Advent at the Chapel: He is Alpha and Omega

By Dan Gibson

He is Alpha and Omega – He the source, the ending He

​The line above is drawn from one of the oldest Christmas hymns of the Christian church, namely, Of the Father’s Love Begotten.  The hymn was first written as a poem by Marcus Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (c. 348 A.D. – c. 413 A.D.), likely in the early years of the fifth century.  Aurelius C. Prudentiuswas a Roman born in northern Spain at roughly the same time Augustine was born in north Africa.  Aurelius was trained as a lawyer and eventually served as a judge with governance responsibilities in two cities in northern Spain.  In his early fifties, he withdrew from public life and retired to a monastery where he commenced to write poetic texts subsequently used in the liturgy of the church.  His poetry, written in Latin, served as a bridge between the classical Latin of imperial Rome, and the medieval Latin that became the common language of the church.  

Bear in mind that Aurelius wrote this particular text in the near aftermath of the Arian controversy that tore the church apart over the issue of the nature of Christ. The Council of Nicaea, held in 325 A.D., was the first of several church councils that restated clearly the classical, orthodox Christian position which is that Christ in his incarnation is both fully divine and fully human, with these two natures existing in the one person of Christ. The text of this ancient hymn affirms this doctrine that lies at the heart of Christian orthodoxy, noting that Christ is begotten of God the Father, and is himself the Alpha and Omega, the source and ending of all created things (Revelation 21:6). The text penned by Aurelius was eventually (about seven centuries later) married with a medieval plainsong tune known as Divinum Mysterium (Divine Mystery), and the Latin text of Aurelius was translated into English in the mid-19thcentury. That song is the one we sing today, still replete with its profound beauty and mystery.

Advent at the Chapel: The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

By Pastor Nathan Chambers

“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight’

‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ is not my favorite Christmas carol.  Some lines are a little too sentimental for my taste.  And it probably put us on the wrong foot when it asks us to picture sleepy Bethlehem lying peaceful at night.  Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth begins with Caesar Augustus ordering a registration of all the world.  Joseph traveled to his ancestral town of Bethlehem to be registered along with Mary, his betrothed.  Of course there were many others, like Joseph, who travelled to Bethlehem to be registered.  So when Mary and Joseph arrive, there is no place for them the inn.

I suspect Bethlehem was anything but still.  It was full to the brim.  And what sounds would be heard?  The joy of families that live far apart, meeting up in Bethlehem, chatting and laughing late into the night?  But perhaps there was anxiety as well about being registered by the Romans.  After all, what was this census for?

But the last lines of the first verse have stuck with me and strike me as a perfect summary of what we celebrate at Christmas.

The hopes and fears of all the years are like two lines that start at the opposite ends of human experience: anticipation, expectation, and desire on the one hand and our worries, anxiety, and apprehensions on the other.  But these two lines converge at precisely one point: they meet in the holy child of Bethlehem, Christ, born of Mary.  

This in itself is unexpected.  Our hopes and our fears are often related.  We might hope to get a certain job or promotion, and we might fear not being able to provide for our family.  But we know that many times we get what we hoped for, but our fears only increase.  Or our fears never materialize, but neither do our hopes: we get a different job that we hoped for and it pays the bills.

In Jesus’ birth, the hopes and fears have one and the same answer.  Jesus meets the hopes of his people.  He fulfills the promises of the Old Testament.  Jesus also meets the worst fears of his people: he suffers the rejection of his people and his friends, unjust execution by the Romans, and the wrath of God for unfaithfulness.  What could be worse?  What else could a first century Jew fear?  Yet Jesus meets these fears and endures them vicariously—for his people—so that in his life, death, and resurrection, we are given comfort for our fear.

But Jesus not only meets the hopes and fears of his people, the Jews, but of all the years. This Advent message of good news, that the everlasting Light shines in the dark streets of Bethlehem, is good news that fulfills the hopes and longings and answers the fears of all people, the world over, in all times.

