Finding direction

9 December 2022

Christmas Song #5: Who Are We Waiting For?

As I explained last time, O Come O Come Emmanuel began as a single word. But as time went on, the cry of longing became a prayer to the Messiah – an acknowledgment of just who it is that we wait for.

To the “O” was added names or titles of the Messiah in Latin. In their final form (as still used today), we have:

O Sapienta (Wisdom)
O Adonai (Lord)
O Radix Jesse (Stem of Jesse)
O Clavis David (Key of David)
O Oriens (Dayspring)
O Rex Gentium (King of the world)
O Emmanuel (God with Us)

The series originated possibly over 1500 years ago.

As we’ll see, these themes eventually developed into the song we know today. We’ve already talked about the last one – Emmanuel, and the first, Wisdom. Let’s take a look at the next two verses, one at a time:

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

“Rod” is from the Authorized Version (KJV) translation of Isaiah 11:1 – here in the ESV translated as “shoot”.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
Isaiah 11:1

Jesse was, of course, the father of King David. Long after David’s death, Isaiah prophesied that a “shoot” would grow out of the “stump” of Jesse – that is, a descendant of Jesse’s – a “Son of David”. In Isaiah 11:1-10, the “shoot” is depicted as someone on whom God’s Spirit rests, a righteous ruler that would destroy the wicked, and care for the poor and meek. This great Ruler would bring peace to the earth.

There are actually various enemies in this verse that the Rod must destroy. Satan, of course, the false and tyrannical ruler. Hell, the righteous judgement of God on sinners – in other words, the enemy of sin itself. And death – another judgement from God on sin.

Perhaps Paul was thinking of Isaiah 11 when he wrote these words:

Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
1 Corinthians 15:24-26

The author of Hebrews also takes up this theme, including the tyranny of the devil in his explanation of Christ’s victory:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
Hebrews 2:14-15

From exile, tyranny and death to faithfulness and peace – that is the result of the rule of the Rod of Jesse.

Verse four…

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

What in the world is a “Day-spring”? Once again it comes from the Authorized Version, this time in Luke 1:78 – “the dayspring from on high hath visited us”. It’s actually a beautiful word, translated into modern English in the ESV. Here’s the text, speaking to baby John the Baptist:

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:76-79

Translated here as “sunrise”, dayspring is the first light of the new day – referring to the sun, or the morning star. The same theme is picked up in the hymn “The Sands of Time Are Sinking”:

The sands of time are sinking, the dawn of heaven breaks;
The summer morn I’ve sighed for—the fair, sweet morn awakes:
Dark, dark hath been the midnight, but dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.
Anne R. Cousin

But there’s a curious detail here in Luke. The word is translated “sunrise” or “dawn” or “dayspring” because of the context, which, of course, speaks of light. But it could also be translated “sprout” or “shoot”. That’s right – it could also refer back, again, to the Shoot of Jesse.

Either way, once again we have the image of light coming to those who are in the darkness – the darkness of the fear of death. The Dayspring delivers us from the fear of death. At long last, the first light shoots over the horizon – the long night is over.

Interestingly enough, at the very end of Revelation, these themes are connected together – using the “morning star”:

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.
Revelation 22:16

And so we wait for Jesus, our Deliverer from death and the devil. At the moment, we see the first streaks of dawn in the sky as we remember the first coming of Christ – as we read the wonderful story in His Word. And we wait for the light of His coming again…

…we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…
2 Peter 1:19

7 December 2022

Retro: Wheelchairs (old style)

Jim Just for fun, Ministry glimpses, Retro 0

Ten years ago today (2012) we were having a closing program for the community centre. Part of the program was to give out some wheelchairs to people who had been identified as having a special need.

These are the “old style” wheelchairs provided by another mission. The new ones are a lot better and more sophisticated. But for someone who had no access to any chair, these were a good start!

5 December 2022

Prayer and Praise in December

Jim Family, Ministry glimpses, Prayer and Praise, ST Highlight 0

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Many of you are probably feeling like you’re well into the Christmas season as well.

Our December began – well, with a heartbreaking loss by Canada at the World Cup… just after Mexico was eliminated. *sigh*

But on the bright side, it also began with a visit from our friends Greg and Shelli! A rare pleasure indeed. 🙂

We also started listening to some devotions for Advent as a family – it’s not too late to start, if you’d like to join us! The book is called The Dawn of Redeeming Grace: Daily Devotions for Advent, and we’re listening to the audiobook version. We’ve already had some great times to learn about and meditate on the coming of our Saviour this year.

If you’re praying for the ministry here, there are some neat things coming up!

This coming Sunday driving about an hour or so out of town to a water park, where we’ll be having a baptism service. One or two people will be baptized, as far as I know. Please pray for them, their families, and for the church, during this special time together.

The following Sunday I’ll be preaching a Christmas sermon, from a fascinating section of Jesus’ family tree. So I would appreciate prayer as I prepare for that. And after that we have more special services in December, fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters.

