Advent 2 Why We Prepare for the Coming of Jesus

[HKHaugan]

Advent 2 Why We Prepare the Way for Jesus

Now here’s the rub---when our religious, political, economic and educational structures, the foundational support system for our whole human enterprise, are separated from God, they take His place and eventually self-destruct. Our world, our culture, is in meltdown because of secularization, its political correctness and the de-spiritualizing of all our social institutions. Take our Ivy League colleges for example. The fact is this, their original purpose was to understand the Bible as the basis for education. The YMCA is another. Now called the “Y” it has subtracted Christian Men’s Association from its title.   Even Alcoholics Anonymous started by two Christian men now substitutes “higher power” for Jesus. When I was in public elementary school the day was started with the teacher leading us in prayer. Every public meeting and banquet I attended growing up was opened with an invocation and closed with a benediction. Even unbelievers accepted the practice because it was part of our culture, the cement in the beginning of our American history.

The world has become a massive caricature of Adam and Eve taking the devil’s advice to think and act apart from God and His Word. That advice separates people from one another, groups from one another and drives individuals to be alone within themselves. This was done through the spirits of pride and fear initiated by the devil. They brought hiding, blame, self-pity, making excuses, manipulation and accusation, replacing the Spirit’s relational love and openness. This is repeated from one generation to the next. As a result, we are already seeing that meltdown happening. Notice how the leadership in every major economic, religious and social enterprise collapses in fear when being publicly confronted about any social and spiritual issue. Without God there are no winners, only losers. The attack is not on them, the institution or the groups involved. It is an attack on the concept, the integrity and dignity of the individual. It is an attack on you and me as persons. It’s an invasion of evil on the sanctity of personal freedom and destiny.

This spirit of fear has us shoring up our security systems from home to nation, airport to airport, stadium to stadium and individuals arming themselves. Our public buildings and some of our hospitals greet us with detection booths and guards. What happened to the day when we left our doors unlocked, the keys in the car and our little kids free to roam the neighborhood?   Teachers are no longer allowed to hug their children and discipline has disappeared from the schools. Law enforcement is more about being politically correct than securing the safety of the community they serve. The legal system has become an arena where the goal of lawyers is winning as opposed to seeking the truth, the rights of the criminal than it is about justice for the victim and a washboard arguing for the rights of aliens over citizens.

Fear drives politicians to appeal to the anxieties of voters by emotional and divisive manipulation creating distrust through ethnic and economic exploitation. Political office is one major lifetime campaign to keep power rather than solve citizens' concerns. There is as much political correctness in being a Republican as there is in being a Democrat. There is 'conservative' speak and 'liberal' speak. There is the demand for a new incendiary where debate is no longer debate but talking heads interviewing prospective leaders with the 'gothcha' goal of making them look bad. Journalism has become a sideshow of grandstanders competing to see who can question the most cynically and appear to be the superior wordsmiths of skepticism. Audiences look to have their consciences washed away by the glib talk and dark humor of mindless show hosts who exploit their guests for personal glorification as they sell their souls to political and social hostility. Both then go home in the night unfulfilled, alone in their personal dark world, soaking in the ferment of their displeasure with themselves.

             

The problem arises when they all become temples erected to glorify man apart from God. This is idolatry. This is the product of sin and its spiritually isolating force. This is the work of sin’s author, the devil. Recognize it for what it is. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1Jn.3:8).” Through Him, His Cross and Resurrection, recovery and restoration to God the Father in the Holy Spirit was accomplished. We’ve got to get the whole context here. He came to do a spiritual work in order to make right what man had done wrong with the physical, trying to live according to what he could see rather than by the Spirit which is true reality.

                  

                  Now think of Advent and its theme, the return of Jesus.

 

Preparing for Christmas is not only celebrating and honoring Jesus’ coming among us but also anticipating His return, because, in His return, He will be making everything right for eternity.

 

So, we ask God’s question. The one He asked Adam in the Garden---and this is the real Advent question---“Where are you?” To start with we are in between our birth and His return, created, chosen and called for God’s purpose. What are we doing with what we have been given? To know that you were spiritually created and chosen with a specific spiritual calling in a material world to be part of its reconciliation to Him means that God also provides the way and the power to live out the calling. Where are we spiritually in our personal and interpersonal vicinity?

 

The Lord has chosen us to be His witnesses in a broken world. But the world is not out there. The world is each one of us where we are. It’s the one we know in our every day encounters. Now is the time to pray for our specific direction for our specific calling in our specific part of the world. Where we are in our personal context anticipates celebrating the birth of Christ by preparing spiritually, specifically and specially for His return.

 

Preparation from Jesus’ point of view…….Luke 12:35-40