For you see you calling, brethren,
that not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not many of noble birth.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to put to shame the things that are mighty;
and the base things of the world which are despised God has chosen,
and the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are
that no flesh should glory in His presence.
I Corinthians 1:26-29
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us
and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father
full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
This Morning, I went down to the new local Starbucks to have a cup of coffee before going to the morning service at Camelback Bible, where a I attended years ago. Now that my mornings are free since I started attending the evening service at Scottsdale Bible, I thought it would to nice to attend a more traditional Advent service this morning and Camelback always celebrated the Historic Christian Calendar with a full choir, a grand organ and more traditional arrangements of the hymns. So as I sat in Starbucks and later in the garden, I began to contemplate the Advent (Latin for coming ), the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the coming of our Savior. Traditionally, the readings in the liturgy are in preparation for the Second coming of Christ but my thoughts today have wandered continually to the first coming of our Lord. What begun to penetrate my heart today was not only the humility of our Lord himself but the humility of the persons to whom he choose to reveal himself with his first coming and continues to reveal himself today.
Who first beheld his glory? Who first was privileged to see the Word become flesh. Who first saw the revelation of the only begotten? To whom does he reveal himself today?
He revealed his glory to the unwed pregnant teenage girl humbly seeking him. He revealed his glory to the forgotten child and young man out in the cold working late into the night. He revealed his glory to homeless wandering family that could find no place to stay. He revealed his glory to the eastern astrologer looking for him in the stars. He revealed his glory to the the old man in temple waiting for God's calling. He revealed his glory to the old widow serving God with fasting and prayer day and night. He revealed his glory to miserable business man getting rich off the poor. He revealed his glory to the rough and stinky characters of everyday jobs. He revealed his glory to all who sought him, who were blessed with eyes to see and ears to hear: the sinner, the adulteress, the woman with many husbands, the sick, the dying, the paralyzed, the suffering, the lonely, the marginalized, the forgotten and the demonized.
And in fact, in his first Advent, He hid himself from the powerful, the politician, the world leader, the influential, the highly educated, the religious, the rich, the famous. He was and is the God of the humble, the broken, the poor in spirit, the meek, the mourning, the hungry, and the persecuted.
Strangely enough, every conversation and both sermons I heard today: Tim at Camelback from Genesis 3 and Jamie at Scottsdale from I Peter 5, returned again and again to the same truth.
Thank you Lord for reminding me today what I often forget:
You are God and I am not.
Give me eyes that truly see you and ears that truly hear you
as I remember your first advent in humility, grace and truth
and expectantly wait and prepare for your future advent
in holiness, power and justice.
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