Advent at the Chapel: The Gift He Gave Immanuel

By Lea Gibson

“Thus every beast by some good spell, In the stable dark was glad to tell Of the gift he gave Immanuel.” -The Friendly Beasts

Growing up, my mom would tell us kids about the legend of talking animals on Christmas Eve. Legend says that at midnight on Christmas Eve night, all the animals would bow down and gain the ability of speech to praise Jesus. She would joke that she had gone out to the barn before, but always got down there shortly after midnight, so she would miss it. I was intrigued, but the warmth and coziness of my bed always won out.

I always envisioned though that it would be something like the song The Friendly Beasts. All the animals talking about what they contributed to Jesus on the night of his birth. Even the beasts are glad and excited to give to Jesus, and share about it. We, as those made in God’s image, should be eager to do the same-to give to Jesus and share about his birth.

Advent at the Chapel: Behold, a Branch is Growing of Loveliest Form and Grace

by Nick Laninga

Behold, a Branch is Growing

“Is.11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit”

PROPHECY!!! We have here an obscure prophecy regarding Christ; yet how important as we trace God’s promises to His people and us.

Christ came from the kingly line of David. God’s word validates itself ! His promises are sure and will come to pass.

Be encouraged by this as God is not slack concerning his promise. Remember Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come God sent forth His Son—“

The Hebrew word for branch is NETZER, note the town where Jesus came from has the same primary letters NeZaReth. Of Jesus returning to this obscure town it was said “Can any good thing come from Nazereth?” God would and did raise up to bring justice and righteousness and peace to His people. Yes ! Yes ! As “KING” from the line of Jesse. This is no coincidence but rather another confirmation of the truth of God’s word.

Prophecy fullfilled !

Advent at the Chapel: Rejoice! Rejoice!

By Nate Gibson

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall Come to Thee, O Israel”

The average Israelite living in the 7th or 8th century B.C. would have had good cause to mourn: the Assyrians had conquered the Kingdom of Israel, carrying a significant number of its citizens into captivity, and just over a century later, the Babylonians conquered and exiled the Kingdom of Judah.  More than the violence and brutality, even more than the despair of being driven from their homeland, the Israelites grieved that God had forsaken them.  

Both kingdoms had turned away from God to worship idols.  They had repeatedly and deliberately broken covenant, and God had finally given up on them… or so it seemed.

Even as the prophet Isaiah warned the people of the judgment to come, he also foretold of a return from exile, of a time when Zion would be restored.  He said, 

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  

Emmanuel, Hebrew for “God with us”, was not merely a name, but a promise that God had not forsaken His people; that He would rescue them, and once again dwell intimately with them.

The somber words and melody of “O Come O Come Emmanuel” seem at first to evoke the pleading despair that “captive Israel” must have felt.  Then comes the chorus:

Rejoice!  Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

The call to rejoice in the midst of lonely exile breaks through the gloom like a ray of sunlight: 

You will not be alone forever; God himself will dwell with you!

And we know that half a millennium later, Emmanuel did indeed come to Israel in a stable in Bethlehem.

We today understand that the distinction of being God’s chosen people now applies to believers of every tribe, tongue and nation.

Yet, as we sing of ancient Israel in this old Christmas carol, we ought not to miss the parallels between us and the exiled Israelites.

We live between the times in a world that will never truly be our home.  We mourn as wickedness seems to triumph, and sometimes may even question whether God has forsaken us.  

The chorus, then, is as much for us as it was for the Israelites:

Rejoice!  Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!

There is, however, one crucial difference: as we await the return of Christ, we rejoice that Emmanuel has already come, and that His Spirit dwells in us.  

In this season of expectation, may our lonely mourning turn to rejoicing–God is with us!

