Advent Devotional: Form or Function
December 21, 2023
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10
Have you ever stopped to think about the point of clothes? Why do we wear them? Why do some of us gravitate toward wardrobes of bright colors,
while others of us tend to wear neutrals, and still others would be happiest to remain in pajamas all day? Why do sports teams wear certain
socks and shorts, and what does it mean that specific professions - both religious and civil - require specific types of dress? Some of these questions are answered by aesthetics while others find their answer in our actions or behaviors. The form of our clothes often signifies something about our preferences, our status, or our lifestyle, while the function of our clothes signifies something about what we do. Either way, clothes reveal – sometimes more than we realize – who we are. This simple (and perhaps obvious) fact should enrich and enhance our understanding of Isaiah’s description of the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. For the Christian, such descriptions are commonplace, but don’t let the repetition fade into an unmentionable cliché. Such garments and robes are like any other. If you are a form person, picture them as far greater than your most expensive coat or dress. If you are more of a function person, consider them as giving you not just superpowers but equipping you to fulfill the status of president or king. And most importantly, in Christ, hear and trust that these adorn you here and now. They aren’t just hanging in your closet waiting for a special day; our Creator has tailored them perfectly to fit you. You never have to wash or repair them, and by them, all identify you as Christ’s bride, God’s priest, with access to all that he has.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, remind us that by clothing us in salvation and righteousness, you give us a new and permanent identity. You fulfill all our longings for form and function by dressing us in the glory of your Son.
Have you ever stopped to think about the point of clothes? Why do we wear them? Why do some of us gravitate toward wardrobes of bright colors,
while others of us tend to wear neutrals, and still others would be happiest to remain in pajamas all day? Why do sports teams wear certain
socks and shorts, and what does it mean that specific professions - both religious and civil - require specific types of dress? Some of these questions are answered by aesthetics while others find their answer in our actions or behaviors. The form of our clothes often signifies something about our preferences, our status, or our lifestyle, while the function of our clothes signifies something about what we do. Either way, clothes reveal – sometimes more than we realize – who we are. This simple (and perhaps obvious) fact should enrich and enhance our understanding of Isaiah’s description of the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness. For the Christian, such descriptions are commonplace, but don’t let the repetition fade into an unmentionable cliché. Such garments and robes are like any other. If you are a form person, picture them as far greater than your most expensive coat or dress. If you are more of a function person, consider them as giving you not just superpowers but equipping you to fulfill the status of president or king. And most importantly, in Christ, hear and trust that these adorn you here and now. They aren’t just hanging in your closet waiting for a special day; our Creator has tailored them perfectly to fit you. You never have to wash or repair them, and by them, all identify you as Christ’s bride, God’s priest, with access to all that he has.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, remind us that by clothing us in salvation and righteousness, you give us a new and permanent identity. You fulfill all our longings for form and function by dressing us in the glory of your Son.
Advent Devotional: Awake, Awake and Put on Strength
December 20, 2023
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the dragon? Isaiah 51:9
Chapter 51 of Isaiah begins with a command: “Listen!” Through this command God seeks to rouse his people. But people don’t always want to be roused. Oftentimes, we are too tired, too worn-out, or too busy to have interest in doing another thing. We might get stressed even thinking about having to make another commitment. But God will not ask what he himself is unwilling to do. So, he rouses the people, but only after rousing himself first. In 51:9 we hear, “Awake, Awake, put on strength O arm of the Lord.” It may be cumbersome in English, but this call is actually addressed to God. God rouses himself. He has awakened and put on the clothing of strength. He will lead a procession of his people to Zion. Though they don’t know it, the people also must be roused. Suffering, hardship, the distractions of daily living, and the hyper-focus on the troubles of today have made them sleepy and despondent about what God is doing. Into their malaise, God calls them to rise up. Into their malaise God calls them to rise up. In 52:1: “Awake, Awake, put on your strength O Zion; put on your beautiful garments.” The beautiful garments they are to wear are not for fighting, God will do that—they are parade clothes, garments of celebration. But like any soldier, doctor, actor, or pilot—anyone who knows the strength that comes in wearing a uniform, the beautiful garments are representative of God’s provision. To wear these garments means you are called to follow the parade to Zion! So, yes, you may be suffering, distracted, tired or worn out. But God is fighting for you. He who rouses you has roused himself. And somewhere, in the heavenly wardrobes of the Kingdom, there awaits drawers full of beautiful garments, fitted and prepared just for you. When the time comes and all the seals, bowls, and trumpets have been broken, libated, and blasted, the King will return and you and I will be clothed in splendor. And the parade to Zion will begin.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, awaken us to your work as you fight for us. Thank you for clothing us in the splendor of your victory.
Chapter 51 of Isaiah begins with a command: “Listen!” Through this command God seeks to rouse his people. But people don’t always want to be roused. Oftentimes, we are too tired, too worn-out, or too busy to have interest in doing another thing. We might get stressed even thinking about having to make another commitment. But God will not ask what he himself is unwilling to do. So, he rouses the people, but only after rousing himself first. In 51:9 we hear, “Awake, Awake, put on strength O arm of the Lord.” It may be cumbersome in English, but this call is actually addressed to God. God rouses himself. He has awakened and put on the clothing of strength. He will lead a procession of his people to Zion. Though they don’t know it, the people also must be roused. Suffering, hardship, the distractions of daily living, and the hyper-focus on the troubles of today have made them sleepy and despondent about what God is doing. Into their malaise, God calls them to rise up. Into their malaise God calls them to rise up. In 52:1: “Awake, Awake, put on your strength O Zion; put on your beautiful garments.” The beautiful garments they are to wear are not for fighting, God will do that—they are parade clothes, garments of celebration. But like any soldier, doctor, actor, or pilot—anyone who knows the strength that comes in wearing a uniform, the beautiful garments are representative of God’s provision. To wear these garments means you are called to follow the parade to Zion! So, yes, you may be suffering, distracted, tired or worn out. But God is fighting for you. He who rouses you has roused himself. And somewhere, in the heavenly wardrobes of the Kingdom, there awaits drawers full of beautiful garments, fitted and prepared just for you. When the time comes and all the seals, bowls, and trumpets have been broken, libated, and blasted, the King will return and you and I will be clothed in splendor. And the parade to Zion will begin.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, awaken us to your work as you fight for us. Thank you for clothing us in the splendor of your victory.
