Christmas Cheer is a Lifelong Joy – Advent Devotional

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6)

Daily Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:2-7

  Every year during Advent, I have the same familiar experience, one shared by anyone who goes out shopping. I enter a store and select my products and while going through the checkout line, and paying for my things, it happens. When the cashier hands me my receipt and/or my the change, they'll say "Happy holidays," or perhaps even "Merry Christmas."

  I realize the cashier's greeting might not be given out of genuine interest in whether or not I enjoy Christmas. Chances they are only following company policy and have little other options but to comply. I imagine somewhere there is a memo from corporate headquarters directing cashiers when to switch from "Have a nice day" to "Happy Holidays," on the assumption that this will somehow help cement a lasting bond between the store and the customer and build loyalty to the store.

  I'm aware of all that, and suspicious of the whole business. Then the moment comes at least once, when a cashier looks me in the eye and says "Merry Christmas," and you know immediately they really mean it. And it changes your whole day, you have a momentary experience of joy.

  There really is something genuine to this whole idea of Christmas cheer. As Dec. 25th draws near, people warm up just a bit. If you're out and around on Christmas Eve, you'll notice that people are kinder and gentler than on any other day of the year.

  People begin to warm up when they are mindful of the Christ child's birth, and make an extra effort to practice the virtues the angels sing of "peace on earth, goodwill towards men."

  Why does this surge in warmheartedness stand out? Unfortunately, for many joy has become a seasonal event rather than a standing policy. I remember the movie, “Scrooged.” Bill Murray playing the lead role at the conclusion of the movie after he has been visited by the three ghosts, gives a speech. He reminds us that Christmas provides us the moment, if only briefly to become the people we want to be. Each Christmas, we all for a short time attempt to try just a little harder and for just a little longer, when we share the greeting, “Merry Christmas!”

  When Christ entered our world, Jesus didn't come to brighten our Decembers, but to transform our lives. It is challenging to do the hard work to practice good will towards one another year round, but this is what Jesus is calling to practice daily. Jesus came as Isaiah tells us, to become our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa. 9:6) We are not alone in doing the hard work of bring joy to this world of ours.

  The Gospel accounts of Jesus' ministry provide the blueprint for loving our neighbor in a busy and complicated neighborhood. Christ made a point of seeking out the broken and disenfranchised people of his day - the lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors - and he saw the value in each one of them. And in so doing, He helped them recognize the value in themselves. If Jesus can do it for the most alienated of our world, we at least can start with the everyday, common people of our neighborhoods.

  This Christmas season, let us recognize that just as faith is a decision, good will towards people is a series of decisions that work themselves out not in temporary holiday cheer, but in the details of everyday life.

Stay Awake, Be Prepared – Advent Devotional

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. …... Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”  (Matt. 24:36, 42)

 

Daily Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:36-44

  Advent is a season with a two-fold focus. Advent is a time to recall and celebrate Jesus Christ's entrance into our world to redeem mankind and triumph over death. It is also a period in which believers look forward to the "Second Advent" - the day when Jesus Christ will return.

  For nearly 2,000 years, Christians have lived in the hope of Jesus' impending return. Jesus' description of the event spans two chapters in the Gospel of Matthew (24-25) and is usually read as part of the lectionary lessons during Advent. The Second Coming of Jesus was also emphasized in the epistles of Paul, Peter and John. Bible scholars cite more than 300 references to the Second Coming in the New Testament. In his teachings about the Second Coming, it's important to understand that Jesus emphasized spiritual preparation rather than irresponsible speculation.

  Many people have mentioned their observation of individuals on their deathbed rarely conclude that they wish they'd spent more time at work. They become focused on faith, family, how they'll be remembered and what happens when they die. Priorities that elude us in the course of our busy daily routine become crystal-clear, if our hours become few.

  In the same way, the possibility that Jesus may show up at any moment forces Christians to maintain an attitude of vigilance and preparedness. The prospect of meeting God face-to-face helps sort our priorities, and our relationship with the Lord goes right to the top of the list. Which, as Christ taught us, is as it should be, "love the Lord with all your heart and all your mind and all your soul." It reminds us that it matters whether we greet the Lord as an old friend or as a stranger.

  Christianity is a faith that takes the long view of world events. It believes that understanding the beginning and end of time provides us with perspective on everything in between, and reminds us that God is in charge throughout.

