First Week of Advent - Thursday

Today's scripture readings are ones that are very familiar to anyone who goes to church on a regular basis. I am glad that they have surfaced here during the Advent season because often what is familiar and routine is often over looked and missed. Take the time to read these words again. Then, close your eyes, relax, breath deeply putting away all of the distractions around you and read them again. However as you read them, hear them as if Jesus was sitting right there with you, looking you in the eyes speaking to you.

Matthew 7:21-27

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Just because I know the company line doesn't make me a company person. Just because I sit in the garage doesn't make me a car. I must not only talk the talk, I must walk the walk. I must become a doer of the word. In doing that, in becoming an obedient doer, I am building my house on not only a rock but on The Rock. After coming through these past eight months of rain and storm and more rain, I have a fresh, vivid understanding of standing against the rain and what it takes to do so.

Father, as I wait for your coming, as I prepare for your presence, I thank you for your words that enable my finite mind to understand your infinite love for me. Thank you for your corrections of my ways and for the map that you provide taking me from from here to Your heart. Amen. - DD

First Week of Advent - Wednesday

Isaiah 25:6-10

New International Version (NIV)

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

¹⁰ The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain;
but Moab will be trampled in their land
as straw is trampled down in the manure.

I wait for you Lord, my provider, my protector, my redeemer. I wait for you sovereign Lord who will wipe away my tears and forgive my sins. As I rejoice and am glad in Your salvation build in me a greater trust, rest your hand upon my mountain and give me peace. - DD

First Week of Advent - Tuesday

David was a "man after God's own heart".

Psalm 72
Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.

³ May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
⁴ May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
⁵ May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
⁶ May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
¹¹ May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
¹⁶ May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.

¹⁸ Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
¹⁹ Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.

²⁰ This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Lord Jesus, While we wait in great anticipation your coming, help us to be men and women after your own heart. Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen. - DD

First Week of Advent - Monday

Isaiah 4:2-6

The Renewal of Zion

² In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped. ³ And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy—everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, ⁵ then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. ⁶ And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.

Reflection by Matthew Henry -
Not only the setting forth Christ's kingdom in the times of the apostles, but its enlargement by gathering the dispersed Jews into the church, is foretold. Christ is called the Branch of the Lord, being planted by his power, and flourishing to his praise. The gospel is the fruit of the Branch of the Lord; all the graces and comforts of the gospel spring from Christ. It is called the fruit of the earth, because it sprang up in this world, and was suited for the present state. It will be good evidence that we are distinguished from those merely called Israel, if we are brought to see all beauty in Christ, and holiness. As a type of this blessed day, Jerusalem should again flourish as a branch, and be blessed with the fruits of the earth. God will keep for himself a holy seed. When most of those that have a place and a name in Zion, and in Jerusalem, shall be cut off by their unbelief, some shall be left. Those only that are holy shall be left, when the Son of man shall gather out of his kingdom every thing which offends. By the judgment of God's providence, sinners were destroyed and consumed; but by the Spirit of grace they are reformed and converted. The Spirit herein acts as a Spirit of judgment, enlightening the mind, convincing the conscience; also as a Spirit of burning, quickening and strengthening the affections, and making men zealously affected in a good work. An ardent love to Christ and souls, and zeal against sin, will carry men on with resolution in endeavors to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Every affliction serves believers as a furnace, to purify them from dross; and the convincing, enlightening, and powerful influences of the Holy Spirit, gradually root out their lusts, and render them holy as He is holy. God will protect his church, and all that belong to it. Gospel truths and ordinances are the glory of the church. Grace in the soul is the glory of it; and those that have it are kept by the power of God. But only those who are weary will seek rest; only those who are convinced that a storm is approaching, will look for shelter. Affected with a deep sense of the Divine displeasure, to which we are exposed by sin, let us at once have recourse to Jesus Christ, and thankfully accept the refuge he affords.

Father God, As we await your coming as the Christ Child and as the Groom we thank you for the trials we have that help purify us. Protect us and all that we have this day and every day. We seek your rest; we seek your shelter; we seek your refuge. Come quickly Lord Jesus. Amen -DD

The Advent Season for 2011 is upon us. How wonderful these next twenty-eight days will be. These days are pregnant with wonder, waiting, joy and redemption.

