We’re into the second week of Advent: Love.

I thought I might have a problem doing Advent blogs from my daily Bible readings since I’m following a plan that has me finishing out the year in Job, the Minor Prophets, the last part of John, and Revelation. But Love jumped out at me in John 13:

Jesus knew that the night before Passover would be his last night on earth before leaving this world to return to the Father’s side. All throughout his time with his disciples, Jesus had demonstrated a deep and tender love for them. And now he longed to show them the full measure of his love. (John 13.1, TPT, emphasis mine)

And how did he show that love?

Now Jesus was fully aware that the Father had placed all things under his control, for he had come from God and was about to go back to be with him. ⁴ So he got up from the meal and took off his outer robe, and took a towel and wrapped it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ dirty feet and dry them with his towel. (John 13.3 – 5, TPT)

To Jesus, “Love” = “Serve.” It’s sometimes a foreign concept, but “servanthood” was a highly valued attribute taught by the early Navigators. I remember coming out of a neighborhood Bible study once and coming upon a dog deposit on the sidewalk. While I’m thinking, “Wow, who would let their dog do that and not clean up,” one of the other guys in the Bible study, a Naval officer and graduate of Harvard Law School, reached into his pocket for an envelope and used it to push the poop off the sidewalk. It’s an example of serving I’ve never forgotten from over 50 years ago.

I’ll write more on love and serving tomorrow.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… (Philippians 2.3 – 7, ESV)

Last year, I did “Second Sunday in Advent: Faith.” There doesn’t seem to be consensus on what the Advent candles mean, so this year we’ll do Love:

As the 1965 popular song said, “What the world needs now is love…“

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3.16, NKJV)

I promised that “all or nearly all” blogs this month would be Advent-related. Today, on the eve of the Second Sunday in Advent, I want to write something about Sundays: that is, I hope that Sunday is NOT your only day to connect with God.

I just heard a pastor say something like this:

One of the things religion gets right is repetition. We learn by repetition. That’s why we gather weekly to connect with and worship God. It’s important to do this weekly.

I’m sorry, but I don’t think weekly is enough. In fact, I subscribe to the old adage:

If you practice your Christianity WEEKLY, you’ll practice your Christianity WEAKLY.

By contrast, I just received this email from Biblica, an organization that provides Bibles to people in their own language around the world. The message shared something written by a woman named Saira, who lives in Lebanon:

For me the Bible is a spiritual nutrition. If I forget to read the Bible one day, I feel something is missing. When I read the Bible I have a deeper relationship with God. The Word of God empowers, comforts, and strengthens me. – Saira, a Lebanese believer

This Lebanese lady understands that she needs to read the Bible and connect with God, not weekly, but DAILY.

Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 8.33 – 35, ESV, emphasis mine)

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4.4 – I eat every day, don’t you?)

Daily? How about continually?

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. (Psalm 119.97, ESV)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5.16 – 18, ESV)

Yesterday we looked at Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar about the real Kingdom. The one that will put an end to all the other kingdoms. The message resounds through the first six chapters of Daniel:

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2.44, ESV)

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4.3 and 34, ESV)

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. (Daniel 6.25, 26, ESV)

Daniel and his friends didn’t know Jesus, but they knew there was a Kingdom and kingdoms have a king. And they wanted to be on that king’s side – not the side of the apparent king. And that’s the Hope that empowered them to stand firm.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were commanded to bow down to the statue, their response was unequivocal:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3.16 – 18, ESV)

I remember, it was more than 45 years ago, when we used to read Arch books to our firstborn, Mark. They are still available! Anyway, the one on the fiery furnace translates Daniel 3.16 – 18 this way:

O king, your silly gold is not a god at all. It’s just a hunk of ugly junk outside the city wall.

Mark could quote that before he was two years old!

And the same Hope empowered Daniel when Darius told everyone they couldn’t pray to anyone except him. Daniel’s response?

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6.10, ESV)

Surely Hope empowers:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5.1 – 15, ESV, emphasis mine)

I suggested Monday that for Hope to be meaningful, it must be based on something substantial. Reading in Daniel, I’m reminded that there’s nothing more substantial than the Kingdom Jesus came to set up. Daniel explains this Kingdom clearly to Nebuchadnezzar:

This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory…—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay…And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever...The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure. (Daniel 2.36 – 45,  ESV)

The kingdom strong as iron was Rome, and it was in the days of Rome that Jesus came to set up a “kingdom that shall never be destroyed.”

