Royal Preparations: Merry Christmas!

Luke 3:4-6

No one knows how to do pageantry as well as the Brits. Anyone who has seen a royal wedding or a State funeral will understand this. The song most known for pomp and circumstance comes, unsurprisingly, from the “Pomp and Circumstance Marches” – and is written by a Brit. While we were in Leeds, we attended many events in the breathtakingly beautiful Town Hall which was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1858. After months of painstaking planning and preparation, everything was ready.

Dignitaries from all over the region were on hand, the honor guard was waiting, the crowds were packed in anticipation and then the Queen and her family arrived. The Times newspaper described the arrival: “Once her carriage was fairly seen outside the railway station, and there arose such a cheer, as has seldom been heard before. It was a cheer not only of the thousands to whom she was visible, but the cheers of all along the line of the route; it was caught up and passed from street to street, and into places far removed from where the Queen would pass – one long sustained outburst of loyal enthusiasm.”

The passage for today also speaks of a preparation for royalty far worthier than Queen Victoria and you can sense that same passion for “get things right” and to honor, in this case, the Lord. It is speaking metaphorically but the intent is clear: preparation worthy of the Lord takes work and should be of the highest quality. The passage is quoting from Isaiah 40 and after reading that, you understand the motivation for wanting things to be perfect because of the majesty of the Person being honored. But this is not a tyrannical “honor me or else” kind of royal visit. Isaiah 40 begins with, “Comfort, comfort My people” and concludes with illustrations of a God who strengthens weary and powerless people.

Christmas is a time of preparation as the many “Only XX Shopping Days ‘til Christmas!” signs incessantly remind us. However it takes work and sacrifice to do the kind of heart preparation that will last long after the wrapping is recycled and the food has been eaten. These Advent devotionals have been attempts to help you with that preparation. Yet maybe you’ve been rushed and not had time to really reflect and prepare yourself. It’s not too late. Sometime today or tomorrow, set aside as much time as you possibly can – maybe even get up early – to quietly reflect on who God is as revealed to us by Jesus.

Isaiah 40 is not a bad place to start.

And as they say in England – Happy Christmas!

Tracy Petrie

Exciting; Christmas Eve

Luke 2:15-20

15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the

shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Do you recall a time when you heard of something exciting happening in your town?  No doubt you hurried down the street to see for yourself.  Then you can understand the shepherd’s reaction to the angels’ news of the Savior’s birth in Bethlehem.  Scripture says that “they hurried” to confirm for themselves what they had been told.

When they reached the stable and SAW the infant King, they BELIEVED.  Unable to keep the good news to themselves, they WENT away sharing with others the miracle that they had witnessed.  People were amazed when they heard it.  As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they praised God for His great Gift to the world.  Gazing up into the starry night they must have considered with wonder all that had happened to them.

Mary also contemplated all that she was experiencing.  Now a very young virgin mother caressing her infant in a smelly stable, she marveled at the blessed Miracle in her arms and treasured in her heart all that happened.

Why was such life-changing news first entrusted to mere shepherds who were low on the caste system of the day?  And why did a King’s birth take place in a filthy stable?  Unthinkable!  Kings are meant to be born in palaces.  And yet, it was the Father’s perfect plan to send His perfect Son into a dark world to hang out with commoners and feel their struggles and pain, then to follow the Father’s will and do something about it.  Through His sacrificial death on the Cross, Jesus reconciled man to God and is available to walk together with us through the Holy Spirit in all of life’s circumstances today.

“Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to men on whom His favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

Dear Father, I praise and glorify You for the great Gift of Your Son.  I have seen and believed, as the shepherds did.  Please help me to be faithful to go and share this miracle with someone who desperately needs to hear it this blessed Advent season.

Can Anyone tell Me What Christmas is All About? 24th day of Advent

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:11—14 (KJV)

 

Most of us who grew up watching the Peanuts classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, recognize this passage as the one that Linus used to make his great speech answering Charlie Brown’s frustrated cry, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!”

So what is Christmas all about, anyway?

