December 31 Devotion

Launching into the New Year
Colossians 3: 12-17

Today we stand on the cusp of a new year. The year 2007 is just a step or leap away. Many of us will practice the age-old tradition of creating new goals or resolutions for ourselves. We will review our lives and the year that just passed. We will reflect on the things that we did, the things that we didn’t do and the things that we wish we had not done. After that reflection we will create a new plan, wish list, goals or objectives

In verse 13 of today’s selected scripture, we are told to forgive. For me that forgiveness is not only pointed toward others and how I perceive my relationship with them. It is also pointed toward myself and how I perceive my relationship with myself. The writer of Colossians reminds us that we forgive because we have been forgiven. I remind myself that I need to accept the forgiveness from God as I review the resolutions never kept. I remind myself of God’s forgiveness as the character defects show up year after year on the “New Year Resolutions” list.


In verse 14 we are reminded to love because it “binds all things together in perfect unity.” I remember the song from my teenage years: “What the world needs now, is love, sweet love.” More years have gone by since that song was a hit than I would like to believe. Yet the world is at more unrest and unloving now than it was when the song was a hit. Our own nation and church are in turmoil and power struggles. In the 1960’s it seemed that racial issues and a war would tear us apart. Now it appears that sexuality issues and a war will tear us apart.

I have decided to depart from my normal list of New Year’s resolutions. I am not going to resolve to lose weight, take a trip, win the lottery, read a book a month, or read my bible daily. This year I am going to resolve to forgive my neighbor, my enemies, and myself. I am going to resolve to love others even when it makes me uncomfortable. Lastly, I am going to resolve to pray that others will forgive and love also. I invite you to join me in my “New Year’s Resolution.”
Rev. David Johnson

Sunday Evening

It is Well With My Soul
Lectionary Reading: Psalm 148

When it’s time to get ready to go on vacation, I make a list. It’s a long list, and it includes everything that I need to remember to pack – and I mean everything. I do not travel light. I always end up taking more with me than I could possibly need or use.

New Year’s Eve. Midnight. It’s that moment between what has been and what will be. It’s the bridge between the past and the future. It’s the one time of the year when life holds its breath, and waits, for just one second, to start fresh and new.

That step from the old year to the new year is a transition…a trip from what was to the possibilities of what could be. What should we pack? What should we take with us as we move into the future? I have a feeling, that unlike my normal traveling habits, for this trip I need to travel light.

What should we leave behind?

• Grudges – Are there people in your life who you need to forgive? Could you take the anger – the pain – the hurt, and give it to God? Could you step into the new year as a forgiving person, leaving behind the destructiveness of blame?
• Guilt – Is there something in your life for which you need to be forgiven? God offers forgiveness to us in a limitless, measureless abundance. All you need to do is to ask.
• Feelings of worthlessness – The God of the Universe loves YOU. If you had been the only person who would have been saved by his sacrifice on the cross, he would have done it JUST FOR YOU.

What should we take with us?

• Confidence – Don’t forget, if God is asking you to take action, then He will equip you for that task. You are gifted by God. Use your gifts with the confidence of a child of God.
• Purpose – We have a calling from God, you and I. We have a mission in this place, at this time, to be a church. It’s time for every one of us to take up a cross, and follow him.
• Grace – God offers grace as a gift. He’s holding it out, ready to shower it upon us like rain. Throw away your umbrellas, and stand in the downpour. Get wet. Get soaked. Laugh and giggle in the rain of grace.
• Thanksgiving – Be always and ever grateful for all of the blessings we have from God. We have his presence, his love, and we have each other. Carry gratitude with you into the new year, and share it with the body of Christ.
• Each other – None of us needs to walk into the new year alone. We are part of the body of Christ, and because of that, our burdens are smaller and our joy can be made brighter. We travel light because we share the load.

Horatio Spafford wrote the hymn It is Well With My Soul. He was a businessman in Chicago, who had invested heavily in real estate. In 1871, the Great Fire of Chicago meant the loss of much of his property. The fire occurred just as the Spafford family was grieving over the loss of their only son. Later, Spafford’s wife, Anna and four of their daughters were traveling on a ship that was struck by an iron sailing vessel. Their ship sank, and all four daughters were lost. Mrs. Spafford survived and sent her husband the telegram, “Saved alone.”

He sailed immediately to join in her Wales. The captain pointed out to him where his daughters had died, and, some believe that the hymn was written out of the grief that overcame him at this moment. The hymn is a beautiful expression of worship, which speaks to those in grief, but also has a message for us as we take our first steps into the new year.

When peace, like a river,
Attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to know,
“It is well, it is well with my soul”

Happy New Year! May you walk into the future with burdens lifted, traveling light, and with the knowledge that “it is well with your soul.” May your journey be along God’s path, and may He give you the joy that is peace.

Kim Matthews

December 30 Devotion

Psalm 150

There are so many ways we can praise our God. I don’t play an instrument (I can barely read notes). But I do love to sing – especially hymns that I’ve grown up with and sung at home, church, the car, wherever and whenever I can.

I will praise the Lord all my life,
I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.
Psalm 146:2

I have a book called “Then Sings My Soul” by Robert J. Morgan. It contains 150 of the world’s greatest hymn stories. I enjoy reading it and would like to share this story:

How Great Thou Art
Written by Carl Boberg

For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it , Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: ”I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18

Carl Boberg, a 26-year-old Swedish minister, wrote a poem in 1885 which he called “O Store Gud’ – “O Mighty God.” The words, literally translated to English, said:

When I the world consider
Which Thou has made by Thine almighty Word
And how the webb of life Thou wisdom guideth
And all creation feedeth at Thy board.

Then doth my soul burst forth in song of praise
Oh, great God, Oh, great God!

His poem was published and “forgotten” – or so he thought. Several years later, Carl was surprised to hear it being sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody; but the poem and hymn did not achieve widespread fame.

Hearing this hymn in Russia , English missionary, Stuart Hine, was so moved he modified and expanded the words and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody. He later said his first three verses were inspired, line upon, line by Russia ’s rugged Carpathian Mountains . The first verse was composed when he was caught in a thunderstorm in a Carpathian village, the second as he heard the birds sing near the Romanian border, and the third as he witnessed many of the Carpathian mountain-dwellers coming to Christ. The final verse was written after Dr. Hine returned to Great Britain .

Some time later, Dr. J. Edwin Orr heard “How Great Thou Art’ being sung by Naga Tribespeople in Assam , in India , and decided to bring it back to America for use in his own meetings. When he introduced it at a conference in California , it came to the attention of a music publisher, Tim Spencer, who contacted Mr. Hine and had the song copyrighted. It was published and recorded.

During the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in Harringay Arena, George Beverly Shea was given a leaflet containing this hymn. He sang it to himself and shared with the other members of the Graham team. Though not used in London , it was introduced the following year to audiences in Toronto.

In the New York Crusade of 1957, it was sung by Bev Shea ninety-nine times, with the choir joining the majestic refrain:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Trudy Hilty
Pam Gruber’s sister

December 29 Devotion

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:4 – the story of the beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… and He saw that it was good.

In the beginning God… Let’s start there. Everyday is a beginning from God – if we will only let it be. Today is the 22nd anniversary of my first date with Kim. A beginning that neither of us expected but a beginning from God which led to other beginnings; church, marriage, children…and He saw that it was good. By this time next year, I will have known Kim longer than I did not know her.

My job requires that I drive. Some would say a lot. My travels take me to and fro between four states. Now throw into the mix the fact that I love the fall and equally dislike the winter. My October, November trips are spectacular. By December, January I am wondering if I will ever see color or be warm again. As the landscape becomes more and more lifeless and bland and I think I have had all I can stand >> the Red Bud appears. It is the first color to show and says, “Hang in there, weary traveler, spring is coming and with it a new beginning.”

When we feel that life is just the same stuff-different day, that a beginning isn’t coming, we need to remember the faith of Noah. Noah was 480 years old when he began building a boat on dry land. It took him 120 years to complete it, and through it all he had NEVER seen rain. He had faith that God had beginnings in store. We have unrealized blessing and beginnings; our health, our families, our friends. At Christmas time, all those years ago, God gave us the ultimate beginning, His Son and with it the daily beginning of our walk with our Savior.

In the beginning God (insert your blessing here)… and He saw that it was good.

Steve Matthews

Another Extra

Isaiah 64:1-2

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence-as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil-to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

Who is the most overlooked figure of the Nativity?

Speakers often ask a rhetorical question at the beginning of a sermon. Pastor Dale paused longer than usual, however, waiting for vocal responses from the congregation. Many, including me, answered "Joseph." That was the expected response to illustrate his homily on the example of faith set by Jesus' earthly father in accepting the unbelievable story of his pregnant fiancée, fleeing home with his new family to avoid Herod's death threats, and raising the boy Jesus to follow in his own chosen craft of carpentry.

As much as Joseph's story inspires me, though, I was taken aback by the lone reply of a gentleman on the front row to the minister's opening question. Don's words stood out in contrast to the nearly-unison "Joseph."