As we enter into the holiday season, it’s a wonderful time for believers here. But it’s also a challenge, as so many spend time with unbelieving family and friends. Please pray for our witness during these days.

Nathanael has a lot of heavy schoolwork right now, so you can pray for him as well, as he tries to get done in order to have some time off.

And, as many of you know, we’re looking forward to having Hannah here for a few days over the holidays! So a very special Christmas indeed. They’re all special, of course. 🙂

There are about a million other things going on, but I’ll leave it at that for now! Thanks for your prayers.

May Christ be glorified this month, and into 2023!

2 December 2022

Christmas Song #5: It Began With A Single Word

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

War, disease, poverty, hatred, tyranny. With just a quick look at the world today, we see that we live in a desperate and decaying era. Oh, that it would come to an end.

Over 2000 years ago, the power of sin was broken, in time, when the Messiah finally came to earth. God the Son took on human flesh, suffered, and died, bringing us forgiveness and redemption.

And someday, Satan’s borrowed tyrannical rule will end. And finally, even the presence of sin in this world will be a thing of the past. Because the Messiah is coming back.

As Christians, we long for that day, as believers in Old Testament times longed for His first coming. And you may notice that I naturally began expressing that longing with a single word – you might say a single sound – Oh!

I borrowed the title of this post from my Dad, who would describe this carol as the song which began as a single word – and that word was “O”. The tradition began – well, we’re not sure when, but it was in place by the 8th century. The tradition was to express the longing for the coming of Christ by singing a drawn-out “O”. Today, that practice has continued in some liturgical traditions, as “the Great O of Advent”, or the O Antiphons ( a song or chant sung in a liturgy) of Advent. A long “O” was sung before and after the reading of Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).

Over time, words were added – we’ll talk more about that another week. But finally, a whole song evolved. Originally appearing in English as “Draw Nigh, Draw Nigh, Emmanuel”, it is now better known as O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

You can see immediately that the song is talking about Jesus’ first coming, and yet it has for us a double meaning as we await His return.

“Emmanuel” (or Immanuel) means “God with us”. (Or, more literally, “With us God” – you might recognize the Hebrew word for God at the end – “El”.) The most familiar verse, quoted in Matthew 1:23, is in Isaiah:

Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14

For more on this fascinating prophecy, you might want to read Promises of a Messiah: Isaiah 7,9 and 11 (part 1), and Promises of a Messiah: Isaiah 7,9 and 11 (part 2).

Matthew places this prophecy at the beginning of his book, ending with confirmation of its fulfillment:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis mine)

Jesus was quite literally God with us – God among humankind. And He remains with His people.

But after the prophecy itself in Isaiah, things progressed to judgement. The exile of Israel from the land. And a return that, although wonderful, left many longing for the glory days of the past (Ezra 3:12). Oh for the time when God Himself would appear in His temple, and lead His people (Exodus 40:34-38; 2 Chronicles 7:1-3)! Emmanuel!

(Incidentally, the different spellings are the same word – one comes from the Hebrew (Immanuel), the other from the Greek. Which is, itself, a translation of the Hebrew!)

God’s presence, God’s guidance. It is the answer to Moses’ prayers in Exodus 33 – “Show me your glory” and “Show me your ways”. Powerful prayers.

The second verse develops the idea of guidance, calling Jesus the Wisdom from on high. We long for wisdom – a term that includes intelligence and ability to act. Wisdom is an attribute of God, shown to us in His amazing creative work:

The LORD possessed me [Wisdom] at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
…
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always…
From Proverbs 8:22-31

Jesus Himself is called Wisdom in the New Testament:

And because of [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:30-31

This idea is repeated again in Colossians, after Paul says that all things were created by means of God’s beloved Son:

…in [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:3

All three of these passages speak of the pursuit of wisdom by human beings. A pursuit of that wisdom that created the world itself. Proverbs 8 exclaims, “whoever finds me finds life and obtains favour from the LORD!” (Proverbs 8:35). 1 Corinthians encourages us to boast in what we have received in Christ – wisdom, among other things. And Colossians echoes Proverbs by praying:

… that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him…
Colossians 1:9-10

Wisdom in Christ, like Christ Himself, is something that we have – and yet something that we pursue, long for, and wait for.

Although Jesus fulfills His promise to be with us always, through His Spirit, we long for His physical presence on earth, visible to all. For “every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7).

So in this song, we will spend the next four weeks giving thanks for the riches of the Messiah, but also longing for the complete fulfillment of our salvation. Glory, Guidance, and Wisdom – O, how we long for Him!

1 December 2022

Christmas Song #5 Coming Tomorrow…

Jim Misc 0

For four years now, this being the 5th, I have done a deep dive into a Christmas carol, over a series of posts. And I’m here to keep up the tradition one more time!

The first two were candidates for the greatest Christmas song of all time:

And then, an unusual one, but a personal favourite – It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

And last year, a candidate for the oldest Christmas carol – Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

It all began with my disgust at hearing lists of “the greatest” Christmas songs that ignored the great songs based on the birth of the Christ Himself.