Christmas is about a God who is at once holy and loving.  It is about us, a people incapable of holiness on our own and are therefore separated from a holy God.  It is about a God who loved us so much that he designed a way for us to be reconciled to Him.  He sent His son, Jesus – Immanuel – “God with us”, to be our Savior and to make us holy so that we could have fellowship with God.

Christmas is about the great mercy that God has shown us, even though we don’t deserve it.  It is about abundant grace that we did nothing to earn.  It is about the sure hope that we have been given of spending eternity in the presence of God.

Christmas is about gratitude for the greatest of all gifts.  A gift not wrapped in pretty paper and tied with a fancy bow, but a gift offered to us in the form of a small babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Hark the herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”

Jessica Wilkinson

Shepherds Told a Story

Luke 2:8-11 NASB  In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  (9)  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  (10)  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;  (11)  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

I am a night shift worker.  There is one thing all night shift workers like.  We like boring.  We like it dark and boring.  We don’t even like visitors.  There is a reason for our antisocial behavior.  If the lights are on, we are dealing with an emergency and all the lights need to be on.  If we have a visitor it is because we have had to call in help to fix a problem or the boss has had to cut short his sleep time to come talk to us.  Nope when it is quiet it is good.  When it is dark things are where they belong.  When we are bored life is good.

Because a night shift worker has a boring life, his time is filled with stories.  I hear stories I have heard hundreds of times.  I tell stories I have told hundreds of times.  We talk about the time the boss came down to chew us out. We talk about the time when everyone had to come give us a hand.  We talk about the new lighting system.  We can’t shut up.  If we do we fall asleep.

I am sure the shepherds were bored the night the angels came to visit.  The lambs and the ewes would be sleeping.  The bugs would be crawling in the dirt.  The stars would be in the night.  Maybe a fire would be going providing a small source of entertainment.  I’m sure someone was talking just to keep himself awake.

Smack dab in the middle of their boredom an angel shows up.  The glory of the Lord is shining around this angel.  It is not dark any more.  The first words out of that angels mouth is “Fear not.”  You can tell to fear not all you want but you shine a light in the middle of my boring shift my heart will be pumping, my eyes will be open.  I may not be running away but rest assured I am thinking about it.

I am sure I would mouth opened and scared until I heard that multitude of angels singing, “Glory to God.”  That would have put me at ease.  I would have been thankful to see that multitude.  Working nightshift, anytime a multitude shows up our problems are about to go away. There is nothing like having a bunch of people coming in the middle of the night to help you out.

You know these shepherds were story tellers because no one particular shepherd is remembered. We can read this story today because the shepherds told the story.  They told it over and over again.  The story of God becoming man is an important story.  The story of God allowing himself to be placed in a dirty manger is one that needs to be told.  God lived with us in our dirty world.  God died for our sins on that dirty cross.  Be like the shepherds and tell the story.  Tell it as much as possible.  Tell it so others might know that God loves them.  If you tell it someone might turn and follow after Jesus. Someone may turn their life away from sin because you did what the shepherds did.  You told the story.