Who is the most overlooked figure in the Nativity? "The Innkeeper!"

Until then, I had never thought much about the innkeeper. He is depicted in Christmas stories and pageants generally in one of two ways. Either he closes his door in the faces of the couple, or he shows them around back to the stables with the animals. What is the truth about the innkeeper?

None of the biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus even mentions the innkeeper. In fact, the only reference to a manger or an inn is in the Book of Luke. "And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke.2:7 (RSV). On the basis of that single sentence, we convict the innkeeper of shutting Jesus out. Perhaps we have been too hard on him.

I think the innkeeper is an improbable hero. He had no reason to know that the strangers at his door were about to bring the Messiah into the world. Had he known, perhaps he would have made room for them, but that would have meant that some other weary travelers would need to be displaced. Yet, rather than making excuses, the innkeeper was resourceful, and gave what he could give-not a room or even a corner in his already crowded inn, but the stable that demonstrates that the King of the world is at home with the humblest of the humble.

The arrival of the long-expected Messiah stood out in contrast to peoples' expectations. He did not come in a manner befitting of a king. No pomp and circumstance, no great earthquake, no thunder and lightning, no burning bush, but humbly and anonymously in a barn to a young unmarried woman. The Jesus born in those surroundings would grow up to teach us to believe the unbelievable, to be prepared for the unexpected, and that the poor and meek will occupy a prominent place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Less prominent than even the lowly shepherds and animals, the innkeeper is neither mentioned by the writers of the gospel nor placed in the crèches that adorn our mantels and tables during Christmastime. Rather, he was and is behind the scenes, humbly and anonymously playing a major part in God's great plan. He serves as a reminder to us that God uses what we have. Perhaps we should be more like the innkeeper.

Dear God, Give me the compassion of the innkeeper. Even when circumstances indicate that I have used up everything I have to give, give me the courage to stand out in contrast to the status quo, and the awareness and the resourcefulness to make room for Christ. Amen

Jeff Taylor

December 28 Devotion

My Journey-Praise ye the Lord

A year ago, this very day, when Christmas gifts were new,
My father’s body laid to rest, his earthly life was through.
And, as I stood beside his grave, my tears fell on his stone,
I praised the Lord for daddy’s life, and the love that I had known.
What journey we had taken, over long and painful days,
Seeing God work in our lives, enlightened through the maze.

My story, I have written, and I’m so compelled to share,
the journey I have taken, that has led to ‘Everywhere.’
It started a few years ago, my father’s body drawn,
from pain and drastic weight loss, his life was all but gone.
The Doctors had no answers, and the tests they gave no clue,
I turned to God, as never before, and asked him what to do .
And so I made a desperate plea, for God to show the way.
On my knees, a newfound place, I prayed to him that day.
And this is how he answered, I would hear it many times,
Like a poem clanging, with a repetitious rhyme.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child, be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

And on that day, with fear immense,
I walked with God, on his offense.
Hours and hours I searched online,
praying to God, ‘there’s not much time!’
And with each ‘click,’ an answer to prayer,
a Doctor, a Clinic, he led me there.
So Monday morning early, with a phone and pen in hand,
I took that information, and with God, we made our stand.
But doors were closing once again, that Doctor had no time,
For months we’d have to wait for him, we’d have to wait in line.
‘I need help God, this is not enough!’
‘Why my child, do you make this so tough.’

But all that I attempted, just wouldn’t go my way,
All I knew to do again, was drop on knees and pray.

‘Help me God, we need our Dad,
and, oh my Mom, her heart is sad.’
More than 50 years they’ve known,
together they’d walk, but not alone.
‘So tell me God, what step to climb?’
And, then I heard that familiar rhyme.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child, be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

Then something told me, ‘Call once more,’
‘Appointment nurse? I’ve called before.’
She listened, she cared, an angel for me,
miles away she worked patiently.
The next 3 days, she searched for a way,
And then her call, on that glorious day.
‘Four weeks, we have an opening now,’
Heaven and Earth, she moved somehow.
And then she said, ‘hold on once more.’
I paced, I paced, across the floor.
But would this doctor find the cure?
And then I looked outside my door.
Upon the ground, through storm door glass,
A glowing cross, within my grass.
I tried my best to excuse it away,
with reflections and branches that could block the way.
But nothing, nothing would make it go,
even the photo would prove its show.
I knew just then, that God was near,
the words, the words, I longed to hear.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child, be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

Immersed in this great find I’d be,
when on the phone she said to me.
‘Ten days, can you be Cleveland bound?’
‘An opening there, I finally found.’
‘Martha,’ I said, ‘you’re an answer to prayer,’
and yes, the cross was still gleaming there.
Finally, that Doctor I saw online,
His chiseled eyes locked onto mine.
Took control, as I hoped he would.
Test after test, doing all that he could.
To find what no other Doctor could see.
His dedication showed faithfully.
I wondered if God whispered in his ear,
those words, those words, I now could hear.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child, be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

Then all our fears came face to face,
in what I thought, would be a healing place.
CANCER! CANCER! The prognosis was bleak,
All hopes were gone, we could not speak.
‘But God! The Cross! The Doctor online!
The words I heard so many times!’
‘You showed me this way, you brought me to here,
Why, oh God, is your purpose unclear?’

And so, with Dad, we arrived back home.
Together, a family, but all alone.
Those words I heard were now far away.
Terminal Cancer, were the words of today.

Three To Six Months, were all that we had.
He was drifting away, and the pain was so bad.
Treatment was offered, but the affect thought to be,
More pain for Dad, than dying would be.
But we spoke with Dad, and he desired to live,
‘Let’s seek some treatment, give it all we can give.’

So, once again, I went online,
searching for treatment, searching for time.
Then just as before, I couldn’t get past,
a treatment-same treatment, from first search to last.
‘Why not?’ said the Doctor, ‘Our options are few,’
‘That treatment is one, of many I do.’
Chemo and drugs and medicine galore,
The Doctor reminded, ‘no possible cure.’
The hell of those days, I’ll always remember.
But things slowly changed, from May to September.
Prayers were all over, and faith slowly grew,
Family and Friends and Love through & through.
We leaned on their shoulders, we stood not alone,
More love and support, we have never known.
Angels, sweet angels, he sent on our way,
along with those words, I hear every day.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child, be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

Dad began eating, his pain disappeared,
What joy we all had, old Daddy was here!
The Doctor was puzzled, some tests he must run.
‘No cure for this cancer, no healing’s been done.’
The first test-NO CANCER! but there would be more.
Remember, he said, ‘there’s no possible cure.’
And so, more procedures, more medical ground.
a more detailed test: STILL NO CANCER was found.
When met with our thanks, the Doctor did say,
Thanks be to God, I just helped on the way.

And so, our lives went on as before,
Fishing and laughing and daily chores.

The fear of the cancer erased from our minds,
Left our hearts wide open, for Christian finds.
We prayed and held hands and came together,
Only because of this stormy weather.
We spoke of our love and we looked to the past,
Reminiscing the years that flew by so fast.
I said all the things I needed to say,
We lived every moment, we loved every day.
I knew my father as never before,
Through this painful ordeal, God opened that door.

A man entered our lives, and became a dear friend,
Who knew of God’s plan, til the very end?
This friend was our rock, a support through and through,
Whatever our request, ‘I’ll be there for you!'

Then, something strange happened, on a typical day,
On knees, not praying, but cleaning floors, God would say,
On that floor, with rag in hand, God spoke to me so loud,
‘Little child, your daddy and I, we are especially proud.
You’ve fought the fight, you’ve tried so hard, to make your daddy well,
You’ve prayed, you’ve worked, you’ve honored him, the love we all could tell,
But, days ahead will be tearful, like none you’ve had before,
May these words give comfort, for the pain that lies in store.
In short time, my little child, your daddy will be with me,
Out of pain, and with his Lord, for the rest of Eternity.
Remember these words, when times are tough, they’ll comfort you for sure,
And, you will have the strength and faith, to prosper and endure.’

And, so these words, that came too soon, entered my heart that day,
My tears, they fell like raindrops, as God would tellingly say,
‘Your daddy and Father wait for you, in Heaven’s holy place,
Look to the Heaven’s when daddy’s gone, you’ll see our loving face.
Your daddy and Father wait for you, his time on earth is through,
But you, my little servant, you’ve got more work to do!’

‘Stop it God! Speak no more! My daddy is here with me,

He is not gone, so stop this verse!’ I shouted tearfully.
The verse continued on and on, the words they filled the air,
I raised up from the floor right then, and sat down in my chair.
‘Your daddy and Father wait for you, they’re watching you each day,
And, when you need some comfort child, they’re just a prayer away,
Your daddy and Father wait for you, no pain, no sorrow here,
Rejoice in his accomplishment and wipe away that tear.
Your daddy and Father wait for you, they’re singing in Heaven above,
Songs you cannot hear just yet, but songs you’ll someday love.
Your daddy and Father wait for you, it’s now your time to fly,
Make us proud, and live your life, you’ll flourish if you try.’

