Jerodmac's Thoughts on Stuff

The Dangers of Advent
J. B. Phillips

When have Christians been promised physical security? In the early Church it is evident that they did not even expect it! Their security, their true life, was rooted in God; and neither the daily insecurities of the decaying Roman Empire, nor the organized persecution which followed later, could affect their basic confidence.

In my judgement, the description which Christ gave of the days that were to come before his return is more accurately reproduced in this fear-ridden age than ever before in human history. Of course we do not know the times and the seasons, but at least we can refuse to be deceived by the current obsession for physical security in the here-and-now. While we continue to pray and work for the spread of the kingdom in this transitory world, we know that its center of gravity is not here at all. When God decides that the human experiment has gone on long enough, yes, even in the midst of what appears to us confusion and incompleteness, Christ will come again.

This is what the New Testament teaches. This is the message of Advent. It is for us to be alert, vigilant and industrious, so that his coming will not be a terror but an overwhelming joy.

~Here is the row. It seems to me that one the missed messages of the Gospels' narrative of the Christmas story is that not many people got it. The birth of God goes mainly unnoticed. Maybe everyone who should have taken notice we just too busy. The livestock caught it, they were there. And the shepherds found out too, but they cheated, they were told. Where are the priests and the teachers? Some foreign Magi and a couple of old spiritual mystics are basically the only ones who seem to be aware. Maybe it isn't that everyone was too busy or self-absorbed. Maybe people missed the 'birth of God' because they were just looking for the wrong thing. What makes us think that Jesus' second advent will be any different? Will I be too busy or too misguided to be aware of his coming?

~UPDATE:
I heard 2 great messages yesterday touching on this thought. My Father-in-law eloquently pointed out that you can 'lose' Jesus in the church while involving yourself in religious service citing the case of the young Jesus and his parents in Luke 2. Jennifer pointed out to me that when your business begins being anything other than the 'Father's' business, you can look up and be separated from the Savior. I begin to think today that those of us who love Jesus and work tirelessly for the Kingdom of God are at the most risk of becoming too busy or too proud to notice when we have 'lost' him. Kierkegaard says, "Although the scribes could explain where the Messiah should be born, they remained quite unperturbed in Jerusalem. They did not accompany the Wise Men to seek him. Similarly we may be able to explain every article of our faith, yet remain spiritually motionless. The power that moved heaven and earth leaves us completely unmoved. What a contrast! The three kings had only a rumor to go by. But it spurred them to set out a long, hard journey. The scribes, meanwhile, were much better informed, much better versed. They had sat and studied the scriptures for years, like so many dons. But it didn’t make any difference. Who had the more truth? Those who followed a rumor, or those who remained sitting, satisfied with all their knowledge?"