Advent: The Coming King

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. - Luke 2:22‭-‬38 ESV 

Pastor Justin Kim

Simeon's response

Who is this man, Simeon? The passage does not give a lot of detail. He doesn't appear in other places in the Bible. He was a righteous man awaiting the consolation of Israel. This was not a popular thing and many had likely stopped waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon was informed by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the coming salvation. When the baby Jesus comes to the temple, Simeon picks up the child and worships God. We can only imagine the satisfaction after such a long wait. But here's the rub, consider the wait. The struggle with doubt and restlessness... Year after year after year.

Anna's response

Anna was also waiting and had been waiting for a long time as well. So when Jesus appears, she worships and goes to inform the others. There may not have been many who were waiting, but there were some. But these people may have been waiting for something else. Consider what their reactions would have been to being informed that the Messiah had come ... This baby of a carpenter. Surely not what they would've expected. But Anna recognized Jesus as a result of diligent faithful living. This wasn't from just living from emotional, spiritual highs. This wasn't because it was December, you know, time to celebrate Jesus. It was mundane daily living in faith.

Our response

Does your life reflect that Jesus is the most important thing? It is ironic that all the traditions and hubbub around Christmas can often obscure the reason for all these things in the first place. We cannot force ourselves to be excited about Jesus coming. We can't just tell ourselves to be excited. We should respond to the goodness and steadfast love of God. That is what Jesus symbolizes, even in the most difficult of circumstances. We can still rejoice in God's faithfulness to us. Faithful waiting will result in more joy in Jesus. We are also waiting for Jesus, more specifically, His second coming. We celebrate Christmas, but we should eagerly & faithfully await the new heavens and new earth. We should not let beholding Jesus pass with the passing of the Christmas season. 

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. - Luke 2:1‭-‬17‭, ‬19‭-‬21 ESV 

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The surprising shepherds

When a baby is born, the most important people should know first. Your close family and friends. But when God sends out his son's birth announcements, who does God notify? God notifies the shepherds. These were considered low class without power. There is even speculation that their word was not admissable in court. But God lets them know first. Not only that, but Jesus identifies with the shepherds. He comes for not the powerful, but the lowly. So if you feel second class or lesser whether because of your gender, ethnicity, or education level, take comfort that God came for you firstly. To the church, we are called to not favor the rich or the powerful.

The Angel's anthem

After one angel announces the birth, there is a sudden song from an army of angels. They speak of the coming of God's favor and peace. But this is not just released into the air to everyone. Additional, it is not something we can earn. It is a gift from God through faith in Jesus. We are all spiritual bankrupt. All our success, talents, and material possessions are all blessings by grace. We did not earn them without God's grace. 

Joy

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, "No; he shall be called John." And they said to her, "None of your relatives is called by this name." And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. - Luke 1:57‭-‬80 ESV 

Rev. Dan Whang

Joy restored

Israel was going through dark times for the sins of their fathers. They were considering their good old days rather than looking ahead. And now a barren woman gives birth and a fulfillment of a prophecy. Their neighbors heard about all this and rejoiced. For us, we look for joy in all the wrong places. We are setting goals for ourselves and feel joy when we meet them but are crushed when we fail. Joy doesn't falter in meeting frustration and suffering. God gives joys to those who remember their forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and adoption into the family of God.

Power displayed

The angel prophesized a baby was coming to his barren wife. The priest was not willing to believe the angel and asked for proof. So the angel made Zechariah mute for nine months. That would've been back at the beginning of the lockdown from this pandemic (covid-19). Imagine waking everyday and wishing you hadn't said that to the angel. Maybe God is bringing you into and through a dark valley. So consider that God is trying to bring us into greater trust and intimacy with Him. The priest and his wife both named their child John. And then God healed the tongue of the father. The healing didn't come with the child's birth, not until the naming of the child.

Praise lifted

The healing of being mute comes and the first things to come from the priest are words of praise. It is not simple obedience but whole heartedness. It is more than the continuing of the family line, but the fulfillment of God's will and the movement of God's kingdom. Do we only rejoice over things that we want and desire? How about those things that God desires? 

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home. - Luke 1:39‭-‬56 ESV 

Rev. Travis Drake

Surprise baby, surprise King 👑

The recognition of Christ as King is not something you can find out by yourself. The baby in Elizabeth's womb knows Jesus. Elisabeth knew the jumping of the baby in her womb as recognition. How? How is this possible? A voice this baby had never heard, a jumping of a baby, to the recognition of Jesus for who he is. This is impossible by human means. The only way this could have happened is by the Holy Spirit. The only way we can see Jesus rightly is by the gift of God. This revelation did not come to just the powerful, the intelligent, and the ones the world deems worthy. God's salvation and revelation came to a young ordinary girl, an old priest, very unimportant. 

Breaking out in song

Suddenly, it's like we're in a Broadway musical. We go from a narrative format to a lyrical song. Did this really happen? Writers often rephrased words of people into song. But we can conclude that Mary was praising God. Mary spoke of humble estate. She knew what it was to be in a tough spot, the grind of poverty . She felt the pain of having no power in a male dominated society, living in a part of the nation that was overrun and dominated by multiple empires. Jesus' coming was heralding a new kingdom and a new rule. How does it happen?

