Hearing the Music

Dawn on our Darkness

The title of our Advent series is "Dawn on our Darkness", a line taken from the hymn Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning. It captures this frequent Advent theme of light breaking into our darkness. One of the verses often associated with Advent puts it this way, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone (Isaiah 9:2)." 

As we make our way toward Christmas this year, I have been acutely aware of how desperate we are as a people to have light break into our lives. From health struggles to heart struggles, darkness threatens a stranglehold in our lives. Whether it is the self sabotage of allowing created things to become greater than our creator, or the invasive corruption of a world crumbling around us, we find ourselves groping in darkness, longing for light.

This is why the message of the Gospel writers is so staggering! As we heard Sunday, Mark's opening line, "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God" is more than just an easy on-ramp into telling the story of Jesus. Rather, it is a bold infusion of light into a world cowering in the darkness of Roman Imperialism. It is a proclamation to counter the "gospel" of the would-be son of god, Caesar Augustus, with the declaration that the real Son of God has come, not bringing more taxes, slavery and crosses, but with the intent to go to THE CROSS himself to truly set his people free. When Luke tells the story, he introduces us to the angels, these majestic heavenly creatures who live in the presence of the Almighty, who burst on the scene with this message, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10–11)." A light shines in the darkness.

We all know the darkness is real -- health, relational strife, financial hardship, loneliness, depression, besetting sin, controlling idolatries, creational decay and the list goes on. But Advent reminds us that true Light always dispels darkness (cf. Jn. 1:5)!

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you (Isaiah 60:1).

Traveling Music

Will you be traveling for the holidays? Don’t forget music. Travel is sometimes sunny, sometimes weary, and music passes time, adjusts the outlook. Every road trip needs a little music—a playlist, perhaps, made up of all the songs you want more of, the songs that will keep you moving in the right direction.

If life is a journey, what songs are you singing along the way? 

Maybe, already as a child, you started collecting songs to travel through life with. I did. Some of my earliest memories include music. One of the first melodies I remember singing was “The Birds Upon the Treetops.” (I sang that one into a tape recorder so my Opa and Oma, so far away, could hear my little voice.) Then there was “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” (That one still comes to mind now and then in the checkout lane at Meijer, or while driving.) Over the years, other favorites emerged: “This Is My Father’s World” while teaching my kids and while hiking. “Praise to the Lord the Almighty” at each of their baptisms. These all are treasures still.

There’s another song that’s accompanied me through life so far. The tune changed a couple of times over the decades, but the words haven’t. They never will. Based on Psalm 118:24, “This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made” first left my lips as a chirpy Sunday school song. Later, gathered with other high schoolers serious about voice, the lyrics repeated, this time as a glorious chorale. We offered “This Is the Day that the Lord Has Made,” a gift floating perfectly over the balcony at a church wedding. Later still, another rendition at another wedding—my wedding.   

What began as that chirpy, childhood song is now the anthem of my life. This is the day that the Lord has made. The truth applies easily to the joy-filled days. But on the weary days—of defeat and disappointment—Psalm 118’s song is a weapon, fighting to fix my gaze on the Handler of my days. The words remind that because He authored today and every day, there is joy to be found in His sovereignty and deep care. Therefore I can sing on as I travel life’s road. He is the God who sees, and He is with me. He is for me. He is with you, and He is for you.

Other melodies have drifted and departed over the years. Some worth singing, many probably not. The ones on repeat are the scripture songs, my faithful travel companions. 

What songs are you carrying along through life? What is your anthem? We’re journeying Home, Christian. Sing on.



Photo by I'M ZION on Unsplash

Missional Task

As the snow flies and we begin to head into the Advent and Christmas holiday season, we ask ourselves again, "Why did Christ exchange the comforts of heaven for a wallow in the mud of fallen humanity?" Answer: to bring reconciliation, to offer to the lost a way of redemption, to effect rescue for those who could not save themselves. It is our prayer that over these next six weeks or so, this story would grip us afresh with all the attendant emotions and motivations.

One such motivation might be toward extending the good news of this rescue to those who remain wandering. Last week I attended a gathering of PCA folks representing what they call the Midwest. It includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, North/South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan (I guess the people in Atlanta came up with the "midwest" for that group?). It is 13 States totaling 72,439,000 which is 21% of the U.S. population. As a region it is the world's 15th largest mission field, having in excess of 60 million people who are not connected to a church, and many of whom are not in relationship with the Lord. It is the mission of our churches to reach these lost or dechurched people with the good news of the gospel.  To put that in perspective, the midwest region is right behind Turkey and Germany for unreached.  

Our goal as a denomination, as a midwest alliance, as presbyteries, and as individual churches is to proliferate the light of the gospel in the darkness of peoples' wanderings. At a regional level, we would love to see over 500 churches where we currently have 244. Closer to home, our desire is to see our West MI PCA double from our current 9 churches to 18 by 2035. Our recent Muskegon church plant and our enfolding of New City Fellowship are the first two of the 9. But we are still praying for cities like Benton Harbor, Allegan, Grand Haven/Spring Lake, and seeking for wisdom as to our own Grand Rapids daughter plant.

While it can be easy to get lost in goals and numbers of churches, all of these endeavors have people in mind.  If we were to plant or enfold 250 new churches across the region and each new church reached only 20 people who were either lost or dechurched, that would be over 5,000 souls connected to the gospel, in addition to all the other good work being done through the churches.

Planting churches and seeing people won to the gospel is the same mission that Paul so earnestly pursued until the very end of his life. This week we will take up the very last words that we have recorded from this ordinary man who God used to do extraordinary things in 2 Tim 4:9-22.  May our hearts be as galvanized as Paul's was to see the gospel go forth!