Day 25 Jesus

Jesse Tree: Day 25          Jesus (Luke 2:1-7)

‘In the past God spoke … at many times and in various ways’ (Heb.1:1).  It took a whole history to begin to capture even a sense of who Jesus would be, and to convey what He would do.  Over and over again we are shown moments in people’s experience, in their life and actions, in which the Spirit is whispering: ‘When He comes He will be a bit like this…’.   We are used to hearing the Spirit’s voice echoing in the words of the prophets:  He will be born in Bethlehem, He will be born of a virgin, He will…  But the Spirit’s prophetic activity is much more profound and all-encompassing.  Jesus understood that, and taught His disciples accordingly: ‘And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself … He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’.  Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Lk.24:27 & 44-45).

And so, when ‘the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman’ (Gal.4:4, echoing Gen. 3:15).  At last, the One long foretold.  The Alpha and Omega of all creation; the second Adam; the sacrifice who could clothe us in true righteousness; the serpent crusher; and the greater Noah who would lead us out into a New Creation.  Here at last was the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise to Abraham: the One in whom and through whom all the nations of the world will be blessed; here is the only beloved Son of the Father, provided by the Lord as a burnt offering; here is the One through whom all business between heaven and earth is transacted; One who is exalted and provides for His people in a world of famine and judgement.

Here finally was the one mediator between us and God, who saw God face-to-face; the Law Giver and Keeper; the One who tabernacles among us; our great High Priest; and the Passover Lamb who was to be sacrificed for our sins.  Here is our true Joshua, who will destroy all that is sinful in order to prepare for His people a glorious new creation in which there is no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain.   Here, fulfilling the longing of the generations is the Heavenly Bridegroom who will make a prostitute His glorious bride; who will spread the corner of His garment over us, the Kinsman who will redeem from debt and slavery.  Here is the King over all kings, our Champion who fights for us against all that would enslave us, and who will protect us and provide for us.  The Prophet who alone can reveal the Father to us; and who will come to us in our exile, and lead us home. At last the Sun of Righteousness rises with Healing in His wings. Merry Christmas.

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.  (Matt.1:21)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Watch the incredible video by Dan Stevens. ‘True and Better’.  It can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGFtfqgBQkM

Bake a birthday cake for Jesus…

Have you come across the animation series Story Keepers?  A fictional story of Christians negotiating life in ancient Rome, being hunted by Nero  is interwoven with their retelling of stories from the Bible.  The episodes with the Christmas story can be found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7p_Xfmb9bE  (it’s an hour and ten minutes altogether). 

Day 24 John

Jesse Tree: Day 24          John (Matthew 3:1-12)

We’ve already seen in our Jesse Tree reflections the importance of ‘repentance’ (Lk.3:3).  It is a critical concept to grasp, and to put into practise.  Put it this way: what is the difference between a people prepared and a people not prepared for the Lord’s coming?  Listening to John, you can sum it up in that one word: repentance.   Or perhaps better, it is a people who ‘produce fruit in keeping with repentance’ (Lk.3:8).  We are deeply integrated beings, and cannot separate out our spiritual life such that it doesn’t affect our volitional, or mental, or emotional, or physical life.  Spiritual repentance will always go beyond simple remorse or regret, to affect every aspect of who we are.

And so when people asked him what they must do, John’s reply is emphatically not ‘religious’ (Lk.3:8).  In fact, his worked examples have a consistently financial flavour to them (Lk.3:10-14).  With our fear of being seen as judgemental, and our careless use of phrases like ‘God accepts us as we are’, we might struggle with the idea that people would need to change, to be made ready for the coming of Jesus.   But this is the bedrock of John’s God-appointed ministry (Lk.3:4-6).  And he is hardly unprecedented.  This was the perennial plea of the prophets, and none more so than Elijah, in whose ministry John is styled, which was singularly one of calling the people back to their God, and to faithfulness of life and worship (I Kings 18:37). 

Interestingly, John’s call to grow in Christlikeness, is not seen as a negative thing at all.  John ‘proclaimed the good news’ (Lk.3:18).  Indeed, the Bible consistently sees this as part of authentic Christian experience.  Jesus’ own preaching resonates deeply with John’s (Matt.4:17 / Lk.13:3 etc.), and He clearly saw repentance as the appropriate response to His ministry (Matt.11:21).  The same is true of the preaching of the apostles (Acts 2:38); and their wider pastoral teaching (II Cor.7:8-11; II Peter 3:9, and although he does use the word, Eph.4:20-24).

The call to repentance always produces a dreadful parting of the ways.  Those who mourn over their sin rejoice at such a gracious invitation to be transformed.  Those on the other hand who pride themselves on their own goodness, or who have vested interest in the status quo, resent deeply the call to change.  And it is unwise to underestimate the violence such resentment can lead to (Matt.14:1-12).  Yet John (meaning Grace of God) is undaunted.  Many of us might have preferred a more prudent way of sharing our faith, laying emphasis on God’s love and playing down any need to ‘repent’.  Such a message might keep us popular, but it hardly prepares people to meet Jesus.

 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: ‘A voice of one calling in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord…  (Matt.3:3)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Take a look at some of the catechism’s teaching repentance.  They can be found in ‘My first book of Q&A, Qu.94’; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Qu.85-87; Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 33 (Qu.88-91).  Discuss them as a family, and perhaps come up with some ideas of where this teaching could be put into practise…

Read a children’s edition of Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan over the Christmas period.  Unfortunately the Torchlighter DVD on Bunyan is not on Youtube (although there are several others), but the full range of DVDs can be found here: https://www.10ofthose.com/products?q=torchlighter  

Day 23 Mary

Jesse Tree: Day 23          Mary (Luke 1:26-38)

We saw yesterday the shadows of the Christmas story beginning to gather.  Far from the sentimentality that surrounds modern day nativities, those who took part in the history of Jesus’ coming into the world were asked to make incredibly costly sacrifices.  No-one more so than Mary.  As the aged prophet Simeon would later tell her, while Jesus would be spoken against, a sword would pierce her own soul too (Lk.2:35).   By then, she had already felt its keen edge.

When Mary bows her head and says to the angel, ‘May your word to me be fulfilled’, she stood lose everything (Lk.1:38).  Her reputation would be irreparably sullied.  There is a reason why at the end of her pregnancy she undertakes the 90 mile journey to Bethlehem with Joseph.  No-one in Nazareth (apparently not even her family) is willing to be associated with the scandal, or the baby.  30 years later there are still aspersions being cast about the legitimacy of Jesus’ birth, and Mary had lived with the gossip, rumours and slander for all that time.  Her future with Joseph was at risk.  Initially he considered divorce, and it took nothing less than an angelic visitation to persuade him otherwise.  Indeed, she may have been putting her life on the line (see. Dt.22:20-24, John 8:1-11).  No wonder she flees to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s house - they alone will understand and believe a story about miraculous conceptions and angelic appearances.  After all they have just lived through a similar experience.

