Advent
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that light was the light of men. The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not understood it… The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world… He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not out of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”—John the Apostle
I haven’t been able to get this verse out of my head these past few weeks. I love advent, but it is also a time of struggle for me. Over and over I read John’s words:
The light shines in darkness, but the darkness has not understood it…
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him…
Jesus, the creator of all that exists, came to be with his creation and was rejected, misunderstood, and ignored. In Jesus’ day, as well as our own, there were many who claimed to know God, and who were confident of their divine wisdom, yet they did not even smell a hint of God when he stood before them. This bothers me, makes me squirm internally. Honestly, what makes me or us any different than any of these other men and women? I have read the scriptures, and I’ve gone to Sunday school almost all of my life; I know how to talk the talk and walk the walk. Does this guarantee that I’ll be able to see Christ if he’s standing right in front of me?
What’s interesting–or should I say ironic–about this passage is that one chapter later John tells us about Jesus’ little wedding miracle. The one where Jesus turns water into wine and nobody seems to notice. Well, technically the wedding coordinator does take notice, but he seems to think the choice wine came from the groom’s ability to plan wisely–saving the choice wine until the end. It’s sad, Jesus is in the midst of all these people and nowhere do we read that any of the guests took notice of him. Here’s a classic case of Jesus “coming to his own, but his own not recognizing him.” But it doesn’t end here. In fact, this is where it all begins. Jesus continues to lift the shades on his identity only to be met with indifference, blindness, and resistance. Sadly, it was the religious individuals who misunderstood and hated him the most. These people had been diligently waiting for God to come, but rejected Him when He finally did.
So, this brings me back to today… to here and now. It’s advent, and like the religious fanatics of old, we are diligently awaiting and celebrating Christ’s return. But here are the questions that are eating at me: Are we really looking for Christ to return? Two thousand years ago people wanted God to come, and what happened when He finally did? They turned him away. Could it be that Christ is here, in our midst, but we’re not seeing him either? Could it be that maybe we are truly looking forward to Christ’s return, but maybe we have a different Christ in mind than the one that’s actually here or coming? The pious in Jesus’ day were certain they knew how God would come–what he would look like, how he would act, what he would do–but they were a little off. Likewise, many of us are convinced we know what God’s presence on this earth looks like, or will look like, but could we be walking into the same trap: trying to pinhole God into our expectations?
I could be mistaken in all of this, but what we’ve seen in history is that when God comes, He usually does so in ways we least expect Him to. I fear that in all of my watching and waiting, I may be missing God’s presence standing in front of me. Or, I may desperately want my “Jesus” to come so badly that I’ve been overlooking the Biblical Jesus working all around me. Even worse, I fear I may be so fixated on my “Jesus” that I’m screaming at the real Jesus to get out of the way and picking up stones to threaten him if he doesn’t.
Lord, I pray my eyes will be opened to your presence here on this earth.
