Pastor John Wright

Sunday is our multicongregational celebration of the Feast of the Nativity, the gathering of the nations in celebration of the gift of the Son of God. We'll dine together afterwards -- I think that the Spanish-language congregation is making some tamales!!! In our Bible Studies, however, we keep with the Advent passages -- passages of anticipation and hope and preparation for the coming of Jesus. I found this wonderful summary of the spiritual rythyms of Advent at http://insightscoop.typepad.com: "An advent, of course, is a coming; the word means "to come to." Advent anticipates the coming--or comings--of the Son of Man: in his Incarnation two thousand years ago, in his future return in glory, and in the mystery of the sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming" (CCC 524). Simply put, Advent is about being prepared to meet Christ--not on our terms, but on His terms. By preparing us to meet the tiny Incarnate Word of God lying in a manger, Advent also directs our hearts and minds toward the return of that child as glorious King and Lord of all." Hopefully our bible studies can be a time of such faith-full preparation of our affections for the coming of our Lord in light of his first coming.

I think it might be good to read the Gospel reading first and then hear the Epistle reading as a response to the Gospel. The gospel indicates what has happened; the epistle then records a call to our response. We will not look at the OT reading. It is from a deutero-canonical book, a book not accepted as Scripture by the whole church as it is not found in Hebrew, but only Greek.

Luke 3:1-6

We probably need to hear v.1, not through conteporary ears, but the ears of early Christians. Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Philip, Annas and Caiaphas, etc. are not exactly a "hall of fame." They all were rather notorious to the majority of the Jews, many known tyrants or murderers. The time depicts a rather "down time" -- grim, difficult, violent. The passage marks the chronology in terms of the "significant" persons in the world, those who "make history" according to our view today. The "word of God" coming in such a time ties John to the prophets of the OT. His work contrasts to the work of those just listed. They "worked" by coercive violence to control large population groups.

What does John do? What is John's mission? What gives the warrant, the underlying reason, for his message of repentance, forgiveness, and call to "prepare the way of the Lord"?

Has what John announced happened yet or not? In what sense has it happened? In what sense has it not happened? Where does that leave us? What does John's message speak to us today? How do we go about "preparing the way"?

Philippians 1:1-11

In light of the gospel reading, let's highlight those sections that jump out, at least at me, from Philippians.

vv. 4-5 Notice Paul's talk of thankfulness is all based upon our "participation with me in the gospel." For Paul, the Gospel is the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus (see 1 Cor. 15). This "participation in Christ" language is very, very important, for it takes us "out of ourselves" where we find our selves and other believers in God in Christ by the Spirit through faith. If you notice, this participation is also the basis for Paul's optimism concerning the extent of the work of the Spirit in our lives.

We often speak of our "relationship Christ" rather than the more biblical "participation in Christ" that characterizes Paul here. Precisely, "relationship" language is never used in Scriptures. I've been reflecting and it is seeming to me, more and more, that this difference between participation and relationship is very different. In a relationship, we have two parties who exist in a 'one-to-one' interaction, with no common ground. "Relationships" are always, in some way, contested, negotiated, subject to power. "Participation" suggests a common good that exists outside of a relationship to order relationships to some good end. For instance, in a football game, teammates do not merely have a relationship -- there is something beyond them, the game, in which they participate that orders their relationship well for the good end of the game. In Christian marriage, the spouses are not merely "in relationship," they participate in a common marriage in God. A society that emphasizes "relationship" finds that the "give-n-take" outside a common good outside the relationship is hard to sustain. One easily gets pulled into deception, denial, and co-dependencies without a common life to order the individually perceived goods of a couple. Therefore, American marriage is "serially monogamous" -- Americans move from one relationship into another relationship that they hope can be more satisfying. For Paul the life of the congregation is drawn together through a common participation in the gospel, not through their own relationships. Reconciliation has happened in Christ; it is then lived out in common participation in the Gospel. Reconciliation is not negotiated through relationships between persons. The church as a community is not what humans accomplish through democratic negotiations, but a reality which believers participate through the gift of Christ that God has given.

Maybe it might be good to share experiences to see if this distinction between "relationship" and "participation" is useful.

If so, can you speak from your experience about this "participation in Christ" and this coming "completion" (or perfection, same word in Greek) of this work. Is there a basis for Paul's optimism that you have experienced upon reflection?

vv. 9-11: Here again is an advent prayer of Paul: What does Paul hope results from this common participation in the Gospel? How does this relate to Christ's future coming? How does overflowing love through common participation in Christ hepl one to determine what is best? Can you share instances from your life where this is so?

It might be fun to conclude to see how the Gospel and the Epistle readings correspond? What does advent, "this ancient expectancy of the Messiah . . . by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming . . . renew [our] ardent desire for his second coming"? What does this do for the fundamental convictions, attitudes and practices in which we engage in life?

Have a wonderful time of sharing!