And yet she not only accepts all this as part of her calling to be the mother of her Lord, but goes on to proclaim that this constitutes blessing (Lk.1:48), and declares the praise of the God who has called her to such sacrifice (see her ‘Magnificat’, Lk.1:46-55).   Many of us don’t really have a category for this.  We equate God’s ‘blessing’ us with the fulfilling of dreams and ambitions, not with shattering them; not with loss, sacrifice and possibly death.  But Mary’s vision of God is so exalted that she considers herself blessed (and expects others to see her as blessed) by His mindfulness of her (1:48) and His doing great things for her (1:49).  He has been merciful, He has performed great deeds, dethroned the proud, and provided for His people.  From her perspective, nothing is too great a price to pay for being caught up in the work of this God, who in love sends His own Son into the world (John 3:16).   But her act of worship doesn’t just reveal that her grasp of God means He is worth suffering for, but is also the means by which she is resourced for that sacrifice.  One part of worship is that it re-focuses us on the truth of God’s glory and splendour, His justice and mercy.  It reminds us that He is a God worth suffering for, and resources us to do so.  After all, the God we worship is the God who suffered for us.

 And Mary said, ‘My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant.  From now on all generations will call me blessed…  (Lk.1:46-47)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Mary’s response even to the call to suffer was marked by worship.  Her example stands in a long tradition within the Bible of calling us to praise.  Why not use Seeds Family Worship to help memorise Ps.148:1-5.  It can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqVZjtVLQHA

Write your own ‘Magnificat’, a song, or poem, or just a list of things you know about God that inspires you to worship.  Can you think of passages from the Bible that teach you about the things in your list?

Day 22 Joseph

Jesse Tree: Day 22          Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25)

Without warning, Joseph’s world imploded.  The woman to whom he was betrothed was pregnant.  Betrothal had such legal status that Joseph is already considered Mary’s husband.  As far as he knew, Mary was an adulteress.  He was a righteous man, faithful to the Law of God that said Mary could be put to death (e.g. Dt.22:20-24).  But there is more to righteousness than this, and Joseph tempers justice with mercy.  He refuses to succumb to bitterness, still less vindictiveness.  He doesn’t know what’s happened, or why, but his instinct is to avoid disgracing her.  He plans to divorce her quietly (Matt.1:19).  As is so often the way, the Lord let Joseph make his plans, then revealed a better way.

It takes an angelic visitation to convince Joseph of the truth of Mary’s story.  And now another aspect of his righteousness finds expression.  Without hesitation ‘he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took Mary home as his wife’ (Matt.1:24).  His own reputation is shattered.  There is no way to avoid giving credibility to the rumours that he is the father of Mary’s child.  When Zechariah and Elizabeth’s child was born, friends and relatives shared their joy, and Elizabeth’s disgrace - misplaced though it may was - is removed.  When Mary’s Child is born, it will be far from friends and family, under a shadow of scandal, rejection and disgrace - misplaced though it was.  Christ’s humiliation has begun, and He asks Joseph to share in it. 

And soon Joseph’s life is further disrupted.  A second angelic visitation sends him to Egypt, a refugee seeking refuge for a Child who would be a refuge for so many (Matt.2:12-15).  Again his response is characterised by a simple yet profound obedience.  Joseph was indeed ‘a righteous man’.  His tenderness towards Mary, his courage in marrying her (see Matt.1:20), his restraint enabling a virgin conception to become a virgin birth (Is.7:14), his enduring faithfulness to God’s Law (Lk.2:27) are all easy to miss, yet essential to the unfolding of God’s purposes. It is through Joseph’s taking of Mary as his wife, and subsequently adopting her Child as his son, that Jesus is given His credentials as the Son of David (Matt.1:20).  Only the Son of David can be the Messiah.  Because Joseph adopts Jesus into his family, Jesus can adopt us into His (Rom.8:15; Gal.4:4-5 etc).

We know remarkably little about Joseph.  He is rarely mentioned, and he likely died sometime between Jesus’ visit to the Temple aged 12 (Lk.2:48), and the beginning of His public ministry.  Yet we know all we need to when we realise the eternal Father entrusted His own Son to Joseph’s paternal care.  Each glimpse we are given into Joseph’s character vindicates His wisdom. 

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took Mary home as his wife.  (Matt.1:24)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Have a listen to ‘Crushed’, a song by Seeds Family Worship based on Ps.34:18.  You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=879RTAJxpF0   How do you think passages like this from the Bible might have helped Mary and Joseph as they got ready for Jesus to be born?

And one last suggestion from the Jesus Storybook Bible that takes us a little beyond the scope of the Jesse Tree to the story of the Shepherds:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqMhLApCmA&t=259s 

Why do you think the Lord doesn’t send us angels like he did with Joseph more often?  How can we know what God wants us to do?

Day 21 Elizabeth

Jesse Tree: Day 21          Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45)

Zechariah’s prayer had been heard (Lk.1:13).  Which prayer?  Was it the prayer he had just been offering in his role as priest in the Temple, a prayer articulating the hope of Israel in the coming Messiah?  Or was it the more intensely personal prayer for a child?  There is no explicit mention of such a prayer, but in the light of Luke 1:7, it’s hardly beyond imagining.  Perhaps it was many years since either Zechariah or his wife, Elizabeth had been able to summon enough hope to give voice to that prayer. 

In the event, the answers to both prayers converge in the conception of John in Elizabeth’s womb.  The personal and public aspects are held together in Gabriel’s declaration that: ‘He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth’ (Lk.1:14).  Individual and corporate hopes are realised.

It is one of the great understatements of the Bible that ‘Elizabeth became pregnant’ (Lk.1:24).  Her simple trust is exemplary, especially when contrasted to Zechariah’s hesitation.  No heavenly visitation had inspired her faith, nor was it needed.  It is important to note that her disgrace (such as it was) was ‘among the people’ (1:25).  Bad theology hurts people.  In the sight of God, Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous, ‘observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly’ (1:6); but amongst those who didn’t share God’s perspective there was an assumption of unconfessed transgression.  The situation reminds us of when Jesus’ disciples see a man blind from birth, and ask, ‘Who sinned, this man or his parents?’ (Jn 9:1).  Compounding the pain of childlessness, Elizabeth had to bear the insinuations and aspersions of her generation. 

Elizabeth sees everything as a gift of God’s favour.  Her pregnancy elicits her recognition that ‘the Lord has done this for me … He has shown His favour’ (1:25); likewise Mary’s visit prompts the question, ‘Why am I so favoured..?’ (1:43).  She has been blessed and in turn bestows blessing on others (1:42).  Her experience of grace inspires her graciousness to Mary, to whom she shows both hospitality and deference.  It is a powerful observation that both her and Zechariah’s attention is focussed on Mary’s Child, rather than on their own.  Hers is the first recorded human confession of the Incarnate Lord (1:43), and her clear vision of God’s fulfilling His promises in their midst leads to a beautiful Christ-centeredness that enhances her joy rather than detracts from it (1:58). 

We only catch glimpses of Elizabeth as she weaves in and out of Luke’s focus.  Yet we are hard pressed to find a more compelling vision of Christian meekness, faithfulness and humble obedience than in this aged saint. 

 …she exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  (Lk.1:42-43)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

It’s not quite Christmas yet, but there is a great re-telling of the story of Jesus’ birth in the Jesus Storybook Bible.  You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2y2FJqsv_8 

While Mary was staying with Elizabeth, she would have helped Mary and supported her as she came to terms with what God was doing in and through her.  Who can you think of who helps you understand God and what He is doing?  Maybe your Mum or Dad, or a god-parent?  Or your Sunday Group leaders?  Why not write them a card, saying ‘Thank-you’ for what they have taught you about Jesus…  pray for them as a family.

