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Advent Reflection 2025 December 1

 https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-a-time-machine/

I recommend this short essay by Russell Moore. Its title might make you think one thing when it's really about the timelessness of God, and that term in itself if wrong or incomplete. God created time but is not bound or defined by it in any way. He is past present future; Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever, as Hebrews states. 

The essay is thought-provoking and reminds me why I love Russell and his writing. My tendency to say "stay out of politics if your mission is the gospel" hits a wall with him sometimes. He is a huge Trump critic, but I would be a hypocrite to not own that myself despite my goal to spread the good news. He just has a bigger platform and thus more critics. 

In the essay he states that he and Beth Moore (they always say "no relation"--it's her husband's name anyway) agreed on what moment in the Bible they would want to back to if they had a time machine.  They both said the Transfiguration. I can see that, and I often feel that that moment is under-taught. Even though it's not in John's Gospel directly, he mentions it in the first few verses, indirectly ("and we beheld his glory" John 1:14). 

So I asked myself, which moment would I go back to (in the essay, he said they excluded the resurrection, which seems unfair, but since it's only a thought experiment, I guess he can make up the rules.) Any Christian would have a list, but I think mine would be the "Nacimiento." The birth of Christ. I don't just say that because it's Christmas (well, maybe) but for other reasons:

1. If the birth narrative is realized as truthful, then everything else is truthful. This might seem odd or lacking faith. It's just honesty. We all would want to see an event in the Bible that confirms the text. Unless we just want to see something spectacular (parting of Red Sea, anyone?)

2. I could talk to Mary about her experience. I have given birth, too. 

3. It would be a very earthy setting.

I just ran across this "influencer" called "The Godless Guide." He is a former ELCA (Lutheran) pastor who is now an atheist and makes videos and speaking appearances to "help" others deconstruct, etc.  In short, he has not other talents or job skills he can use to make a living so he messes with others' lives. I think he probably doubted through his training (MDiv) and ministry (if it can be called that) and "came out" due to a personal crises. I don't criticize his choice to be real and live according to his lights. I do think that he, like Rob Bell, Abraham Piper, and Joshua Harris want to be famous and make money without learning a profession that would really help anyone. They were famous as evangelicals, so let's just turn that around!

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