The wonder come from trying to understand why the Creator of the universe would want to take on the form of a human by entering the womb to be born of simple parents, in a poor simple land during a time of cruel, harsh rule. Why enter the world so simply into a cramped, smelly, sheep pen? To what ends does the Creator perform such an event?

"Anything worth having is worth waiting for." This has been spoken to me many times. I have in turn said it to my own and to many others many times. "Waiting" also creates in us, probably because we are mortal and physically confined and defined by time, a deep sense of urgency and anticipation. It is just as difficult for an adult to wait for the birth of his child as it is for a child to wait for his birthday year after year. What are we waiting for now? For what are you waiting?

Joy! Joy! Think about it. Joy! What causes you joy? What do you do to create joy for yourself? What do you do to create joy for others? What do you do to create joy for the Creator of the universe? How do you feel when you feel joy, unbridled, free-range, non-ending JOY? Does your heart pound? Do your cheeks become flush? Do you become light-headed? Can't sit still? I feel all that plus more.

Redeem. Redeemer. Redemption. When something is redeemed is something bought back or paid for by the original owner because it once belonged to him. It was lost, deeply desired, and then sacrificed for because it was knowed to be of great value.

Over the next 28-days I hope to share with you my thoughts on Advent and on some daily scripture readings. I'm doing this as I prepare and get ready for the coming of my Lord, Jesus the Christ. This is what Advent means to me:

First Week - Sunday - Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7
Passage Isaiah 63:16-19:
¹⁶For [surely] You are our Father, even though Abraham [our ancestor] does not know us and Israel (Jacob) does not acknowledge us; You, O Lord, are [still] our Father, our Redeemer from everlasting is Your name. ¹⁷O Lord, why have You made us [able] to err from Your ways and hardened our hearts to [reverential] fear of You? Return [to bless us] for Your servants' sake, the tribes of Your heritage. ¹⁹We have become [to You] like those over whom You never exercised rule, like those who were not called by Your name.

Passage Isaiah 64:2-7:
²As when fire kindles the brushwood and the fire causes the waters to boil--to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! ³When You did terrible things which we did not expect, You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence. ⁴For from of old no one has heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who [earnestly] waits for Him. ⁵You meet and spare him who joyfully works righteousness (uprightness and justice), [earnestly] remembering You in Your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned; we have long continued in our sins [prolonging Your anger]. And shall we be saved? ⁶For we have all become like one who is unclean [ceremonially, like a leper], and all our righteousness (our best deeds of rightness and justice) is like filthy rags or a polluted garment; we all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away [far from God's favor, hurrying us toward destruction]. ⁷And no one calls on Your name and awakens and bestirs himself to take and keep hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us and have delivered us into the [consuming] power of our iniquities.

I believe this scripture show us that God was, is and always will be. I also let's us know that our sinfulness and the separation that it causes is all a part of the plan. I also see that even though there is a gulf of separation between God and sinners, the sinner knows there is a separation and that there is still a yearning in the sinners heart in the sinners spirit to be restored with the Creator.

Heavenly Father, Help us prepare our hearts for your coming this Advent season. Make us mindfully of your desires and give us the strength to be obedient to your wishes. Amen - DD

Letting Go

Last Tuesday evening I was sitting at home doing one of my many things that I do on my computer. Ann's cell phone rang, she answered it, spoke for a while and then unexpectedly handed it to me. For me? A cell phone call for me? A cell phone call for me on Ann's phone? It's either a prank call, a son or daughter or God calling. It was God! Well, not really God directly, but rather God was using a friend to get to me.

The voice on the other end of the call was asking me to spend the next four evenings plus Sunday afternoon as "Follow Spot 2". For as often as I say "no" to folks, it's almost impossible to provide a negative response to a request such as this. So off I went.

On the surface this may seem to be a tale of me doing a good deed, helping a friend in need. God had a much deeper plan for the event. On the first rehersal we started at the top of Act Two. I was struggling with following the cue sheet and finding my actor on stage when I realized that Noah was singing a song to which I needed to listen. I made a mental note to look it up to see what it was exactly but like with most of my "mental sticky notes" it fell from the monitor of my mind and was lost.