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18.36, 37, ESV)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11.15, ESV)

According to the Apostle Paul, writing to the Colossians, hope is the essence of our message:

God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1.27, ESV, emphasis mine)

Christ in you, the hope of glory: The Message makes the terse declaration a bit easier to understand:

God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. (Colossians 1.27, MSG)

There’s so much packed into that verse. Let’s consider a few of them:

• Jesus came as a Jew, but not just to Jews. (See John 1.10 – 12)
• Jesus came not just to be with us, but through the Holy Spirit to be in us. (See John 14.16, 17)
• As a result of the Spirit being in us, we, indeed, will share in his glory – and that is our hope.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8.23 – 25, ESV, emphasis mine)

At this stage of our lives, we’re certainly attending more funerals than weddings. That’s why I’m thankful for this verse:

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (1 Thessalonians 4.13, 14, NIV, emphasis mine)

Jesus’ coming reminds us that not only did he die and rise again, but he also demonstrated his power over death while he was here.

And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. (Matthew 9.23 – 25, ESV)

As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (Luke 7.12 – 15, ESV)

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11.39 – 44, ESV)

In fact, our Hope is closely tied with the resurrection – his and ours!

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15.19 – 20, ESV)

In order for hope to be meaningful, it has to be grounded in reality.

Last Friday, I knew that the Air Force Academy would be playing at 1:30p. An article in our local newspaper’s sports pages indicated that Air Force would be playing for a chance to win the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. All they had to do, in addition to winning their game (they were favored by 18 points), was have either Boise State win or Utah State lose. Wow! That’s cool, I thought. There’s hope that Air Force could win their division and actually host the next week’s playoff game.

Not so fast. The article didn’t lie; it just left out some important information. Boise State (7 – 4) was playing San Diego State (10 – 1) at 10a, and San Diego State also was playing to win its division. Boise State lost by 11. Utah State (8 – 3) was playing New Mexico (3 – 8), also at 10a. Utah State won 35 – 10. So by the time Air Force kicked off, Utah State had already won the division. Air Force won its game 48 – 14, but it turns out Air Force’s hope was more of a long shot than a hope.

Our hope in Jesus is not a long shot.

And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15.12, 13, ESV)

Wow. Is it Advent already? We could certainly benefit from the coming of Jesus into this increasingly chaotic world. Let’s use the traditional Advent candles of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace to think about what his coming means and how we ought to live as his representatives. His representatives? You bet:

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8.12, NIV)

“You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5.14, NIV)

My goal is that most, if not all, the blogs between now and December 24 have an Advent theme, again, dictated by the candle of the week. I’m excited to see where God will take us.

¹⁸  “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
¹⁹  He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
²⁰  a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
²¹  and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew 12.18 – 21, ESV)

I just found out that Billy Ammons, known as Bill the Barber, passed away in February 2021 at the age of 75. The first time we lived in Montgomery, Alabama, Billy was our across-the-street neighbor from 1981 – 1984. Every few weeks he would come over to our house after he got off work and cut our boys’ hair for free. “I just like to cut hair.”

I never saw his barbershop until we went back to Montgomery 2001 – 2006.

You wouldn’t think a non-descript barbershop in an older part of the city would get any attention, but here’s what local station WSFA reported in 2009. I reproduce the transcript in its entirety:

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) –  When the phone rings at Bill’s Barber Shop in Montgomery, you can count on Bill Ammons to answer. He’s been answering the call for more than 40 years.   “I started work here on August 14, 1964,”  Ammons said.

Bill grew up in McKenzie. He was 18 years old and had no idea what he wanted to do. “I didn’t want to farm or pick cotton.” So he learned the trade of cutting hair and got his first job just before his 19th birthday at a barbershop in the Highland Gardens neighborhood, and he’s still there. He’s been cutting his friend Jimmy’s hair for 45 years. “I don’t got clients, I got friends.”

While a lot has changed over the years, the one thing that remains the same, Bill’s low prices.   He charges a whopping $8 for a haircut. “I ain’t got a fancy shop. I’m makin’ a living and these people need to make a living too.”

And don’t plan on Bill putting down the scissors anytime soon. He truly loves his job. “I plan on being here a while, when you retire you don’t last long.”

Bill has already proven he can last a long time, and that’s good news for his long-time customers. – News story from WSFA-TV, Montgomery, AL, August 17, 2009

One Christmas, maybe 2005, my friend Johnny was in a life-threatening auto accident. His first few days in the hospital, he was not expected to live, and the family called me to come and pray. Johnny recovered although he was still in the hospital a long time. Eventually, he needed a haircut. I called Billy, who went to the hospital and cut Johnny’s hair several times, you guessed it, for free.

I write often about how God uses us, and Making Good Work is one of those ways, as well as Ministering Grace and Love. Billy Ammons did both, for a very long time.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4.10, NIV)