This Christmas Hymn first written on Christmas Eve 1816, takes us on a journey through the nativity from the point of view of various groups. In the end, the chorus beckons all of us to “come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn King.” And that is the essential call of Christmas. For everyone and all creation to come and worship Christ the King of the Universe whom we celebrate in this season.
The Christmas Hymn, “I Heard the Bells” was originally a poem written in 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. With the country in civil war, Henry’s son heading off to fight against his wishes, the death of his first wife followed by a recent house fire which killed his second wife and left his face permanently disfigured, Longfellow knew sorrow. Yet he, like the prophet Isaiah and Jesus himself, also knew God’s peace. On this 2nd Sunday of Advent we discover how God’s people can experienced divine peace in the midst of deep anguish.
As we begin our advent journey this year, we encounter Hope. Jesus came as a baby, but not just any baby. He was Emmanuel – God with us! And the great Hope we have is that we serve a God that is with us! Through everything and anything we experience we can long for and hope that Christ will come into our situation and lives because He has done it before, He is doing it now and He will do it again!
Alexander the Great is credited for saying, “The more I get to know my neighbor, the more I love my dog.” Relationships are hard because they cause conflict and conflict is hard because it causes anxiety. As we know, God made us to experience people and peace. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares God’s brilliant approach for sustaining relationships and tranquility. For this wisdom, we give thanks to God on this Sunday before Thanksgiving and every time we begin to feel the honest and painful emotions of Alexander the Great.
Jesus announced and demonstrated that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In other words, a tectonic shift in governance is taking place. How we respond determines the quality of our lives now and for eternity. For those who awaken (i.e. repent) there is, among other things, the potential to displace apprehension with exhilaration. Greater than any medical university or clinic can provide, Jesus’ wisdom transforms anxiety into sustained peace.
There is one true God. Don’t get tricked into any substitutes!
In this portion of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus reveals a crucial reality. As those with good eyes can observe the world beyond the capacity of those with impaired vision, so everyone with God has the privilege to see Him and His ways more clearly than those apart from Him. Beyond this revelation, Jesus also provides hope for those of us who long to know God and His ways more clearly in the form of activities we can do that enable us to do things that we can not do by our own direct effort (i.e. spiritual disciplines).
Jesus said that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Treasure is a part of every humans experience. It is important that we treasure God Himself above all things so that our hearts will be invested in Him and His Kingdom! As our heart is invested in him, we will be transformed and live transformed lives.
As we continue to study Christ’s Kingdom Manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to challenge His hearers with the challenge to do things for God Himself, not for the reward of man. He using the Spiritual Discipline of Fasting to show that a heavenly reward is much better than an earthly reward given my people.
Beyond praise, what does God want us to talk with Him about? The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ answer to this question. After teaching that prayer is a genuine conversation with God, Jesus now relays some of the subjects God loves to discuss with His children. To more fully enjoy life with God in His kingdom, we meditate on the Lord’s prayer not to say it mechanically, but to converse with our King relationally.