Eric Morse

Silent Night and Chaos; 22nd Day in Advent

John 1: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

The other night I thought I’d try something different.  During this advent season, my kids and I are reading parts of the Christmas every couple nights.  We sit and take our time to absorb the story rather than just breezing through.  For example, we spent two nights talking about the angels arriving and sharing the good news with the shepherds.  It is amazing the difference it makes when you can slow down and engage the story.  So, you can imagine, I’m feeling pretty pumped and thought I’d add a little something to our time.  I said, “how about we sing Silent Night after we read?”  The kids thought that was a good idea.  We were singing and all of a sudden one of my kids started laughing and screams out, “It sounds like you’re saying pee!”  Ugh.  Here I am having a moment, thinking I’m being the best parent ever and this happens.  Because I am the best parent ever (please note the sarcasm in my voice), I took a moment to show them how frustrated I was.  It was either my bellowing voice or the deep shade of purple I turned that gave it away.  Here we are having a “moment” and I overreact.  Classic.  Way to go dad.  I wonder if this is how it comes across as I try to repair or fix the brokenness of my life?  I’m aiming for peace but it comes off as pee.  For whatever reason I seem to always come up a few letters short.  John’s introduction to the Christmas story can seem to come up a few letters short too.  I mean, where’s the manger, shepherds, angels, and star?  As we engage the story, we realize he’s coming at Christmas from an entirely different angle.  He is using the story of creation as his backdrop.  Think about that for a moment.  God speaks into creation, challenging the darkness and chaos and out of that springs life, light, and God’s great pleasure.  John tells us that He is doing it again.  He speaks into our world that is full of darkness and chaos and out of that springs life, light, and God’s great pleasure.  Sometimes, when I speak to the darkness and chaos of my life, they just laugh at me.  They make fun of how I mumble and mispronounce the words.  I speak peace and they laugh about pee.  What do I do?  I get frustrated.  I yell.  I turn that deep shade of purple and nothing changes.  As carefully as I want to enunciate and as loud as I want to yell, the darkness and chaos do not respond.  What I love about John’s advent is how he introduces it, “The word was with God and the Word was God.”  That means when God speaks, darkness and chaos must respond to His Word.  They submit and they never laugh.  There’s something about hearing God’s Word being spoken that makes all my mumbling okay.  It isn’t about my word, it is His.  It isn’t about my light, it is His light that is my life.  God speaks for me.  As we celebrate advent we are reminded that He speaks light into our darkness.  He doesn’t send His son to reorganize our chaos, but He actually exchanges His perfect life or our chaotic one.  He exchanges peace for our frustration.  He exchanges his love for our yelling.  He exchanges His clear Word for our mumblings and futile attempts at controlling our circumstances.  He speaks light and the darkness of my heart can never overcome it.  The darkness submits and out of it something new is created.  Out the chaos of my life God brings peace.  P…  E …  A …  C … E …

 

Tom Vice

Agree; the 21st Day of Advent

Ephesians 2:17-22

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

 

God knew that we were incapable of following through on our part of the covenant, so He became our peace broker. Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection gave us full access to the presence of God and his door of friendship was swung wide open to all those who are willing to meet the conditions of his peace treaty. We no longer need to remain at odds with God. We only have to agree to the terms of this new covenant and enter into his kingdom through repentance and surrender to his Lordship.

 

Not only did Jesus’s death and resurrection bring lasting peace between man and God, his sacrifice brought the potential of peace in our earthly relationships.  The struggle I have is that it’s not easy to embrace the conditions that bring reconciliation in my earthly relationships. But God offers to be our peace-broker, and that peace hinges on our willingness to agree with the conditions of the peace treaty. As we lay down our weapons of self-defensiveness, self-righteousness, un-forgiveness and bitterness, we tear down the walls that we have built around the kingdoms of our hearts due to past hurt and offenses.

 

Lord, it is difficult for us to reach out to those we need to be reconciled with. We sit beside them at church. We sit across them at the family dinner table, and at best, we know that we only have an uneasy truce. We pretend there isn’t a problem, but we are vividly aware of the walls of hurt we have built. Give us the love to be the first to extend a gesture of peace this Christmas season. Give us the ability to step forward with a humble heart of forgiveness and repentance. In obedience to your word, we declare that we will seek reconciliation with the specific individuals you have laid on our hearts as we have prayed this prayer.

 

Kenny Evans

Tear Down this Wall; 20th Day of Advent

Ephesians 2:12-16

12 Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ,

excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,

15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of

commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,

16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Much of the daily news is filled with disturbing images of

suffering and unrest across the globe.  That is why I found the recent

report of Germany’s anniversary celebration of the November 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall so inspiring.

For years communist East Germany had been walled off from the freedom experienced in the West.  That was about to change.  Historic news clips showed people fleeing the East through the newly opened gates in the wall in search of their own freedom and peace.  Several years later the Berlin Wall was finally demolished.

The destruction of a different hostile dividing wall is described in Ephesians 2:12-16.  The Gentiles had been  excluded from God’s promises to the Jews because the Old Testament Law, with its regulations and Commands, separated them as unclean, without God and without hope.

