CHAPTER 1
JESUS RECONCILES
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people." (Luke 2:8-10 NRSV)
In the Dead of Night
I don't remember the age it happened for him, but it was magical.
The realization was almost too much for Grey, my oldest son, who probably was four or five years old at the time. Waffle House was open all night. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't get over the idea that while he slept, other people were beginning their day — working through the night, serving food to people. The concept became an onion his little mind was set on de-layering. "What about their families? Do mommies work at Waffle Houses? Who's eating in the middle of the night?"
I promised him that — some day, eventually — we'd go in the middle of the night so he could see for himself. Obviously making such an excursion would take either solid, intentional planning or an unreasonable collision of unlikely circumstances. I chose to wait for the latter.
Fast-forward three years. Grey, then seven or eight, still had not been to a Waffle House in the middle of the night. Nor had Penner, his brother, who was two years younger. At that point in our lives, my wife and I both worked for a local church, where I served as director of youth ministries and she as director of children's ministries. That January, we had continuing education events that overlapped. Grandparents covered the parenting gap, and when I returned, Granddaddy picked me up at the airport, boys in tow.
Exhausted, I headed to bed soon after the boys that night. I was glad to be home and even more grateful to be in my own bed. Sleeping. Ahhhhhhh.
"Dad. Dad."
"What ... what on earth, Grey," I mumbled.
"I had a bad dream. Can I watch TV?"
I wriggled around trying to find a clock to consult. No glasses on. Useless. So I said, "What time is it, anyway?"
He pat-patted away to the kitchen and then came back. "It's 3:08 a.m.," he informed me.
"No, Grey, go back to bed. That's nuts. It's the middle of the night."
My words echoed in my head. It's the middle of the night. Stupid promises. It's the middle of the night. Mom is out of town. Waffle House is open.
Darn it. I couldn't not do it.
My words came in an exhausted rush. "It's the middle of the night and Mom's not here, so we can probably go to Waffle House if you want to, but we have to ask your brother because if he doesn't want to go it would be mean waking him up, and we can't go without him. Okay?" I sucked in one of those long, high-pressure yawns.
"Okay," Grey said.
I went to Penner's bed, hoping against hope that he would decline the invitation.
"Penner. Penner." Maybe he wouldn't even wake up. "Penner."
He squeezed up his eyes and wrinkled his nose, a customary first response.
"Penner, it's the middle of the night. Do you want to go to Waffle House and get a waffle in the middle of the night?" I was over explaining it, but it was the best I could manage at the time. He scrunched up his nose again. Maybe he would just fall back asleep.
"Yyyyeesssss," he exhaled.
So we loaded up a three-way jammies party and headed into town.
As you might imagine, there's not a much cuter sight than two little boys in their pj's in the middle of the night at a Waffle House, so there was no shortage of conversation. All the wait staff came by to talk. We got to meet a handful of truck drivers and factory workers. The experience was otherworldly for both the boys and me. We'd stepped into a time and place that wasn't our own and had glimpsed a different way of life.
As we drove home, Grey leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, I heard him quietly say, "Dad?"
"Yes, Grey?"
"I'd like to go back and visit the night people again sometime."
Every now and then, we do.
Come to Reconcile
Even when I was a kid I wondered why Jesus was born in the middle of the night. That curiosity did not subside after having two children of my own, each heavily involving the middle of the night in their births. You'd think that if anybody could be born at a convenient hour it would be Jesus. Even if it was just as a courtesy to Mary — "Hey, sorry about the surprise pregnancy; let's put you up in a nice hotel and have the birth around brunch. Sound good?" Nope. Middle of the night.
But God was coming to bring things back together — to reconcile.
Fitting, then, to announce the coming Christ Child in the middle of the night. The angels appeared to the overnight shepherds; honor enough. How exciting, to be among the first to be in Jesus' presence! But imagine the people who approached them in the coming days — if you wanted to hear more about that middle-of-the-night miracle, you'd have to seek out the "night people."
Just as Jesus came to reconcile, we are called to join in that work of reconciliation. Fortunately, the real work of reconciliation is done by God, but we have a great role of inviting people into that relationship. Not a hard-nosed accept-or-reject invitation, but a relational coming-alongside invitation. Just being in community with other people allows your life to offer God's love in the lives of others.