Tomorrow we’ll get into another carol – a familiar one, and another one of my favourites. But with origins that are very unusual. It started as a single word – progressed into a hidden code – well, we’ll talk about that when the time comes.

28 November 2022

Justice and Partiality: Application Time.

Jim Devotional and Bible, News and current issues 0

Let’s take the time to apply some of what we’ve learned about justice and partiality. Now, we recognize that justice is applied in different ways in our personal lives, at work, in the family, in the church, in the community, or in government.

But as we look through the Bible, let’s try to pull out some of the most common principles that can apply to all, and especially to our personal lives.

First, what if we experience partiality against ourselves? Someone is against you. Racism, or any kind of partiality. Against you because your a Christian. Whatever the case may be.

Well, maybe we could start by admitting this – yes, I am a bad person. Apart from Christ. I’m a sinner. I’m worse than you think. We start with humility.

(A) I admit my sinfulness. (Psalm 51:3-5; Luke 17:7-10; Romans 2:1)

Now listen – the world will call your good “evil”. Unjust? Yes. But in spite of that, we can admit that we are all sinners in need of a Saviour.

And then we say, I’m not going to “hate you back”. I’m not going to devalue you, because you did it to me. You were created in the image of God. I will be an example.

(B) I aim to conquer evil with good. (Matthew 5:44-46; Romans 12:21; 1 Peter 2:12)

And I aim to live a just and merciful life, and will encourage others to do the same.

(C) I aim to live a life of justice. (Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:15-16; Matthew 23:23)

I am responsible to promote justice and fight against partiality in my family, my church, and my community.

(D) I wait for God to defend me, and bring true and complete justice. (Deuteronomy 32:35-36; Psalm 37; Psalm 73; Romans 12:19)

God will vindicate you. God will defend you. The truth will be known.

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.
…
For the LORD loves justice;
he will not forsake his saints.
They are preserved forever,
but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.
Psalm 37:5-6,28

In C and D, we see a contentment that acts. That is, we do not have a contentment, a peace, that is weak and passive. We have complete peace and contentment in God, and at the same time we fight the good fight of the Faith. A contentment armed with the sword of the Lord.

Now, let’s make a list of some of the ways in which God wants us to promote justice. And I encourage you to meditate on some of the extra verses I’m including, because the Spirit has a lot to teach us.

Don’t show partiality. Remember that everyone has value; they were created in the image of God. (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 1:17; 1 Timothy 5:21; James 2:1)
Be honest. Be careful with your words. Don’t gossip. Don’t slander. Look – this can be hard in times of conflict, because we want to find every excuse we can to fight against someone who may truly be evil. But we must always be careful to speak the truth. (Exodus 20:16; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:25)
Remember that we are all responsible for our own actions. We’re neither innocent nor guilty because of our race, culture, or history. We’re not sin-free because we belong to a certain group. We are all personally responsible before God. (Ezekiel 18; Romans 2:1-4)
Be kind, merciful, and generous to the vulnerable. Those who have no family, or no family nearby. The poor. Those without influence and resources. (Exodus 22:21-27; Daniel 4:27; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; James 1:27)
Never accept a bribe. (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19; Isaiah 33:14-16)
Study God’s Word, and obey with humility. (Psalm 19:7-11; Ezra 7:10; Micah 6:8; 1 John 2:4-6)
Be sure that the God of the Bible is your God, and worship Him only. Once again, this is contentment with a sword. We imitate what we worship, right?

The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
Deuteronomy 32:4

And one more thing. I mentioned Jon Harris earlier. He is someone who has studied these things quite a bit. This is some wise counsel that he has given.

I’ve pointed out already that it’s very easy to give the impression that you’re promoting justice. It’s easy to post something on social media. It’s easy to complain about another group of people. Or say something against someone.

The world wants us to “love” in a very abstract way. There are oppressed people, and some of them are us, and so we join a protest, or we mock someone on social media.

But as believers, we should look around us and love real people directly, personally, and with generosity.

Start with your family, and with your local church. How often do you even smile at your family members? Once in a while, I hope. How often do you help someone else before they ask? How often do you simply surprise someone with your generosity? And look, I’m not just talking dollars here, although that’s important. Be generous with treasure, time and talent. Be sure to love with actions, not just words.

And after your family and church, try being friendly with that neighbour or classmate or coworker that you don’t like. Pray for someone specific. Show mercy and love to real, specific people that you know physically. Hey – give actual money to someone in need.

Live like the Lord Jesus.

A prayer to Yahweh:

My soul yearns for you in the night;
my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
Isaiah 26:9

Yahweh is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
and he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of Yahweh is Zion’s treasure.
Isaiah 33:5-6

Amen to that.

Additional Resources…

We’ve spent a long time talking about justice and partiality! Here are some additional resources to check out on both topics.

And by the way, I’ll be taking a break from the Biblical Anthropology series until after Christmas. We’re still going to talk about creativity (art) and communication, and also the environment. After that, we’ll try to pull everything together in a review. So we’ll get to that, Lord willing, in 2023.

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