December 12 - Eric Lange

Revelation 22:16

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

This passage - coming at the end of the Bible. Jesus is coming we think about Who Jesus is.

Jesus is both the Root and the Offspring of David. This is a paradox - how can he be both the offspring of David, and the root from whom David’s line grew? It’s part of this mystery that helps guide us for the mysteries of daily living at DHP.

Jesus is the offspring of King David, a man who lived and walked the earth. We know a great deal about his story. A man after God’s own heart, David’s journey also has moments of betrayal, brokenness and faithlessness. Jesus is the offspring of this journey - coming through, not just despite, moments of brokenness. Ultimately, Jesus’ own journey goes to the very heart of human brokenness - even unto death on a cross. But this is not solely who Jesus is. He is also the “root of David” - the very source of life that David - and all of us - draw our life’s breath from. He is the source of life that brought David into being. “All things have been created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). God’s great purposes for the universe, and for our very lives, stem from who Jesus is.

And in this season of advent, we sit in that mystery. Jesus is the one in whom “all things hold together” (Col 1:17), but he also is a product of the very brokenness of human existence. This mystery is at the heart of knowing who Jesus is - at once all-powerful and life-sustaining, but also deeply tied to the scars and wounds of what it means to be human. Knowing who Jesus is is vital to sustaining a life of ministry at the Dale House. Jesus’ nature is mysterious - fully God and fully human, holding all of creation together but also deeply connected to our human sins and failings. Holding onto the mystery of Jesus helps us as we wrestle with the mysteries of life at the Dale House.

We find so much deep brokenness in the lives of our kids, and we experience first-hand so much discouragement and disappointment. But, we hold that Jesus knows that brokenness far more intimately than we do, and all the same - he is the Root nurturing life in each of our kids’ lives.

Kids are wrestling with deep-seated traumas, piles of restitution to pay, and ways of thinking--or not thinking at all- that lead into so much trouble again and again. It’s so easy to think that brokenness is all there is. But, in the mystery of Jesus, we can trust that, even when things seem dire and hopeless, resurrection is possible in our kids’ deepest experiences of death.

More than simply accomplishing tasks, managing schedules, and having hard conversations, life and ministry at the Dale House is witnessing to how the Mystery of Jesus transforms lives - even when that transformation hasn’t happened yet. Like waiting for the morning star to shine each morning, we often await God’s promises “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

December 10 - Daniel Alexander

Luke 1:26-34

The birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed[a] to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”[b] 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[c]

Few things require me to lean into the Mystery of the Gospel more than Jesus being born of a virgin. With my scientific mind leading charge most of the time, these seemingly impossible stories of the bible are what lives at the core of my doubts, and thus, at the core of my faith.

In Luke Chapter 1 the Angel has arrived to begin the process of announcing that Christ is coming and our Savior will be born soon! What joyous words to read and meditate on. We are mere months away from our coming King when Mary is visited by Gabriel. Every year we rejoice with this story and Christians around the world mark this encounter as a holy moment of a promise being fulfilled. However, what I find most relatable in this passage is Mary’s question at the end, “How will this be?”

Mary’s question in verse 34 and similar questions have become quite familiar to me since becoming a Christian. Why is this the way it is, God? God, must I really do that? Why can’t you just leave me alone, God? The questions I have for God seem to be appropriate questions for Mary to ask in this scene when she is informed, she will be giving birth to our Savior. I have to imagine she is scared to death of not only encountering an angel, but also facing the consequences of being pregnant before she is married. (Brief history lesson on unwed mothers in biblical times, it’s not pretty.)

So, what’s the difference in my joy and Mary’s perceived fear? I know how the story plays out! I have the luxury of hindsight and knowing what’s to come for Mary and her son, Jesus. I know he comes to the earth, faces down temptation, brings life to the outcast, and ultimately defeats Evil. Again, all my feelings here, but could Mary know all of this in the moment when she hears her life will be turned upside down? I have to imagine this required young Mary to have faith, be patient, and live through things she couldn’t understand or navigate all that well. This situation required her to be human with an un-human charge.

I think working at Dale House requires us to live with a similar un-human charge. Hold hope and find joy in the mystery of our Resident’s and our own lives. Do we know if this person will remain sober? Can I make it through another weekend? Do we know if our primary will keep the fantastic job we worked so hard to get them? Will these Vital documents ever come in? Most of these answers are unknowable to us with our inability to see into the future, but I believe we can rest in the fact God KNOWS and HAS us and our residents. This is the mystery we, like Mary, are being asked to live into.

So, this morning or afternoon, whenever you find yourself reading this, know that God has you and joy will come out of this knowing. And for those moments where you can’t seem to muster the surety of God’s presence and love, He has another thing, Grace.

December 8 - Bre Collins

Isaiah 9:6-7

Topic: Mystery/Joy

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon¹ his shoulder, and his name shall be called² Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

(¹ or is upon, ² or is called)

I think the very first thing that stood out to me in this passage is how the footnotes in my Bible (ESV) distinguish the interpretations of “shall be upon” vs “is upon” and “shall be called” vs “is called”. That sums up the tension of the season and of living for Christ in general all right there. There is a sweetness and joy of knowing the truth that He already is these things in Isaiah 9:6, and a tension and a mystery of knowing there is still more to come.

I think the posture of my heart towards God really shapes how I view this tension. When I read “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,” in verse 7, my first thought this morning was “How the hell can this be true? Where is the ever-increasing peace in this world? On this block?” Shortly after thinking that, I really felt the conviction of reading that as someone who has no hope.

When I approach the tension and the mystery without remembering or believing who God is, I get frustration and anger and anxiety and all the other things that come with deep hopelessness. But when I read those words and remember who God is, I am overwhelmed with joy and peace thinking about how the Lord is able to redeem beyond what we can see. I am overwhelmed by the fact that He sent a child to carry the world on his shoulder, to be the tangible representation of things we can’t understand or see. I can believe that he is a Prince of Peace, not a cheap peace that makes sense to the world but a peace that surpasses all suffering and understanding. When I put my eyes back on the Lord in the tension, I have sweet joy and a renewed hope.

I encourage you to evaluate how you read these words this morning (with joy? frustration? apathy?). I am praying that you all have a little more hope in your heart than I did when I first read this verse this week, and if you don’t then I’m praying that you are willing to lean into why.

December 6 - Aaron Jalovec

1 Timothy 3:16

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:

He appeared in the flesh,

was vindicated by the Spirit,

was seen by angels,

was preached among the nations,

was believed on in the world,

was taken up in glory.