An example of that, once again courtesy of Waffle House:
It was Christmas Eve. I was at the home of my girlfriend Britta's family, not too long before we would be married. We were watching a movie, when suddenly Britta's brother Pete asked, "When are we going to Waffle House?"
Everyone exchanged glances. "Why would we go to Waffle House?"
Pete said, "We always go to Waffle House on Christmas Eve!"
The conversation went back and forth. Pete was increasingly agitated, now pacing. The fact was, it was at least my fifth Christmas Eve spent with Britta's family, and in that time we'd never gone to Waffle House. Eventually, though, to appease Pete, we loaded up and headed out for waffles.
It immediately became a family tradition (or continued an existing one, depending on who you ask). Even with our families scattered apart by a few hours' drive, we manage most years to land at a Waffle House somewhere on Christmas Eve.
The meal has a feeling of reconciliation — reaching out to spend time with night people who are separated from their families on a holiday. Some are there for the extra holiday pay. Some are there because they don't have family to visit. Whatever the reason, there's a feeling of community in a place where usually there isn't.
I wonder if the shepherds sensed some of that community on the first Christmas.
Going Deeper
Opportunity Lost
Moses is a hero of Scripture, a clear leader among leaders. He was sent by God to bring the Israelites out of slavery and into the freedom that God desired for them. After a close encounter with death as an infant, Moses found himself raised in Pharaoh's palace, primed to be a key figure in leadership. At the age of forty, he decided to visit his own people — where everything suddenly went wrong.
Read Acts 7:17-28. Keep in mind that this all happened before God met Moses in the desert.
• At the moment he was confronted about killing the Egyptian, what emotions do you think Moses experienced?
• How do you think your own actions affect the perception of others?
• When have your actions complicated your ability to offer reconciliation to others?
• Have you ever struggled to be reconciled to someone because of his or her actions? How can you always be ready to offer or receive reconciliation?
Come Together
During Advent, we yearn for the reconciliation that drew us to God in the first place. In the Wesleyan tradition, that yearning is called prevenient grace — the grace that goes before, drawing us to God before we're even aware of the source of our longing.
Read Ephesians 2:13-16.
We're familiar with the idea that God comes to reconcile; in fact, since you're reading this, there's a fair chance you've been raised with that story. The storyline often focuses on the coming together of humanity and God, which is true and wonderful. But the verses you just read indicate that another reconciliation takes place first: "both groups into one" in verse 14 (NRSV) refers to the blending of Jews (God's people) and Gentiles (everyone else) into one — all boundaries removed, humanity united.
• How does the way you live out your faith work to include others and not exclude them?
Everything in Its Place
At this point in your life, you've probably got a lot of people who are in charge of you at one time or another. Parents at home. Teachers at school. The coaches and other extracurricular leaders who are an increasingly important presence in the lives of youth. It's easy for the notion of "following Jesus" to fall to second place in our lives, and quickly. Then third. Eventually discipleship is a distant, dim wish.
Read Colossians 1:15-20.
• Where does God figure in your day-to-day life? Is your relationship with God a must or something you keep meaning to work on?
• What things would you have to give away in order for Christ truly to be your "head"?
• How does God's supremacy in your life (or lack of it) affect your ability to work for reconciliation in the world around you?
Making It Personal
One of the wonderful things about following the church calendar is that each time the seasons roll around, they present new opportunities for spiritual change and growth in our relationship with God. This is not to make excuses for the way we continually fall away, but we certainly can be grateful for the calendar's reminders of God's grace in our lives.
This Advent, be open to where God may be nudging you toward better relationships. What changes can you make that would
• increase your depth of discipleship?
• make you more familiar with Scripture?
• bring you closer to God in prayer?
• increase your confidence in letting God work through you in your community?
You're currently cruising toward the popular good-intentions trap of New Year's resolutions; don't let this become that. But — without serious dedication — all the good thinking you just did can wither away to nothing in terms of real change in your life. Write down some goals related to the answers you just gave to the above questions. Share the goals with friends who will keep you accountable, in love.
Sharing Thoughts and Feelings
Spend some time with the group discussing these questions:
• Jesus was sent to earth to reconcile. What do you think that means?
