Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Dec. 12, 2011

Daily Ornament!
A Week of Joy: Monday, Day Fifteen of Advent

“We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; You crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory. It was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for you loved them.” – Psalm 44:1-3
Gospel Reading: Matthew 24:15-31

I like what the author from Illuminate has to say regarding the theme for this week, that being “Joy for the Light.”
Christian joy is greater than the joy the world offers. The world offers us joy in “sleek-designed” gadgets wrapped in shiny paper. The world’s joy lasts only for a time. Christian joy flows from the moments of life. Money from an unknown donor, survival from a severe illness or accident, and an encouraging word in a time of despair—all are examples of God’s presence in life’s impossible moments. Add all those stories to the countless stories from the time of Genesis to today, and you have reason for great joy. So let’s throw all of our efforts into joyfully preparing for the celebration of our Savior, who has come and will come again.” (pg. 48)
Yesterday, we lit the third candle of the Advent, which for this year is the “Shepherd’s Candle,” representing the joy they experienced, as well as the “wonder” for what they had just witnessed—in more ways than one. Here is a better way to explain it:
The sound of the blast-off was slightly delayed because of the distance from the actual tower. It was December 7, 1972, and it was the first night-time launch of a manned space craft. Jack Needleman was one of the reporters covering the historic launch. He reported that at lift-off the space craft “seemed to have become a star as it carried three men bound for glory.” Needleman concluded, “Men’s eyes were filled with light, their mouths wide open, and their faces lit by the inner glow of sheer wonder.”
If that was the reaction of reporters that had witnessed dozens of earth-shaking events in their lifetimes, think what it must have been like for the shepherds who were quietly tending their sheep when an Angel and a chorus of angels suddenly appeared to them to announce the Savior’s birth. The shepherds had never seen anything like it in their lifetimes.
In a word, what the shepherds experienced was wonder. Lloyd Stilley described wonder this way: “A sense of wonder comes when our expectations are exceeded. Wonder is being astonished at the fantastic, jolted by splendor. It is the byproduct of being in the presence of something that takes your breath away.”
We live in a “been-there, done-that” culture. Hollywood has turned the spectacular into normal. Do you remember the “Wizard of Oz” motion picture? Can you recall the feeling you had when the “yellow-brick road” splashed on the screen in brilliant color? The 1939 edition of “Oz” was produced in black-and-white, and Color. Technology was not anything like today’s technology. But the contrast between the familiar black-and-white and color in that movie was stunning, making it unforgettable to all who saw it.
The lives of the shepherds were changed in an instant. It took a few minutes for them to realize that the residents of Bethlehem hadn’t seen what they saw. Otherwise, people would be running from house to house to ask, “Did you hear the angels singing? What is going on here?” After the angels disappeared, the night returned to being silent again. “Can we go and find the baby?” a shepherd boy asked his father. “Please, Papa, can we go and see this thing that has happened?” Hastily, the shepherds agreed on who would go and who would stay to watch the flock. Luke tells us that they hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby asleep in a manger.
The song the angels sang is the third of four songs we celebrate at Advent. Mary’s Song and Zechariah’s Song preceded the appearance of the angel and the angel chorus. The first two songs came to people chosen by God—persons with a lineage. The Song of the angels came to nobodies. Shepherds were even restricted from attending the synagogue, because by nature their work made them ritually unclean. They were society’s outcasts. But God placed them squarely in the midst of history that night near Bethlehem. In Chicken Soup for the Soul, author Dan Millman tells the story of Sachi. When she was four, her baby brother was born. Sachi asked her parents if she could be left alone with her new brother for a few minutes. Like most parents, her mom and dad were reluctant to do this. They were fearful that an accident might occur if they were not close by. Eventually, her parents relented and told her she could be alone with him in the bedroom. But the parents were not far away. They shut the door to the bedroom, but left the door ajar—just so they could observe from a distance and see if everything was safe for both children. They saw Sachi walk quietly to the baby’s bed, put her face close to his, and say, “Baby, tell me what God feels like. I’m starting to forget.” (p. 283) Christmas is a time when we can draw close to God and feel his Presence near us and worship and praise Him. It is a time for us to wonder and be amazed. It is a time to allow the Spirit of Christ to whisper hope and peace and joy to our troubled hearts. Christ has come. It’s time to sing again. Merry Christmas!
Pastor J. T. Carnell