“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” John 1:14 NLT
After our stony hearts have been turned into fertile soil, there is battle for our fertile hearts. In the parable of the sower, Jesus compared the act of a farmer planting seed with the sowing of God’s word in our hearts. This is to teach us how difficult it is for God’s seed of love to bear fruit in our thorny hearts:
“The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.” Luke 8:14 NLT
We are living in a turning point of human history - an unpredictable, anxious and confusing time. It is a time of darkness. A time for God’s light to shine even more brightly. A time to “live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:15 NLT). Advent 2020 is a historic season to reflect on the condition of our hearts especially in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic:
“My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:20-23 NLT
After being awakened to follow Christ and being led by the Spirit to be aware of our sinful desires, we are to feed on God’s Word for the healing of our griefs, hurts, anger and addictions to the pleasures of life. We need to go beyond Bible study to know God’s Word for information as this may lead to spiritual gluttony and pride. We need to meditate on God’s Word - to listen to the voice of God with our hearts. As we do so, the Holy Spirit will rewire our brains and renew our minds and lead us to humility and the transformation of our lives.
Silence opens our hearts to the Holy Spirit - to have “an awakened heart with wisdom to hear God’s Word of promise” in the season of advent - that the Word became human and made His home among us. Jesus came to fulfill the purpose of God’s laws:
“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” Matthew 5:17 NLT
To follow Jesus is not to obey the letter of the law but to obey the spirit of God’s commandments - that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We are called to an obedience that is based on our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father and not the blind obedience to a written code of conduct:
“Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” Philippians 2:7-8 NLT
Jesus came to turn the narrow path of the law into the highway of holiness through the way of the Cross. The valleys of our sorrows with be filled when the hills of our doubts and fears are levelled. Like John the Baptist, we are to be the voice in wilderness to share the good news:
“The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. And then all people will see the salvation sent from God.’” Luke 3:5-6 NLT
The way of the cross is in stark contrast with the ways of the world. The cares and riches and pleasures of this life are the weeds that keep us from bearing the fruit of God’s seed of love. The parable of the wheat and weeds is to draw our attention to the predicament of our human condition - there will be both wheat and weeds in our lives. However, instead of trying to get rid of the weeds, we can trust that God will remove the weeds in due course:
“Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30 NLT
The battle for our hearts belong to God. Our responsibility is simply to live out God’s promises in our lives. As we meditate on the scriptures, we can ask the Spirit to show us if there is a sin we need to confess, a temptation we need to overcome, a commandment to obey or a promise to remember. The good news of Advent is that in our watching and waiting for our Lord, we will find comfort in the dark valleys of life and our hunger and thirst for God’s love will be filled:
“Saints, before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord, descending, in his temple shall appear:
Come and worship, come and worship,
worship Christ, the newborn King.”
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