manna?

Whaddaya See?

Posted by Daveg

The Jeff Healey Band.  I know our beloved Ed Miller knows exactly what I’m going to say next.  The band, named after its leader, began churning out hits in 1984, chief among them, “Stuck in the Middle With You.”  For those of you over 50, you can stop humming now.  Seriously, stop.  I know…”clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am…”  Still catchy after all these years.  More than just catchy, the chorus serves as a great introduction to Advent.  From the Latin, meaning “coming,” Advent is the season during which we celebrate both the first coming of Christ, and His second coming.  It is the ultimate “in-between” time.  We acknowledge that the first Christmas morning forever changed our planet, and the next coming of Christ will forever reform and change the same planet.  In the meantime, we wait, “stuck in the middle…” 

The Advent season, beginning the 4th week before Christmas, is dedicated to celebrating both comings, and to encouraging each other to persevere as we wait.  I know a lot “clowns” and “jokers.”  (Takes one to know one.)  This Advent, I want to encourage us to wait with joy and zeal, with a commitment to teaching and modeling the Kingdom that is coming with greater force and power each day.  I know.  It’s tough.  Especially in these times.  We wait, and we watch, and we wonder;  “Where is the Kingdom?”  “Is it truly growing, or are we losing ground?”  “Is Jesus really on the throne, or does Satan call the shots?” 
It’s one thing to wonder those things in the abstract.  We read the headlines, listen to the news, and we can’t help but think that perhaps the Forces of Darkness are winning.  On a personal level, the pain is more acute.  Our lives don’t turn out as we expected.  Our kids, our jobs (or lack of one!), our finances, our faith, all seem to be challenged at every turn.  We look around us and see only the wreckage of broken lives and wounded souls, a world ravaged by the effects of sin.  And therein lies the problem.  We are looking with the wrong eyes.

This advent season, I want to encourage you to pray for some heavenly Lasik surgery.  Our eyes need some work.  We are prone to see only with the eyes of sight, which fill our heads with visions that are not representative of what is really happening.  I urge you:  Press on!  Live with joy!  Be expressive of your faith!  Share with others the gospel of the Kingdom! 
It is more than ironic that Jeff Healey, the leader of the aforementioned band, contracted cancer at the age of 8 months.  Although he lived, he would forever be completely blind.  He is the only guitarist to receive a platinum record with a Braille inscription.  Although blind, those who know Healey report that he is one of the most insightful, funny, and good natured people they know.  Jeff may be blind, but he sees life pretty clearly.  This advent season, let’s all pray for those kind of eyes—eyes that see what others cannot, eyes that look past the obvious and see the deeper meaning in things.  Jesus’ first coming was marked by his arrival in Jerusalem, riding the colt of a donkey.  His next coming will be seen by all mankind, as he arrives on a white stallion, wielding the Sword of Judgment.  Each day, the latter coming draws closer, and all creation is being transformed to meet His arrival.  Do you doubt it?  Take a minute this Advent season, and look around.  You’ll be amazed at what you can see.