Day 20 Zechariah

Jesse Tree: Day 20          Zechariah (Luke 1:5-25)

Four centuries of silence.  No word, no messenger, no appearing.  Yet Anna and Simeon were not alone in clinging to His promise (Lk.2:34-38). Then ‘when the fullness of time had come’ (Gal.4:4), God spoke His Word into the darkness. We might struggle with the idea that people need to be made ready for Jesus’ coming, but that is John’s role as the promised forerunner.  He will ‘make ready a people prepared for the Lord’ (Lk.1:17).  John’s coming, fulfilling so many prophecies in its own right, is so significant that Gabriel is sent from the very presence of the God to bring the good news to Zechariah (Lk.1:19). 

Zechariah’s disbelief is well known, as is Gabriel’s response (Lk.1:20).  We might celebrate a healthy cynicism, or reserve the right to question or ‘critically engage’ with what God says, but Gabriel (meaning: God is Mighty / My Strength) clearly doesn’t think it an appropriate response!  When God speaks, the only morally justifiable response is to listen, trust and obey.  If all that Zechariah can articulate is unbelief, then it is better he doesn’t speak at all.  Irrespective of whether our response is faith-filled or not, God’s words ‘will be fulfilled in their time’ (Lk.1:20).  In the meantime Zechariah’s silence will be a standing rebuke.  In the midst of both Elizabeth’s quiet confession of faith (Lk.1:24-25), and Mary’s famous magnifying of the Lord (Lk.1:46-56), his silence becomes all the more deafening.

But that is not the last we hear of him, and as John is named as Gabriel decreed, Zechariah’s ‘mouth was opened … and he began to speak, praising God’ (Lk.1:64).  So many Christians judge themselves by their mistakes, and assume that those mistakes, those moments of unbelief or faithlessness, put them beyond the reach of God’s grace.  We mistake God’s Fatherly discipline for judgement and convince ourselves we are on the spiritual scrap heap.  Zechariah was a mature Christian who had long walked in the ways of the Lord (Lk.1:6).  Should that mean he resists the temptation to unbelief?  Perhaps.  But at least it meant he had the experience of God’s grace to know he is never condemned to the scrap heap.  ‘Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied…’ (Lk.1:67).  With an eloquence rarely equalled, he sets a precedent that will be followed by his own son, and points us to Christ through whom and in whom the Lord will show the mercy He promised to the fathers.  That is the joy of every Christian, for it is on the basis of Christ that His ‘tender mercy’ can be shown to any of us.

And so with this old saint, the curtain rises on the drama of redemption.  The overture of grace sounds, and all that God Almighty has promised throughout the long generations of the Old Testament begins to find its fulfilment.

…the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  (Lk.1:13)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

There is a lot about prayer going on in today’s passage.  What can you think of to pray about as a family today?  What would it look like if you actually thought God was going to answer?

Read through Matthew Chapter 5 (or the whole Sermon on the Mount, chapter 5-7).  Talk about what would life look like if we actually trusted and believed what Jesus says just in this one section of His teaching?  Do you think it is realistic to live like this?  What help would you need from other Christians?

Can you get through today without speaking?  Use the quiet to think about what God is asking you to do that you might find hard to believe…

Day 19 Malachi

Jesse Tree: Day 19   Malachi (Malachi 1:6-14)

In the dusk that is settling on the long history of the Old Testament, one last prophet stands.  Malachi decries one last time the faithlessness in which God’s people stubbornly persist, and which precipitates the breakdown of relationships throughout society.  Civic, legal, religious and moral life lapse into chaos.  No-one can be trusted.  Ironically, Israel then presumes to question God’s faithfulness to them!  A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord (Prov.19:3).  The problem is not that God has wavered in His commitment to His covenant.  It is rather that ‘…you have not followed my ways … Judah has been unfaithful’ (Mal.2:9 & 11).  Hypocrisy, idolatry, injustice, immorality characterise the ways of the people of the God.

Has the Church made any real progress?  In the ruins Malachi offers hope.  The Word of the Lord comes to Malachi (meaning: my messenger / angel) to prophecy His own coming in the flesh. ‘I will send My messenger who will prepare the way for Me.  Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the Messenger (Angel) of the Covenant, whom you desire, will come’, says the LORD Almighty (Mal.3:1).  He will purify and refine His people so that they might learn the art of worship (3:3-4, see Jn.4:23-26).  At last, the Lord will have a people for His own. ‘They will be my treasured possession’ (3:17).  This had always been His heart, and His desire for the Church (see Ex.19:5; Dt.7:6).

As the darkness deepens there is the promise of a new dawn: ‘the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays’ (4:2).  At least, for those who revere His Name...  By contrast, ‘all the arrogant and every evil doer will be stubble’ (4:1).  But for those who revere His Name, the promise stands that the darkness will finally be driven back, and the sickness that has so long paralysed the body of Christ will at long last be cured.  And as we have seen throughout the generations, it hinges on the coming of Christ Himself.

Jesus has a way of describing His nativity that sounds strange to our ears.  He tells us Christmas will be ‘a great and dreadful day of the LORD’.  We have probably used many adjectives to capture the ‘spirit of Christmas’.  ‘Dreadful’ hasn’t been one of them.  But He is clear that eternal destiny hangs in the balance as He breaches humanity.  People will either be reconciled to Him and to one another (4:6, with the fifth commandment in mind), ‘or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction’.  That is not a message we are used to hearing even in the midst of Nativity Plays, and Candlelit Carol Services.  But with those ominous words echoing throughout the Theatre of God’s Glory, the curtain falls on the dress rehearsal… and the stage is set for the true Drama to begin.

But for you who revere my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays… 

(Mal.4:2)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Jesus tells us a messenger to prepare the way for Him.  With less than a week to go until Christmas, what do you still need to do to prepare?  What do you think we would need to do to prepare for the coming of the Lord at MIE? 

On a very different note…  the sun is a star; stars are made of plasma, and you can make plasma relatively safely with a grape in your microwave at home.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGX289yjew8

There are other, more dramatic ways of doing it, but by all accounts you can trash the microwave - so I’m not recommending that!

Day 18 Coming Home

Jesse Tree: Day 18   Coming home? (Ezra 1:1-8 & 3:1-6)

More of the Old Testament than we might realise is taken up with the story of the return from Babylonian captivity.  Many of the Prophets are occupied with the prospect; and Ezra and Nehemiah show us the struggles and opposition faced by those who re-located and rebuilt the Temple, Jerusalem and the national life of the Old Testament people of God.  Then there is the ministry of the ‘post-Exilic’ prophets, such as Haggai and Zechariah, who help the people navigate their failures and frustrations.

And that in itself is telling.  When you read the prophetic expectations about life in restored Israel and measure it against the reality, a chasm opens up.  Many never returned at all, preferring to stay in Babylon.  There was disappointment even amongst those who did return (Ezra 3:12); many of the same spiritual compromises continued (Neh.13:15-28); and the same problems that led to the exile haunted the people still (Mal.1-3).  They seemed at times criminally apathetic, even in relation to the most significant of tasks (Hag.1:1-11). The land, and the people lingered under the shadow of divine displeasure (Hag.1:10).  It all fell tragically short of the hopes of the prophets, who gave the impression of something far more promising: ‘The remnant of Israel will trust in the Name of the Lord, they will do no wrong; they will tell no lies … no-one will make them afraid … at that time I will bring you home’ (Zeph.3:9-20, see also e.g. Is.54, Mic.4:1-8).