These words they were just haunting me, I knew what they did say,
‘Your daddy and Father wait for you,’ just wouldn’t go away!
Where were the words I heard before? I wanted them once more,
Scared and alone, I looked for them, and I heard them as never before.

Take my hand and walk with me,
I’ll show you things you cannot see.
Oh, my child be patient dear,
My mighty hand will guide you here.

No doubt, my Lord was showing me, the things I could not see,
I knew that very moment, that healing wasn’t meant to be.
And soon, the pain, it reappeared, and tests revealed again,
Cancer reared its ugly head, and raced until the end.
Our friend who stood beside us, through a year of pain and strife,
Said to my dear daddy, before the end of his earthly life,
Hours before Dad’s final breath, that friend compelled to say,
‘I’ll stand beside your family, let me take that worry away.
I’ll protect and guide them always, and I’ll be there til the end,’
God opened up a window, when he brought us that dear friend.
And Dad, his eyes, they softened, and he said with breathless care,
‘Thank you, thank you’, holding hands, in a moment of personal prayer.

Then just an hour before Daddy died, God strengthened our faith once more,
‘Let’s pray,’ my Mom said to us all, and we prayed like never before.
‘Our Father who art in Heaven,’ we held hands by Daddy’s side,
Dad mouthed the words, as there was no breath, though he fought so hard to try.
Then amazingly, the weakened man, who had no strength to bare,
Sat up in his bed and yelled, ‘In Heaven’ as said in the prayer.
He fell back down, his final words, we knew he saw the place,
Heaven was in his reach right then, God granting him his grace.
Mom held Dad tight, with his final breath, and soon his life was no more,
Me, I heard those words again, ‘what a welcoming you have in store.’

This journey I have taken, has changed my life so much,
Every day I hear his words, and long for his guiding touch,
We must see the signs in every day,
Remembering God is leading the way.
I long, I long, to learn much more.
As he opens some paths, and closes some doors.
That friend who came into our lives, he’s now my soul mate, too,
No, God did not forsake us. He said, ‘here’s my gift to you.’
It’s not for me to understand.
I could close my eyes, as he holds my hand.
Remembering words he taught to me,
trying my best to live faithfully.
As long as I live, his words I will hear,
They’re changing a bit, but their meaning is clear.
I pray, Dear God, when my time is through,
I hear, from Heaven, these words from you.

You took my hand and walked with me,
You opened your eyes, as a Christian to see,
The journey you needed to take, my dear.
My light, my love has guided you here.
And as I promised, when your time was through,
You’d find us all here, just waiting for you!

Kelley A. Allison

December 27 Devotion

For most of history I was not alive, so let me tell you not what I have witnessed but what I have learned. Brick by brick humans built the pyramids. Columbus did not fall off the edge of the earth and in doing so proved it was round; he also ran into America. Knights in shining armor were common place at one time; they were not just a cliché to describe nice guys. Covered wagons did somehow make it West despite the heat, the cold, the animals, the mountains and no tires, air conditioning, or antilock breaks. Dinosaurs roamed the earth, war and all its ugliness took place many times, and some people got way into the seventies. During each class, each PBS special, each documentary we are asked to accept that things we did not see happened. This is where belief becomes important; this is where believing becomes a personal adventure.

Proof (Science, consistency, fossils, what the senses can detect) and trust (the gut, a feeling, a risk) make us believe. It has been proven by historians that Jesus walked the earth and was a real person, but it’s hard for some to accept that he was the Son and sacrifice of God. It’s understandable to have doubt. Jesus was one man. He was seen and heard by a relatively small amount of people a long, long time ago and is now the foundation of Christianity. His life and death are legendary. It’s a lot to accept. We ask for proof that God exists, proof that Jesus was more than a good man. We ask for hard evidence, something to touch or see, but proof is only proof if we trust it. An apple falling is only proof if we trust in gravity. To believe not only that Jesus lived but that he was the savior of the world takes trust.

I pray this advent season that trust springs eternal.

Amen

Betsy Warren

December 26 Devotion

Luke 2: 1-20

I have read today’s lectionary reading on several occasions but this time, I understand what a long journey the trip was for Mary and Joseph. They traveled from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem . I made that trip last October when I visited Israel. Reading these verses today seemed to be even more meaningful. I spent two nights in Nazareth, I rode a wooden boat on the Sea of Galilee, and I crossed the checkpoint at the Palestinian border to visit Bethlehem.

At Bethlehem, I visited the Church of the Nativity which is built over the spot where they say that Jesus was born. I placed my hand on the marble star which marks the spot where the manger was supposed to be. I tried to imagine what it was like for Joseph and Mary to have the baby born in a cave in a manger. I felt a closeness and it became so real to me.

When Jesus was born, there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. An angel of the Lord appeared to them. At first they were afraid but the angel told them to not be afraid because she was bringing them joyful news. They told them that a savior had been born to them who was Christ the Lord. They would find him wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Then there came a great company of Heavenly Host singing, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.” The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see Jesus; then they spread the news to all whom they saw. The angel had told them exactly as it was.

Christmas has had many meanings for me since my mother’s death. My parents came to visit Kimberly and me for Christmas in 1980. My mother became ill the day after Christmas which was the last time that I heard my mother’s voice. I took her to St. Mary’s Hospital that morning, December 26th.She was on a ventilator until the day she died, January 8th, 1981. Christmas for me after that always reminded me of my mother’s death. It took years for me to separate the two. Now I know that because of that baby’s birth, I will see my mother again.

My trip to Israel helped me to understand that even more. I have never felt so close to my mother than when I visited the olive grove at the Garden of Gethsemane. I could hear her singing her favorite hymn, “I come to the garden alone…”.

God has blessed me so much since that day that I lost my mother. I am sure that He understands my not wanting Christmas to come for so long because of my pain. I was celebrating the death of my mother instead of celebrating her life! He let me grow in my love and understanding of his promise. I am blessed with my family and my church family. God is Good.

Carol Brown

Christmas Day Devotion

Read Luke 2:8-20

Pondering…

Luke tells us that Mary treasured all the experiences of the night of Jesus’ birth and ‘pondered them in her heart.’ How long has it been since you stopped and ‘pondered’ something?

Let me encourage you to do some pondering today. In the midst of food and presents and tinsel and wrapping paper and family visiting and telephone calls to those who aren’t with you and all the rest of the day, it may be difficult. It wasn’t easy for Mary, either. She was recovering from childbirth; she had a baby to care for; she was sleeping in a stable; she had shepherds come to visit; she was tired from a long journey from Nazareth; and before too many days had passed she had wise men stop by to visit, too. She didn’t have a lot of free time to ‘ponder’ and yet she did.

Back in early October, my father and I had an hour of time at the farm when there was nothing crying to be done. We sat on the swing on the front porch of the cabin and pondered the trees
and grass, the garden, the blackberry patch, the apple trees, and many of the joys of life. It was a blessed time of 'pondering' together.

That ‘pondering’ can be such a blessing. So today, ponder…
…the gift of the Christ child to you…
…the gift of friends and family…
…the gift of your church family…
…the gift of your home and food and clothing…
…the gift of life itself…
…all that God has done…

And rejoice in the blessings of God in your life. Amen.

May you and yours have a merry Christmas, full of the gracious gifts that only God can give.

Joe Shreve

Christmas Evening Devotion

Readings: Isaiah 52: 7-20
Psalm 98
Hebrews 1:1-12
John 1:1-14

A couple of Sundays after Christmas last year Reverend Shreve talked about the Christmas decorations we displayed throughout our house in celebration of our Lord and Savior's birth.

He knew we would all be taking them down and carefully wrapping and boxing them to be stored away for another year. Even our Nativity Scene depicting the birth of Christ in a tiny crib with Mary, Joseph and the Wise Men would be put away too. He reminded us Christ's birth is a powerful celebration for everyday of our lives. Not just Christmas. Why do we include it in our wrapping and boxing of our wreaths, ornaments, snowmen and Santa's for so many months out of sight and out of mind?

I thought about what he said all the way home that Sunday. I could not quit thinking about it. Soon after when I gathered up all my beautiful Christmas decorations and put them away, my small very delicate Nativity scene stayed unpacked. It is a small ivory porcelain piece trimmed in gold and very beautiful. It sets on my glass top coffee table in my living room with a huge Masonic Bible that was presented to my Daddy from my Mother on Christmas Day 1977.

Beside it sits a brilliant cut crystal cross box. This cross was a gift from a now deceased friend of over 60 years. Occasionally while passing through my living room I pick up or even just touch one of these three treasures reminding me that God is good. I pray that my Nativity scene will never see the inside of a box again.

Sometimes we tend to put our religious belief's away in a box too. What we have been taught and know in our hearts to be true about loving, caring and helping others can be forgotten. We have to open the box and set our teachings in plain view for all to see. It is not always easy. The box is tempting. We must pray and strive to keep the box empty. Believe me the presence of my Nativity scene throughout the year has helped to inspire me.

