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30 November 2009
Thoughts for the first day of Advent

(c) 2009 Timothy Paul Jones

Once upon a time, there was a season in the church year known as “Advent.” The word comes to us from a Latin term that means “toward the coming.” The purpose of this season was to look toward the coming of Christ to earth; it was a season that focused on waiting. As early as the fourth century A.D., Christians fasted during this season, although the ancient fasting concluded not on Christmas Day but on January 6, with a celebration of the arrival of the wise men or the baptism of Jesus. By the late Middle Ages, Advent preceded Christmas by forty days in the Eastern Orthodox Church and by four weeks in western congregations. For many of us, the most familiar sign of Advent is the lighting of candles—two purple, followed by one pink and another purple—during the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

Advent seems to have fallen on hard times, though. In the Protestant and free-church traditions, the loss is understandable, though no less lamentable; we Protestants are, after all, quite fearful of anything with potentially papal or patriarchal origins. Many Protestants divested themselves of the church year in the aftermath of the sixteenth-century Reformation and still quake at any attempt to derive anything of value from such traditions. When I instituted Advent celebrations as a pastor in a Baptist congregation, I was asked more times than I care to recall, “Don’t Catholics do that?”—as if that automatically prohibited us from even considering such a practice. Yet, even in congregations that echo more ancient liturgies, the meaning of Advent seems in danger of being misplaced, eclipsed by the crèche in the lobby, the tannenbaum in the hall, and the list of Christmas parties in the church newsletter.

Why this loss of Advent as a distinct season of the Christian year? Perhaps it is because, for believers and non-believers alike, calendars are not dominated by the venerable rhythms of redemption but by the swift currents of consumerism and efficiency. The microwave has saved us from waiting for soup to simmer on the stove, credit cards have redeemed us from waiting on cash in hand to make our purchases, and this backward extension of the Christmas season liberates us from having to deal with Advent, that awkward season of waiting. And so, even before the last Halloween costume has been returned to the warehouse, halls and malls begin to be decked with plastic holly and crimson ribbons. Thanksgiving provides us with a pre-Christmas test run on basting turkeys and tolerating relatives—but, most of all, Thanksgiving supplies a convenient time to gather for the consumer feeding frenzy known as Black Friday. Christmas is about celebration, and celebrations can be construed to move products off the shelves. Advent is about waiting, and waiting contributes little to the gross domestic product.

In a religious milieu that has fixated itself on using Jesus to provide seekers with their most profitable lives here and now, Advent seems like a particularly awkward intrusion. Advent links our hearts with those of ancient prophets who pined for a long-promised Messiah but passed on before his arrival. In the process, Advent reminds us that we too are waiting. Even on this side of Christ’s first coming, there is brokenness in our world that no cart full of Black Friday bargains can fix; there is hunger in our souls that no plateful of pumpkin custard can fill; there is twistedness in our hearts that no terrestrial hand can touch. “The whole creation,” St. Paul declared, “has been groaning together for redemption.” In Advent, Christians embrace this groaning and recognize it not as hopeless whimpering over the paucity of the present moment but as expectant yearning for a divine banquet that is already being prepared. In Advent, believers proclaim that the infant who drew his first ragged breath between a virgin’s knees has yet to speak his final word. In Advent, the church admits, as poet R.S. Thomas has put it, that “the meaning is in the waiting.”

When I recall that there is meaning even in times of waiting, the question that occupies my mind as I stand in line at the supermarket is not whether I’ve chosen the quickest line but how I might invest this waiting in something weightier than my own agenda. When I sit in traffic, I am not merely anticipating a shift of color from red to green; I am awaiting the coming of Christ, and there is meaning in this waiting. When I walk hand-in-hand with a dawdling two-year-old who stands in awe of common robins and random twigs, there is every reason to join this toddler in worship, for there is holiness in his waiting too.