That kind of dissonance should send us back to study the Scriptures more closely.  Is the return from Babylon the fulfilment of all the prophets longed for?  Would they have been satisfied with the extraordinary achievements under Ezra and Nehemiah?  Or would they have lifted their eyes above the horizons of their own place in history, to see the hope of an even greater return?  ‘The days are coming’, declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfil the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.  In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; He will do what is just and right in the land’ (Jer.33:14-15).  As with everything in the Old Testament, there is a relentless connecting of the Church’s hope to Christ.  Unless it is fulfilled in and through Jesus, it isn’t fulfilled.  Even partial fulfilments turn out to be prophesies of a greater and truer fulfilment still to come.  There was still a Day to come.  A Day when the Lord Himself would come.  Only in Him would the hopes and dreams of all the years be met. 

Jesus reminded His disciples that only in Him, and by Him could there be a return from exile.  That is why He sent them out to ‘fish for people’ (Matt.4:19) - to fulfil the prophecy that through such fishermen, the people of God would be restored to the land (Jer.16:16).

 I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says the Lord Almighty.  (Is 45:13)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Operation No More Tears, is the Jesus Story Book retelling of some of Isaiah’s prophecy about the return from exile that Jesus will make possible.  You can find it here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4dkFJgmAT0

Who can you seek to ‘bring back from exile’ over this Christmas period?  Why not invite them to our Christmas services…

 Why not ‘build’ a memory verse wall to help remind you about Nehemiah and Ezra building the walls and worship of Jerusalem.  Use stones, cardboard boxes, or anything stackable, and write a words from a verse on each one (Eph.2:22?).

Day 17 Exile

Jesse Tree: Day 17   Exile (II Kings 17:7-23 & 25:1-26)

The exile was devastating for the people of God (Lamentations).  Imprisoned and enslaved they made the long journey back to the Chaldees from where God had called Abraham all those years ago, to become a part of nations they had longed to be like.  God is slow to anger, and desired to redeem them (Hos.7:13-14).  He restrained his anger as long as justice allowed.  Even the event of removing the people from the land was staggered, giving them further opportunities to repent, so that the horrific events could be brought to a standstill.  But Israel refused, clinging instead to political alliances and military rebellions, trusting false gods and false prophets who said ‘Peace! Peace’, when there was no peace… who told them God would never come in judgment (Jer.6:14; 14:13-16 etc.).

But He did come - in judgement, but also into judgement.  Ezekiel’s inaugural vision ‘in the land of the Babylonians’ (1:3) shows the throne of God… on wheels!  Like the Ark of the Covenant, it could be ‘carried’ by the ‘living creatures’ (Ezek.1:19).  God suffered exile with them, bearing His own punishment, and working through them still to foreshadow the life and ministry of Christ.  Some of the most famous stories of spiritual steadfastness come from this period of the Church’s history (Dan.1-6); some of the most profound visions of Christ (Dan.7:13-14); some of the greatest moments of deliverance (Dan.6:21-23).   

But neither Babylon nor Egypt (Jer.41-42) was ever to be the final resting place of the Church.  The promise was always that God would be found by His people, and that He would bring them back from exile (e.g. Lev.26:40-45; I Kings 8:46-51; Jer.29:11-14; 30:1-3; Ezek.36:33-36 etc.).  Everything hinges on the people’s repentance, and as soon as that is in place, the promise of restoration comes into play.  One of the most powerful visions of the restoration of God’s people from exile is Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones (Ezek.37:1-14).   It is a place of uncleanness and death; without hope.  This is exile (v.11).  How will the Lord respond to the plight of His Church?  Ezekiel plays his part (‘the Son of Man’ 37:3), responding - as He always does - to the repentance of His people with grace: He breathes His Spirit into the valley (v.9 & 14), raising and restoring His people.

Once, when the true Son of Man Himself was being accused by the religious leaders of His day, Jesus cited Ezekiel’s vision to verify His claims (John 5:28, see Ezek.37:12-13).  Ezekiel’s hope was not just for a return from exile, or even some sort of merely spiritual revival.  Ultimately his vision was of the Church led by Christ into her New Creation future, to the fulfilling of the New Covenant and to dwelling in the presence of the living God. That has always been the fullest hope of the Church - whether in exile or out of it.

… they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep (Jer.11:8).

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Older children might find the Torchlighter story of Richard Wurmbrand a powerful insight into the reality of the Church living in a hostile environment. (about 36 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYpIXkPr9mg&t=1370s

(parents might want to watch it first - although it is an animation, it is a very moving account of life in Communist Romania)

Why not write a letter to an imprisoned Christian?  You can do this through Open Doors: https://www.opendoorsuk.org/act/letter/ - or - write to our MP, inviting them to attend the launch of the World Watch Map on 18th January: http://advocacy.oduk.org/page/15310/action/1

Day 16 The Prophets

Jesse Tree: Day 16   Prophets (Ex.4:10-17/Acts 2:25-31)

Working our way through the Old Testament, we have begun to see in just how many ways God spoke to our ancestors (see Heb.1:1).  It isn’t just in specific spoken prophecies that tell us directly about the coming Christ.  He is also speaking through the structures of worship (tabernacle, festivals, laws and the sacrifices), and through events in people’s lives (Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac).  Jesus is also revealed through the offices and roles that people inhabited in the life of the ancient Church: kings, priests, judges, etc.  These roles give us categories and pictures that will allow us to understand who Jesus is and what He does.  One of those pictures is that of the prophet (Dt.18:18).

Since Moses great sermon ‘east of the Jordan’ (what we call Deuteronomy), the spectre of exile hung over the future of Israel (see e.g. Dt.28), and as it drew ever closer, so the prophets spoke with greater urgency.   But sin is both irrational and self-destructive, blinding us to its consequences (Prov.14:12 & 16:25).  God’s answer to the people’s stubborn refusal of His vision was to send prophets to remind them of their origins and their destiny, to warn them of the consequences of their decisions, and to call them back to faithfulness.   Their refusal broke God’s heart, and the prophets painfully embodied the message they proclaimed: Hosea’s broken marriage, the death of Ezekiel’s wife, the weeping of Jeremiah.  Their visions were often bleak and terrifying, their message uncompromising.  But in the end they were, by many of our standards, failures (Is.6:9-13).   Israel went into exile, the Temple destroyed.  God’s vision lay in ruins.

But the Spirit hadn’t just enabled the prophets to understand what was happening in their own day.  They searched intently for the future God had ordained.  Whether it was the return from exile, the coming of Christ to fulfil the Old Testament, or the end of the age, they held out hope: that the final word to the Church would not be our sin, but His grace.  They were those who had seen Christ (John 12:41; Ezek.1; I Kings 22:19 etc.).  They weren’t merely social commentators, voicing their own insights and opinions.  They spoke the very words of God (II Pet.1:19-21).  What they said, God said; what God said, they said.  He put His own words in their mouth (Jer.1:9 etc.).  That is what makes both their predictions of judgement and their offer of grace so utterly compelling.  Whether it is Jeremiah’s buying of land in anticipation of the return from exile (Jer.32), or promising the raising up of David’s righteous Branch (23:5); or Isaiah’s vision of a new heavens and a new earth (65:17-25); or Micah’s promise of a Ruler from Bethlehem (5:2), we can trust them implicitly.  All these and hundreds more examples have an absolute and unassailable authority, for ‘This is what the Lord says…’ (e.g. Is.61:1).

