Aaron Hufty

The God of Impossible Hope

The Fifth Day of Advent

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Luke 1:26-38 (NLT)

As I read these verses, events are happening worldwide where evil, mated to chaos, appears to be on the advance. Much as it was in Mary’s day, wolves are at the door. At that time, for Mary, for Israel, for all men, the situation seemed hopeless and insurmountable.

But Hope was on the move and the impossible was happening quickly. An elderly couple who had been barren for decades was expecting a child. A small, backwater village would produce the Savior of all mankind. A young teenage virgin was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. And this Holy Baby would rule forever.

This was all so unfathomable that it caused Mary’s head to spin. Mary spoke for all mankind when she asked, “how can this happen?” How can the impossible happen? The answer was succinct and to the point, “nothing is impossible with God.” Only the Most High God could sow these seeds of Hope in the midst of advancing evil. The world could only watch and wonder as the Holy Spirit moved at breakneck speed.

What was Mary’s response to God’s impossible Hope? This poor, uneducated, unsophisticated teenage girl chose to let go of her reputation, her family and her own plans for the future, in order to place herself completely into the hands of God. In our own impossible situations we can we follow Mary’s example, we can let go and trust in the God of impossible hope.

Tony Gerloff

This week’s Re:Verse passage is Matthew 1:18 – 2:12

Christ, The Great Hope to the Gentiles

The Fourth Day of Advent

Again Isaiah says,

“There shall come the root of Jesse,
And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles,
In Him shall the Gentiles hope.”

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:12-13 (NASB)

Southern and Eastern Africa have always been enamored with the Baobab tree. It is a conundrum to many: how can a tree so large, survive the dry and sometime drought- ridden winter months of the savanna. The answer lies with the tree’s extensive network of roots, hundreds of organic pipes pulling in water across the ground. Romans 15: 7-13 tells us of a root that comes from the line of Jesse, a root that like the roots of the Baobab tree, is the source of life in a dry land. Hope has come to the Gentiles through Christ; Matthew 12:21 testifies of this, proclaiming that the Gentiles will place their hope in Jesus. We are getting closer and closer to Christmas, a time when most people in our culture concentrate more on gifts and family than the hope the holiday truly represents. Many miss it. The gentile kings who brought gifts to the LORD missed it: Yes, He was born King of the Jews, but He was also the great beacon of hope to the Gentiles. He is the hope to the nations. This Christmas, we must embrace the truth that this holiday represents: Christ is the great hope that brings us life.

Kwenje Banda

This week’s Re:Verse passage is Matthew 1:18 – 2:12

Panis Angelicus

The Third Day of Advent

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us].” Isaiah 7:14 KJV

“Bread of the Angels, is made bread
for mankind;
Gifted bread of Heaven of all
imaginings the end;
Oh, thing miraculous! This body of
God
Will nourish the poor, the servile, and
the humble.”
–Thomas Aquinas

“Flesh had blinded thee, flesh heals thee; for Christ came and overthrew the vices of the flesh.” –Augustine

Our society constantly claims a monopoly on the secrets of the body and its desires. As Christians, we far too often fall prey to this lie, either taking the body for granted or writing it off as nothing but an occasion for sin. However, to discard the body is to discard what Jesus accomplished in His Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection, namely the redemption not only of the spirit, but of the body as well. The Bible reveals the extent to which God desires to restore his physical creation, the culmination of which is the human body, for just as sin was introduced into the human race through the body of Adam, so the sanctification of the human race has entered the world through the body of Christ. Christ, by assuming into His own Person a human body, came not to liberate us from our bodies, but to liberate our bodies from sin, and thus in His Person all matter is glorified. May our lives give flesh to the Incarnational spirit of Christmas, as Old-Testament shadow becomes New-Testament substance, Old-Testament figure becomes New-Testament fulfillment, and earthly exile becomes everlasting communion through the bodily and spiritual suffering of our Lord.

Garner Richardson

This week’s Re:Verse passage is Matthew 1:18 – 2:12

Be of Great Hope

The Second Day of Advent

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:1-5

Hope…Trust…Faith. The word hope is translated in the French language as J’espère (I hope). J’espère is not the expression “I hope I can do such and such”. It is to know for certain “I will do such and such”. It is not a wishful saying. When you read the first 5 verses of Isaiah 40, you can hear God saying “My people will be comforted, their sin is paid for and forgiven. My people will have one who prepares the way of the Lord, the pathway will be made straight for the coming of the Lord, the preparation is ready and being completed for the One to come to save the people.” As we have just come out of the celebration of Thanksgiving and look to the celebration of the birth of Christ, may our hearts be full of the Hope (espère )in Christ. Yes, He has come, yes, He has provided for restoration for the people unto Holy God and yes, He has given us His Spirit to live and dwell within us … He is coming again. Is your heart ready for His return? Just as HOPE was given to the nation of Israel through Isaiah, do you see the HOPE given today for the return of Christ. Be comforted, be of great hope, this time Jesus is coming not as a baby, but as the Coming and Reigning King. The celebration of His birth, the celebration of His resurrection, the celebration of His return, ALL is wrapped up in this time of remembering the birth of our Savior. Be of great Hope.

