December 1: Everything Changes When Christ Appears
♫ Music:
Special Note:
We believe that we have fixed the audio problem so those of you experiencing problems yesterday should now be able to access the music. If you have any problems, let us know. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Enjoy the music - remember for most days, there are two musical selections that play one after another.
Day 3 - Tuesday, December 1
Title: EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN CHRIST APPEARS
Scripture: Isaiah 40:4
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
Poetry:
From “Stars”
by Robert Hayden
(Sojourner Truth)
Comes walking barefoot
out of slavery
ancestress
childless mother
following the stars
her mind a star
THE PATTERN
There is a shape to the Christian life; a pattern. And it’s not the pattern one hopes to see when investing in the stock market, a long steady upward trajectory toward the glory of an early retirement. Rather, it is a downward movement. A movement into darkness. A movement into sin, darkness, and humility—of facing the sin in ourselves and in others. Phil. 2 captures this pattern in a way that cements it in the mind of the church, the two-fold condescension of our Lord as he lowered himself to become a man, and then, over the course of his life, lowered himself once more, to freely embrace the humblest and most shameful of deaths.
But accompanying this downward trajectory is a great reversal, a great glorification. For Jesus was raised in glory to be seated at the right hand of the Father, and all those united in him are children of the Father. The pattern of the Christian life is a voluntary humiliation in Christ, a death to self in him, and a corresponding exaltation and glorification in him.
But this pattern isn’t merely spiritual, isn’t merely personal or individualistic. The pattern is social, political and ultimately cosmic. “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Is 40:4). For those who welcome the Messiah, the pattern is that of Phil. 2. For those who do not welcome the Messiah, the pattern is somewhat different: that of a forced humiliation, of the high places being made low. There is no room for pride and self-exaltation in the kingdom of God. The first chapters of Luke resound with the political implications of Jesus’ birth—and they do not bode well for the powers and authorities.
Kelly Kruse’s paintings capture this movement precisely. An entry in darkness; a downward movement into yet more darkness; but a resurrection, a leap up into glory in which every good thing is made better, every name restored, but darkness is left behind. And this is the pattern of the Christian life—the pattern established by our Savior, freely embraced by those who love him, who are united to him, in whom they, and all things, are made new.
And what of the powers, the principalities, those who pervert this pattern? Those breaking apart the pattern, seeking glory alone, and on their own terms, through the humiliation of others? For them there is only humiliation, the tearing down of the heights, the breaking apart of the crooked, in a final attempt to invite them to take part in the pattern, to take part in those first steps of embracing the humility which is the foundation of any gift, any exaltation from above.
Prayer:
Lord,
Jesus Christ,
You made it clear.
In your kingdom there are no masters,
None whose exaltation is at the expense of others.
Level us. Humble us. Break down our many self-exaltations.
But in your love, lift us, raise us up in you,
That with your power and wisdom
We might build, glorify, bless
And share with others
What we are
In you.
Adam Johnson
Associate Professor of Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Behold, I am making all things new
Three panels (l to r)
1. A beautiful inheritance: the double portion
2. Every valley exalted: covered with the robe of righteousness
3. Crowned with everlasting joy: the garment of praise
Kelly Kruse
2018
Acrylic ink, acrylic, texture medium, silver, copper, and gold foil on canvas
64” x 24” x 1.5” each panel
Through this painting, artist Kelly Kruse wrestled with the complex realities of pain, suffering and restoration. She found that understanding Christ’s suffering through the Passion corresponds, in some aspect, to every kind of human suffering imaginable. Christ endured a kind of suffering that is the worst one can imagine: he was fully alone, he had no consolation, and God was silent. This project helped Kruse to realize that suffering is a process and to see scarring as a mark of healing. For her it is important that Christ, whose death reworked the very fabric of the cosmos, chose to keep his scars after his resurrection.
https://www.kellykrusecreative.com/broken-bones-rejoice.html
About the Artist:
Kelly Kruse (b. 1985) uses her work to explore the painful, beautiful experience of human transience, longing, and suffering. She developed a visual devotional practice as a response to her battle with depression, through which she wrestles with beauty, history, and theology. Kruse describes her work as contemporary illumination. Like the Medieval monks who perfected the art of illuminated manuscripts, she seeks to awaken in the viewer a sense of spiritual contemplation. Her first exposure to the idea of illumination came when she studied Medieval and Renaissance music in Italy. Her background in classical music and opera puts her in a unique position to explore the intersections between scripture, poetry, musical works, and the visual arts. She has exhibited her work at galleries and institutions across the country and her work is featured in collections around the world. She lives and works in Kansas City, Missouri.