  God defines "soon" much differently than we do. God's desire is for "everyone to come to repentance" - for us to form a relationship with God as revealed to us in the work and person of Jesus Christ through prayer, study, worship and following Jesus. On a Bethlehem night 2,000 years ago, God, as Jesus came to us as a babe. One day, He will come in glory.

  Christ means for us to join him in eternal life. For now, His will for us is to be here, loving our neighbor until they ask us why, and then pointing them toward the Christ of the manger and the Cross. Christ always made a distinction between the temporary nature of our worldly existence and the permanence of the Kingdom of Heaven.

  During Advent, we celebrate the beginning of Christ's mission in our world, “God with us,” which will be completed at His Second Coming - to free us from our dependence upon this world; to secure eternal life for each and every believer through his work on our behalf. Until his coming Jesus assures us, "In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart - I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33) Our task is to “Keep awake” and do the work Jesus has given us to do, until that day in which he returns.

With God Nothing is Impossible – Advent Devotional

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”  (Luke 1:26-28)

Daily Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38

  Yesterday, we looked at Gabriel’s appearance to Zechariah in the gospel of Luke. Luke also presents the account of Gabriel’s appearance to Mary.

  In Luke, Gabriel says to Mary, "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

  And if the angel's news for Zechariah seemed astounding, it was trivial compared to the announcement Gabriel was about to reveal to Mary. Let's consider her situation when confronted with the news that she would bear God's Son through the virgin birth. What might this mean to her?

  Mary was probably about 16, perhaps even younger. She becomes pregnant. Given the social moral view of her time, she could have fully expected that she would be disgraced. Her fiancee, Joseph might very well have abandon her, which would have been an expected social response to the situation. Being a single mother would likely mean she would never marry. A young, single woman making a claiming that God had made her pregnant would have encountered trouble. Jewish society in the first century took a real hard line on "blasphemy," as later accounts of Jesus' ministry and death make clear.

  We can try to imagine ourselves in Mary's shoes, but I don't expect we can really grasp the magnitude of her situation. Mary knew the problems were real and overwhelming. As Mary expresses her doubts to the angel Gabriel about the reality of his announcement, he explains and concludes his statement with the phrase, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” In response, rather than focusing on the size of her problems, she chose to trust in the size of her God.

  Mary's response to the angel Gabriel's message is straightforward: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). In these words, Mary discovered and defined her life forever by giving herself fully to God's purposes. Mary offered up herself, all of her, to God's mysterious will and way.

  God did provide for Mary in what God knew would be a difficult time in her young life. God gave Mary the strength and companionship of her relative Elizabeth who was awaiting the birth of her own son by Zechariah. God gave her the strength of her future husband, Joseph who went against normal social convention and believed in what God could do after his own angelic visit recorded in Matthew 1:20.

  What we do have in these glimpses of Mary are some important aspects of what it means to be a disciple of Christ: living with vulnerability, reflecting with care on the advent of Jesus Christ, and witnessing God’s actions in the world. In that sense, Mary remains a model for discipleship. Neither our choices nor our circumstances make us. God does, when we give ourselves to God’s will and purposes.

  God touches our lives often, in ways we almost never expect. We can relate to Zechariah's confusion, but we must aspire to Mary's faith. We need to try, as best we can, to be the Lord's servants, entrusting ourselves to His care as we walk through each new day in God’s world. As it was with Mary and is now with us, do not be afraid, for we have found favor with God through the coming of His son, Jesus Christ.

Don't Miss the Wonder – Advent Devotional

“When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.” (Luke 1:12-13)

Daily Scripture Reading: Luke 1:12-20

  What would happen if one morning, during the middle of your daily routine, an angel appeared and told you that God had a plan that would completely change your life? How would you respond? Would you even believe what is now happening to you?

  Luke's account of the events leading up to Jesus birth includes two appearances of the angel, Gabriel before Zechariah and then Mary. These two appearances contain important truths and lessons for us during this Advent season.

  In the first appearance, the angel Gabriel appears to the priest Zechariah in the temple as he conducts his duties. Zechariah “was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him." We might want to think, we would respond differently, but the fact is we would probably respond the same way.

  "Do not be afraid, Zechariah," Gabriel tells him. "Your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John ... he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:13-17)

  Zechariah has been confronted with the heavenly glory of God's messenger, a clearly supernatural interruption into his day. Yet his response to the angel's astounding news is to try and fit it into his existing assumptions about his life and his future.