As this Christmas Day comes to a close and you finish reading all these Devotions, I would ask all of you to bow your heads with me in prayer and in your own words, pray for the hungry, needy, sick and mistreated people of this world. And pray also for the strength and guidance to do what you can do to end these miseries.

May God be with you on this Christmas Day and every day throughout the year. Amen.

Carol Lee Bolling

December 24 Devotion

Read: Isaiah 9: 2-7 and Luke 2: 1-14

The wait is over. Tonight is the night when all our preparations have been made (or abandoned) and we settle into a mystery. We follow a star to Bethlehem and join those who are gathering around a manger. Tonight is the night when even the cynics among us take a break and we all suspend disbelief. We believe, if only for this night, that God is born among us and everything is possible. Tonight is the night when, with all our singing, we wish Jesus a happy birthday.

Everything is in place. We know the carols; we know the readings; we know the story of Mary and Joseph, of shepherds and angels. We can tell it by heart. But the story is more than just what happened on one night. God has loved humankind from even before creation, when we were only a thought in God’s mind. But the relationship has always been a rocky one. In the beginning God figured paradise would be enough for us. God gave us everything and hoped for the best, but we wanted more than everything. God made a covenant with us; gave us laws; offered to us kings and prophets and teachers; and still we were faithless. Every time the distance between us has threatened to end the special relationship, it is God who has stepped across the breach, taking on more and more of the burden, until, with the birth of a baby, God accepted it all.

That is the amazing mystery of this night. God is so in love with us that God came to be one of us. Our God is a shameless lover, willing to become a helpless thing in diapers if it will help us love our God and one another in the way that God loves us. It is an amazing gift.

John Shea tells the story of five-year-old Sharon who wound up her own version of the Christmas story by asking her listeners this question: “Then the baby was borned, and do you know who he was?” She paused and then whispered her answer, “The baby was God.” Then she leaped into the air, twirled around, and dove into the couch, where she covered her head with pillows. That is, I think, an appropriate response to this amazing story.

Tonight, the mystery becomes exceedingly clear that there is nothing more we must do, or be, or have, to be loved by God. We are already loved beyond our wildest imagining.

“For unto us a child is born. God with us – Emmanuel. Glory to God in the highest.” Amen.

Rev. Mark Conner
Western District Superintendent

Sunday Evening

“Delight yourself in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalms 37:4

When I was a little girl, the presents under our tree were a magnet on Christmas Eve. Days of detective work and wishful thinking built my anticipation to a frenzy. Each package with my name on it was endlessly shaken, weighed and prodded for clues. As a child of the first TV generation, Madison Avenue advertisers carefully filled my head with visions of their Must-Have toy. I always looked for “it” in all the wrapped packages under the tree.

Luckily for me, my parents knew me better than New York’s advertising guru’s. While Mom and Dad sometimes indulged me with a sought-after toy, they knew how to really thrill me with gifts I didn’t even know I wanted, but still remember to this day: The super-sized paint box with 100 shades of watercolors, my own roll of scotch tape, Silly Putty, plastic dress-up wigs, The Bobbsey Twins mystery books… These were the gifts that got the glory. If my parents had only given me what I thought I wanted, I would have missed out on some of the greatest joys of my childhood.

This Christmas and every day of our lives, God wants to give us the best life possible. Like a loving parent, He knows us better than we know ourselves. While we may ask Him for one blessing, He knows what will really bring us the greatest joy and growth. Our faith is built when we trust God to satisfy our hearts, not just to satisfy our heads. He can be trusted to give us more than the perfect gifts, but also the right desires.

Prayer for Christmas Eve: Father, in this season of gifts, I ask You to give me faith in Your plan for my life. Place Your desires in my heart, so I may live a life filled with your power and joy.

Allyson Terry Schoenlein

A Christmas Eve Extra

I hope that your Christmas Eve is blessed with God's presence, the warmth of family, and the joy of the gift of grace.

I have another extra for you today. One of the devotional readers, Jerome Guerrein, who lives in Florida, wrote the following poem. With his permission, I am sending it to you.

Following his poem is a Christmas Eve prayer, written by my husband, Steve Matthews.

Blessings and grace,
Kim


Christmas

Well it’s almost Christmas,
The kids with all their joy.
They are very anxious,
For Santa to bring toys.

The sun so very shiny,
Against snow that’s very new,
So think of family and friends,
And what they mean to you.

We celebrate a season,
With joy and much good cheer,
Just don’t forget the reason,
Baby Jesus is whom we revere.
Jerome R. Guerrein
Copyright ©2006


A Christmas Eve Prayer
by Steve Matthews

Most gracious and giving God. We stand at the door of a stable and we wait. To get here we followed a star brighter than anything ever seen in the heavens. You will come here over many miles carried by a young girl who knew only that God chose her. And she believed. We stand at the door and we wait. We wait for your birth – the greatest gift we have ever known. Not able to fathom, at this miraculous moment in time, the gift yet to come that is greater still. When you come tomorrow, you will be the perfect Son of God, faultless in every way. And we will love you. We too are children of God, ‘faulted’ in every way, but you will love us no matter. You will teach us caring, humility, compassion, sacrifice, duty, honor, friendship. You will teach us to love and worship God above all else. Your life will unite, your life will divide, your life will split time. The world will never be the same again.

Tomorrow we will kneel by a manager. In the company of shepherds, kings and animals we will behold the miracle of life; your life on earth, God’s life made flesh, our lives made new. We will follow you, brighter than anything ever seen in the heavens. We pray this Christmas Eve that we may have the faith of Mary and believe: believe because God chose us. Knowing that no payment is required for your gift, may we still strive to do your work, teach what you taught and give all that we are to ensure that, truly, the world will never be the same again.

Amen

December 23 Devotion

Read Psalm 85

Ready for Christmas

“Ready for Christmas,” she said with a sigh
As she gave the last touch to the gifts piled high…
Then wearily sat for a moment to read
Till soon, very soon, she was nodding her head.
Then quietly spoke a voice in her dream,
“Ready for Christmas, what do you mean?....”
She woke with a start and a cry of despair.
“There’s so little time and I’ve still to prepare.
Oh, Father! Forgive me, I see what you mean!
To be ready means more than a house swept cleanYes, more than the giving of gifts and a tree.
It’s the heart swept clean that he wanted to see,
A heart that is free from bitterness and sin.
So be ready for Christmas – and ready for Him.”

-- Unknown

When Christ was born in Bethlehem ,
God was with us.
When Jesus is reborn in our hearts,
God is with us.
When we face the challenges of each day,
God is with us.
As we look forward to a new year,
God is certainly with us.

--Dayspring Collection

Christmas Prayer

Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift and good desires with every greeting. Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings and teach us to be merry and clear hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus’ sake! Amen

--Robert Louis Stevenson

Melanie Herr

December 22 Devotion

And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. --I Kings 19:11-12

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures for ever! --Psalms 118:1

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." Hence we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?" --Hebrews 13:5-6


Walking Hand in Hand
This year my granddaughter learned to walk. Once she started pulling up, there was no stopping her. She began cruising around furniture, then walking while holding a hand, and the next thing we knew she was taking steps on her own. She was so proud of herself and her confidence built quickly. She wanted to walk all by herself. When I was with her, I noticed that when she came to an uneven path she would put her little hand behind her back as if to say, "I know you're there if I need you. You'll catch me if I fall."

Our relationship with God is a lot like that. We want to walk on our own; take credit for our successes. We are so proud of ourselves. In our society we love to honor a self-made man. But it's those moments when we stumble and fall that we remember God is in reach. And God is always there for us. The Psalmist tells us "his steadfast loves endures forever." Just reach out, God is there.

The image of "the still small voice" intrigues me. That deep inner whisper that says, "I'm God and I'm here." We've all heard stories of people who were in the depths when they finally cried out to God for help and felt His presence immediately. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, especially with the extra activities associated with the Christmas season the still small voice hardly has a chance of being heard. We have to stop, center ourselves and listen. Listen. Reach out your hand. God is there.

Anita Gardner Farrell

December 21 Devotion

Please read Psalm 8

I like this Psalm because it helps us put things into perspective. By putting and keeping things in perspective we can lead a more grateful, God-focused and joyful life. The Psalmist first focuses on the wonder of what God's hands have made, something almost too incredible to comprehend.

It is so humbling to try and imagine our place in the enormity of such a creation. As the Psalmist says, how can we be of much importance in the face of the grand things that God has put here? Rather than be discouraged by his seeming insignificance, the writer is mindful of how important we really are because we have been chosen to be "a little lower than God." WOW!!

Rather than being insignificant, God values us so much that he sets us apart from the rest of creation and trusts us enough to put us in charge of things. Why would He give us such a purpose knowing our propensity to sin and inability to resist temptation? He obviously has enormous faith in us, and He fervently hopes that we will have faith enough in Him to let Him guide us in properly carrying out our responsibility to manage his magnificent world. I can't help but wonder how He feels when He sees us being so busy trying to gain dominion over each other that we ignore the portions of the world where people don't have enough to eat and live in horrible conditions. He even sent His son to us to teach us that the way to live and treat each other is to be loving and tolerant, not greedy for things or lands or kingdoms, and certainly not to destroy others in His name.

