Merry Christmas!
Today concludes the season of Advent.
We light the Christ candle to remember
the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day.
ADVENT: THE CHRIST CANDLE
Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming” or “arrival. In this context, this is specifically referring to the coming of the Messiah, the promised deliverer. To truly understand how much the coming of the Messiah was anticipated, we have to do a quick history lesson.
The inter-testamental period is the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, also called the 400 years of silence. At the close of the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is in the land of Palestine after Babylonian captivity and under the domination of the great world power of that day, Persia. In Jerusalem, the Temple had been restored, although it was a much smaller building than the one that Solomon had built and decorated in such marvelous glory. Within the Temple the line of Aaronic priests was still worshiping and carrying on the sacred rites as they had been ordered to do by the law of Moses, but the royal line of David had fallen on evil days. The rightful successor to David was not on the throne and there was no king, instead they were under the domination of Persia.
Nevertheless, in spite of much weakness, the people were united, waiting for God to act.
When we open the New Testament, 400 years later, we discover an entirely different atmosphere -- almost a different world. Rome is now the dominant power of the earth, with Roman legions having spread throughout the civilized world and Pompey is the “procurator” or governor. Palestine is still a puppet state, but now there is a king on the throne, a puppet king by the name of Herod the Great. Herod acts as king but he is not of David’s lineage. Add to that, the high priests who now sit in the seat of religious authority in the nation are no longer from the line of Aaron, they are hired priests functioning as priests for political gain. The Temple is still the center of Jewish worship, but the building has been partially destroyed and rebuilt about a half-dozen times since the close of the Old Testament and synagogues have sprung up in every Jewish city and are much more the center of Jewish religious life.
In the 400 years between the Old and New Testament, it may look like nothing is happening, nothing good anyway. But Paul later said it this way: "When the time had fully come, (or at the appointed time) God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4). In other words, the time of our Lord's birth was God's appointed hour, the moment for which God had been long preparing.
This brings us to the religious setting for the New Testament. We know that Rome is in control, Pompey is ruling and Herod the puppet king is in command. In addition, the pagan empires all around have been deteriorating. We know from history that the people are sick of the polytheism and emptiness of their pagan faiths. The Jews had tried to re-establish themselves as a nation, had failed and had virtually given up all hope. There was a growing air of expectancy that the only hope they had left was the coming of the promised Messiah. In the East, the oriental empires whose pagan faiths had come up empty were looking for something too. They were so empty that when the moment came when the star arose over Bethlehem, the wise men of the East who were looking for an answer to their problems saw it immediately and came out to seek the One it pointed to.
Matthew 2 says: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him'" (Matt. 2:1, 2).
The time had finally come for God to send the Messiah, the One his people had been expecting, preparing and hoping for.
Although we are many (2,000 ish) years from Jesus’ birth, we are living in days that could also be called the years of the “silence of God.”
He seems to be silent, not acting, not intervening.
Why doesn’t he stop the evil?
Why is there pain?
Why so much suffering?
But we have to remember that God is still working out his purposes now just as much as he was then. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in a form of exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. We can look back and see that he came (as a baby, born in Bethlehem), but as Christians, we are waiting with anticipation for him to come again, what the Bible calls the ‘second coming,’ as the resurrected King, to rule in final victory. Meanwhile, he continually comes into the hearts and lives of those who believe. Advent means coming and it is a season of preparation for that coming. We remember that he came, and we prepare for him to come again. This is what the Christ candle reminds us of. In the midst of the busy-ness of life, we stop and remember Jesus…he still IS the reason for this season.
Every blessing to you and your family this Christmas!
Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming” or “arrival. In this context, this is specifically referring to the coming of the Messiah, the promised deliverer. To truly understand how much the coming of the Messiah was anticipated, we have to do a quick history lesson.
The inter-testamental period is the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments, also called the 400 years of silence. At the close of the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is in the land of Palestine after Babylonian captivity and under the domination of the great world power of that day, Persia. In Jerusalem, the Temple had been restored, although it was a much smaller building than the one that Solomon had built and decorated in such marvelous glory. Within the Temple the line of Aaronic priests was still worshiping and carrying on the sacred rites as they had been ordered to do by the law of Moses, but the royal line of David had fallen on evil days. The rightful successor to David was not on the throne and there was no king, instead they were under the domination of Persia.
Nevertheless, in spite of much weakness, the people were united, waiting for God to act.
When we open the New Testament, 400 years later, we discover an entirely different atmosphere -- almost a different world. Rome is now the dominant power of the earth, with Roman legions having spread throughout the civilized world and Pompey is the “procurator” or governor. Palestine is still a puppet state, but now there is a king on the throne, a puppet king by the name of Herod the Great. Herod acts as king but he is not of David’s lineage. Add to that, the high priests who now sit in the seat of religious authority in the nation are no longer from the line of Aaron, they are hired priests functioning as priests for political gain. The Temple is still the center of Jewish worship, but the building has been partially destroyed and rebuilt about a half-dozen times since the close of the Old Testament and synagogues have sprung up in every Jewish city and are much more the center of Jewish religious life.
In the 400 years between the Old and New Testament, it may look like nothing is happening, nothing good anyway. But Paul later said it this way: "When the time had fully come, (or at the appointed time) God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4). In other words, the time of our Lord's birth was God's appointed hour, the moment for which God had been long preparing.
This brings us to the religious setting for the New Testament. We know that Rome is in control, Pompey is ruling and Herod the puppet king is in command. In addition, the pagan empires all around have been deteriorating. We know from history that the people are sick of the polytheism and emptiness of their pagan faiths. The Jews had tried to re-establish themselves as a nation, had failed and had virtually given up all hope. There was a growing air of expectancy that the only hope they had left was the coming of the promised Messiah. In the East, the oriental empires whose pagan faiths had come up empty were looking for something too. They were so empty that when the moment came when the star arose over Bethlehem, the wise men of the East who were looking for an answer to their problems saw it immediately and came out to seek the One it pointed to.
Matthew 2 says: "Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him'" (Matt. 2:1, 2).
The time had finally come for God to send the Messiah, the One his people had been expecting, preparing and hoping for.
Although we are many (2,000 ish) years from Jesus’ birth, we are living in days that could also be called the years of the “silence of God.”
He seems to be silent, not acting, not intervening.
Why doesn’t he stop the evil?
Why is there pain?
Why so much suffering?
But we have to remember that God is still working out his purposes now just as much as he was then. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in a form of exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. We can look back and see that he came (as a baby, born in Bethlehem), but as Christians, we are waiting with anticipation for him to come again, what the Bible calls the ‘second coming,’ as the resurrected King, to rule in final victory. Meanwhile, he continually comes into the hearts and lives of those who believe. Advent means coming and it is a season of preparation for that coming. We remember that he came, and we prepare for him to come again. This is what the Christ candle reminds us of. In the midst of the busy-ness of life, we stop and remember Jesus…he still IS the reason for this season.
Every blessing to you and your family this Christmas!