  "How can I be sure of this?" responds Zechariah. "I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." Zechariah can't believe that he and Elizabeth could have a child. The fact of a child coming to a older couple is simply more than a person can comprehend. Still, Gabriel continues the astonishment by stating this new child will be an amazing child making it difficult to grasp the magnitude of John The Baptist's mission in the world.

  Gabriel, who was pretty sure he was being clear, is unamused by Zechariah's response. "I stand in the presence of God," he says. "You will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time."

  When God communicates with us or takes action in our lives, it is rarely with the impact of the angel Gabriel's appearance. Though I do believe our reaction might actually be much more similar to Zechariah's response. We too, would question whether the event was real. "Was that God speaking to me, or a hallucination? Was that a miracle, or just a coincidence? And if that really WAS a message from God, could that really be what God meant?"

  While we may relate to Zechariah's confusion and skepticism, we must be aware that it has its cost. It's not so much that we might be struck dumb if we doubt God's authority or interest in us, but we might miss the blessings and peace God desires to share with us. We might miss the wonder, the grace, and the miracle, God wants us to witness.

  Whether messages from God come to us through a heavenly messenger or a passage of Scripture, in the midst of prayer, during worship, or hearing the voice of God in the silence, God's promises are trustworthy. Our ability to accept these messages and live them is limited primarily by our ability to believe them.

  As Zechariah's story demonstrates, God is never predictable, but God is always faithful. "Do not be afraid, Your prayer has been heard.” During this Advent season don't allow yourself to miss and doubt the wonder and grace God wants to share with your this time of year.

Advent is about time spent with God – Advent Devotional

"More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8a)

Daily Scripture Reading: Philippians 3:7-9

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. - Augustine

  If our "face time" with one another is dwindling, our time spent one on one with God is on the endangered list. Our busy world with endless to-do lists challenges the notion of the importance of quiet time with our Creator. Advent invites us to turn that life-draining pattern upside down.

  Advent celebrates the incarnational, Word-becomes-flesh God. Advent announces that God was not willing to have a distant, arms-length relationship with us. Advent is all about God's willingness, even insistence, to be vulnerable, accessible, reachable, and attainable. Advent breaks down the barriers between the created and the Creator.

  God begins the process by delivering a message. God sends the silent, distant star in the sky; it's not clearly understood by everyone and is open to misinterpretation, just read how Herod responded. Yet there it is, an open invitation to anyone who will receive it.  God sends other messengers to deliver this urgent, good news. God has the corner on the market when it comes to the best messengers. Gabriel and a company of angels announces the upcoming birth and sing their alleluias for the shepherds and anyone else who will listen.

  God's desire was to deliver the Good News of mercy, love and hope in person through the incarnation. God chose face time in a way that would change the world. God spoke to the hearts of the people through Jesus, the son of the living God.

  The apostle Paul in our scripture reading for today, speaks of his longing to know Jesus Christ. He says that whatever else he might have gained in life meant nothing apart from the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8)

  Not only does God yearn to communicate deeply and intimately with God's people, God chooses the perfect way to slide into our lives by appearing as a small baby to enter into our lives. Whom among us do not love children and take the time to speak with a child. God invites us to greet Him as a small child, approachable, joyous, and smiling.

  Frederick William Faber speaks to us about God's desire to have us hear the evidence of His presence in our lives: There is hardly ever a complete silence in our souls. God is whispering to us well-nigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God... He is always whispering to us, only that we do not always hear, because of the hurry, noise, and distraction which life causes as it rushes on.

  It would be tragic if in the hurry and rush of our lives during Advent, if we arrived on Christmas Day and discovered we missed hearing the Christ child speaking to our hearts and minds. It would be tragic, if we missed the opportunity to experience the “surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8)

Recommended Faith Requirements – Advent Devotional

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Daily Scripture Reading: Micah 6:6-8

   When you buy some new software or hardware, one of the first things you need to check is, does your computer meet the minimum system requirements. If your computer meets the minimum requirements then does it exceed these by having what is recommended for optimal performance. Minimum. Recommended. This is the language used in the world of computers.

  In today's scripture, Micah is talking about the language of faithful living. If you want to excel as a Christian - not just with Microsoft Excel - you need to know the minimum and recommended requirements.

