Hearing the Music

Light in the Dark

"In your light do we see light" (Ps. 36:9). Advent is all about light. We light candles. We welcome Jesus, the Light of the World. Jesus, the Light that shines in dark places. 

Can we talk about those dark places for a moment? Where does your mind go to when you think of dark places? For many it may go immediately to things like immorality or licentiousness; the "biggies" we associate with sinful lifestyles and the guilt of sin. Or, maybe you think about the darkness that comes from the pollution of sin: sickness, disease, death, depression, etc... Both the guilt of sin as well as it's pollution certainly represent the darkness that the Light comes to illuminate.

In addition, there exists another darkness that Advent invites us to open to the light. I'll call it the "crowded darkness". This is the darkness that Jesus warns about in Luke 21:34, when he says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation (carousing) and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap" (emphasis mine). We expect the darkness of something like drunkenness, but cares of this life?

Jesus' warning reminds us that Satan is just as happy to see us mindlessly paying bills, pursuing our education or careers, going to the gym, watching Netflix, following the NBA or scheduling playdates as he is seeing us traipse to the bar every night. In fact, some might argue that "the cares of this life" might be a better trap than carousing or drunkenness because it provides fewer occasions to consider the outcome of our way of life. The seemingly innocuous activities simply (yet effectively) crowd our lives in such a way that the light does not penetrate.

C.S. Lewis captures this notion of crowded darkness well through the words of his fictional demon, Screwtape: “It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds. In reality, our best work is done by keeping things out.” He goes on to describe the road to hell as a gradual one, "the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

This is why Advent is important. A light in the darkness is a light that can penetrate the crowded spaces. Advent breaks into our monotonous rhythms with a clarity that sparkles. "In your light do we see light." It is a light that all can see by: licentious or lazy, drunk or driven, physically sick or spiritually self-righteous; Jesus is the one that has come to dispel the darkness. 

Photo by Darran Shen on Unsplash

Holiday

I wonder how many of you will actually read this update? It is after all a holiday weekend, a break from the rhythms that give shape to our lives. Maybe that means more will read it, given the extra discretionary time? Maybe it means less will take a look as your normal reading rhythm is disrupted?

On the topic of rhythms, the session thought it would be good to highlight an upcoming sabbatical that has been granted to me as your pastor to be taken in 2022, and perhaps you saw this referenced in the congregational report. Throughout the history of Christ Church a policy of granting pastors time away from normal ministry activity has existed to allow pastors time to renew, re-center, and reconnect for continued service in the church. This is a common practice among my ministerial colleagues throughout the denomination and has its roots in creation. In creation, God modeled sabbath for us by resting on the seventh day and made it part of his people’s life in scripture. Every seventh day was to be a Sabbath day. Likewise, every seventh year for the nation of Israel was a Sabbath year. All this is a reminder that our lives are ultimately headed for an eternal Sabbath with Jesus in heaven.

Our sabbatical policy is based on this seven year cycle as well (though COVID pushed us back actually to an eight year fulfillment). As mentioned above, sabbatical is a time to renew, re-center, and reconnect for continued service to the church. It is not exactly a vacation, nor is it exactly like an academic sabbatical filled with writing and teaching; it is somewhere in the middle, encompassing aspects of both. It is like taking a car in for a long, comprehensive tune-up so it can continue down the road for many more miles. Collectively there is positive support and anticipation from me and my family, as well as from the elders and staff. More information will be forthcoming, and feel free to ask questions if you have them. Here is a copy of the proposal that was approved by session. 

This Sunday begins our Advent series as we approach Christmas this year through the pondering eyes and heart of Mary. Mary's journey was the subject of our “Magnify” Arts & Rec Camp this past summer. A great preparation for this series would be to get out the book Magnify! Pondering the Life of Jesus with Mary that was written, illustrated and produced by our Christ Church family for that event! More copies of this book will be available this Sunday and in the coming weeks if your family does not have one. While we will be looking through the eyes of Mary, she is not our focus. Advent is that great time of anticipating the coming of Jesus, the promised King. We start this week with the beginning of Mary's journey, the annunciation (Luke 1:26-45).

Photo by Libby Penner on Unsplash

Miracle of the Church

Have you ever considered the miracle of the church? I know that the institutional church has fallen on hard times here in America and the west is flooded with Ex-vangelicals, but let's look back throughout history. Let's look at what is happening in China, in Iran/Iraq, and around the world. Ever since our Lord ascended into heaven to take up his reign the church has lived, grown, and survived. It has been said that the existence of the church is one of the most convincing proofs for God.

This is partly the reason why Paul is so insistent on living out the unity that we have in Christ, as we will see in the first nine verses of Philippians 4 this Sunday. Paul gives application to themes that he grounded in the incarnation of Jesus Christ in chapter 2, calling out specific people and the church as a whole to agree in the Lord. Again, as with chapter 2, Paul grounds his entreaty in the finished work of Christ that both compels and propels us toward obedience. 

You may also note that we are moving toward our annual congregational meeting on December 1st. While the Church (capital "C") is much bigger than our local body, each year we come together to renew our commitments to the work that God has called participants of Christ Church GR to, to one another, and to the world that we have been placed in as stewards. Make plans to join us as we carry out our part in pointing to the very existence of God.

Photo by Gracious Adebayo on Unsplash