Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
At the end of forty days and forty nights the Lord gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant….Then the Lord said to me, “Get up, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly….Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation, mightier and more numerous than they.”
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”
But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
Synopsis:
In the beloved story of Jacob’s Ladder, God appears to Jacob in a desert wasteland, and Jacob discovers he is actually on holy ground. God continues to open our eyes to the holiness of unexpected places (like youth camp basements) if we are willing to open our eyes and see our world and others through God’s eyes.
Synopsis:
The miracle of incarnation is more about mystery than magic. Our rational minds want to wrap around this story, but perhaps the point is not, “How could something like this happen?” But, rather, “Why would God go to such lengths to be near humans?” The answer is love. E. P. Sanders, New Testament scholar from Oxford, points out how many of the miraculous stories about Jesus (birth, miracles, death, resurrection) were all in the mythological traditions of the ancient world. The difference between those myths and Christianity, according to Sanders, is the Jesus Movement is still alive today. How could this be? In spite of humble roots, the Good News of Jesus Christ continues to spread globally, even if we understand it or not. Like Joseph and Mary, we might not understand what it means that God became human, but we are invited to celebrate the mystery of Immanuel’s love and promise to stay with us.
Keywords: Advent, Love Sunday, incarnation, Immanuel, presence, joy, celebration, miracle, mystery, God-with-us
Location
Broadway Baptist Church
4000 Brownsboro Road,
Louisville, KY 40207-1826
Phone: 502.895.2459
Office and Staff
Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Friday
OFFICE CLOSED
Areas of Ministry