Will we ever get it before it's too late? Will we manage our creation so that we can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and house the homeless even if it means sacrifice on our part? Will we respond to the gift of this earth with thankfulness and respect and try to save it for the coming generations? I believe that with the anticipation and celebration of Jesus' birth each year we have an opportunity to reevaluate, to put things into perspective and to change our ideas and actions in order to move closer to the people whom the Psalmist describes as a "little lower than God."

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, thank you for creating us and loving us so much that you have entrusted us with the amazing gifts of our world and of your son. May we show our thanks by living the way Jesus instructed and by cherishing and respecting that which you have so lovingly placed within our control. Amen.

Mary Taylor

December 20 Devotion

This past summer Lou Etta and I enjoyed a wonderful vacation to celebrate our thirtieth wedding anniversary. Part of that trip was an excursion to the Grand Canyon. If you get to go the canyon yourself, please take an atheist. If that person is still an atheist when you leave, take them to the nearest ophthalmologist.

Part of this trip was a bus tour through some of the most scenic spots along the South Rim. At one stopping point we overlooked a landmark about one third of the way down in the canyon called “Gator Rock”. This was because the rock formation looked like an alligator. (Hey, I did not name the rock.) On the way back from this view as we walked with our driver, John, he pointed out a yucca looking plant with a long bamboo stalk that looked to have grown out of the center of this plant to a height of 12-15 feet. It was deader than last week’s casserole; so I was surprised when John made this a point of interest.

It turned out this was a plant called a “Century” plant. The life cycle of this plant is about one hundred years. (Once again, duh!) It only blooms once, produces seeds, and dies. We missed seeing this miracle of God’s creation by about one month. We would have walked right by it and not noticed a thing but an old dead bamboo looking plant that was just in the way. But John shared all he knew.

We miss a lot when someone does not take the time to share information with us. Maybe we don’t listen very well. Maybe someone else is left unknowing by our failure to share insight that we possess.

Christ shared the good news with his disciples at this moment in the gospels and it was a once in a lifetime event that carries us to eternity.

Merry Christmas.

Mike Bowen

December 19 Devotion

Praise ye the Lord
-a response to Psalm 148-
Praise ye the Lord for open eyes, so we may always see,
The journey we must travel, as we face eternity.

Praise ye the Lord, for all our friends, who help us on our way,
Providing strength and comfort, as we live from day to day.

Praise ye the Lord for Daddies, who are strong and bold and fair,
And Moms who kiss our wounded knees, with a bandage and a prayer.

Praise ye the Lord for happy times, a life with laughter and love,
Praise ye the Lord for those stormy winds, to reveal your calm from above.

Praise ye the Lord for hope and prayer, and the promise of Eternal Life,
Those rainbows we keep seeking, in our times of pain and strife.

We praise your Name, O Lord above, in all things that we do,
Knowing on that final day, we lived our life for you.

Kelley A. Allison

December 18 Devotion

Please read Numbers 16: 1—19

This passage tells of a confrontation between prominent religious leaders and Moses.

As they wandered in the dessert, feasting on manna day in and day out, they had grown impatient with Moses, who promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. They expected the realization of that promise sooner…like maybe in their lifetimes.

I can identify with the people of Israel. I want my leaders to produce. I want them to produce now. Not tomorrow, and not for the next generation. Today.

Sadly, this way of thinking is true in the Church as well as in the world. We expect our ministers to come up with the programs and ministries and funding to make our church what we expect it should be.

But can you identify with Moses? What would it have been like to have been in Moses’ sandals? He never asked for the ministry to which he was called, and even tried to talk God out of it. He had a tough message to sell the people of Israel. Sometimes when we don’t like the message, we take it out on the messenger.

Have you ever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ? Getting to the good news means denying self, taking up a cross, gaining by losing, of the last being first. It is not a message that is easy to hear, particularly when I am on my high horse. I want pearly gates and streets of gold. I want to come to church, see my friends, hear some wonderful music, and some inspiring words. I want to be affirmed and confirmed by the pastor, not confronted with obstacles to grace.

Moses had a close relationship with God. He trusted and obeyed God in spite of the fact that it made him unpopular. Had I been in his shoes, I might have taken the easy route. I might have given in to the masses and become a hero of the world. Thank God for Moses, and thank God for pastors who preach the truth in word and deed.

Dear God, Give us courage to trust in you and in those you call to shepherd your people through the wilderness of life to the Kingdom of God.

Anonymous

December 17 Devotion

“Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all you heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment
He has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
‘Do not fear, O Zion;
Do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.’

‘The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.
At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered,
I will give them praise and honor in every land
where they were put to shame.
I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,’
says the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:14-20)

Grief is difficult – paralyzing – isolating – raw – numbing. Grief is not what I expected to be writing about when, in late August, I requested this specific passage for the foundation of my Advent devotion. Advent, the time of anticipation and expectation – waiting for something new and wonderful. The prophet Zephaniah tells us of a new relationship we can have with God; a new relationship God wants to have with us! As His children, we bring Him joy and delight when we come to Him in love. We’re told God is now with us, we no longer should fear any harm.

We too were waiting, eagerly anticipating the birth of our daughter Kelly’s first child, a little girl who would be named Piper Lynn. We too were looking forward to a new relationship, one filled with joy and delight as we welcomed our second granddaughter into our family and into the world. We were already in love.

This Scripture was offering the perfect image! New beginnings, new life, new relationships! Think about it “[The Lord] will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Then on a bright Monday morning in early September, Kelly called her dad with the heart-breaking news she and her husband Brian had just received. She asked her dad to come be with her, with them, as they grieved the loss of their much loved daughter, too exquisitely fragile for life with us.

Kenny left for Florida immediately – to be there with them, to love them, to offer comfort, to cry with them, to share their sorrow. I stayed home, trying to understand, wanting to be with my family, not knowing how to grieve alone. I opened my Bible, hoping to find an answer, but the bookmark took me to my Advent passage. Suddenly it didn’t seem to be so perfect, and an Advent devotion was no longer something I felt I could write. I didn’t want to write about God, I wanted to feel His presence, hear His voice. How could I write about the joy and wonder of this vision from Zephaniah, when our own vision had been shattered and our hearts echoed with emptiness?

Wednesday evening I spoke with Kelly, letting her know of the love and prayers being offered by our church family here, asking how she and Brian were dealing with such loss. She told me of sadness, but also of a sense of peace that she knew could only have come from God. She said she and Brian would come through this because their faith was holding them up, and they were experiencing such an outpouring of love and support from their church family. As our conversation came to an end, I realized how much I needed to be with church family, too.

Friday evening of that week was the September Emmaus Gathering. Our Emmaus Community models living, loving relationships – with God and with each other. Joys and sorrows are equally shared. Praise and prayers are offered. I knew if I could only be in the midst of these wonderful friends, God’s healing presence would be there, too.

Our Emmaus Community also shares the celebration of Holy Communion – commemorating the loving sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ, so we all may be forgiven and restored to the “with God life.” As I knelt at the altar rail, I felt the arm of a friend around my shoulder, offering me God’s peaceful presence and letting me know of her willingness to share my sadness.

What a gift I had just received….God’s blessing offered in the touch and presence of a friend. God knows all about sorrow, yet He offers us grace beyond measure. God knows all about heartache, yet He offers us infinite love and comfort. God knows all about loneliness, yet He offers us Himself without reservation. Read again His words to the prophet: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

St. Teresa of Avila reminds us: "Christ has no body on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours. Ours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out upon the world, ours are the feet with which he goes about doing good, ours are the hands with which he blesses his people."

During this Advent Season, may we approach our Father with a longing to belong to Him, offering Him our brokenness, knowing He will embrace us as we are, lift us to His lap and restore us with His peace. With grateful hearts and humble spirits, may we offer the gift of ourselves this Holy Season.

Now, close you eyes for a moment and listen with your heart for His lullaby:

“Sleep my child and peace attend thee
All through the night.
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night.”
Linda Summers

A Further Look

I wanted to take a moment and give a further explanation of the poem "A Better Place."

Most of us, most of the time, picture the innkeeper as a "bad guy" who couldn't find room for a pregnant young girl and her betrothed in his inn, so instead he sent them to a horrible place, a stable.

But is that the way it really was?I think one of the overriding themes of the poem is that we need to keep our eyes open -- that sometimes we need to look at biblical passages or even people in the world around us, with the eyes of grace. We may not always know all of the story. We may not always have all of the information. God does.

