Gameface or Party Hat? - Advent, Day 11

December 13, 2006 by djackson.

Advent Readings:  Isaiah 6.1-13, 2 Thessalonians 1.1-12, John 7.53-8.11

On Sunday, December 3, the Dallas Cowboys posted a dramatic win over the New York Giants.  On Monday morning coach Bill Parcells delivered a speech to the squad about what championship teams do at this point in the season in order to make it to the Superbowl.  On Monday afternoon Terrell Owens hopped a flight to L.A. to attend a lavish birthday party he threw for himself.  T.O. claims he didn’t catch much of Tuna’s pep-talk.  “I can’t remember.  I had my mind on the party.”  On Sunday, December 10, New Orleans beat the Cowboys like a white heavyweight.

Winners don’t party until after the Big Dance.  One of Owens’ presents was a diamond-infested wristwatch worth about $50K.  What Parcells offered him was a Superbowl ring, which is priceless. 

Christmas is a cosmic birthday party, but American society tends to forget a couple of things.  We forget, first of all, whose birthday it is.  Like a spoiled athlete who knows only how to celebrate himself, we hijack the wisemen, pawn the gold for a Rolex, use the frankincense for aftershave, and hit the mall to exchange the myrrh for a DVD player.  Perhaps more importantly, we forget that the celebration of Christ’s coming marks a majestic victory, but an incomplete one.  We tend to tune out the chalk-talk that tells us how to triumph for the rest of the season.

Solomon’s temple sported enough bling to make Terrell’s timepiece look like a Timex, but Isaiah suddenly realized who the center of attention was.  The prophet had evidently popped off to the press a few times himself, but he got his mouth washed out with coals too hot for an angel to handle and then listened quietly for the game plan.  When it came it wasn’t pleasant:  a lot of smash-mouth spiritual discipline lay between Israel and the Kingdom.  But championship prophets play harder and improve as the season progresses.  They peak for the playoffs and save the parties for eternity.

Don’t grow so focused on the presents that you forget the present moment.  Don’t linger at a single victory until you lose sight of the season.  Remember that Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7.12) was a launching pad, not a lounge.

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