[The Midweek Encounter is
a ministry of Encounter Church in Kentwood, MI. These posts are reflections on
Sunday's message, which can be heard here each week: http://myencounterchurch.org/#/messages-media]
There are many gruesome
stories in the Bible that begin with the simple but devastating line, “In those
days Israel had no king.”
And when Israel has no
king: look out.
This past Sunday we heard
the story told in Judges 19, a terrible story about the ways God’s people
succumbed to the darkest evils during a time in which they had no ruler: no
king and no judge.
It might seem like a
strange passage for the beginning of Advent, but in a lot of ways, it’s
actually perfect.
It features a mistress
from the town of Bethlehem, and through the events that happen in Bethlehem and
in the surrounding land of God’s people, it becomes desperately obvious that
God’s people are in need of a righteous ruler and judge. We need a savior, and
that savior is coming to the town of Bethlehem, he will be born there, and he
will be for all people. Immanuel is imminent, and we await the day of his
return when he will complete his work in each of us.
Although it may be popular
to sing about the “little town of Bethlehem” and “royal David’s city” and the
“little Lord Jesus”, it’s dishonest to overlook the agony and violence of
Jesus’ life and the lives of the God’s people in the Bible.
Advent is a time of
waiting and anticipation; a time when we should be reminded that we are in need
of a savior, that without a king we are helpless and hopeless. Come, Lord
Jesus.
[Kristin vanEyk lives in
Kentwood, MI where she attends Encounter
Church with her husband Dirk, and two kids, Lily and Colin. Kristin
teaches high school English and otherwise passes the time reading, writing,
running, and enjoying all that Michigan's West Coast has to offer.]
No comments:
Post a Comment