Series: Overflow
Message: Jesus. All.
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Japhet De Oliveira
Live Wonder: Jessyka Dooley
Live Adventure: Jessyka Dooley
Live Purpose: Vanessa Rivera
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Revelation 4:8-11 in the New International Version (NIV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: When pastors are training at the seminary at Andrews University, one of their required courses is Youth and Young Adult Ministry. I would often teach either the intensive or the spring semester version of this course, and we would cover foundational material ranging from the theology of youth ministry to the pragmatic business of running events. There was one module midway through the course called Cross-Cultural Youth Ministry. The module addressed how critical it is to understand not only broad national cultural differences, but also the rapidly shifting sub-cultures faced by youth and young adults. Using the biblical principles outlined in the Second Testament, we looked for pegs upon which we could confidently hang practices that were transformative in expressing the Gospel to every generation.
At an international level, the classic example of culture affecting perception and practice would be the Zulu language which contains 39 different words for “green.” These 39 words are crucial to helping the people navigate the Savannah Grasslands. Our language is connected to our context and our rapidly changing context is in turn constantly shaping our language. Retaining the context, remembering the past, and adding new layers to the history of our language becomes critical. Shakespeare is so much more interesting when you understand the vocabulary and the context of the story in its time period—the way people alive at that time would have understood and experienced his writing.
A strong Christmas tradition for many people is gathering together and exchanging gifts. This tradition is originally tied to the gifts that the Wise Men brought to Mary and Joseph who were entrusted with the ultimate gift to the universe—Jesus. Whether you open your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, some form of wrapping is almost certainly part of the delight. It helps to build anticipation and joy in the discovery of something wonderful. I have seen kids and grown adults alike shriek with joy over surprise gifts. I have also seen others display anger and disdain. What makes the difference? The wrapping? The gift itself? The intent behind it? The value of the gift?
This passage is a gift. Every word is a gift. The difficulty we face is that our practice of language and cultural application are so rapid that at times the transitions effectively run over the words. With little patience and a need for instant gratification, we are unwilling to spend time trying to understand the meaning behind the words. We fail to take the time to discover what the gift is really about. We don’t see the story nestled inside. Let me use as an example the word “holy.” We have abused it so much that now it is often used as an intensifier, along with expletives, or as an intensifier along with euphemisms for Jesus. It has lost the sense of scared wonder that was originally meant. Add to that difficulty those who of us who have culturally resided with the camp that complains about songs in worship being repetitive. Not only do we miss the face of Jesus when we hear this word (repeated), but we find it boring and lacking in depth.
What needs to happen for us to enjoy this passage? For us to live in the overflow and see Jesus. All. lifted up?
Perhaps what needs to happen is for us to be drawn into the throne scene, and to resonate with the overflow life.
This time of year is about remembering the blessing of the incarnation. About reminding ourselves of why the gift exists, of why we celebrate Christmas, and of why someone took the time to wrap it up.
Recalibrate: How do you remove the pressure points from Christmas and bring it to the original celebration? What would bring “holy” back to life when talking about Jesus?
Respond: Pray for a continued sense of awe and thanks in Jesus
Research: How do you see Colossians and Jesus. All. connected?
Remember: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:8, NIV).
Japhet is senior pastor at Boulder Adventist Church in Boulder, Colorado, and is co-founder of the One project. Originally from southeast London, he served in the South England Conference for nine years—as a pastor and later as conference youth director—before moving to the United States in 2006. He and his wife Becky have two sons, one at university and one in high school.
Make a crown with your kiddo. Cut out an outline and let them color it in and maybe stick some stickers or glitter on it. Is anyone in your family royalty? For the most part, many of us don’t belong to a royal family here on earth. Talk to your child about being a part of God’s royal family. Because Jesus died for us, we are now sons and daughters of God! And that makes us royalty. Let your child wear their crown, but remind them that it belongs to Jesus because He paid the biggest price for it!
Make crowns for you and for your friends and family. What does wearing a crown mean? It means that you are royalty, right? Have you ever seen a princess or a prince in a movie put their crown down on the ground? No! Why would they ever do such a thing? Revelation reminds us that we will put our crowns on the ground but not just for any reason. We will put them at Jesus’s feet. Our crowns belong to Jesus because He is the one who gives us life. He gave us crowns because we are special to Him and because we are sons and daughters of God. We are royalty because of Jesus.
If you were in a place where you knew Jesus had once walked, what would you do? I went on a Bible Lands tour in the Middle East in 2013. The first two weeks of the trip were exhilarating. I didn’t always remember where I was or the historical importance of it all but it was like I was walking inside the movie Prince of Egypt. During the third week of the trip, I realized our group had hit a low point. We were tired. We were all standing in the blaring hot sun at a place where the Holy Spirit dwelled at some point in the Bible. Our professor was detailing this encounter to our group. I was whispering to my friend that I was feeling much too hot. Other people in my group were selling water bottles to one another. Someone in the group asked what time we were heading back to the bus. It seemed like the initial joy of these sites was starting to wear off. Then I noticed one of the people in my group had tears streaming down her face. She started sharing with the group that she was in awe that the Holy Spirit had been there. I realized in that moment that I was missing out. I don’t think there was anything wrong with me being uncomfortable because of the weather. But somehow, the awe of His Holiness seemed less amazing. I took that moment as my wake up call to pay more attention. I’m so glad I did because my experience at Mt. Sinai would not have been as special otherwise. What does God’s holiness mean to you? How can you keep God’s holiness new and fresh and not have it become something that gets old?