 The prophets who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow… (I Pet.1:10-11)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Seeds Family Worship, ‘I love your Word’ (Heb.4:12), can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVrR5Y2Wzh4

Older children might benefit from the Heidelberg Catechism, rather than those suggested yesterday.  You can find it all online here:  http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/  Lord’s Day 12 talks about Jesus as Prophet.  There will be a prize for anyone (under 18!) who memorises the epic answer to Qu.1!

Older children might also enjoy the story of William Tyndale (about 30 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbjj8iAxOKM

Day 15 David

Jesse Tree: Day 15          David (II Sam.2:1-8 & 5:1-5)

Samuel was the last of the Judges… the prophet who stood in the midst of Israel’s transition to becoming a kingdom.  His was a heart broken by the rebellion of the people of God, and of the rejection by the people of God.  He was in agony of soul as the people squandered their destiny: ‘…appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have’ (I Sam.8:5).  But the Church was never supposed to be like the other nations.  And yet in the twilight of his years, Samuel glimpses hope.  The Lord had not been caught unawares by their impulse to conform, to be the same as everybody else (see Deut.17:14f.). With gracious wisdom He wove their sin into His providence and care. 

Through Samuel the Lord anointed a shepherd-boy, David.  This ‘christ’ (anointed one), He raised up as a king after His own heart (I Sam.13:14).  David would be a king who would unite the people of God, a champion who would fight on their behalf, deliver them from slavery and lead them into the future God had ordained for them.  Under the reign of this king, David, and its immediate aftermath under Solomon, the ancient Church grew closer to realising God’s vision for His people than any other time in the Old Testament.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism celebrates the king-ship of Christ.  In its antiquated, 17th century English it asks the children of the Church, Qu.26: How doth Christ execute the office of a king?  And the answer that they would learn to give: Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.  In its ‘Scriptural proofs’, the Catechism invites us to meditate on Ps.2:6-9; Ps.110:1-3; Col.1:13 & 2:15 (amongst others).

It is worth reading through the ancient wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures to see what is expected from a king and his people. We might find some of it disconcerting: ‘Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ (Eccl.8:4).  This doesn’t perhaps fit our view of monarchy, or perhaps of Jesus.  In a post-Magna-Carta UK, we might be more inclined to think of King-ship in a more symbolic figure-head kind of way.  Yet through David, the Spirit is calling us to understand what it means to speak of Jesus as our King, whether it fits our cultural prejudices or political sensibilities… or not.

Jesus is no cultural figure-head.  He is not optional or an accident of history or geography.  He is not one of a number of political options.  He is the King over all kings, crowned with many crowns and we are either amongst those conquered, subdued and ruled by Him, or those who will be finally condemned by Him.  There is no middle ground.  Jesus Himself taught as much (Lk.14:31-33).

The King rejoices in your strength O Lord.  How great is His joy in the victories you give.  You have granted Him His heart’s desire…  (Psalm 21:1-2)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

For many generations, a key way that parents brought up their children in the knowledge and ways of God was through catechisms.   The Westminster Shorter Catechism is available on the online bookstore on the MIE website, along with an activity book.  Why not make a New Year’s resolution as a family to work through a catechism in 2018.   For families with younger children, ‘My First Book of Questions and Answers’ might be better (also available on the website), along with an introduction to Catechizing our Children.  There is also a short article here: https://www.mie.org.uk/teaching-children

Today’s chapter from the Jesus Story Book Bible (David & Goliath): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0KUCQGqSZE

Day 14 Ruth and Boaz

Jesse Tree: Day 14          Ruth & Boaz (Ruth 4:1-17)

The days of the Judges were horrific.  They started in bleak disappointment: ‘After the death of Joshua…’ (1:1).  This was the generation that was supposed to realise God’s vision of being His people in His land, living under His gracious Law.  This was the generation that was supposed to be a foreshadowing of life in the New Creation.  But the reality is disobedience and defeat, depravity and demise.  Fleeting moments of deliverance cannot halt the downward spiral that already set the trajectory for exile.

And yet even in the midst of this deepest darkness it was possible to live in a way that honoured Christ.  Boaz was such a man of righteousness, and Naomi at least, understood how rare a thing this was (Ruth 2:22).  Boaz was a man who didn’t just know the Law of God, but who sought to live according to it.  Boaz reflected wonderfully the Lord’s heart of compassion, grace and generosity.  These weren’t lofty ideals only to be expected in an ideal world; they were hard financial realities that affected how he treated his employees, and the needy in the life of the Church.  Those who turned to the Lord for help, could find that help delivered through Boaz.  He grasped that even in a society that had long since turned its back on the Lord, and that laboured under judgement, the faithful were yet called to a costly and Christ-honouring obedience.

And so when Ruth the Moabite became a disciple of the Lord (1:16), she found a place of refuge in the fields of Boaz.  Indeed, she found more than refuge!  Deep in the Levitical legislation lay a statute that bestowed great privilege and responsibility on the nearest relative of one who impoverished or indebted.  Such a relative was given the opportunity to model the grace of the Lord, and to become a ‘Kinsman-Redeemer’ (Lev.25:25f).   And so Boaz humbly takes on the mantle, and the role of Christ (Ruth 3:9 / Ezek.16:8).  The portrait of the Kinsman-Redeemer, the Bridegroom who redeems His bride rarely comes more sharply into focus than in this rural backwater of Bethlehem ‘in the days when the Judges ruled’ (Ruth 1:1). 

‘So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife … and the Lord enabled her to conceive and she gave birth to a son … and they named him Obed.  He was the father of Jesse, the father of David’ (Ruth 4:13 & 17).  Such unassuming obedience weaves Boaz and his new wife into the fabric of God’s salvation, and into the genealogy of Jesus.  For ‘a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him…’ (Is.11:1).  When his family was cut down, and left looking insignificant, the Lord brought life, a future and hope.

Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a Guardian-Redeemer of our family…’ (Ruth 3:9)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

As we are thinking about how the weak and vulnerable in the Church are provided for by the Church (see also Matt.25:31-46 & II Cor.8-9), why not visit Barnabas Fund (www.barnabasfund.org/en/barnabas-gifts), or Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org), to buy a Christmas present for Christians elsewhere in the world - it might be the first time you buy someone a chicken or a goat for Christmas!

Have a listen to Seeds Family Worship, ‘Crushed’ (and learn Ps.34:18).  www.youtube.com/watch?v=879RTAJxpF0.  Enjoy!

Day 13 Rahab

Jesse Tree: Day 13     Rahab (Josh.2:1-21)

The brightest jewels of grace are often found in the deepest shadows of judgement.  Under the advance of Joshua’s army it seems that all hope is eclipsed.  The sin of the Canaanites has reached its full limit (Gen.15:16, see Jdgs.11:23 / II Kings 21:11 for the identification of the Amorites with Canaan).  There is something terrifying about the idea that a society has reached its capacity for sin, and that the fullest potential for human sinfulness has found expression.  Our hearts faint at the prospect of God’s visiting such a culture (Dt.9:4).

And yet even here, even as the sword of God’s judgement hangs over a society saturated in sin, His grace finds its mark.  Just stepping back into the book of Exodus for a moment, take a look at e.g. Ex.15:14-16.  The Exodus was not a quiet thing affecting the life of only Egypt or Israel.  It was a public, global spectacle.  The nations of the world watched.  They saw and understood that the Living God was doing something unprecedented.  They understood better than we realise that this was the declaration of the Gospel of God’s deliverance.  Many streamed to join the ancient Church, even as they left Egypt.

