Advent-ure 2021 December 3: Born of the Tribe of Judah (In Christ Alone)

Before seven seals of judgment are to be opened and released on the earth, according to the book of Revelation, the angels of God will gather, and the scene was unfolded to John in Revelation 5:
2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?"
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.
5 But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals."

Here on this third day of Advent, we see that Jesus would be descended from Judah, one of the twelve tribe of Israel, the sons of Jacob.  In Revelation, we see that Jesus, who also came from David's line, was at a critical juncture of the future, the One who was found worthy to open a scroll and release seven seals upon the earth.  Jesus, our Redeemer, has also been determined to be worthy to bring salvation to us - death could not hold Him, and we can live, truly live, in Him.

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Throughout the prophecies in the Old Testament, we gain a greater sense of the identity and background of our Savior.  He fulfilled what was written about Him, and we see a faithful God at work to bring redemption through Him.  It's the third day of "25: A Christmas Advent-ure" on Faith Radio, and today we look at the Biblical prediction that He would be born of the tribe of Judah.

Jacob, son of Isaac, was renamed Israel by the Lord. His 12 sons were the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. Judah was one. When Israel, or Jacob, was pronouncing blessings toward the end of his life, as documented in Genesis 49, he said this about the tribe of Judah:
8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

This held true, and Jesus came as the King of the Kingdom of God, later referred to as the lion of the tribe of Judah.  This was His identity, who fulfilled His Heavenly Father's purpose for Him.

Frank Reich is someone who knows who He is and has placed his trust in that King. As the backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, he led the largest comeback in NFL history.  The game against the then-Houston Oilers, now the Tennessee Titans, was in Buffalo, and the home team was down 35-3 with over half the game done.  A CBN.com story related:

"Jim Kelly, our star quarterback, got hurt in the last week of the season, so I had to start that game," Reich remembers. "As the game was going on and we got down by a lot of points, we eventually found ourselves down by 32 points. I had a big hand in that."

After blunders and miscues for more than half the game, Frank Reich and the Bills were in trouble. Early in the third quarter, the Bills were trailing 35-3.

The article continues:

But this wasnt just any come-from-behind victory. Frank Reich had just led the biggest comeback in the history of the NFL: a 38-35 Buffalo win. And a song provided his inspiration.

"My sister had called me to tell me about a song she had heard that she had thought was incredible, and it reminded her of me and wanted me to hear it, so I listened to the song. The song was 'In Christ Alone.' I opened it and listened to it, and, basically, for three to four straight days, listened to it every free second I could," he says.

Frank was so inspired by the song and the role it played motivating him during the comeback he shared it with the world in his post-game press conference.

"As I stood behind the podium, typically they just start firing questions at you, and I just said, 'Before you ask me any questions, I want to share the lyrics to a song that have inspired me this week. Then I read the lyrics to 'In Christ Alone:' 'Christ alone will I glory, though I could pride myself in battles won, for I have been blessed beyond measure, and by his strength alone I overcome.'

Oh, and whatever happened to Frank Reich?  Well, he went into the ministry, became a pastor.  You could say that he's still doing that, to a certain extent.  Reich ended up becoming the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles; he was serving in that position when they won the Super Bowl a few years ago.  He mentored a young man named Carson Wentz, a quarterback who is a fellow believer - he coached believer Nick Foles, who stepped in after Carson went down during the season.

Frank Reich is now the Head Coach for the Indianapolis Colts and Wentz is his starting quarterback - they're starting to make some noise in the AFC South division.  And Frank was back in Buffalo recently, where the Colts pounded one of the conference's best teams, the Bills, 41-15.

After the game, there was Reich at the podium again and echoing a theme from almost three decades.

A recent CBN.com story captured the moment:

“I want to give a personal account to where I found my strength for the journey,” Reich said in front of reporters. “The reason I’m doing that here and now is because, almost 30 years ago, after a really big game, right down the hall in a press conference, I shared the lyrics to a song that meant a lot to me — that really spoke to where I get my strength from.”

The coach, who spoke after the Colts beat the Buffalo Bills 41-15 during Sunday’s game, said he wanted to share in an effort to “encourage someone who’s climbing their own mountain right now.”

Reich then went on to recite lyrics from “In Christ Alone”: “In Christ alone I place my trust, and find my glory in the power of the cross. In every victory, let it be said of me, that source of strength, that source of hope, is Christ alone.”

He concluded the recitation with his favorite line, which proclaims: “I seek no greater honor than just to know Him more.”

Reich also reflected on a verse of Scripture, stating, “So even though it was almost 30 years ago, when I read those words here in this stadium, this week, I was reminded Hebrews 13:8 says, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever...'” He added: “It’s crazy that we’re here, but we’re here some 30 years later, not living in the past, but rather attempting to press on to what is ahead. So my encouragement is to keep climbing and to find the strength and power that you need in Jesus Christ.”

The Old Testament Scriptures unveil for us an incredible view of who Jesus is and why He came. And, His presence in our lives determines our identity.  Because we are in Him, we can now know who we are - we have been made right with God through what His Son did.  Because He did what He said, He has become, as the song suggests, our "source of hope."

We serve a God who has been faithful throughout the years, and it can be helpful to reflect on those times where we have seen Him move.  He said He would send the Messiah through the tribe of Judah, and that is exactly what happened.  The Word enables us to see the heart of God and to rely on His promises.

We can consider that He is constant - He never changes; even though circumstances do.  As Coach Reich said the other day, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is with us, and in that we can take comfort.