Advent devotional

December 8, 2016 by lscholl

Advent Day 12: Your Name Here

Recently, the choir of Wake Forest Baptist Church collaborated to put together exam treat bags for all the students who attend church here. Much thought and preparation went into creating these with some bags customized for dietary restrictions or preferences. As I attempted to pass out the remaining bags recently, I was surprised to hear students questioning if they really ought to take the treats “Are you sure I can take one?”, “Is there one for me?” several students asked me unsure of whether I really wanted them to take a bag. Despite my invitation to everyone to take a bag, they still needed assurance that one of these bags was meant for them. I looked at each one who asked and said, “Yes, take a bag, one of these is for you.”

In this particular time and place, people need reassurance that someone sees them, not as a number, a grade, or a roster spot, but that someone knows their name and what snacks might comfort them during a stressful time. These days, college campuses are full of opportunities. Internships, advanced classes, and extracurricular activities abound. Religious engagement opportunities also exist with classes, dialogue events, and even worship services.

However, there is not much opportunity to be part of a permanent grounded community built out of more than convenience and resume-building impetus. Who will check in on you during busy times? Who will call you out of the infamous bubble and remind you of the larger community? Who will remember that you prefer savory snacks or that the flavor you really need to taste is a traditional Columbian sweet that reminds you of home? For some of the students at WFBC, their relationship with the church started out as an opportunity for a job or an internship. However, as we grow in relationship with those students and the campus as a whole, our best offering is not merely to be another line on a resume, but to be a presence of heart and caring in the midst of all the pressure of a campus environment.

TODAY’S ADVENT ACTION: Let someone today know that you “see” them. A server, a cashier, a neighbor. Make a heart connection wherever you are.

December 7, 2016 by lscholl

Advent Day 11: I Know Him!

Read Mark 1:1-8

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf, with Will Farrell. In one scene, Buddy the Elf is working at a department store in the Christmas section. His supervisor comes to tell him that Santa is coming the next day. “SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA’S COMING! I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!” he yells.

Buddy the Elf then spends the night at the store getting ready for Santa, making paper snowflakes, a Lego™ cityscape, and turning the department into a winter wonderland. When the other employees return in the morning, they are amazed at the transformation.

I love Buddy the Elf’s excitement. Why can’t we get that excited about Advent? It’s a very holy season, one with a divine intent, to celebrate the advent, or the coming, of Jesus. But we never hear anyone as excited about Jesus coming as they are about Santa coming.

Maybe it’s because we’re already know the story of Jesus. Maybe it’s because we already—sort of—know how the story ends. Maybe it’s because the advent of Jesus scares us. It means we have to do stuff—love our neighbor, work towards justice, seek peace. Maybe the presence of Christ doesn’t win out over the presents from Santa.

But just this once, let’s be excited about Jesus coming into the world, because it does mark an entering in of justice into this world. Jesus’ life and work brought us a new understanding of God, a new understanding of our place in God’s life, and a new understanding of our life in God. And we can yell, “I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM!”

TODAY’S ADVENT ACTION: How about a prayer? Pray this with me:

God of all, help me to see that Jesus is the reason for the season, not as a slogan, but as the entering in of a powerful and yet despised way of living in the world. Help me to see that Jesus is ushering in a new kingdom, a kingdom of love and justice, and ushering out the old: a kingdom of fear and injustice. Let me know that I must change, to help usher in this new kingdom.

November 27, 2016 by lscholl

Advent Day 1: Expectation

Advent is the season of expectation,
of waiting,
of seeking the light that is going to break into the world on Christmas morning,
in the shape of a little tiny, brown baby, born into poverty,
to a people without political power,
to a mother who is unmarried,
a father who is absent throughout his life,
during a time when the king of the people
has a deep, abiding paranoia.

Advent is the season of expectation.
that God is going to break into the world,
turn power structures upside down,
change our lives,
change our hearts,
and help us to love one another better.

Read John 1:1-5.

The God child will enter into the world—a world full of oppression—not to shiny Christmas carols, lighted houses, and big sales. Instead, the God child will enter into a world of religious registries, government-led genocides, a world too unsafe to survive.

At every turn, the family of the God child has to resist. Joseph resists family pressures by not “putting away” Mary. Elizabeth resists societal norms by celebrating with the unmarried mother. The young family resists the genocide by emigrating to Egypt.

So how do we resist those same forces? How shall we resist white nationalists striving to “make America great again?” How shall we resist governmental positions sold to the highest bidder? How shall we resist brutality, hate speech, and the loss of rights, so hard won so short a time ago, for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters?

We shall do it in small acts of resistance. We’ll visualize world peace. We’ll read poetry. We’ll call our legislators. We’ll wear safety pins. We’ll fund organizations who are resisting. We’ll gather together to celebrate God’s goodness. We’ll work to make the way straight for this little baby Jesus.

TODAY’S ADVENT ACTION: Grab a picture of light entering into the world. Think about it in terms of good breaking into the world. Visualize the light entering into your heart and the hearts of others.