There is a twist to the poem that is so subtle, that it may only exist in my mind. I did write parts of this twist into the plot of the poem, but I wanted to take a moment and point to them. Did you notice that the younger daughter of the innkeeper and his wife is named Mary? She stands at the doorway, eyes wide open, listening to what they were saying (Luke 10:39). We don't know the name of the older sister from the poem, but we do know that she is carrying blankets, helping to make the young mother comfortable. I'll tell you that her name is Martha. The sister's mother is pregnant with a third child, who will be a son, and they will name his Lazarus.

The main idea of the poem is to help us to see another viewpoint of the innkeeper -- could he have been an agent of grace to a couple out on their own in a place that was not home? By having him presented as the father of children who will become friends of Jesus, we find that we want to meet him -- we like him already because he is the father of people we already know.

I don't write poetry. Even as I say that, I know that I have written over 60 poems. Whether the poems are good or not, I do think that, when I am blessed, God spends some time with me, and we write them together.

Kim

Sunday Evening

Jesus was born on a cold winter night
Mary could not find a room, try as she might
She found a stable with lambs and donkeys
Not a royal place for the king of kings
Angels came down from heaven to Earth
They told some shepherds about the Lord’s birth
Jesus grew up to become a shepherd
Turning people into lambs and spreading the word
We as lambs need to spread God’s word as we wait
For our Savior to come and open heaven’s gate.

Matt Shideler

December 16 Devotion

My Soul Can Hear It

Romans 10:17

Late one night when my brother, Geof, was lying in his hospital bed dying from lung cancer, he gave me instructions to go purchase a tape with healing scriptures read by a particular minister he was acquainted with. He told me he wanted it to play 24-hours-a-day every day he would be in the hospital. I told him I would - and I did. However, instead of a tape, I decided to get the CD because it could be programmed to run continuously, as Geof had requested.

Arriving back at the room I set about placing the brand new CD player where he could reach the controls and the external speakers were arranged so he would get the full effect of the stereo sound. Next I placed the CD in the compartment, set the repeat function and pressed the play button.

Being duly impressed with myself for having been able to finish the task Geof had put me to, I couldn’t wait to hear the beautiful sound the new equipment would bring forth and the satisfaction Geof would get from it.

Ten seconds passed and there was no sound. Fifteen seconds. Thirty and still nothing even though the CD was turning for all it was worth. A check of the volume showed it was already halfway so I cranked it all the way up. Even then it was barely audible. “Geof”, I said, “You can’t hear that. I’ll take it back and get a better one.” And in a voice that wasn’t much louder than the CD player he said, “Don’t bother. My soul can hear it.”

My soul can hear it. A sermon in five words - preached by a man whose life was hard but who had finally accepted the love that came down at Christmas and who shared it with everyone. That’s what we’re supposed to do, you know. Share Christ’s love with everyone – every soul!

Prayer: Dear God, let my soul hear Christ’s words so as to strengthen my faith. Then help me preach His word for other souls to hear. Amen.

Mace Sturm

December 15 Devotion

Life and Godliness

2 Peter 1:2-15

Peter is telling us that God has given us “everything we need for life and Godliness through our knowledge of him.” We receive this knowledge not only by our personal study of God's Word, but through our studies in a Sunday school Class, through other classes offered by the church, by our relationships with our Christian friends, and by our attendance in church.

What do we receive by applying ourselves? We “participate in the divine nature” of God, and “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (V4) As Peter says in the fifth verse “make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self- control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” By using Jesus as our model, and with the Holy Spirit helping us we can do this.

Only a genuine reverence toward God will govern our attitude toward every aspect of life. We can show our love for Him by the way we treat other people. If we show love to all, others will know we are Christian, and that we are grateful to Him for sending His Son into the world to save us. Let us celebrate His birthday by vowing to study His Word in the coming years.
Our reward will be to “receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (V 10)

Gloria Peek-Rosenblum

December 14 Devotion

Lectionary Reading: Numbers 3: 5-13

I have to admit something, but I don’t think it will be a surprise: I am a “doer”--a bossy “doer”. I like to be busy and if I have to be busy, I’m more comfortable if I’m in charge. This fits in well with my profession as a nurse and even better when I joined the ranks of nursing faculty many years ago. I can direct and guide all day long. There are patients who need assistance and students with many questions. They need me and my bossy ways. Some are even grateful for the assistance.

The problem is—there are usually resistors in the group—people who don’t want to follow my directions. Could it be that they also like to be in charge? Or there are situations or circumstances which resist my interference. Could it be that other methods are more pertinent? The bottom line is: I cannot control everything. I’ve tried to control a lot of things, but I have to learn again and again that I cannot control anything. I am not in control. Control is an illusion and I can only guide the outcome of some circumstances. I can only make choices that I think will have positive outcomes.

Well then, who is in control? I’m sure that even the kindergartners among us know the answer—God is in control. He has set in motion a wonderful garden for us in which we can learn and grow and interact with God and with each other. He has given us powerful choices and the free will to “exercise our options”. I can’t believe that God so freely lets us try to manage things on our own. If I were God (don’t worry, I’m not delusional) I don’t think I could let go of that power. But, that is exactly was God is all about.

God loves us so much that He knows what we need even before we ourselves know. And what we needed over 2,000 years ago, and what we need still today, is a baby. A baby that we can love and take into our hearts. A baby to nurture and play with. How do we get ready for the baby? In this case, we don’t have to do anything, except to believe. But that is the really hard part. We have to relinquish control and let God come into our hearts. We have to trust that in the surrender of our hearts and our being, God will come in. When we surrender ourselves, God fills us with all we need. There is a line from the refrain of a hymn: “…all I have needed thy hand hath provided;”

No, I don’t have control. You don’t have control. We have something much better—we have all we need.

Prayer: May God fill your thoughts and words with love in this Advent time of preparation. May each of us know beyond doubt that the baby we await already dwells in our hearts. May we love one another as He first loved us through the baby Jesus. Amen

Chyrl Budd

An "Extra"

At times, during the season of delivering email devotions, I sent out "extras." Theses are bonuses, grace, extra devotions just sent for no reason. I have three planned so far, but we'll see what God may send us over the next few weeks.

Here is the first:

A Better Place

Luke 2:1-7

The bed wasn’t that comfortable,
But it was HIS bed.
He lay in it
Awake.
Listening to the snoring,
The kicking and shifting,
The sounds of men trying to sleep.
He lay in it,
Grateful to be curled around his wife,
His hand resting on her slightly swollen belly,
Covering the child inside.

Some would call his house an inn.
He called it his home,
Nightly he opened the door
To allow strangers access,
To sleep on the floor of the next room.
Warmth away from the cold.
Just now, lately
As Caesar counted heads,
His home was more crowded than usual.
It smelled worse than usual.
The sounds were more offensive that usual,
But his pocket was a little more full than usual.

As he shifted and tried to sleep,
A loud banging sounded on the door.
He pulled his wife closer,
Buried his face in her hair,
And closed his eyes.
The banging continued.
He felt her shift,
Her hand touch his thigh.
“It’s cold outside.”
A groan echoed the knocking
As he threw off the blanket
And left his warm bed.

He could hear the man outside the door
As he crossed the outer room.
Stepping over sleeping men,
“Please, please, my wife!”
He reached the door,
And pulled it open, just the width of his hand.
“Please, my wife,
Our child is coming!
Do you have room for us?”

The man turned away,
Looked at his home.
The floor was covered in sweaty bodies,
In the corner, two men glared at him
Playing a game of chance,
Not wishing to be interrupted.
The air was full of the smell of stale wine,
Road filth,
Donkey odors buried in clothes.
He tried to imagine his wife
Bringing their third child to life in this room.
He turned back to the door,
“No, it’s full here.”
He reached for his cloak on the hook beside the door.
“Come with me, I have a better place for you.”

Outside, the starlight was brighter than he could ever remember.
It illuminated the way to the stable.
The man helped his wife,
Supporting her, almost carrying her,
As they made their way behind the house.
The path was made smooth by the light.

The stable had smells all its own,
But they were fresh, wholesome odors.
Horse and cow, slightly soured milk,
Hay and manure.
He and the man worked together,
Cleaning an area for the man’s wife.
The innkeeper spoke to his guest,
Trying to calm his nerves.
He found out that the man’s name was Joseph,
That they were in Bethlehem for the census,
And that his wife’s name was Mary.

She was young and quiet.
This was her first baby,
And the pains of it were visible on her face.
They settled her on clean straw,
And the innkeeper turned to go.
He found his wife at the doorway
Along with their oldest daughter,
Who stood with her mother holding blankets.

“Why did you come out here?
It’s cold.”
His wife replied, “It’s cold.
They’ll need these blankets.”
Their young daughter, not yet seven,
Carried the wool blankets to where Mary lay.

The innkeeper gathered his family
And turned them toward the doorway,
He took one last look at the couple in the straw.
One, a young girl, bringing the light of life into the world.
One, her worried husband, holding her hand,
Wishing the pain could be his.
Starlight washed across them,
Making them appear white, almost gossamer.
Innocent and pure.

As they left the couple alone,
His wife spotted their younger daughter at the doorway,
Her eyes wide and staring,
Curious, entranced,
Listening to what they were saying.
Her mother turned her away,
“Mary, it is time to go.
Come with me.”

