Life a Weblog for Young Adults

In this third week of Advent, I’d like to suggest something provocative; I’d like to propose, as others have before me, that our God is too small. For those of us who have so much—and most of us in the West do, even in these economically challenging times—it’s often hard for us to imagine God as anywhere but in North America, doing North American things, in safe, North American churches. Our God is too small. But how can I say this? For one, I know the story of the nativity, the outlandish narrative of the Word made Flesh, God born in a dumpster to peasants from an undesirable corner of an occupied country.

As I write, it’s early December. In view is our beautifully decorated Christmas tree, stockings hanging from the mantle above the fireplace, kids snuggling with mom on the couch, and my first run at a new playlist for our annual Christmas Eve brunch playing on the iPod. Could it get any better? Of course it could! This is America, right? It can always be better.

In a moment of almost divine inspiration, musician John Lennon once said: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I’ve always been struck by the truth of that statement, and especially so during Advent—a paradoxical season in which the “now” and the “not yet” link arms in an odd union of time and tenses.

When I think of the season of Advent, the four-week part of the church calendar that immediately precedes Christmas, the word that comes to mind is “expectation.” Indeed, Advent is a season in which we wait hopefully for that which is promised but is not yet fully formed. It is during this time of year that those of us who are Christians receive the startling news that Christ is being formed in us; that Christ is being born. The question is this: What will we do with such strange, wonderful news? Will we receive it as if for the first time? Or will we become numb to the message?

For Christians in the past and today’s world, community service has been one of the cornerstones of true discipleship. Borrowing a leaf from what Christ Himself initiated, we can learn from His example by identifying with different communities at different levels. The truth is, we’re all part of a global community, stretching from the boundary of our homes to the furthest habitable part of the globe.

Who am I? As children our answer to that question was based on anything from our favorite ice cream to who our best friend was at the moment. As adults our answer relates more to things like what we do or how much we have.

So you’ve finally found someone. Congratulations! No more dinners for one or Friday nights alone. All is well. Or is it? In all that lovebird excitement, you may have unknowingly stumbled into one of the Five C’s—unhealthy dating pitfalls common to all couples. If you avoid them, you and your sweetie will have a better shot at success. But if you find yourself stuck in a C, you might be in an unhealthy relationship headed for the rocks. Read on to see if any of the Five C’s describe you.

First Corinthians 13 suffers from the cruel fate of being a pigeon-holed Scripture passage. Branded a matrimonial read-aloud-Scripture, you’ve probably heard it in almost every wedding you’ve ever been to. But is that all 1 Corinthians 13 is good for? Better yet, is marriage what this passage is even about?

I stared at the computer. Once again, I found my eyes drifting to the clock in the corner of the screen. It was 3:45 p.m., so I still had more than an hour of work left before I could go home. How did the afternoons get so long? I wondered. And even after work, there was nothing particularly exciting to look forward to. I might go out to dinner with friends or see a movie before heading to bed, but I would just wake up and do it all over again. How did I get in this rut?

The great God of the universe, the all-wise, infinitely powerful God pauses to listen to me? Jesus promises us it’s so.