• Can you share an example of a time when you were able to reconcile with someone after suffering a serious hurt? Is there a situation in your life that you are still waiting to see reconciled?
• What are some ways we can be reconcilers for God?
• What hurts exist in your community that need reconciliation? (See "A Time to Heal," below.)
• Can you share a time you felt included when you didn't expect to be? How can we include others in what we're trying to accomplish with God?
Doing Things Together
Do Unto Others
Supplies: Contractor-grade trash bags, transportation
The season of Advent is a time when we're invited to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Jesus. Unfortunately, it's also a time when our consumer culture hits maximum overdrive in its annual shopping frenzy. Find time to form a relationship with a local shelter or nonprofit resale shop. Work with them to determine what needs they face through the holiday season in terms of food or clothing donations.
Have your church group develop a plan for advertising a food and clothing drive in your community. Be as specific as possible in your requests. The shop may work a season ahead and might be looking for spring clothing rather than winter clothing. When you're trying to meet needs, it's important to actually find out what the needs are.
Establish drop-off and pickup points and an ending date. Some people may be willing to donate ahead of Christmas, but others may want to wait until after. If your group is willing, form a relationship (we're reconciling, remember?) with that charity or shelter. What other things can you do together to help reach your community?
A Time to Heal
Supplies: Honesty
This activity will probably be a little different from anything your church group may have done: you're going to dig up an old hurt and try to heal it.
Work together to remember an unresolved, difficult issue that was faced by your group, church, or community. This could be between two or more people, families, or schools, and it could involve any interaction that ended bitterly or was unsettled. If you pick an unresolved issue within your peer group, consider bringing in a trusted adult or two to help moderate.
When you've identified the hurt, talk through these questions:
• Who was hurt in this instance?
• What was done at the time to try to heal?
• After the situation had died down a little, what happened to the parties involved?
Spend some time talking about what your group could do to offer some healing in that situation. What would be the best path to reconciliation? Has enough time passed that peaceful conversation can take place?
Whether or not you carry through with your plan, reflect on these questions:
• What were your immediate feelings when this activity was described?
• What can make reconciliation difficult between two people or groups?
• How do you see God's reconciling love working in your life?
Listening for God
God, may we fully participate in your reconciling work in this world! Thank you for sending Jesus to bring your creation back into relationship with you. Amen.
CHAPTER 2
JESUS SETS US FREE
Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
(Luke 4:16-19 CEB)
A Deafening Silence
When you grow up in the church, it's easy to get used to certain things during a church service. Over time you realize you're no longer processing (much less singing) the last hymn — you're thinking about lunch. You tune in here and there during the Scripture, but a lot of times your brain says, "Scripture: check," and you move on to whatever is next in the service. You're usually good for at least the first five minutes of the sermon, or until you've decided if (a) it's interesting or (b) you've heard it before.
To tell the truth, it's rare that we're genuinely surprised in church. A sermon on giving? Oh, surprise. A story about a preacher making a home visit? Color me interested. Perhaps the greatest irony is checking out mentally during an Advent sermon. How do you lose interest in a season when the whole point is eager anticipation?
It's true, though — if you've heard the sermon or Scripture or song before, your mind can wander. Even in this series, if we wander through a text or topic you're familiar with, you might want to start skimming. But stay with me!
Our text this week, shown above, is likely a familiar one; it's popular during Advent but also pops up throughout the year. So if you're like I was in middle school and high school, you've already checked off the Scripture box and probably even summed up your own mini-devotional on Jesus setting us free so that we can set others free. But context is everything.
Keep in mind that Jesus is speaking these words. Another layer down reveals that Jesus is actually reading, and the words belong to Isaiah. But before we go any deeper, I want you to feel the change in the atmosphere that is about to occur in the room where Jesus is reading.
When I was in middle school, the pastor of my family's church resigned. He'd had an affair with the high school daughter of a church member. It was a Southern Baptist church, and the girl's father happened to be the chairman of the deacons. An electrifying tale, no doubt. I'm sure some of the key church leadership knew before we did, but most of the congregation found out when a letter from the pastor to the deacon in question was read aloud from the pulpit.