Larry Boggs

This week’s Re:Verse passage is Matthew 1:18 – 2:12

The King We Need

The First Day of Advent

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. . . For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace.”—Isaiah 9:2, 6-7. (NASV)

Where was Isaiah when this vision came to him? I wonder. Was he in prayer? In a meeting? For months, a growing despair had settled like a wet, cold fog on the people of Judah. Great challenges faced the nation. Real fears. Inadequate kings.

In an unforgettable moment, God found the young prophet and filled his heart and mind with a vision of a coming, capable King!

Now, words seemed inadequate. This coming Prince would be God! A man, but with all the attributes of God. Wisdom. Eternality. Might. God-sized results would come with Him. Peace. Increase without end. The prophet could hardly imagine, much less describe, what he was seeing.

In a moment, Isaiah understood. It is not freedom that men need. It is government. Only a strong, fair, just, wise King could lead the nation to safety. Self-rule is a deep and deepening darkness. Trusting people is always a disappointment.

We see in retrospect what Isaiah saw in prospect. When Jesus came the light shined. The King we need is finally here.

Don Guthrie

This week’s Re:Verse passage is Matthew 1:18 – 2:12

Agree to Disagree

Re:Verse reading–Romans 14:1-21 (day two) For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. vs. 15 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. vs 21

In this great body of believers it is not out of the realm of possibility to assume that not everyone will think or act like you. It is also fair to assume that some will think or act counter to what you think wise. Different people have different priorities, this is not a surprise. But if the Body of Christ is to move forward collectively how shall we contend with these differences; especially when they can be so divisive?

Scholar Melanie Ross offers a suggestion in the introduction to her book Evangelical Versus Liturgical? She suggests that we extend the hermeneutic of charity to all those who are ultimately striving for Kingdom work. There are things which we will disagree upon, and some of them may be profound. As we enter this holiday season where we will sit across the table from family and enter into the taboo topics of religion and politics, season your speech with the idea that if we are at the heart seeking to bring others to Christ and we can agree on who he is and what he came to do. This will go a long way towards peace. Happy Thanksgiving.

Beautiful Debt

Re:Verse reading–Romans 13 (day one) Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. vs 8

If you have ever take any kind of Christian financial planning course you have probably encountered this scripture. It is the most beautiful debt, the debt of love. Not a kind of love that is saccharine, but one that is altruistic. We care deeply for the well-being of our fellow man. Jesus, above all, loved us enough to die for us. If we accept this gift of love, then our duty becomes burden to love others. Are you serving? Can you identify the needs around you? Are you willing to meet them? This, is the fulfillment of our purpose. Owe nothing except that which Christ has given to you.

What if Worship…

Re: Verse reading — Romans 12 (day two)

“Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”vs.1-2

Call to Worship, choir, orchestra, band, hymnody, scripture, and prayer these are the things we generally associate with the beginning of worship. These are good things, things which bring honor and glory to Jesus and are edifying to the body. What if worship, however, wasn’t dependent on those things. What if worship began in you and the those elements I listed earlier become an outpouring of what you were already experiencing.

Too often, I think, we rely on the “service” to begin our worship. It then becomes the responsibility of others, i.e. pastor, worship leaders, musicians to begin our worship. We expect them to get us fired up to worship, but perhaps we relegate too much responsibility to others in that case. It is not a secret that we come into the house of the Lord to give him the glory and praise he deserves. Why not let the first words out your mouth in the morning be a declaration of thanksgiving. Why not prepare your body and mind to worship. Think of what an awesome corporate experience that would be if we came expecting to meet Jesus and ready to worship him with every part of ourselves.

Associational Salvation

Re:Verse reading–Romans 9:1-8, Romans 10:1-21 (day two)

“That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.” 9:8

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 10:11-13

Have you ever encountered someone who, when speaking of their faith, refer to what their grandmother believed? Some people speak with nostalgia about how often someone in their family went to church, and how fervently they believed. In some, that is the extent of their faith. They hope to somehow glom on to the righteousness by association.

Paul warns about this kind of thinking. Don’t assume that because you have been born into a righteous family that you will be saved. Salvation does not come by heritage, but by the confession of each and every one. This can be particularly sobering when we look at our families. Have that conversation. Ask those questions. Their souls are worth the investment.

P=J

Re:Verse reading–Romans 8:18-39 (day two)

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” vs. 18

I was a Cross Country runner in high school. I loved it, particularly in the Fall when the hills around my hometown were ablaze with color. When I ran I came up with a formula that kept me motivated. P=J (Pain=Jingle) I knew that if I pushed myself, if I trained well and listened to my coach’s instructions it was likely that I would medal in each race. That medal would be proudly displayed on my letter jacket and jingle among the other medals. Silly? Yes. Effective? Also, yes.

Even when I didn’t know what I needed to do to improve as a runner, I could trust my coach to challenge me in the areas that needed improvement. The Holy Spirit does the same thing. Consider verse 26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that our words cannot express.”

Whatever challenge or trial we are currently enduring, we can rest assured that the glory that is to come will be worth every sacrifice. His glory is bigger than any pain we might endure.