Third Sunday In Advent

On this Third Lord’s Day of Advent, with one more week to go before we celebrate the day designated as Advent Sunday, we are able to offer ourselves and more brightly burning lights to others, as God’s Advent Trees. Having received Angel lights and Shepherd lights, we are now receiving even more unusually shaped and little recognized lights. These are Prophetess lights.

Who is a prophetess? In my own understanding I thought that a prophetess was a female prophet, being and doing as I, and perhaps many of you, interpret the word prophet to be. For me, prophet was one like Elijah or Jeremiah, people chosen by God to be as God, to the people, speaking God’s prophecies and having them take place. If this is how you have been thinking of prophetess and prophet, what an illumination awaits you in this week of Prophetess Advent lights!

Here’s an experience, an encounter which changed my life for good, about having a prophetess being present with us in Person. I had gone to spend some time with one of my sisters and while there, I was privileged to share in one of her special fellowship meetings. On that occasion, she had invited a special friend who lived many miles away, to join her for the day. May I tell you that this took place decades ago and it is as fresh, buoyant, alive and strong in me now, as it was then. My sister’s friend opened her mouth and all I know is that she totally took my breath away with how she brought Jesus to us. I had never, in all my years, heard anyone speak of Jesus as though He were her real, personal Friend, whom she saw and had fellowship with all the time. All I know is that she made Jesus rise from the grave-like place I had Him in me. With joy and child-like excitement, she simply spoke and O how, ignited in me was a fire, a light that was never dimmed.

My sister’s friend never ever said that she was a prophetess in any way, and I never thought of her as one either. But this has all changed, as I have been given the grace to learn more about prophetesses. I sat at the feet of a prophetess whom God had used to change me forever, through her Pentecostal speaking and my Pentecostal hearing.

During this week, we are having a smaller light, a lower light, a behind the scenes light made bright in us. Let me shed light on what I mean. In the Advent Story, shepherds and angels are given prominence and we lift them high as we tell the story, year after year. We know that all the characters are just as important and needed in the story, for to totally delete one character is to have an incomplete narrative. More so, it is to have a false rending of Jesus’ First Advent.

Needless to say, though many of us, do not delete these people, we keep them so poorly lit and so pressingly dim, they never take any kind of prominence. You will agree with me, I’m sure, that the only time we tend to ever hear of Anna, is in the reading of the Advent Story.

We are being brought to the realization, early in this offering, that even though an event is highly important, very well-known and has its peak season, not every single situation, event or person even, shares in limelight positions.

Our unprecedented praise, gratitude and thanks to Father God, in this moment, is for His inclusion of the little people, and behind the scenes, hidden people. When Samuel went to Jesse to take one of his sons to be Israel’s king, all seven eligible sons who paraded before Samuel were rejected by God. Was it not the, behind the scene son, the shepherd boy out in the field with his father’s flock, whom God chose? When Samuel asked Jesse if he had other sons, and he said the last, who was in the field with the sheep, Samuel said. Send and bring him. For we shall not sit down till he comes here. 1 Samuel 16: 11b.

No one is too small, or too insignificant in God’s eyes, for He recognizes each and delights in them. When His own disciples saw little children being brought to Him, that He might touch them,  they rebuked them all, as not deserving of their Master’s attention at such a busy time in His schedule. What did Jesus do? He scolded His disciples and said, Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Mark 10: 14b.  

No contribution is ever too minute for our Lord to recognize and greatly appreciate. Once, when Jesus saw people of different financial strengths putting their gifts into the treasury, He was totally touched by a widow who put in two mites, most insignificant in singular strength. But Jesus is highly moved beyond measure and preaches a sermon with these words. Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all. Luke 21: 3.

My dear friends, whether you are little regarded in the entire scheme of things, because of your hidden works, your inappropriate age or your financial poverty, know that Jesus has you in His Story, His Birth Story even, and is pleased to drape you, as you are, with His prophetess and prophet illuminations.