The Good News was proclaimed even to Canaan.  As ever, the Gospel finds voice before the Lord speaks in judgement.  After all, ‘how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?’ (Rom.10:14).   It is hard to be sure what the two spies might have expected to hear from the lips of a prostitute called Rahab.  It is perhaps unlikely that they anticipated a recital of the good news of the Exodus (Josh.2:8-13).  But Rahab demonstrates that the citizens of Canaan were fully aware of what was happening and why; that they had the opportunity to respond in faith and to be counted amongst those whom God declares His own people.  Her profession of faith might be a little unusual, but it was no less genuine because of that.  And God does what He always does when He meets with faith in response to the Gospel.  He saved.  There is a wonderful ambiguity in the sentence, ‘Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her’ (Josh.6:23-25).   Which Joshua?  Both…

And in a way that perhaps shouldn’t surprise us, He goes beyond mere salvation.  Maybe it was because of the extreme situation from which he saved Rahab, that she found such an honoured place in the heart of her new-found God.    We have to wait until the dawn of the New Testament to discover just how far the grace of God reaches into the life of this woman (Matt.1:5).  She is grafted into the family tree of another Joshua.  She marries Salmon, and becomes the mother of Boaz.  As we’ll see tomorrow, Boaz grew up a victim of the same deep, disturbing grace of his parents.

Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her … and she lives among the Israelites to this day  (Joshua 6:25)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Use red wool to make a friendship bracelet.  There are instructional videos on line (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YujvDp5BJ78) or step by step tutorials (e.g https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Friendship-Bracelet).  Or perhaps a simpler bracelet, but with letter-beads strung in spelling ‘Faithful’ or ‘Grace’? 

Or maybe a bookmark for your Bible.  This could be a simple a braiding 3 strands of red wool together, or perhaps draw / copy a picture of the spies climbing down the wall on a bookmark shaped piece of card, and tie red wool to the bookmark using a hole-punch?

Day 12 Joshua

Jesse Tree: Day 12          Joshua (Josh.1:1-11 & 5:13-15)

Few of us may have had the stomach to be part of the Church in Joshua’s generation.  Just reading his book makes us uncomfortable. But before we dismiss it as ‘inappropriate’ for today’s Church, we may need to think again, and ask the Lord for the moral courage to accept, and worship on the basis of, what ‘Joshua’ has to teach us.

Moses understood the role that his successor would play in displaying the drama of Christ on the stage of world history.  In order to make sure we did too, he went so far as to change Hoshea’s name to ‘Joshua’ (Num.13:16, Gk: Jesus)!  Moses’ ministry emphasised redemption and how to live in anticipation of the New Creation.  But before the Church can enjoy and display that New Creation life in the land, the old creation of sin and death must be dealt with.  An important (creedal) aspect of the Christian hope is for justice and the victory of God.  All that has set itself resolutely against the Living God will be consigned to eternal death.  Creation will be stripped back to its most foundational structures before being recast as liberated from the curse (II Pet.3:7).  Christ’s return is pictured as that of a Warrior-King, coming in justice, armed for vengeance, and burning with fury, who will ‘strike down the nations’ (Rev.19:15).  This is the role played by Joshua.

Like the Joshua of Rev.19:14, Joshua will lead the Church to victory.  It is an underplayed theological reality that salvation in Scripture always entails the destruction of the enemies of God and His people.  Redemption and Judgement go hand-in-hand.  To anticipate one without the other is to stray beyond the Bible’s teaching.  The worship of the Church is rooted simultaneously in our own deliverance, and in the destruction of those who railed against God, and therefore His people (Rev.19:1-3, also e.g. Ps.94:21-23).

Four centuries the Lord had waited for the time of Joshua, yet the Canaanites showed only contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that that God’s kindness was intended to lead them to repentance (see Rom.2:4).  These were no innocent bystanders, caught up unsuspectingly in the purposes of God.  Four hundred years the Lord had asked the Church to live in suffering and slavery, until the sin of the Canaanites rose to ‘full measure’ and warranted such retribution (Gen.15:13-16).  Although just in itself, God’s actions foreshadow a deeper justice to come.  We fear ‘Joshua’ opens the door to a ‘holy war’ psychology in the Church.  But that is to misunderstand the Bible.  God is not giving us a pattern for history, but for the end of history.  As I never tire of saying: Scripture is primarily about Jesus, not us (John 5:39).  It is Joshua’s war - not ours.

And the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so that they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses…’ (Joshua 3:7)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Use today’s newspaper to create a collage pictures and headlines that illustrate to sadness and horror of many people’s experience of living in this world.  Visit opendoorsuk.org, or Barnabasfund.org, and discover the experience of Christians elsewhere in the world.  Talk about how when Jesus comes back, He will put all this right…  How does that make us feel?  Excited?  What would a world without all this suffering be like?  How does that shape your prayer today?

Jesus Story Book Bible, ‘The Warrior Leader’ (Jericho), can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF7Ev1UCrr8&t=9s

Day 11 Law

Jesse Tree: Day 11          Law (Exodus 20:1-26)

Mount Sinai gives us an incredibly vivid parable of our need of Christ.  With the people of God crowded round the bottom of the mountain, and God revealed in His glory at the top, it seemed there was no point of connection or possibility of interaction.  ‘Then the Lord called for him, and Moses went up’ (Ex.19:20).  Such a great picture of the mediation of Jesus Christ.  We aren’t able to approach God ourselves (the people are not to force their way through, 19:24), but there is one who is able to approach Him on our behalf.  One who is able to come to us and tell us who He is and what He has said.

As we come into Ex.20, we hear what God has said to His redeemed people.  ‘He spoke all these words…’ (20:1). ‘These words’ are what we now call the 10 Commandments.  People sometimes say the Old Testament is all rules, and the New, all grace.  Both caricatures are dangerously inaccurate.  Both Old and New have the same dynamic of grace leading to holiness.  God has graciously liberated His people from slavery and oppression and fear of death, and he has called them to His land, and to Himself.  His intent is to create a nation under His Kingship, that will live before His presence and according to His vision for human life and society.  The nations of the world were supposed to look in and see how spectacular life lived according to God’s vision would be.  Rooted in worship (Moses also brought down the blueprint for the tabernacle from Sinai) it would be a powerful missional vision, drawing people into a foretaste of the New Creation.  People would stream from the nations to be a part of this people (see Dt.4:6-8). 

This has always been the mandate of the Church.  Sometimes you hear people lament how restrictive the Law of God would be, and how miserable we’d all be if everyone lived by the rules of the Bible.  Think about that for a moment - a world where we knew how to rest, where no-one lied about others, or hated, or hurt, or stole from others, where there was no adultery, and where children honoured their parents…  a world where Christ is given the honour He is due.  Sounds like a pretty good world to me!  That is the world the Church is supposed to display, reflecting the character of God Himself.

And yet, it is telling that immediately after the 10 Commandments are rehearsed by the Lord, He gives instructions on building an altar (Ex.20:24).  It’s as if He knew that once He set the bar, we’d fail to reach it.  He did.  He knows we are sinful, and His Law can often convince us of the same reality: through the law we become conscious of our sin (Rom.3:20), and so of our awareness of a Sacrifice, our Burnt Offering.