Dress rehersal was Thursday night. I found this night to be challenging also because there were some cue changes, everyone on stage was no dressed differently, thus they were in disguise to the second night spot guy, and not everyone stood at the same spot on stage as the had the night before. On purpose or not doesn't matter to the follow spot, you can't illuminate what you can't find. I did remember to try and listen to Noah's song but was confused because the previous night Act Two was first and Act One was second. This night Act One was first and Act two was second. Overload on the synapse channels. I made another mental note to look it up to see what it was exactly all about.

Opening night things slowed down. Things seem more cohesive. Either they were or my familiarity with the show made them appear as such. As Act Two started the Holy Spirit got my attention and had me ready and primed for what I was supposed to hear. Noah started his song on the hardest part of love. It was the tune and the chorus that got my attention. The chorus spoke of not being able to close an acorn once the oak begins to grow. That gave me a really neat mental picture. After I got home I realized that this song wasn't only about Noah's relationship with his sons, it was also about the relationship between God and Noah.

Saturday night was dynomite. There was a really good, responsive audience, technical issues were minimized and the performers were at the top of their game. As Noah began his song this night God opened a book of understanding to me. The song tonight was about more than Noah and his sons. It was about more than God's relationship with Noah. It was about my relationship with my own children and about my relationship with God.

I have always said the toughest part about being a parent is to allow your children to fail. You do not set them up for failure but when you see them on a course to failure and they reject you as you try to save them from that eventuality, it's hard to step aside and let them fail. Noah's song addressed that issue head on from the position of 'letting go'. All the heartache, rejection, and pain felt as a father when this happens weighs heavily upon one's heart. That is what Noah felt, that is what I have felt. But God joins the song as a duet with Noah and suddenly I knew that He knows that same feeling.

As a loving father God has given me the free will to do as I please. He's also given me the guide book to read and follow so I know what is the chosen path. Both He and I know that I don't always choose the right path. However, He let's me go. I know this weighs heavily upon His heart and I know He knows how I feel when this happens to me as a father because He took on flesh and lived in my world, walked in my shoes so He would know that I know.

They Holy Spirit wasn't only working on me through this song as after the final curtain several other men made comments, validating comments, that they had a similar experience with the song. God took a play where some men took liberty with Biblical stories and used it to touch His own to let them know, to remind them that He is still there and that He still understands. Sure am glad I got that call and helped a friend out. - DD

THE HARDEST PART of LOVE

Noah -

Oh father please don't make me choose Either way it's more than I can bear to lose Oh this son of mine I love so well And all the toil it takes I'd give to him a garden and keep clear of snakes But the one thing he most treasures is to make his own mistakes ohhh He goes charging on the cliffs of life A reckless mountaineer I could help him not to stumble I could warn him what to fear I could shout until I'm breathless And he'd still refuse to hear ohhh

But you cannot close the acorn Once the oak begins to grow And you cannot close your heart To what it fears and needs to know That the hardest part of love Is the letting go

As a child I found a sparrow Who had fallen form the nest And I nursed him back to health till he was stronger than the rest But when I tried to hold it It would peck and scratch my chest Till I let it go And I watched it fly away from me With it's brightened self resolve And part of me was cursing I had helped it grow so strong And I feared it might go hungery and I feared it might go wrong ohhh

But I could not close the acorn Once the oak began to grow And I cannot close my heart To what it fears and needs to know That the hardest part of love

FATHER

Is the letting go

NOAH

Is the letting go

FATHER
And it's only in Eden grows a rose without a thorn And your children start to leave you On the day that they were born They will leave you there to cheer for them They will leave you there to mourn ever so Like an ark on uncharted seas their lives will be tossed And the deeper is your love for them The crueler is the cost And just when they start to find themselves Is when you fear they're lost ohhh

NOAH and FATHER

But you cannot close the acorn Once the oak begins to grow And you cannot close your heart To what it fears and needs to know

NOAH

That the hardest part of love

FATHER

And the rarest part of love

NOAH and FATHER

And the truest is part of love Is the letting go