Thankfully, God did not leave the Gentiles in their hopeless state.  Out of His love, He gave to a sinful world the Gift of HIs perfect and only Son, Jesus.  Through His shed blood on the cross and His resurrection from death, Jesus destroyed the barrier of hostility and separation by replacing the Old Testament Law with New Testament grace, reconciling both Jews and Gentiles to God.  Brought together as one in Jesus Christ, all believers are His Church!

Imagine the apostle Peter’s surprise when God revealed to him, in three recurring visions during prayer on a friend’s rooftop, that Gentiles were now clean and ready to receive God’s Good News.

Perhaps most surprising and equally frightening was God’s call on him to share this truth with the Jews.  Peter could have balked at the plan, “Equality?  Oh, they are not going to like this!”  But Peter did not recoil from God’s call.  In fact, it was confirmed to him through Cornelius , a God-fearing Gentile.  (Acts 10 is a faith building must read.)

Consider how different the newscasts would be today if every report reflected  God’s reconciling love.  We would see less violence, less suffering, fewer protests, and less racial separation.  That being said, we can’t pass the baton to reporters and news anchors.  God has given each of us the call to share His Good News of love and freedom with someone this Advent, someone who is imprisoned behind a wall of sin and suffering.

“Dear Father, give us hearts of compassion to shine your Light of love into the lives of others this blessed season.”

Sheila Makus

Christmas Boxes; 19th Day in Advent

Matthew 2:9-12

After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold andfrankincense and myrrh. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

I have friends who would swoon over a 25 year old Scotch. I frankly couldn’t distinguish it from the stuff I use to clean and sterilize equipment with at work. If these aficionados are to be believed, a sensitive palate can keep coming back to a barrel year after year and taste something different each time.

Many passages in scripture are like that.  They are so potent that a little goes a long way and when I read such a passage after some time has gone by, I get something new and fresh from it. I find this account, told only in Matthew, to be one of those passages.

This year, I’ve been fascinated by an aspect I’ve glossed over in years past. Normally, I’m caught up in the brutal clinging to power that Herod exhibits here (and a few verses later) and the call to eschew abusing authority in whatever form that takes. Sometimes I’m fixated on the symbolism of the gifts of the Magi. But this year, I’m drawn into the comparison between the Magi and the chief priests.

Here’s the thing: the chief priests had scripture, the Magi had astrology. The Magi got it right, the chief priests did not. Now it’s quite dangerous to build a doctrine around a small passage of scripture so don’t run wild with this observation. To be sure, the astrology of the Magi was not the astrology of today but for many Christians, the idea of God speaking through any non-biblical source is tantamount to heresy.  And yet He did it at the birth of Jesus. It’s as if we are deeply afraid God can’t protect his own revelation.

 

In the book “Eternity in their hearts”, missionary Don Richardson researched and documented many stories of God working “outside the box” to reveal Himself to people groups who have never had access to scripture. Rather than engendering fear, these stories fill me with hope. They encourage me to believe that God is so intent on bringing people to Himself that He will not be boxed in. More specifically, He is so intent on drawing me closer that He will not let me box Him in.

 

This Christmas, as you dwell on the surprising nature of God’s incarnational invasion, may He break through any boxes you may have been packing Him into and renew you with hope.

 