I have come to fulfil the Law… Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished… (Matt.5:17-18)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Try playing a game without any rules.  What would your family be like if there were no rules?  How quickly does the conversation get to the place where we realise that actually we need rules in order to live… 

Read Deut.6:8.  This is what Moses tells the ancient Church to do after reminding them of God’s Commandments (Dt.5).  Write out (an abridged version of?) the 10 Commandments and wrap them in a piece of fabric, or put them in a matchbox, and tie them to your wrist for today, using para-cord, or string, or a piece of ribbon.  Think throughout the day about how God’s Commandments shape your thinking and behaviour, and talk about it at dinner tonight.

Day 10 Passover

Jesse Tree: Day 10          Passover (Exodus 12:1-13)

The Church at Corinth was, by any standards, a bit of a mess.  I rather suspect that many of us on visiting it would have seriously questioned whether it was in fact a church at all.  Yet with greater spiritual insight and patience than many of us would have, the Apostle Paul tends to their misunderstandings and misdemeanours, and calls them beyond their jealousy and quarrelling, their partisan pride and self-serving spirituality to something far more authentically Christian. 

In the course of his pastoral confrontation, he recalls a great deal of what we would call the Old Testament.  ‘These things’ he tells the errant Corinthians, ‘occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did’.  Of particular concern is our tendency to idolatry (I Cor.10:7).  One French pastor-theologian of half a millennium ago wrote that the human heart is ‘a perpetual factory of idols’, so perhaps Paul’s warning wasn’t redundant.  Calling them to a true vision of Christ and consequently of what it means to be the Church, Paul instructs them to throw off all immorality, pride, malice and wickedness, and to deal with each other instead in purity, sincerity and truth, having no tolerance for sin, and refusing even to eat with those who cling to the old pre-Christian patterns of humanity.  And the sole reason that motivates such a radical change of approach: ‘Christ, our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed’ (I Cor.5:7). 

In one passing allusion, Paul conjures up the remembrance of an immense spiritual reality.  Like the ancient Church, the Corinthians had once been enslaved, oppressed mercilessly under the power of foreign and false gods and threat of death.  Like the ancient Church, they had witnessed their God triumph over those gods, and free them from slavery.  And like the ancient Church they had seen it all accomplished through the death of a lamb (Col.2:15). 

In the wisdom of God, victory is won through defeat.  As Christ is slain, the Church is brought into a freedom we could barely have imagined before.  ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery’.  Whether our penchant is for powerless religiosity, or empty morality, or comfortable idolatry or patterns of sinful behaviour, to the extent we engage with it, we will find we lose the freedom bought for us at so high a price.  And yet, like the ancient Church we find ourselves all too quickly squandering our birth-right as the children of God, and longing to return to slavery and judgement for the cheapest of pledges (Num.11:5).   May our God deliver us.

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you… (Ex.12:13)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Why not have a simple Messianic Passover meal for dinner tonight?  Roast lamb, pitta (unleavened bread), grape juice / wine, parsley (instead of bitter herbs) - I’ll leave it to you to decide whether to have slated water (to remember the tears shed).  You could read the story of the Passover, or watch the film, ‘Prince of Egypt’ and talk about how Jesus is the fulfilment of the Passover.  There are more complicated versions on line, but this would get the idea across. 

Jesus Storybook Bible, ‘God to the rescue’, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDlWC0nQoOI

Day 9 Moses

Jesse Tree: Day 9             Moses (Exodus 3:1-12)

Our approach throughout these reflections is to imagine as it were, the Holy Spirit leaning over our shoulder and pointing to the lives and events of the great Old Testament saints.  And as He points, He is whispering: ‘See them - they are a bit like Jesus…  see that - that’s a bit like what Jesus will do…’.  The story of the Old Testament is not only one of the family tree of Jesus, nor of the providence that protects and ensures the continuity of that bloodline through the ages.  It charts the history of Jesus Himself.

Today we come to the first of three days that centre on the life of Moses, who famously led the people of God out of slavery.  But before he is the statesman, he is a shepherd tending the flock of his father-in-law in the midst of obscurity.   And yet in a forgotten shepherd we find the hope of the world and of the Church (I Cor.1:27).  He may not have appreciated it at the time, but Moses had spent a generation rehearsing the part he would play in the drama of God’s redemption (Ex.3:12).  If ever there was someone you could think of as an understudy for Jesus, it would be Moses.  Few have been brought deeper into an understanding of the experience of Jesus than this humble shepherd in the wilderness of Midian.  I suppose we should expect that of someone who had spoken with the Lord face to face (Ex.33:11).  Moses understood in deep measure how the mind of God works and what it would mean for Jesus to redeem a sinful world.  Moses knew too that in this ancient rehearsal of redemption, he was playing the part of Jesus, and what that might necessitate. ‘…please forgive their sin - but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written’ (Ex.32:31-32).

As the Book of Exodus unfolds, we see just how profound is Moses’ grasp of the meaning of Christ’ death; and of its necessity if the Church is to be liberated.  Is it any wonder that when Jesus wanted to speak to someone about His own Exodus, He chose Moses  (Lk.9:30)?  Luke is very clear about what Jesus, Moses and Elijah discussed, although English translations tend to obscure the point by telling us that ‘they spoke about His departure, which He was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem’ (v.31).  However, the word Luke uses is ‘…His exodus’. In fact, the whole scene of the Transfiguration is somewhat reminiscent of events of the Exodus, with all that lightning and glorious brilliance shining out from the top of a mountain!  It must have brought back memories of Sinai for Moses, who of course had been engulfed in the glory of, and had heard the voice of, the Father before (Dt.4:11-12).  Many Bible students delight to point out that in the events of Luke 9, Moses was finally granted his desire to stand in the Promised Land.

 The Angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire within the bush.  Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up… (Ex.2:2-3)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Make a paper chain to represent the slavery of the people of God.  Each paper slip could have the word of a verse from the Bible (perhaps Rom.6:22).

Invite someone to one of the MIE Carol services, so that they can hear about Jesus, and the freedom He brings…  don’t forget to pray for them!

Is there anyone you could ask to fill out a ‘Who Cares?’ card?  Have a look at Ex.3:7.  What could you tell someone about a God who cares? 

With older children, you might want to explore whether they think God does care?  And if so, why doesn’t He do what He did for Israel more often?

Day 8 Joseph

Jesse Tree: Day 8             Joseph (Gen.41:41-57)

Joseph appears in Genesis 37 and as soon as we are told that he is ‘a son loved by his father’ (v.3) we know we are invited to consider how he will illustrate the Person and Work of Christ.   A couple of days ago we saw how Isaac, the promised son, whom Abraham loved  (and a young man possibly in his 30’s) was willing to lay down on the altar built by his father; and how that so poignantly foreshadows the willingness of Christ to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).   We witnessed Abraham’s expectation of resurrection.  And now as we consider the exaltation of Joseph, we again find ourselves lifted above the historical narrative into the mind and experience of God, to see how the patterns of history teach us of the work of Christ.

We well know the story of Joseph’s dreams, the jealousy of his brothers who sold him into slavery, and his imprisonment.  But watch Joseph later in life, as he is called out of the dungeon and lays aside the rags of his shame, degradation and humiliation, and as he is dressed so as to be fit to stand before the King (Gen.41:14).  Watch as he is exalted in the presence of the king, and is given authority over the entire nation, and everything in that nation with the exception of the king himself (Gen.41:41-42); and how there are those appointed who will command all to bow down (Gen.41:43).  Watch Joseph as he takes this position of authority and exaltation and uses it to hold out life to a famine-gripped world that without Joseph can know only the inevitably of death. And as we watch the events of this historical drama roll out in the experience of Joseph, we look beyond it to the experience of Jesus.

