Prophecy and Mustard Seeds
I’m a Baptist. At least, mostly, God presently has us serving in a local Methodist church. And for you dyed-in-the-wool Baptists out there, give me a break - Sherri and I are convinced that we are exactly where God wants us to be. I don’t know how many times I told our multi-denominational Baptist church in Seoul that God was calling us to be “bigger than Baptist.”
And, by the way, He’s asking the Presbyterians, Lutherans, Pentecostals, Methodists, and all those other good Christian camps out there to be bigger than their camp as well. John 17:20-23 depends on it.
Back to the Baptists who are attending the Methodist church.
Very few Baptists observe the tradition of Advent. There are some, but the overwhelming majority don’t. Baptists sort of have this antipathy towards tradition. I don’t why? Tradition thrives in Baptist churches. “We’ve never done it that way before” are the 7 last words of a whole lot of Baptist churches.
We also have a thing about burning candles. That’s something I know about quite well. We once had a Saturday night service with low lighting and candles in one of my Baptist churches. It was intended to be a seeker-friendly service, reaching out to a different crowd than the typical Sunday morning worship. The first night some member of our congregation who thought what we were doing was “of the devil” called the fire department. I kid you not.
Back to Advent.
Nowhere in the Bible will you find instructions or encouragement to celebrate Advent during the Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. But I’ve found it to be a great way of keeping the real meaning and purpose of Christmas in the forefront of my thoughts during what can be a very busy and distracting time.
That’s why I want to encourage you to buy some Advent candles, light them in your home with your family, and remember the various people and events surrounding the birth of Jesus. It is a great Christmas tradition, not only in our churches but in our homes.
This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent. If you do an internet search, you will find a lot of differences in how Advent is celebrated - what each candle represents, etc. I’ll leave it up to you if that’s something you’re interested in taking the time to do. But for the next several weeks leading up to Christmas, I am going to share some posts with you related to the five candles that make up the Advent remembrance and celebration. As I said, candles, themes, and scripture passages vary depending on who, where, and what you read. I’m sharing from past observances in our church in Seoul.
Having said that, we come to candle number one. It is a purple candle, and it is the candle of prophecy.
Prophecy is all about expectation and hope. Isaiah 2:2-4 says
In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
As you light this candle, literally or in your heart, and I hope you will do both, I want you to think about what God is doing and will ultimately do through Jesus; He is bringing reconciliation and peace to a broken, divided, hostile world.
It may not seem like our world is experiencing this Divine reconciliation and peace, but here’s the thing about it - these things begin, just as Jesus promised they would, as mustard seeds. And those mustard seeds grow and, in time, spread their branches to every corner of our lives, communities, nations, and world.
But the point is they are mustard seeds. What that means for you and me is that before peace on earth, goodwill to men can truly come on a worldwide scale, it must begin in our own hearts and lives.
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” is the advice of Romans 12:18.
That’s where it starts - with you and me, each of us doing our utmost for His Highest, seeking to be reconcilers and peacemakers whenever and wherever we can. And someday, we can be certain that the peace of Christ will reign in a new heaven and earth where His righteousness and justice prevail for all.
In Christ,
Dan
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