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Chaos Is Everywhere
For those new to Creekwood, each Advent we invite a mixture of staff and laity of all ages to bless us with their devotional thoughts to a specific question. You’ll notice we are starting at “Day 2” because Day 1 was Sunday, and the message can be experienced in worship (in person and online). I hope these devotionals bless you each day, and help you envision the presence of Christ fully into your life.
The question this year:
“What do you think of when you hear the expression ‘Kingdom of God'”
Poverty, Illegal boarder crossings, starvation, Human Trafficking, Hate Crimes, Mass Shootings…We live in a loud, chaotic world. All of these images and sounds coming at us daily. This constant bombardment of the negative that is so loud! It is no wonder why in the book of Revelation 11:15 it says, “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The Kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” The angel and the heavens will have to be loud to drown out our earthly noise.
Right now, we live in a world where Christ has lived – in this same loud, chaotic world. So, I stop and I think about how God sent Christ to us. He could have sent a powerful king to rule the nations here on earth. He could have sent a boisterous leader that demanded the following of his people. But instead, it was in a silent and holy night that Jesus came to us. He came to us as a baby – the most vulnerable way that he could enter our world.
It is now, after looking at the chaos and the loud messy life that we live, that I can narrow my scope and see the answer to the question – “Is God’s Kingdom already occurring here in this world?” The answer is yes! It is not found in the noise and the chaos; it is found in the small and the silent. It is found in the smile or a wave to someone walking by. It is the fresh baked cookies delivered to a neighbor that just moved in. It is the hug from a friend or an encouraging word to someone who is down. It is volunteering to drive a neighbor to the store or volunteering your time with children or youth. It is in singing carols together and raising our voices together for one purpose. It is in a baby’s laugh. God’s kingdom is all around us every day. Just look at the small and you will see the greatness of God’s kingdom here on earth.
I think that Charles Schultz got it right when he created A Charlie Brown Christmas. In the midst of all the chaos on the stage, Charlie Brown desperately asks the question of the meaning of Christmas. It is here that the lights go out and there is silence. Just silence. Then one spotlight, one storyteller, one story. Our story – the birth of our Lord.
Jennifer Rodriguez
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