Advent, What Were We Made For? 

“But I say unto you, that in this place is one greater than the temple (Mt12:6).”

 Which is really greater? Is it the building, the people, the leadership, the institutional forms and rules under which they operate, or the One for whom all that exists? Another way of putting it, are the forms more important than the substance? Are the structures superior to the One who initiated them? ““The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath (Mk.2:27 NIV).”

 Jesus is making us aware that we live in a two-dimensional world, visible and invisible, physical and spiritual. Look at our visible world.

 Take any corporation, business, organization, club or social gathering, what are they really there for? Initially, they were visible means enacted to make life easier. Of course, the profit and social motives are there but it is the idea and the need that plow the furrow.

 When you consider the enormous changes from the first primitive wheel to modern travel you can tell there’s a creative urge that mirrors the image of God the Creator in each of us. All human enterprise, all human invention, is really an extension of the human body so that the physical comfort, security and creativity of the person in the body are enhanced. Think of the advancement in medicine and technology. They are ultimately aimed at supporting individuals like you and me. The question is not whether they are good or bad but rather the morality that shapes the attitude behind their use. Man was not made for technology, but technology was made for man. Man was not made for computers. Computers were made for man. Man was not made for pleasure. Pleasure was made for man. And you could go on.             

Invention is the attention to the extension of intention. The car, the airplane, the boat were creative ideas intended to extend our ability to travel beyond the limitations of our feet. Telescopes, glasses, binoculars, microscopes, movies, cameras increase the visual ability of the eyes. Sound systems help hearing. Computers magnify our thinking ability. Massive agriculture frees us from the soil to pursue other areas. All our physical senses are magnified. So, all that is there in our visible world.

 But what about the invisible world, the world we really live in, that inner world? The mind, the heart and the spirit in each of us need to be rooted. We may have all the physical resources to make us comfortable and mobile. Invention has freed us, given us extra time, provided space for us to be more relational, more creative and more spiritually motivated. Have we gotten lost in our seeking the visibly creative but lost ground in the invisible creative experiences? The physical stuff is great, but does it answer the inner needs that the outer satisfaction can’t answer? The personal realities of inner peace, love, compassion and building relationships?

 The very fact that invention enhances physical existence suggests a greater mind and a greater invisible force is at work to benefit a struggling humanity. We could go on and on. All of this is certainly in line with God’s Genesis commandment to rule the earth and subdue it. But in the overall picture, fallen mankind is trying to return to Eden without God, an Eden man makes, not the one God planned or has waiting for us in His Son. We must realize we are now in the land of Nod, east of Eden and a flaming sword keeps us from re-entering. Eden’s campground was created to be a support system for something more valuable, the relational experience with God and one another. Adam and Eve were not created for Eden. Eden was created for Adam and Eve.

 Now here’s the question for us. If 100% of everything we do is motivated by what we can’t see, how can we as followers of Jesus be creative in finding faithful ways to begin, build and nurture relationships? Each of us has skills, abilities, unique personality differences, each of ours being special to the Lord and the local world in which He put us. Advent is not only a time to prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus in this world but also preparing ways to bring others to know and greet Him. That preparation is the example John the Baptist set for each of us. Think of maybe just one thing unique to us that you and I could do right where we are in the world to present the Lord. Could it be a song, a poem, a letter, a picture, a drawing, a touch of His hand on someone in distress, an unexpected gift, a call, sitting in a McDonalds with a cup of coffee and talking to someone you don’t know, being kind at the checkout counter with words and smiles to the person waiting with you, giving someone a church identity card inviting them to come, having someone over for an afternoon cookie or cake, going to lunch with someone, anything personal you find you are led to do after you’ve prayed about it. What a great way to get into that unseen world, the real world, the world that lasts forever and is right next to us wherever we are and with whomever we meet.

 We were not made to be physical. The physical was made for us. We were not made for the world; the world was made for us. “Man was not made for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man (Mk.2:27).”

Views: 26

Comment

You need to be a member of Kingdom's Keys Fellowship to add comments!

Join Kingdom's Keys Fellowship

© 2024   Created by HKHaugan.   Powered by

Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service