This session has not been translated into your language yet, so it is shown in English.
Session 5
Devotional
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:30, 31
The package you’ve been waiting for finally arrives. What will you do the next day? Will you enjoy it? Will it make a difference in your life, or will you be already thinking about what to order next? The arrival of Christmas presents us with a similar choice. We can let it pass and move on to the next thing. Or we can continue to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah and let it make a difference in our life. It’s impossible to rush through today’s carol. The long, cascading musical phrases in the chorus invite us to pause and celebrate:Angels we have heard on high,
Usually, when I sing hymns, I need to follow along with the words in the program or on a screen. But with this carol, I can look around and enjoy the lights, the candles, and the greens someone has used to artfully decorate the room. I can also appreciate the faces of the people around me, all joined in worship. The lyrics of the carol describe others who have paused their lives to celebrate the arrival of the Messiah:
Singing sweetly o'er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
Glo–oooo—ooooo—ooooo—oria in excelsis Deo!
Glo–oooo—ooooo—ooooo—oria in excelsis De-eeo!Shepherds, why this jubilee?
“Jubilee” is a good description of this carol, and it reminds us of what Jesus’ birth ushered in. In the Old Testament, every 50 years, God’s people were supposed to stop their agricultural work for an entire year and celebrate a “Year of Jubilee.” During this time they were to forgive all outstanding debts and return land to the family of the ancestral owners. This year of redemption and restoration was a forerunner to the even greater Jubilee that Jesus brought about when he canceled our debt to God and restored us to a right relationship with Him. When we view Jesus’ birth through the lens of Jubilee, the angel’s praise makes so much more sense. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14) doesn’t mean that Christmas ends all conflicts; instead, it means that we can have peace in the midst of them because we are redeemed and restored. These are the “gladsome tidings … Which inspire your heav'nly song … Gloria in excelsis Deo!” We get a picture of what this kind of Jubilee can look like in the work of Raul and Amalia, husband and wife graduates of a Thirdmill study center at Iglesia Betania in the capital city of Nicaragua. The year they completed their studies, unrest swept through Nicaragua. Amid the chaos that followed, squatters took over large fields around the capital city and established new communities, complete with houses, roads, and vegetable plots. However, some crucial elements were missing, including a church. When a squatter community popped up near Iglesia Betania, the church members responded. They started visiting the community to do evangelism. As the unrest settled down and the government deeded the land to the squatters, the church decided to go beyond evangelism to actually planting a church inside the new community and called Raul and Amalia to plant and pastor that church. The couple took what they had received in their studies and poured themselves into the work. Today, this church is thriving. The people from the community have generously donated land and funds so that the foundation could be laid and construction could begin for a place to meet together and worship. In a community that started during the darkness of national turmoil, a light now shines: a church led by a well-trained pastor, spreading the good news of God’s kingdom. The year of Jubilee in the Old Testament began with the resounding blast of a ram’s horn on the day of atonement. The new season of Jubilee in Christ began with the singing of a heavenly choir on the night of Jesus' birth. As we celebrate Christmas, may we be like the shepherds and Raul and Amalia who hear the good news and do something about it:
Why your joyous strains prolong?Come, adore on bended knee
Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Gloria in excelsis Deo!Personal Application
- How have you experienced the redemption or restoration of Jubilee through Christ in your own life?
- What can you do to continue to celebrate Jesus, even as the Christmas decorations come down?
- Throughout these Advent devotionals we’ve explored various aspects of who Jesus is: priest, king, prophet, redeemer, and Christ. What is one thing you want to remember? Take time to write it down.
Watch
Jesus as Christ