On a night like no other,
One family welcomed the birth of another.
Gifts were given,
Grace was shared,
God smiled at the birth of His son.

Kim Matthews

December 13 Devotion

Validation
Please read Luke 7: 18—30

Historically, our forebears had a sense of awareness about their existence, pondering their ultimate destiny and seeking a relationship with a higher power. Their yearning for purpose and identity took many forms: idolatry, mythology and worship of celestial bodies, to name a few.

In His own time, God revealed Himself to a receptive and spiritually mature Abram. Thus began a covenant relationship and a pilgrimage leading to oneness with their (our) God. A “stiff-necked” people caused the journey to be stormy and treacherous!

In due course, God chose a further, more intimate revelation, offering a new covenant through his Son Jesus Christ. (Over the centuries, prophets had predicted a liberator that would protect God’s people and smooth the way).

At the time of today’s Gospel reading, rumors were astir throughout the Judean countryside that God was visiting His people through a great prophet! Was this the great expected One?

John the Baptist commissioned messengers to go visit this prophet and try to determine His validity. (Surely John already knew—after all, he had leapt in his mother’s womb when a pregnant Mary visited Elizabeth). His purpose was more likely to convince the messengers. The messengers spoke with Jesus and watched Him cure diseases, restore sight and destroy evil spirits. The messengers were convinced! Jesus told them to report to John “what they had seen and heard.”

In other Scripture (Matthew 3), the ultimate validation occurs when Jesus presents Himself to John the Baptist for baptism. They had never met but John knew Jesus instantly! What an exhilarating moment—and so it is for all of us—Life changes when Jesus is met face-to-face.

Our own validation may be a sudden awakening or a slow thought-out process. After becoming a true believer and Christian we should move on in love, trust, and service. However, the more things change the more they stay the same—we are often just as “stiff-necked” as those of old.
When we are assailed by the difficulties in life we may fall away or develop an “I can do this myself mentality.”

Jesus interceded for us through his death and resurrection and sent the Holy Spirit to support us. His instruction to John’s messengers should be our mantra—look around you—What do you see, what do you hear, that reassures you of God’s presence in your life?

A JM member’s Father

December 12 Devotion

Redeeming Light
One of my favorite Christmas paintings is by Peter Bruegel. It’s a crowded Flemish village scene where a young man flirts with a girl walking by, a merchant haggles with his customer, several men are compiling tax rolls. Off to the side two women butcher a pig, kids throw snowballs, others scurry about everyday affairs.

Unnoticed, coming into town, a carpenter leads a donkey on which sits a young woman far along in pregnancy.

How can the baby born that Christmas night fit into that world….or our world? Must he not overthrow almost everything going on? No.

God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
– John 3:17

The Christmas baby will be in our world, yet not of the world. It’s still God’s world, and the baby will redeem the world – return it to God, by marvelously using all that would defeat God’s love to achieve God’s love.

Am I eager to get what I want? Jesus would change what I want to get.

Do I strive for wealth? Christ gives me a hundred loving ways to use my wealth.

Do I desire to be great? Jesus reveals that the greatest is to be like him, a servant of all and a way open to all.

Do I resist mightily the end of life. Jesus gives me life without end.

There is not a person in Bruegel’s village (or mine!) on which the child of Christmas cannot shine his light. It is His world that he comes to redeem.

“Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask you to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Bless all the dear children in your tender care,
And fit us for heaven to live with you there.”
Amy Inghram

December 11 Devotion

Prepared…for what?

Please read Isaiah 40:1-11

Our scripture passage today speaks of preparing for the coming of the Messiah.

It reminds me of the way we prepare during this Season. Once the Halloween decorations come down, we begin the annual ritual. Preparing for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. They all run together. “The Holiday Season.”

“Are you ready,” you will hear people ask as you scurry around to find the right tree or to get the last-minute shopping done. Ready for what? And you will undoubtedly hear at least one person say “Christmas just seems so early this year.”

Today is December 11. Are you prepared? How is your shopping coming along? Have you figured out where everyone will sleep? How is the baking? Are your lights up yet? Do you have a real tree or an artificial one? So much to prepare…it is easy to become weary of it all, and look forward to when it is all over. We miss the point; we miss Christmas—it gets lost in the holiday season.

Are you ready for Jesus?

Too often, we are “preparing the way” for a holiday season that is a perfect success, measured in terms of the perfect decorations, the perfect pageants, the perfect meal, or the perfect gifts. “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40: 8
The tree dries up, the needles fall off, and the gifts get exchanged, but the Word of our God stands forever.

This Christmas, let’s prepare the way for the Lord. Let’s prepare our hearts to be the manger that cradles the Christ. Then we can be prepared to be the messengers of God, sharing this Good News:

Look! Your God! Look at him! God, the Master, comes in power, ready to go into action. He is going to pay back his enemies and reward those who have loved him. Like a shepherd, he will care for his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms, hugging them as he carries them, leading the nursing ewes to good pasture.

Dear God, we give thanks that this holiday season will pass, but that Christmas is forever! Hallelujah! Amen.

Jeff Taylor

December 10 Devotion

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11 and Luke 11:1-13

Meditation

It has always been a mystery to me how God answers prayers. I know that God does answer my prayers, yet I am amazed that it is so. How is it that the great God almighty, creator of heaven and earth, can find the time or the inclination to answer the supplication of one individual? With all the millions of prayers that are uttered daily by people all over the earth, how dare I think that I can merit even a tiny smidgen of the favor of the creator of everything?!
I don’t know. I do try hard to communicate with God. And yes, I am aware that at least half of communication is listening. I try to understand what it is that God is telling me: “yes,” “no,” “maybe,” “wait,” “do it now,” “forget it,” or “don’t bother me with trifles.” There are times when I don’t receive an answer – or none that I recognize. Somehow, things work out, and I know that God has taken care of it for me.

Of course, not all of my prayers are requests or supplications. If God pays any heed to me at all, it must be obvious that I am ever so grateful for the many good things that have come my way in this life! But, why me? How come I have always had enough to eat when million others are starving? How is it that I have a wonderful wife, a great family, true friends and good health when there are countless people who are not so fortunate?

Yes, it is a mystery; but as St. Augustine said, “What is it about God that you truly understand?”

Closing Prayer (George McDonald)
My prayers, God, flow from what I am not;
I think thy answers make me what I am.
Like weary waves, thought flows upon thought.
But the still depth beneath is all thine own,
and there thou mov’st in paths to us unknown.
Out of the strange strife thy peace is strangely wrought;
If the lion in us ray – thou answerest the lamb.

Charlie Lewis

Sunday Evening

Gifts
“. . . they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew 2:11

What gifts do we bring our King? One gift we can offer is our worship – our praise to the King. Just as gifts come in many different packages - big, small, brightly wrapped - worship comes in many different forms, too - in church on Sunday morning, walking through a forest blanketed with snow, through the eyes of our children. While worship is really for God, it can also be a blessing to the giver and fellow worshipers.

We at Johnson Memorial are fortunate to have many different ways and opportunities to worship God. The traditional service is the favorite of some; others prefer the early, informal worship and still others are touched by the Common Grounds service. Some are blessed by the worship at all three.

In the past year or so, the most touching and meaningful worship for me has come at some non-traditional services. Do you remember the youth leading the service for Children’s Sabbath in October 2005? The hymn “We are the Church” filled the sanctuary with Kids Klub, the youth, the choir and other worshipers singing from the heart. God’s love and presence filled our sanctuary that day.

The most recent Easter service was particularly powerful. My heart was truly touched when “Mary” wandered the aisles of the sanctuary singing about her Jesus. Were you blessed by this musical gift to the King?

This past spring the youth offered their gift of worship when they hosted “JesusQuest.” During Sunday’s service, Big Steve gave the message using his strongman skills and Portal filled our sanctuary with a different type of worship music – with guitars, keyboard and drums. I was filled with joy when our congregation, young and old, formed circles in the aisles and danced to worship our Lord. Did you see the man dancing with his daughter and great-granddaughter? How about the circle of preschoolers swaying to the beat?

As often happens, I recently learned a lesson from my son. For his summer reading assignment, Sam was required to read a particular book and then write about a life changing experience. He wrote about his first trip to Ichthus, a large Christian rock music festival. In his paper Sam described the fields of tents, the loud music and dancing. At Ichthus he discovered his love for heavy metal music. He summed up his life changing experience by writing:

“Ichthus taught me that Christianity and worship didn’t have to be dull and lifeless. It taught me that there could be fire and passion in my beliefs, and that I shouldn’t be afraid to proclaim them loudly.”

Neither should we.

Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for accepting our gifts of worship, in their many forms. Please help us recognize the ways we can worship you daily and the opportunities to proclaim our beliefs loudly, with our actions and words. Lord, most of all, we thank you for the greatest gift – your Son. In His name we pray, Amen.