Advent Devotional: The Key of the House of David
December 19, 2023
Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man…In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. Isaiah 22:17, 20-22.
In Isaiah’s day, there was an uppity official in the king’s service whom God decided to teach the painful lesson of humility. He would remove him from his office and, like a ball, toss him into the distance (Isa. 22:15-18). His replacement? A man named Eliakim. Of him, the Lord said, “I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (vv. 21-22). Eliakim would wear the uniform of regal service, complete with robe, sash, and (perhaps) some sort of key-shaped insignia called “the key of the house of David.” In other words, he allowed or disallowed access to the palace of the king. To get to the ruler, you went through Eliakim. In Revelation, when Jesus speaks to the church in Philadelphia, he says that he “has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens” (3:7). He is the new and greater Eliakim, the “mediator between God and men” (1 Tim. 2:5), who provides us with access to the Father. Jesus stands at the door and beckons, “Come unto me, come unto my Father, and receive from us life and forgiveness. We will deck you in robes of salvation.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your son Jesus who is our mediator, our access, and our key to your lovingkindness.
In Isaiah’s day, there was an uppity official in the king’s service whom God decided to teach the painful lesson of humility. He would remove him from his office and, like a ball, toss him into the distance (Isa. 22:15-18). His replacement? A man named Eliakim. Of him, the Lord said, “I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (vv. 21-22). Eliakim would wear the uniform of regal service, complete with robe, sash, and (perhaps) some sort of key-shaped insignia called “the key of the house of David.” In other words, he allowed or disallowed access to the palace of the king. To get to the ruler, you went through Eliakim. In Revelation, when Jesus speaks to the church in Philadelphia, he says that he “has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens” (3:7). He is the new and greater Eliakim, the “mediator between God and men” (1 Tim. 2:5), who provides us with access to the Father. Jesus stands at the door and beckons, “Come unto me, come unto my Father, and receive from us life and forgiveness. We will deck you in robes of salvation.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for your son Jesus who is our mediator, our access, and our key to your lovingkindness.
Advent Devotional: God Dressed as a Priest
December 18, 2023
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” Isaiah 6:1-7
Isaiah was undone. When God showed himself to Isaiah in the temple, the prophet was exposed to be a sinner: God’s glory exposed the worst in him.
He was no mere sinner, but a prophet with unclean lips who lived among people with unclean lips. What had sullied his lips? The words that came from his mouth. Isaiah had not kept God’s name holy. Nor had his people. And now, he stood before the Judge on his throne in terrifying glory. This was no place for a sinner to stand. This was a place for a sinner to die. But, then, as Isaiah stared at the glory of this God, in the midst of a holy and terrifying company of singing angels, in the temple filled with God’s presence, he saw something else: a clothed God. Clothed? While God could have shown the full terror of his glory, he instead chose to dress himself in a robe, and probably the robe of a priest at that. The God of all glory and power and honor chose to humble himself to the coverings of a priest. A priest has the job of offering up sacrifices for sinners, praying on their behalf, and delivering the good news of forgiveness. And Isaiah’s robed God takes it a step further. He takes a fiery coal from the altar and attaches a promise, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, your sin atoned for!” Isaiah’s God is our same God: one who comes dressed as a priest to sacrifice and forgive. What’s next? A sacrificed Lamb on a throne? How wonderful, indeed.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for clothing yourself in the lowly robes of a priest, and for dressing yourself in the incarnation of the son, that we might be forgiven and saved.
Isaiah was undone. When God showed himself to Isaiah in the temple, the prophet was exposed to be a sinner: God’s glory exposed the worst in him.
He was no mere sinner, but a prophet with unclean lips who lived among people with unclean lips. What had sullied his lips? The words that came from his mouth. Isaiah had not kept God’s name holy. Nor had his people. And now, he stood before the Judge on his throne in terrifying glory. This was no place for a sinner to stand. This was a place for a sinner to die. But, then, as Isaiah stared at the glory of this God, in the midst of a holy and terrifying company of singing angels, in the temple filled with God’s presence, he saw something else: a clothed God. Clothed? While God could have shown the full terror of his glory, he instead chose to dress himself in a robe, and probably the robe of a priest at that. The God of all glory and power and honor chose to humble himself to the coverings of a priest. A priest has the job of offering up sacrifices for sinners, praying on their behalf, and delivering the good news of forgiveness. And Isaiah’s robed God takes it a step further. He takes a fiery coal from the altar and attaches a promise, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, your sin atoned for!” Isaiah’s God is our same God: one who comes dressed as a priest to sacrifice and forgive. What’s next? A sacrificed Lamb on a throne? How wonderful, indeed.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for clothing yourself in the lowly robes of a priest, and for dressing yourself in the incarnation of the son, that we might be forgiven and saved.