Advent at the Chapel: Born That Man No More May Die

by Tate Garrett

Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Verse 3

Hail the Heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”

            Hark the Herald Angels Sing has always been one of my very favorite hymns.  I look forward to it every year as a staple of the Christmas season, but in addition to being an extremely fun hymn to sing, it’s also packed with all the reasons for Jesus’s coming, and a reminder of the hope he brought with him.  The first two lines remind us of Jesus’s divine origin and righteousness, while the third and fourth are filled to bursting with joy and gladness at the savior’s gifts to us – healing, light and life through his resurrection. 

            “Mild he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die” proclaims the humility and humanity that Jesus embraced, though he was the Son of God, in order that we might live as adopted sons in his kingdom.  And though his birth, we see the death of death and the gift of eternal life. 

            “Born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth!”  This is a line that demands the explanation point I added at the end – how could we not shout out such a wonderful message?  In it we are given a share in Jesus’s resurrection and a reminder that we have been born again, wiping away our sin with his love and forgiveness.

            The verse, and hymn, finishes with a joyous “Hark!  The herald angels sing: glory to the newborn King!”  I will never be able to hear this line sung without picturing the night of Christ’s birth when the angels came and proclaimed our savior’s arrival to the shepherds.  The entire hymn overflows with joy to proclaim the good news, and to do so boldly, and beautifully.  Few others make me want to rejoice so much as this one.  So let us remember with thanks and praise the reason for the Christmas season – Hark!  The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King!

Advent at the Chapel: Bring a Torch

by Ben Gibson

“Bring a torch Jeanette, Isabella,

Bring a torch, come swiftly and run”

When my brother and I were in high school, we were tasked with burning the blackberry brambles on the farm. After a long day of slashing and burning, we would feel impressed with ourselves the next morning if we could find some hidden ember from the previous day that could be used to start the new day’s fire (Smoky the Bear is frowning at us from somewhere).

Our flame that survived across days is nothing compared to the Olympic flame, which is lit in Greece every four years, to bepassed torch to torch for months until it reaches the new Olympic site.

But a flame kept burning for months does not hold a candle to the one the Church has tended to across the millennia. The night of the Christ’s birth, a fire was lit in Bethlehem that was further fed at Pentecost, and that is now kept alive by Christians across the world until Christ comes again. It is a flame that has passed from torch to torch across years.

Advent is a season of remembering when Christ came down and first lit this flame. And it is a season of anticipating the time when Christ will come again as a refiner’s fire, to make all things new. But it should also be a season in which we are encouraged, this very day, to bring a torch. Our torches bear a flame passed onto us from those who tended it in years gone past and which will be passed on to others to carry for years to come. It is the same flame that burnt in the torches of small children and shepherds in Bethlehem who proclaimed the birth of the Messiah. It is a flame that swept across the Mediterranean and then across the world like a wildfire. It is a flame that has been the only source of warmth and light for the persecuted and the enslaved. And it is the same flame that will burn in the lamps of those who see the bridegroom return.

Bring a torch, Christian. It burns with a flame that has not and will not be quenched.

Advent at the Chapel: The Thrill of Hope

by Ellie Steensma

Before the birth of Jesus, the people were living in a dark world. It was a world filled with oppressive and vicious dictators with cruel laws Because of this oppression, the people felt lost, fearful, and above all, hopeless. Found throughout scripture, they knew the promises that God given their ancestors. He promised them hope in the midset of darkness, a Messiah. But where was that hope now? Surely they were wondering, how can God be found in a world of so much darkness?

Some may argue the world of 2019  is similar. The world today is filled with technological distractions, political disputes, and media displaying who we’re “supposed to be”. While these aren’t the same issues the Biblical people of Jesus’ time faced, the theme is the same: Hopelessness. Sometimes it feels like we are only just getting by. Turning on the news today, there is almost always something terrible or dark happening. Similar to the people of God before the birth of Christ, we live in a world of opression. Perhaps you are asking the same question: how can God be found in a world of so much darkness?