Shelly Shideler

December 9 Devotion

Read Psalm 9 and 2 Thessalonians 1: 1-12

During the Advent season we are awaiting the birth of our Lord and Savior. We await his birth with great joy and anticipation. But is it his birth that we should be waiting for or is it the joy of having a closer relationship with our GOD through Christ?? Then the ultimate is the second coming of Jesus and the face to face with GOD in heaven.

In the Psalm the writer is praising GOD and asking him for help from injustices in his world. In contrast to the Psalm, Paul is reminding those in Thessalonica to trust that GOD will punish those that persecute them at the time of Christ second coming.

Are these not examples of the personal relationship that we are to have with GOD?? Is this not what we should be seeking through a closer walk with Jesus as our guide??

Let us this Advent season sing with great joy of the birth of Christ but even louder let us PRAISE GOD and allow him in to our hearts. Let him take on the persecutors and all of our burdens and cares. And let us bring the world to Christ by being a living example of faith for all to see.

Prayer:
Heavenly father, we thank you for the light of the world you sent to us as a child. We praise you for walking among your people and showing us the way. Now I open my heart to you and ask you to enter in. I ask that you lift the burdens and cares from my shoulders. I reaffirm (accept) that Christ is my savoir and redeemer of sin. And ask that my life become a living example of the love of Christ for all to see.
Through your son Jesus Christ’s name, Amen

Thought for the day and ever day. “Talk/Share with GOD daily”

Fred Herr

December 8 Devotion

Lectionary Reading: 2 Peter 3:1-18

What kind of life to you want to live? What do you want to do while you are here on earth? Do you want to accomplish great things? Do you want to live in peace? Do you want to be remembered in a certain way?

Eugene H. Peterson, who is the author of The Message, is the pastor / teacher / scholar who put together a version of the Bible that is a reading Bible, meant to help us gain new interest in reading the Bible. It is not meant to replace the study Bibles which are so helpful to us, but to enhance the use of the Bible. Dr. Peterson tells us that Peter seems to have been a natural leader. Notice how often, when listing the disciples, Peter’s name is the first to be mentioned. His influence was great in the early church because of his charismatic personality. Peter could easily have been the most powerful of Jesus’ disciples. Instead, as a humble servant of Jesus he was a witness to the new life he had found in Jesus. Peterson tells us that Peter stayed out of the center and did not “wield power.” Peter tells us that God does not want anyone lost. God is giving everyone space and time to change. He reminds us in this reading that no one is forgotten. God has his eye on each of us and is determined to keep us obedient. Here are Peter’s requests for the early church as essential to lead a holy life, and we can consider them just as important today:
· Do your very best to be found living at your best – in purity and peace.
· Be on guard – lest you lose your footing.
· Grow in grace and understanding of our master and savior.

Have we heard this before? Is Paul giving us instructions, just as he gave them to Timothy and Titus and their followers?

A friend of mine thought that marriage would be like playing “Barbie doll” perhaps, but it takes a lot of work to make it happen. Is this what Peter is trying to tell us about our Christian life?
One of my favorite verses from Proverbs:

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He’s the one who will keep you on track.”

I would encourage you to read today’s suggested scripture, and think about all that Peter is trying to say to us as Christ’s followers.

Marilyn Holleron

December 7 Devotion

Lectionary Reading: Isaiah 1:24-31

My Life Application Bible explains these verses by saying "God promised to refine his people similar to the way metal is purged with lye in a smelting pot. This process involves melting the metal and skimming off the impure dross until the worker can see his own image in the liquid metal."

Life isn't easy. It certainly isn't fair! Everyone has problems, and you don't usually have to look very far to find someone who has more than you! It isn't what happens to us that matters, but how we use the experience. We have a choice. We can become bitter and angry and shout "Why me?" or we can trust God to carry us through the rough times and to use them to continue to "refine" us so that we come closer to reflecting his image.

Prayer: Lord, help me to learn and grow from every experience life throws at me. Help me to trust you to see me through the difficult times. Use them to help me to grow in faith, in knowledge, and in compassion for others. Refine me Lord! Amen

Margaret Williams

December 6 Devotion

Luke 11:25-32

Today’s scripture from the Book of Luke is one of a group of teachings of Jesus as he travels through the countryside with His disciples. In response to a woman who blesses His mother, Jesus declines the opportunity to place her above others. Instead he states that those who hear the word of God and keep it are the real blessed ones. (This statement of Jesus appears to contrast with modern view of many Christians who exalt Mary over other Christians.) However, the primary emphasis of Jesus’ statement is not to denigrate his mother but to praise those who hear God’s word and believe.

The acceptance of God’s call is a recurrent theme throughout Jesus’ ministry on earth. When he called Simon and Andrew, his brother, “to become fishers of men” they immediately accepted his call and followed him.

What does this call mean to us today? We hear the word of God and by our professions of faith as Christians, and membership in the fellowship of Johnson Memorial, we have kept God’s word. Or have we? Is there more to being a Christian and receiving God’s blessing than the mere profession of faith? Of course, there is more to it than that. James tells us in Chapter 2, verse 17 that “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

It seems to me that in order to truly hear and keep God’s word and receive his blessing we must carry out God’s work on earth. I would like to close with a brief writing by St. Teresa of Avila that I think best states (at least for me) our obligation to God:

Christ has
No body on earth but yours;
No hands but yours:
No feet but yours;
Yours are the eyes
Through which is to look out
Christ’s compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet
With which he is to go about
Doing good;
Yours are the hands
With which he is to bless now.

Lee Oxley

December 5 Devotion

Waiting!“Blessed are they who wait on Him” (Isaiah 30:18)

Lectionary reading: II Samuel 7:18-29

Waiting! There’s a word which brings images to mind for even the most patient person. “Your call will be answered in the order it is received; please wait for the next available representative.” “Please take a number and wait until your number is called.” There are waiting rooms for professional buildings, medical settings and the all too familiar waiting area in airports. With fewer and fewer customer service centers in the retail sector, the wait in the check out line can feel like forever. It seems that the busier we are, especially in these December days, the more challenging it is to wait.

Numerous passages in the Bible, however, speak of another kind of waiting that the passive, sometimes frustrating or stressful ones described above. This type of waiting is focused and centered on God. Andrew Murray, a prolific Christian writer from the previous century who lived and pastored from the Cape of South Africa, wrote among many devotional books one entitled Waiting on God. “As Christians, it is our privileged birthright to enter into a daily time of reverent meditation and silence waiting on God.” And so, in this Advent Season, a time of expectancy and waiting, could there be a more meaningful way to prepare our hearts than in prayer and meditation? We may wait for God to renew our spirits, to give us insight for a decision, to provide courage and comfort in a time of need, to prepare us for a task which seems overwhelming, or to reveal Himself to us in the birth of our Savior.

In the lectionary reading from II Samuel, we find a passage known as a “Prayer of David.” David opens his heart to God, makes his petition known and praises God for His greatness. David finds that God is faithful, His promises are true and with God’s promises come a blessing. The blessing is not just for David but a blessing for generations to come. Waiting! “Blessed are they who wait on Him.”

Prayer: Quiet our minds, draw near to us now, Lord God, that we may love Thee more dearly, see Thee more clearly, and follow Thee more faithfully. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen

Sue Darlington Woods

December 4 Devotion

No Fear

What is with “No Fear?” Have you seen it, on cars and clothing, advertising accessories for extreme sports?

I wonder if the people who proudly flaunt that brand-name as a status symbol have any idea that they are displaying the most common command in the Bible.

That’s right…more than any other imperative in the Bible is “fear not” or some variation. In fact, there are 366 “fear not” verses in the Bible. One for every day of the year. Even in leap years.

Why would God tell us so many times not to fear? Aren’t there far worse things He should be telling us not to do?

I think it is because sometimes our fears can keep us from experiencing the great gifts God has already given us.

There are different fears…fear of failure; fear of standing out in the crowd; even fear of success. Fear of all kinds of things.

We may not think of fear as being a sin. Fear can be healthy. It can warn us of nearby danger. It can keep us from getting hurt. It motivates us to move away from danger, to hide from danger, or to be prepared to confront danger head-on.

If fear only happened when it was warranted to keep us out of danger, it would be no problem. But fear becomes a habit for us, and we become worriers. Fear is caused by something external, while worry and anxiety come from within us. This kind of fear and anxiety is what keeps us from trusting and obeying God. In fact, fear could be considered the opposite of “trust.”

Angels visited Zechariah to tell him he would have a son with his presumed-barren wife, Elizabeth; an angel visited Mary to tell her she was pregnant with the Son of God; Joseph was visited in a dream to tell him he should proceed with his engagement to Mary; angels appeared to the shepherds to bring them “good news of a great joy which will come to all the people.” Each time, the visit began with the angel saying, “Do not be afraid.”

Thankfully, Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds did trust God enough to be his servants in powerful ways.

Do you hear God calling you? Is He calling you to step out of your comfort zone, to let go of tradition and serve? Don’t be afraid; only trust and obey.

Anonymous