   Paul in Galatians, tells us a person is made right with God "not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (2:16). The minimum Christian system requirement is faith. This means that we enter into a saving relationship with God through our willingness to trust Jesus, to rely on him to be our Lord and Savior. We are saved through faith, and Paul assures us that there is "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

  Faith is the minimum system requirement. Then we might say that for optimal performance, we recommend you “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

  Recommended requirement one: Do justice. The recommendation to do justice applies to every aspect of life - it means treating others with fairness, equality and showing concern for people who are weak, powerless and exploited. "Do justice," says Micah. Not simply "support justice." It's a high-commitment, hands-on, everyday activity.

  Recommended requirement two: Love kindness. The English word "kindness" is actually a weak translation of the Hebrew word hesed, which means love, loyalty and faithfulness. You might say, you are to “love love” or “love loyalty” or “love faithfulness.” It lies at the heart of healthy relationships, whether the bonds are marriages, close friendships or the relationship between God and his people. To "love kindness" is to keep this loyalty and faithfulness at the heart of all your relationships.

  Recommended requirement three: Walk humbly with your God. If we are going to excel as Christians, we must travel with God over the course of life. Faith may begin with a momentary decision, but it matures through a long journey of following God over many ups and downs, through mountaintop experiences and valleys of deep darkness. Along this path, we are challenged to walk humbly, knowing that God is - and always remains - ahead of us leading the way.

   When Jesus describes himself as "the way, and the truth and the life" (John 14:6), he is echoing this image of a journey. Jesus is our way, showing us exactly how we are to walk with God. When he first calls his disciples, he doesn't say, "Agree to these fine points of theology." Instead, he says, "Follow me" (Matt. 4:19).

  In the life of faith, unlike the world of computers, we should never be satisfied with the bare minimum. To have the strongest possible relationship with God and with each other, it is important to reach for the recommended system requirements: Doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly in our journey with Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.

To Wait in Hope – Advent Devotional

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.

Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning,

more than those who watch for the morning.” (Ps. 130:1-2, 5-6)

Daily Scripture Reading – Psalm 130

   This week with the death of South African Nelson Mandela, there are a host of topics that come to mind when I think about Mandela's life and the good news of the gospel. The topic of waiting and forgiveness was important in Mandela's life and to the meaning of Advent. I find the story of Mandela's life inspiring in regard to what he would not let happen to him. With all the years he spent imprisoned, it would have been easy to understand how he would have only wanted to get even and seek revenge upon his captors, but no, he chose to seek peace and forgiveness. His choice helped to lead a nation to reconciliation rather than hate and warfare.

  In Mandela's story he was forced to wait, until that time when he might someday be released, though that was never guaranteed. The years of waiting could have turned him bitter and hateful, but he used the time to seek another path. He said once to former President Bill Clinton that his captors took many things away from him and could have taken his life, but he realized they could never take away his heart and mind. He would have to voluntarily give these away and he was not going to give them up, but develop both his heart and mind so they would help him through this time of imprisonment and the years ahead.

  To endure the struggles and the periods of waiting, similar to Mandela's would be unimaginable to us. Most of the time, we have great difficulty in waiting. And we certainly don’t wait in silence. Most of the time, we hurry and we push. We split time into tenths of seconds. We complain when a traffic light turns red and holds us up longer than we would like. The press of hurrying creates harried and hassled souls, disconnected from life and from kindness itself. There is a way of being and knowing that dimly remembers that waiting in hope is an attitude of faith.

  Waiting in silence, creating space for steadfast love to grow within, may be the most essential practice of all. It is in many ways the spirit of Advent, that time of the Christian liturgical year when we practice the waiting for hope, faith and love and trusting in new life not yet fully known.

  Trappist monk Thomas Merton remarked that life is a perpetual Advent. He sensed that in that waiting, trust began to grow. Trust in God, trust in the Holy One who is beyond all that is created and is the source of all things, seen and unseen. Trusting and waiting allow the loving-kindness that is the essence of God’s own Life to grow in us, and to bear fruit that we never expected.

... one of the essential paradoxes of Advent: that while we wait for God, we are with God all along, that while we need to be reassured of God's arrival, or the arrival of our homecoming, we are already at home. While we wait, we have to trust, to have faith, but it is God's grace that gives us that faith. As with all spiritual knowledge, two things are true, and equally true, at once. The mind can't grasp paradox; it is the knowledge of the soul. - Michelle Blake, "The Tentmaker," 1999, p. 153

 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;” (Ps. 130:2)

  Grant me O God the capacity to wait in hope, to allow your own loving-kindness to grow in me, for the life of your world. Amen.