For even in the days of Joseph, God had already ordained a day when His own beloved Son would be called out of the dungeon of death, when he would lay aside the squalid rags of his humiliation and of his shame and degradation.  A day when He would be clothed in the glory of His resurrection and his New Creation humanity, so that He too would be fit to stand in the presence of the King, the King over all kings.  So that He too would be given authority and glory and sovereign power (I Cor.15:27).  And like Joseph there will be those who go before Him, and cry out: ‘Bow down!’.  

And we see the second Joseph hold out life to a world gripped by a famine far more severe.  A spiritual famine, a famine not of bread or of water, but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord (Amos 8:11)…  a famine of life itself, from which only the Bread of life can save us. 

God will surely take you out of this land to the land He promised … you must carry my bones up from this place…  (Gen.50:24-25)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Do you have any stories as a family about when God turned something bad into something good (Gen.50:20)? 

Today’s Seeds Family worship song is based on Phil. 2:9-11, and can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_V6bjN9Gfs

Bake a loaf of bread.  What does Jesus mean when He calls Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35).  How does He end the famine of the Word of the Lord?

Visit Wycliffe.org.uk and find out about getting the Bible translated into every language in the world.  Have a chat with Tim & Maggie Gaved… 

Day 7 Jacob

Jesse Tree: Day 7              Jacob (Gen.28:10-22)

For many years God chose to be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see e.g. Ex.3:6).  These great Patriarchs tower by grace over the ancient history of the Church.  Few have understood the heart and ways of God more deeply than they.  And few have been granted such encounters with Him.  The last of the patriarchs of the Christian faith is for many the most enigmatic.  So desperate was Jacob to be the one through whom the Christ would trace His descent, that he was prepared to cheat both his brother and his father.  Deceit and cunning would mark much of Jacob’s life - even his pursuit of God. 

There are many questions we would want to ask of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob, in the light of Gen.25:19-28:9; but in the aftermath of the whole tragic and ambiguous series of events, Jacob flees for his life.  We may feel that one so obviously lacking in moral virtue would be, spiritually speaking at least, beyond the pale.  Surely God isn’t interested in men like Jacob…  But we are constantly surprised at the lengths to which God’s grace will reach.  Even as he flees, Jacob is found. 

And now, as He had done with Abraham (Gen.18:1) and Isaac (Gen.26:2), the Promised Offspring appears to Jacob.  The promise made to Jacob’s father and grand-father is re-iterated… and incredibly Jacob’s deceitfully gained blessing remains nonetheless a blessing: ‘All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring’.   It would be almost two decades before that same Lord would meet with Jacob again on the banks of the Jordan and, and after wounding him, would change his name to Israel (Gen.32:22-32).  Israel sounds like ‘He struggles with God’, but in fact means ‘Let’s God rule’.  Jacob had come a long way in his understanding of the ways of God (though note that the Lord had to re-visit this in Gen.35:10).  God’s truth holds fast in the face of human deceit.

When that Promised Son finally appeared on the pages of human history, He called Nathanael ‘an Israelite in whom there is no deceit’ (Jn.1:47).  Nathanael’s confession of faith - You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel - elicits from a Jesus the memory of the night He had appeared to Jacob, the deceiver. ‘You will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man’ (John 1:51). 

The work and office of that Promised Blessing becomes clear.  He is the sole means through whom all relationship between heaven and earth is transacted; the one mediator between God and mankind (I Tim.2:5-6).  To claim to know anything of heaven, or of God without reference to Christ is quite simply delusional, an act of self-deceit from which we might never recover, unless, like Jacob we are found by the grace of God.   

How awesome is this place.  This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven…  (Gen.28:17)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Seeds family Worship, ‘Rock Eternal’.  This is a song based on Is.26:3-4.  It’s a great way to learn some of the Bible.  A good version of the lyrics video can be found here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMdcLPie594

Write a Christmas letter to one of our Mission Partners and spend some time as a family praying for them.  A list of our mission partners and suggestions about how to pray for them can be found at mie.org.uk/global

Make an angel to hang on your Christmas Tree.  Imagine an angel coming to do the will of God.  What do you think he’ll be doing (Heb.1:14)? 

Day 6 Isaac

Jesse Tree: Day 6              Isaac  (Gen.22:1-19)

We saw yesterday how Abraham’s faith and hope centred on his own Son, the Son of the Promise.  But the promise of the Lord to Abraham didn’t just centre on what was to happen, but also how.  The Promised Son would come through, even as He would be pre-figured by, another promised son, Isaac. 

This is the issue at stake in Genesis 22, a passage that haunts many contemporary readers.  The chapter opens ominously: ‘God tested Abraham’.  Not in the sense of God being ignorant of Abraham’s heart, or even wondering just how far He could push him; but in the sense of exposing the depth of that faith, and the knowledge Abraham had of the Lord and His ways.  Why would God do this?  So that the rest of the Church throughout the generations would learn what Abraham understood so profoundly - that redemption can only come at a terrifying cost.  The Church could only be reclaimed from exile through the death and resurrection of the Son of the Promise.

Abraham had built many altars over his life, beginning at Shechem (Gen.12:7).  But never one like this: ‘Take … your only son, whom you love - Isaac - and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering…’ (22:2).  When we were exiled from Eden, a flaming sword guarded the way to the tree of life.  The only way back to Eden is through the fire.  But none could make such a journey without being consumed.  Almost none.  Throughout the long history of the age, only once had Someone stood in the fire that marked the boundary of heaven and survived.  Once, the Angel of Lord appeared in the flames of that fire, and not even the bush He appeared in was consumed (Ex.3:2).  He would take our ‘flesh and blood’ and then plunge Himself back into that fire in order to open a way through it (Heb.2:14-17).  And so Abraham and Isaac - a young man possibly in his 30’s - set off to display for the Church the devastating cost of being the Father, and the Son.  Abraham knew that if he slayed his beloved son, Isaac would be raised again.  After all, that is what happens to the Son who is slain (Gen.22:5, note the emphatic use of ‘we’, also Heb.11:17-19).  In the event, the Father provided a substitute on Moriah (22:12-14).

Centuries passed and the land passed through empires.  As is the way, names changed and old significances were forgotten.  Moriah became the site of Jebus, later Jerusalem (II Chron.3:1).  Which means that all those centuries later, when another Promised and Beloved Son carried the wood for a sacrifice, it was up the same hill.  Only this time there was no Angel who would stop the Father slaying His Son, His only Son whom He loved.  Here on the mountain of the Lord, now known as Golgotha, the Lord provided (Gen.22:14). 

 There in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns …  to this day it is said, ‘On the Mountain of the Lord, it will be provided’…  (Gen.22:8 & 14)

Ideas for Family Devotions:

Jesus Storybook Bible, ‘Son of Laughter’.  Can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km7GhbEFW5k

Put a white carnation (with a freshly cut and split stem) into a vase with water and plenty of red food dye.  It’ll take a few days, but the carnation should turn red…  II Cor.5:21 ‘God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us…’  (or perhaps: I Peter 2:24, ‘He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross’)

As a family list 10 ways in which God has provided for you… and spend some time praying and saying Thank-you.