Love Comes Near: An Advent Bible Study, Dec. 15th (done 12/22/15) Read Luke 2:1-7 Write Luke 2:7 Luke 2:7 - "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swad- dling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." "'But you, O Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah...' "We've read the prophecy in Micah. But, Mary and Joseph are in Nazareth. So, how will the prophecy be fulfilled? Enter God. The great orchestrator of de- tails, both big and small. "He puts it on the minds of government officials to require a census, of course. A detail that affects the entire Roman world, for the purpose of one husband and wife, precisely at the time their baby would be born." Read Proverbs 21:1 "Even when our world *feels* out of control, it's not. God is in the details, and there's not one that gets past him. Whether it's world leaders, politi- cians, evil extremists, drought, earthquakes, disaster or disease. He reigns supreme. "How does this build your confidence in God's power?" The author of this Bible study seems to think that all things that happen, even disasters, are in God's control. I suppose God is all-powerful, and He could orchestrate disasters or diseases, but I would have trouble being thank- ful to a God who would do such things to us humans. Nevertheless, He archi- tected the world we live in, and is the creator of man and of all living things, including I guess microbes that cause disease. This imperfect world He created for us and I guess manages is ours to live in. All we humans can do is to try to make it a better place for one another, by doing what we can to elect good leaders and politicians, work for the reigning in (or prosecu- tion) of evil extremists, try and counter drought when otherwise thousands could starve, be prepared for earthquakes through engineering of buildings and highways, and do what we can to ameliorate disasters. This I believe would be according to His will. ----- "Mary and Joseph will go to Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy, but it would seem that the logistical details were less than ideal for them, especially for Mary. This call to 'Go' requires Mary, nine months pregnant, to travel to a city on top of a mountain via donkey, and give birth in a barn. "We know God has the power to make these circumstances more appealing. After God influences an empire for his purposes, why do you think he chose to leave them without a room in the inn?" It's the story I've been told ever since being a child, the story of Jesus lay- ing in a manger wrapped in swaddling cloths. But why? If Jesus had indeed been born in an inn, then how could he have been sought out by shepherds who were told by angels of Jesus' incredible birth? Manger scenes are part and parcel of Christmas as I know it. Had it been any other way, the story would have had to be written in a different way. It means that little Jesus was born in humble means. This shows the down-to-earth nature of Jesus as God being made man to dwell amung us and to teach us. God as human. ----- Love Comes Near "Sometimes we glamourize the Christmas story. We see Mary in the nativity, hair and dress intact, and we think, 'How clean and nice.' And it makes us feel warm and toasty inside. "We can easily get disillusioned about the reality of her situation. "I consider a couple in my church who will soon pack up their two small chil- dren and move to Haiti to serve as missionaries. From the outside, we can mar- vel at their decision and think about how pleased God must be with their obe- dience. All true and good. But, in the nitty gritty daily grind, they're work- ing hard to figure out all the details of uprooting their lives, of raising financial support, of homeschooling their children, and saying goodbye to the comforts of the home they know and the comforts of nearby family. "When has your calling lead you into not so ideal circumstances? How was God working in you through that situation? What would you want the world to know about God's work in you during that time?" When I consider less than ideal circumstances for my life, I think about times of when I was living by myself, hardly getting out, being afraid to travel any kind of distance at all while my father was dying hundreds of miles away. I was a hermit, but not a happy one. I don't really think of these less-than- ideal circumstances to be the result of a calling from God, rather they were a result of my own insecurities and fears of the world. I can't think of cir- cumstances much less ideal than that. But amid those circumstances, I ended up a patient on the same unit with Jamie Moore and we met and love came out of that meeting, and we've been boyfriend/girlfriend ever since, sometimes flow- ing smoothly, sometimes rockily. I feel that God led me to meet Jamie and to be her boyfriend and companion, and her to be mine. It's not always smooth sailing -- there are times when we are together that we don't talk much or seem to know what to say to one another; but there are times when we talk freely and openly and share a lot. I would want the world to know that this meeting of Jamie's and mine has helped make me a better person, helped me to grow. I hope Jamie feels the same way, that we have been able to be help to each other in learning about the other and doing the things that make relationships work. We both have been giving of ourselves to the other -- my major giving has been to share money with her I think, but I have also given her attention and tried to do good things for her. Her major giving may be her companionship to me and her willingness to help me by helping me have proper clothes (when I so dislike shopping), and feeding me. I think on the whole we are good for each other and help each other. I don't know what I would do without Jamie in my life. ----- "God is always more concerned with our character, than our comfort. It's why sometimes, he calls us to the messy and the hard things. The things that stretch our security and make our stomach do flip-flops. I'm sure it's why he did it in Mary's life, too." Read Isaiah 48:10 Isaiah 48:10 - "See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of adversity." ----- "What do you think Mary would say to us today about saying 'yes' to the hard things?" I guess it is hard things in life that help build character. Hard things take us out of our comfort zones and into zones of challenge and hardship. I have had frankly a pretty easy life all of my life -- have never wanted for food or clothing, for a home that is snug and warm in the winter. I've had it be hard because of my lack of trust in God, I think, causing me to shy away from so- cializing and making lasting friendships. Until Jamie came along. Now I feel a strong friendship with Jamie and with Jamie's Mom and pretty good freelings for many in her family who have treated me kindly. Relating in a love rela- tionship is not always easy -- we don't always see eye-to-eye, and we may do things that irritate the other. But I think there is a grounding of love and respect there, and I feel blessed. And with this rooting of friendship, I can grow to participate in church and other outside activities that let me grow to be a better citizen of God's, maybe even helping make the world a better place in the end. Living to make the world a better place I believe is what Jesus did, teaching us many valuable lessons in His beatitudes and other teachings. I have to but listen and heed.