Tracy Petrie

Eastern Stars and Courtyard Roosters; 18th day in Advent

Matthew 2:1-2

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 

We have a couple nativity sets.  There’s the nice vintage porcelain set that belongs to mommy.  I think baby Jesus is missing a leg in that one.  Then there’s the Playmobil set where you can take the beard from Joseph and put it on Mary – not that I’d ever do that.  Between both sets I think my son’s favorite piece is the camel.  Now, I’m no rancher but at most stalls I expect the cows, sheep, and maybe even a donkey – but what stall has a camel?  That feels like a surprise, but we all know where they come from, the Magi!  I’m still waiting to break it to my kids that they weren’t even there that night.  When did they show up?  We know it took them up to two years after Jesus was born.  I’m sure Mary wasn’t hanging around that stall for that long.  Why does Matthew tell us this part of the story?  Here’s a long answer.  It begins with a God who has always been in pursuit of mankind.  The big story of scripture is one of a God who has given chase to a human race that has been running from Him since the very beginning.  It is amazing how many stories of scripture tell of God taking the initiative with man.  All these stories have their foundation, their beginning, in Genesis.  The very first account of God coming to the garden “in the cool of the evening” was after Adam and Eve had sinned.  It’s those famous words that have set everything in motion: when they heard God walking in the garden they hid (Gen 3:8).  It is there that we witness how God will always respond to us and our brokenness – to our sin:  He comes near.  Always.  In this story even Magi (astrologers and astronomers) recognize that God has come near and they come to worship!  Advent reminds me that the initiative will always be with God.  Some say this story is some sort of example of how mankind should come and search out God, bringing Him our gifts.  The problem with that thinking is that the Magi wouldn’t even know to come unless they had seen the star that the Creator of the stars had put in the sky.  They wouldn’t know unless God had taken initiative to draw these men from so far away.  Advent is not about what I bring to the manger – it is an opportunity to respond.   Sometimes I feel distant from God.  Most of the time it is because I’ve yelled too much, said too much, or _____ too much.  I don’t know if my natural response is to always worship.  My tendency is to cringe back in fear with a lot of shame.  This account of the Magi is what makes advent so amazing and wonderful – God does something incredible to get mankinds’ attention.  He takes the initiative – even with men who didn’t attend church on Sunday mornings.   Advent reminds me that he didn’t come to crush evil and dispel darkness.  No, Advent reminds me that He came to find us.  He came to draw near to us.  He came to call out to us.  He came to say to each of our hearts, “where are you?”  He uses everything from stars in the East to roosters in a courtyard to get our attention.  I wonder, where are you this advent?  Are you with me cringing in fear and shame?  Are you struggling with doubt and disappointment?  Are you full of pain and anger?  How far are you from this baby being born?  Advent reminds me that God can cause a star to rise and will wait for me to respond – even if it takes me nearly two years to get there.  That’s what makes the Magi so special.  That’s what makes a camel at a stall so incredible – it is proof that He hasn’t given up on us.  Advent is proof of His love for us.  Advent is proof that He has come near.

 

Tom Vice

Why, God? 17th day in Advent

Matthew 1:18-21

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

We all experience “Why, God?” moments.  Moments when there is no discernible rhyme or reason to what God is doing.   It may even seem that He has deserted us entirely.  I imagine that for Mary, this was a “Why, God?” moment.  She knew the truth of her situation.  She knew that the baby she carried was conceived, not through infidelity, but through the Holy Spirit, and that He was, in fact, the Son of God.    And yet, her tale of the angel’s visit and promise was one that even those closest to her were not likely to believe.   She had been given an unimaginable honor and gift, but it came with a huge price tag.  As her pregnancy became evident to all, she stood to lose everything.  Former friends would have avoided her.  When she looked into the eyes of her family members, she would see disappointment and anger.  Joseph was about to walk out of her life.   If he had been a less compassionate man, he could even have chosen to have her put to death for her apparent unfaithfulness.

 

“Why, God?  Is this how you reward someone ‘has found favor’ with you, as the angel had said?”  It made no earthly sense.

 

And yet, God was working out something marvelous.  When no good solution seemed evident to Joseph, God sent His angel to intervene.  The end result was beyond imagination.  This child that Mary carried and that Joseph would help her to raise, would bring salvation from sin to all mankind!

 

When God doesn’t make sense, we are called to trust.  We are called to trust that He is at work, and that our lives are the threads of a beautiful design that he is weaving.   In darkest moments, we may not be able to see what God is doing, and we will never be able to see the beauty of his complete design this side of Heaven.  But we can see pieces what He has done, and that gives us hope.  We can know that just as he was working in the lives of Mary and Joseph, so He is at work in our own lives.

 

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

-Corrie ten Boom

Jessica Wilkinson