www.kellykrusecreative.com/
Music #1:
“The Cross Made the Change” from the album Common Hymnal (Live)
Lyrics:
When they saw Jesus, they saw a teenage mother
They saw an unbelieving brother, just a man in poverty
But when I see Jesus, I see the sovereign and a savior
I see the healer of the nations, I see the stone rolled away
Nobody thought that this son of sorrows
Would be broken for love to fix our tomorrows
But it's the cross that made the change
It's the cross that made the change
And I'll let everybody know
That it's the cross that made the change
When they saw Jesus, they saw a rebel and a problem
They did everything to stop him, even put him on a tree
But I when see Jesus, I see the sovereign and the savior
I see the healer of the nations, I see the glory from Galilee
Now when we see Jesus we become like Jesus
When we know how he sees us, we will never be the same
Performers:
Common Hymnal is a collaborative Christian community from diverse backgrounds that is building a virtual library to facilitate a vital and ongoing exchange of worship songs, stories, and ideas. Starting with a focus on songs, their mission has expanded into a hybrid library/gallery/theater that curates a broad spectrum of creative expression, including poetry, prose, spoken word, painting, illustration, sculpture, design, animation, film, theater, and dance. Using social media to facilitate their outreach, they curate art created by people on the outskirts of Christendom who are serious and passionate about their pursuit of Jesus.
https://commonhymnal.com/
Composers/Lyricists:
Justin Gray, Kevin Dailey, and Aaron Strumpel
https://commonhymnal.com/songs/the-cross-made-the-change
Justin Gray is a passionate Jesus follower, husband, father, and director of Every Nation Music - a growing global community of songwriters, worship leaders, and musicians. Originally from Michigan, he moved to Nashville in 2004 to pursue a career as a songwriter/producer. He conducts songwriting workshops focusing on community, theology, diversity, and generosity for Every Nation Churches and Ministries. When he's not traveling, he loves spending time with his wife and four kids and serves on the pastoral team of Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood, Tennessee.
https://commonhymnal.com/justin-gray
Kevin Dailey is an audio engineer, producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Nashville, Tennessee. As a producer, engineer, musician, composer or mixer, he has worked with artists such as Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Mikky Ekko, Rome Fortune, Myzica, Skyway Man, SHEL, and Abigail Washburn. He is a member of the band Civil Twilight. He recently composed the original score for Travis Rice's film, Depth Perception, and season one of Queen America starring Catherine Zeta-Jones. He currently lives in Nashville with his wife Kylie and two children.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Dailey
Aaron Strumpel is a singer/songwriter and worship leader. Strumpel has toured through 45 states and internationally to Rwanda, Uganda, Gaza, Israel, Haiti, and much of Europe, Central and South America. His international work has given him a sense of the beauty and diversity of the people of God and has informed his songs with the sort of simplicity and honesty that translates between cultures. His time on staff at a local fellowship instilled in him a centeredness and pastoral heart, which also serves to ground his artistry and leadership. He is currently producing with other artists in his studio and is working with the Common Hymnals community.
http://www.aaronstrumpel.com/about
Music #2:
Messiah, HWV 56, Pt. 1: 3. Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted
Lyrics:
Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and
hill shall be made low:
the crooked straight,
and the rough places plain.
Messiah Performers/Musicians/Lyricists/Composer:
Unless otherwise noted, all Messiah performances are by Margaret Marshall, Catherine Robbin, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, Robert Hale, Charles Brett, Saul Quirke, the English Baroque Soloists, and the Monteverdi Choir conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Biographical information for the performers and musicians can be found by clicking here.
About the Poet:
Robert Hayden (1913–1980) was an American poet, essayist, and educator. Born into a poor family in Detroit, he had an emotionally traumatic childhood and, due to extreme nearsightedness, Hayden turned to books for solace in his childhood. After earning a graduate degree in English literature from the University of Michigan, he became the first Black faculty member of the English department. Hayden eventually became the first African American to be appointed as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. His collections of poetry include Heart-Shape in the Dust (1940), Figure of Time (1955), A Ballad of Remembrance (1962), Selected Poems (1966), Words in the Mourning Time (1970), The Night-Blooming Cereus (1972), Angle of Ascent: New and Selected Poems (1975), and American Journal (1978). Hayden’s formal, elegant poems about Black history and experience earned him a number of other major awards as well.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-hayden
About the Devotion Author:
Adam Johnson
Associate Professor of Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
Adam Johnson is a theologian and a professor for the Torrey Honors College, who focuses on the doctrine of the atonement, exploring the many ways in which the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ affect the reconciliation of all things to God. His most recent book is: The Reconciling Wisdom of God: Reframing the Doctrine of the Atonement. He and his wife, Katrina, have been married 12 years and have three sons. They love camping and exploring America's National Parks.