1) Stop trying to work your way into His kingdom

2) Stop trying to be your own kingdom

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The surprise of God

John the baptist is announced before Jesus. Zacharia and Elizabeth, who was barren, are told to expect a son. Then six months later the same angel goes to galilee and speaks of another child, Jesus. Mary, a young girl of no more than 14, betrothed to another nobody by the name of Joseph. The angel says her son will be a king. And his kingdom will never end. He was born to a poor family to an utter lack of fanfare. He came not in power, but rather in service. 

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low— they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets— before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. - Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:‬8 ESV 

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Teachings and proverbs came in the last chapter. Today, the preacher brings his message to a close. If an artist was to display this, it would be an old man gathering his family to give his final lessons/message.

Lesson on Risk and reward

This first part of the passage is imagery about business transactions and trade. It is about sending ships out to trade with other nations. And it speaks of investing in a diverse number of things. This is to avoid complete loss. 

Then it switches to imagery about nature. It speaks of how it is hard to predict what will happen with weather. Waiting for the perfect circumstances is something that will never come. God knows all things, but for us there is much more mystery. We cannot see what will happen.

This is a call to live our lives not foolishly, but to take informed risks for the Lord. We are not to hoard and protect, but to multiply and invest. We are to make the most of every opportunity, spiritually, at work, etc. We are to avoid paralysis by analysis. We are frozen in analysis and never act. But we do need to avoid unspiritual decision making. We need to pray and seek out wisdom. But without waiting for Gideon's fleece, rather to step out in faith in God's promises, character, and word. 

Lesson on Rejoicing

For the preacher who is older with more life behind him than before him. He's over the hill so to speak. He says there will be dark days. His message is to enjoy life without being sinfully indulgent. So how does one become sinfully indulgent? When we look for more from the gifts than the ultimate giver, God. We cannot look to these good things as God replacements. 

How? We need to remove vexation from our hearts. Life is too short to hang onto grudges, bitterness, resentment. Holding onto bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. We need to bring these things to God and ask for His empowerment to forgive.

Lesson on Remembering

The preacher finishes with a description of old age and death. You start waking up at the quietest things. Your desire fails means that you have less motivation. 7pm starts to feel so late and you are so tried. Then finally, beautiful things fall apart. In life you will slowly begin to weaken, to slow down, and finally, to die. You cannot take anything with you. Remember your Creator in your youth. Before you grow old and before you are so locked down, reorder your life. Forget about the fleeting things that will not last. Instead focus on those things that will last forever and push hard for those things. Hold nothing back for the kingdom of God. The better preacher puts it this way:

Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel,  who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. - Mark 10:29‭-‬30 ESV 

So the dark days will come, but we will still be able to rejoice because the better days are yet to come. Whatever we invest in God's kingdom will not fail to bring an unimaginable return. When we close our eyes that final time here, we will open them to see Jesus and walk in that heavenly city in joy. 

Foolish living and consequences

Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.

Ecclesiastes 10:1‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Realities of leadership

Everything under the sun is subject to frustration and futility. We cannot put our hopes on earthly things. This also applies to governments and authorities of nations. No matter the outcome of this election, half the population will be upset. And even if the candidate you voted for is elected, there will still be frustration. The government is set up with checks and balances. Not all campaign promises will come to fulfillment. 

Foolish leadership brings about social upheaval. But even good leadership and governance is subject to futility and frustration in many ways. Wisdom would temper our expectations.

Responding to leadership

The existence of earthly government is at God's command. He put them in place to provide protection and order. We are to obey them until they act outside the bounds of God's will. We are not to idolize our governing officials. When rulers are angered against us, we are called to patience. We are called to be careful with our words lest they reach the king's ears. But in this day and age, we are governed by elected representatives by the people, for the people. How does this apply to us on this day and age? Christians are called to pray for governing leaders, both those we like as well as those we dislike. Leaders at the national level hold tremendous power and influence. 

Foolish rulers have no self control and are self indulgent. Wise leaders know about proper timing. When to wait and when to act. Wisdom will have them hold their tongues.

Resting and reflecting

Find rest not in our political leaders, but in the king of kings. In Jesus Christ, we find our true leader. He gave up status and power rather than self indulgence in order to take the punishment of us, a foolish people. He rules with infinite wisdom. He brought about good from evil and hope out of darkness. He is ushering in perfect peace, justice, and a kingdom that will never end. This is where our true allegiance lies. Until Jesus calls us to this eternal kingdom, we are to be the best possible citizens of our earthly kingdoms where we are now. This hope should not bring us to passivity. But rather it should give us a drive to pursue gospel powered service & pursuit of people in the nation we reside. 

Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow Love.

Where there is injury, thy Pardon, Lord.

Where there is doubt, let there be Faith.

Oh Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.

Where there is despair, let me bring Hope.

Where there is darkness, let there be Light.

Where there is sadness, let there be Joy.

Prayer of Peace - St. Francis

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek:

To be consoled, as to console,

To be understood, as to understand,

To be loved, as to love.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow Love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

And it's in dying that we are born

To eternal life, to eternal life.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy Peace.

An instrument of thy Peace. Amen.