The old Christmas carol, O Holy Night, highlights a beautiful truth about what it means to live in a dark time. In spite of everything, A Thrill of Hope appears in the form of a tiny baby. What we hear next in this familiar carol is this: The weary world rejoices for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. The people of God were weary, they were tired, scared, and lost. Yet, they rejoiced for, because of this baby, they suddenly had hope. 

In the world of 2019, nearing 2020, we don’t have the baby symbolizing hope, at least not literally, but the thrill is still there as we celebrate that faith. In the midst of darkness, there is an underlying hope. Just like a candle in the window on a cold winter night, there’s a little flicker. It may be small, but alas it is there, even when we can’t see it clearly. Each Christmas we can be reminded by the glorious morn that broke anew on the day of Christ’s birth. Yet, it isn’t limited to Christmas day alone. That thrill of hope lives in us year around.

There is hope in the grace that this tiny baby brought. Grace meant freedom and while we live in an oppressive world, the freedom remains. So, even though we are weary, there is time to rejoice. 1 Corinthians 12 says: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” During the weary hardships of life and the lack of hope we feel in the current status of the world, remember this, hold true to that thrill of hope that gives reason to rejoice.

Advent at the Chapel: Veiled in Flesh

by Jan Lovegren

Christ, by highest heaven adored.
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold him come, offspring of the virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the God-head see;
Hail the incarnate Diety, pleased as man with men to dwell.
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King.”

“Hark the Herald Angel’s Sing” was written by Charles Wesley in 1739 and Mendelssohn wrote the music. I have heard it all my life yet not always understood what it really was saying.

   Children often hear words to songs and quite a different picture is in their minds. One child drew the manger scene with a very round man in the middle. When asked who that was he said it was round John Virgin. Another child thought some of the angels are named Herald.

   Yet, who is this we sing about, really? In this verse the newborn is the focus.

He is adored in highest heaven…the everlasting Lord always and forever.
He came to earth by a Virgin who had never been with a man.
An impossible conception.
He is God, veiled in flesh, appearing as a baby!
His name is “Jesus our Emmanuel” which means God with us.
He was pleased to live with man as a man, though God! How can that be?

   In John 14 Jesus reveals himself as God to his disciples. He tells Thomas,“If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
   Then Philip says,“Lord, show us the father and that will be enough for us.”
  Really?
   Jesus answered,“Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father?” Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?”
   There is almost a pleading with his friends.

   Do you see Him? Do you feel His presence; listening to your heart, carrying you through the valley of the shadow of death?
   Hark! Do you hear the heavenly song in the wind through the trees or the crashing breakers of the sea?
   One day the unseen will be sight and we will see the Angels sing to their everlasting Lord!
   I challenge you, is he really just a newborn baby in a stable scene? Or is he God come to earth to save us all?

Belief in this Jesus who is, “God with us”, is all we need to go through the door to eternal life.

 Help us, Jesus, overcome our unbelief! Amen

Advent at the Chapel: In the Bleak Midwinter Frosty Wind Made Moan

by Hosanna Lovegren

In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti

We approach December twenty-one again, the winter solstice. Surrounded by so much electric light, perhaps we do not fully appreciate the generations before us who greeted the winter solstice with fear and solemnity as the days reached their apex of darkness. Solstice is from the latin sol stetit, meaning “sun stood still,” as it really seems to do for a few days in our northern hemisphere. 

Christina Rosetti borrows this time — solstice, or midwinter — as a metaphor for the condition of the world into which Christ came.  In the bleak midwinter frosty wind made moan.

We are familiar with the last stanza, but maybe not as much with the other four. It is a treat to read them slowly, to pause and look at this one point in time, the still, breathless moment  of the just-born Christ Child. Heaven cannot contain him, yet here he is in a stable; cherubim and seraphim throng to worship him, yet here he is served only by Mary’s milk and a kiss.

What a beautiful scene. We can’t help but stand in awe before it. We want to join Mary by the manger to gaze and adore. We too are poor, and we too have hearts to give to Jesus.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U0aL9rKJPr4