First Thursday of Advent
Scripture Reading for Today:
Isaiah 4:2-6
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Psalm 72:1-7
Of Solomon.1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor. 5 May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7 In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
Psalm 72:18-19
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
Acts 1:12-17
12 Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
Acts 1:21-26
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” 23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Life After Judas
by Jordan Majeau
For nearly two decades, Jordan Majeau has been a leader in the hospitality industry in Edmonton. He is passionate about making space for everyone who is on a journey in one form or another. He considers himself a student of hospitality and he’s on an ongoing journey of learning how to do life and work better. He loves to write about: Hospitality, Leadership, and Faith. You can read his blog at jordanmajeau.com/in-between-things
I was spending too much time on Twitter the other day. I should have known better.
Sure enough, in my scrolling I came across a clip of a Christian at a political rally in a southern state in the United States praying, "Lord I pray, in the name of Jesus, that you would allow conservatives to win ... I pray that Christians turn out all over *the State* and that we vote for the person most like you, Lord. And I believe that is *name* of the politician." The prayer concluded with applause. This prayer is not the kind of prayer I'd applaud. It's the kind of prayer that hands the name of Jesus over to the politics of power.
I felt mixed emotions; a cocktail of anger, sadness, and embarrassment muddled with the bitter fruit of betrayal. Once again, I was disappointed by a member of the greater Christian community—my brother in Christ. I wonder if this is how that small community of Christ's followers felt after learning about Judas Iscariot and how he betrayed Jesus. One of their own who had his feet washed by Jesus had betrayed the cause for thirty pieces of silver. This week, we read their story in Acts 1:12-17, 21-26.
21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Being disappointed by the community that we love has a way of pulling the rug from underneath us. Leaving us with questions like, "why am I even here? Do I want to associate myself with these people?" or, "Will I ever find a place where I can feel spiritually at home?" A season of disappointment can be dark and lonely.
I've been there.
Maybe you've been there.
I'm encouraged by the followers of Christ in this passage. They continue to journey in the community even after the devastating betrayal of Judas. I don't want to be overly prescriptive here, but if we've experienced broken relationships that, despite our best efforts, can't be healed, we can continue hoping and believing that there are people out there who will walk beside us. Disappointment with people is a part of the journey, but it doesn't need to be the end of it.
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