December 4: The Second Sunday of Advent
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. –Psalm 8:1-2
We think we can conceive of God’s glory. At the very least we get that our minds can’t adequately conceive it, and so we use bigger words and wrap them in our most positive thoughts. We think about how no one could be stronger, wiser, or greater. We squint our eyes really hard and conjure up our loftiest theological words: grandeur, excellence, holiness, majesty, sovereignty. Phew. Look at us. That’s what comes of being such smart adults.
But wait! This verse says that God establishes His strength from the mouths of babies and infants. Babies and infants? Come again? They don’t know big multi-syllable words like we do. They don’t have our wisdom or our knowledge. How can they defeat the enemies of God?
What a strange thought! We’re talking about the majestic God of the universe who could simply cease speaking His enemies into existence, and they’d be gone. He could muster an army. He could send angels. And yet, our God defeats His enemies with babies?
This should only amplify our joy in God’s majesty, for this dimension of His character demonstrates that not only does He welcome children and infants, but that He makes them the means of His Triumphs. Our God conquers His and our foes through the absolute weakness of the weak.
When you hum along with Wesley’s hymn this season remember that the chasm that existed between sinful you and your Perfect Creator has been spanned by the mercy mild of a newborn baby.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
Glory to the new-born King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!
And that’s the gospel! Come hear it preached and enacted in the supper with Jesus this Sunday.
The related hymns we’ll sing are:
Lift High the Cross
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST/GODLY MANHOOD AND HUSBANDRY
Men’s Prayer Breakfast is this Saturday, December 3, at 8:30 downstairs in the Tuscan Café. Use the front chapel door for entry. The reading will be pages 48-69. We have more books available if you need one. Don’t miss it!
CHRISTMAS EVE WORSHIP SERVICE
The Christmas Eve service will be Saturday evening, December 24, at 6:00.
CHRISTMAS MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE
We will have worship at the usual time (10:30) on Sunday, December 25, but there will be no Sunday school that day.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Sunday school for children (in Joshua) and adults (in 1 Peter) continues. Coffee and other treats are served at 9:15, teaching begins at 9:30, and we break to get ready for worship at 10:15.
Visitors are always welcome!