I am not contending that lighting a few pink and purple candles will somehow trigger a renaissance of patience in our culture. Nor am I suggesting that everyone should dismantle their yuletide trees and mute every carol until Christmas morning. But I need this yearly reminder of the meaningfulness of waiting. Left to myself, I turn too quickly from the God of the Gospel and bow to the gods of efficiency—false gods that proclaim waiting a waste, a “killing of time.” Advent reminds me that time is far too precious to be killed, even when that time is spent waiting. Advent is a proclamation of the Gospel through the discipline of patience. Just as the ancient Israelites waited for the coming of the Messiah in flesh, we await the consummation of the good news of God through his return in glory. Malcolm Muggeridge once suggested that “all happenings, great and small, are parables by which God speaks. The art of life is to get the message.” Advent trains us to get the message that God speaks even in the waiting.

If you wish to reprint this article, please email timothy@timothypauljones.com for permission.


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29 October 2009
Message from chapel service at Youthworks College in Australia

TimothyPaulJones was privileged to teach in Australia in late September and early October 2009. This message was preached in a beautiful outdoor setting at Youthworks College, south of Sydney.

The Calling That Jeremiah Never Asked For

To view pictures from the message, click here (if you have a Facebook account) or here (if you don't).


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21 October 2009
Interview on CrossTalk America now available for download

To listen to the recent interview with Ingrid Schueter about Christian History Made Easy, check out:

http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2009/10/christian_history_made_easy.php


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19 September 2009
What Jim Burns had to say about Perspectives on Family Ministry

After reading Perspectives on Family Ministry, Jim Burn--president of HomeWord--said,

"There is a fresh wind blowing in the church in the world of family ministry! This book is foundational and practical at the same time. These authors recognize that family ministry is not a program but a mindset that must be worked into every part of the church and home. I haven’t read a better book to help us follow the biblical mandate to help families succeed. It’s well researched and well-written. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to get their arms around family ministry."


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18 September 2009
What Dennis Rainey had to say about Perspectives on Family Ministry

After reading Perspectives on Family Ministry, president of FamilyLife Dennis Rainey said:

“After devoting nearly 35 years of my life championing the cause of the family, I
enthusiastically applaud the current movement of equipping church pastors in family ministry based upon the tenets of scripture. Dr. Jones, through his book Perspectives on Family Ministry, has provided an important teaching tool that will serve the pastorate well.”


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17 September 2009
TimothyPaulJones on Take Five with Eddie Baiseri

Eddie Baiseri hosts Take Five on KBJS in Texas, and I was privileged to be on her show this week. She is an enjoyable and energetic interviewer--a delight to talk to! Here are links to order the resources that we mentioned:

Christian History Made Easy book

Christian History Made Easy slideshow


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14 September 2009
What Alvin Reid had to say about Perspectives on Family Ministry

Alvin Reid at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary said this after he read Perspectives on Family Ministry:

“For several years now increasing numbers of ministers and parents have begun recognizing the failure of the current system of youth ministry to disciple a generation to change the world through the gospel. However, the response to this failure has included everything from helpful critique to extreme overreaction which breeds its own set of problems. Timothy Paul Jones has provided the Church a valuable resource to help navigate these difficult waters. Read this book and consider its wisdom!”


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11 September 2009
Price cut on Christian History Made Easy at Amazon.com
Mood:  a-ok
Amazon.com has Christian History Made Easy on-sale for $10.79 (28% off cover price). If you're interested in taking a look, click here: Christian History Made Easy at Amazon.com.

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On-air with Greg Bullen at WMPC
Mood:  energetic

Greg Bullen at WMPC 1230 AM in Detroit doesn't play U2 like Paul Edwards--but he's an excellent interviewer nonetheless! Today, I had the privilege of talking with him about Christian History Made Easy. For more information about WMPC, go to WMPC Online. To check out the book, click here: Christian History Made Easy.


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9 September 2009
Christian History Made Easy featured on the Paul Edwards Show
Mood:  bright

I like Paul Edwards http://www.am1500wlqv.com/, partly because he plays U2 music as he brings people on the air but also because he's a very sharp and gracious radio host. Today, I had the privilege of talking to him about Christian History Made Easy. Here are links to order the resources that we mentioned:

Christian History Made Easy book

Christian History Made Easy slideshow


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