ First, I didn’t know I had a problem. And second, I feel compelled to live like Jesus did – at the intersection of community and compassion. By following the arc of the Biblical narrative, from Exodus to Eschaton, Barker leads a sweeping expedition that will inspire and challenge. In addition to the sound Biblical exposition, Barker’s personal experience and deep conviction appear on every page. He is not an academic speaking from a distance; but he and his family have served the poor with their very lives. He is not only responding to urgent and overwhelming needs; he’s thinking about what the Bible really has to say.
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