Devotion - December 25, 2023

 Let's Have a Conversation

Please read Luke 2:8-20

As I write this, I wonder where you are as you are reading it.  Are you sitting near your Christmas tree amid the discarded paper from gifts? Or is it quiet at your house, and you sit in your living room, a little bit lonely? Or maybe you are reading this on your phone, late on Christmas Eve (because the devotionals arrive in people’s mailboxes at 10:00 p.m. the night before).  Are you one of those people who read the devotion before looking at the “signature” and you are trying to guess who I am? Did you skip the scripture reading because you decided you’ve read it before and don’t need to read it again? I do that sometimes; don’t tell anyone.  

Whoever you are, wherever you are, whenever it is, let’s have a conversation.  You grab the beverage of your choice, and I’ll get mine, and we’ll talk. Ready?

First, go back and read the scripture.  I’ll wait.  

What did you notice about it?  For me, the verse that spoke the loudest today was verse 20: “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  First, the shepherds left their fields, followed the angel’s instructions, saw the child, and then – then they went and told everybody.  Tis was not the quiet pondering of Mary.  This is glory and praise!

Have you had your heart “strangely warmed?” Was there a moment that felt like the fire of God in your life? Or the quiet presence of the holy? Have you had an experience of the presence of God that was real and important to you?  Why do you believe?  

Sometimes those experiences are gigantic and overwhelming, like seeing the savior in a manger.  Sometimes they are the quiet certainty that God exists and loves you.  They can be dramatic like trumpets or subtle like feathers landing on your heart.  What has your experience been like?

Have you had a conversation with someone about it? Have you gathered your favorite beverage and taken a moment to share the light of God with someone else?  We celebrate the birth of Christ today, and we remember that Christ came into the world.  Christ has come into the world, but also into your life.  Will you glorify and praise God? Will you share the grace of God with a friend?  Will you have a conversation and bring light into this dark world?

Kim Matthews
(Did you guess it was me?)

Devotion - December 24, 2023

 

The Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20                  

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.  ² This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.³ All went to their own towns to be registered.  ⁴ Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.  ⁵ He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.  ⁶ While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  ⁸ In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

A few select verses from Luke’s telling of this familiar beloved story of Jesus’ birth stands out for me this year. They are verses 6-7a, “While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger . . .” 

There’s nothing like a newborn baby to bring smiles to our faces and warmth to our hearts. We are moved by their vulnerability, helplessness, and dependence on others. It takes care, nurture, and love to help an infant thrive with hopes of reaching their potential. 

Here, something special has taken place as was foretold. We picture young mother Mary tending to her newborn while Joseph maintains a watchful eye and comforting presence nearby. 

What did Mary see and experience when she first cuddled her baby close and looked into Jesus’ eyes? When a baby looks into your eyes there is something that takes place, a kind of instinctual love that cannot well be put into words. Meeting a baby is special. It is a soul-to-soul bonding which many mothers describe as a love, “like I’ve never known before.”

I wonder what Mary was thinking. Was she remembering what the angel Gabriel had said to her?(see Luke 1:26-38). After all, she did conceive while still a virgin and birthed a son as he had said. Could her baby really be the Son of the Most High? 

Excerpts from a popular song* come to mind, “. . . Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God. . . . Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect lamb? That? sleeping child you’re holding is the great, I Am. Mary did you know?” 

Maybe that is how it is with God who comes to meet each of us in a unique way. God wants to unite with us, love us, and wants our love in return. In this holy season may we look into the eyes of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. May we welcome him anew to bond with us, nurture and love us through this life and in the life to come. Oh, the possibilities of how we can grow and thrive in God’s love! 

Prayer:  O Creator, Redeemer, and King, you love us so much! You left your heavenly realm to come to earth to live among us as one of us. You want nothing more than for us to accept your love and to love you in return. Thank you for helping us relate to you through Jesus. Help us show our love for you by loving and caring for others. Through Jesus the Messiah we pray. Amen.

*Mary Did you Know: by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene.  Copyright Word Music and Rufus Music c/o Giather Msuic Co. 1991. 

Rev. Annette Carper

 

Devotion - December 23, 2023

 Please read Luke 1:46-55 and Luke1:8-14

Signs of expectancy filled the time before Christ’s birth. The day of Christ’s birth, Christians call Christmas.  I am sure we are all following our own signs of Christmas expectancy. For myself, music is one of those signs.  Music tells the story of Christmas.  

The following was taken from words written “From the Editor”, Lynda Hasseler, giving explanation of a hymn. As a member of the Johnson Memorial UMC choir, I have and am using a copy of the choral piece to write this devotion.

“The Advent hymn, People Look East, first appeared in The Oxford Book of Carols (1928).  The lively, traditional French carol, BESANCON, which earlier appeared with the anonymous text, “Shepherds, shake off your drowsy sleep,” provides a festive musical setting for this wonderful Advent text by Eleanor Farjeon. In the creative hands of composer, Craig Courtney, this lively tune and imaginative text become even more festive as the arrangement captures the air of an Irish jig.  Except for one word that changes in the last two lines of each stanza, the poem and its musical setting give the sense of a refrain. “Love” in turn, is defined as “Guest,” “Rose,” “Star,” and “Lord.

The lyrics go as such:

“People, look East, the time is near of crowning of the year, 
Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth, and set the table.
People, look East and sing today: Love the Guest is on the way.
Furrows, be glad. Though Earth is bare, one more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish, that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look East and sing today. Love, the Rose is on the way.
Birds though ye long have ceased to build, guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen, he for fledging time has chosen.
People, look East and sing today: Love, the bird is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch, when night is dim, one more light the bowl shall brim.
Shining beyond the frosty weather, bright as sun and moon together.
People, look East and sing today: Love, the star is on the way.
Angels, announce to man and beast Him who cometh from the East.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word the Lord is coming.
People, look East and sing today. Love, the Lord is on the way.”

People, Look East: Lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon, Arranged for SATB by Craig Courtney, Beckenhorst Press, Inc.  Columbus, Ohio

People, look East, the Lord is on the way. May God bless us all. Merry Christmas!

Kay Lewis

Devotion - December 22, 2023

The Blessed Mary

Read: Luke 1:46-55

Mary glorified God in song for what he was going to do for the world through her.  God is pictured as a champion of the poor, the oppressed and the despised.  When Mary said, “From now on all generations will call me blessed,” was she being proud?  No, she was recognizing and accepting the gift God had given her.  If Mary had denied her incredible position, she would have been throwing God’s blessing back at him.  Pride is refusing to accept God’s gifts or taking credit for what God has done.  Humility is accepting the gifts and using them to praise and serve God.  Don’t deny, belittle, or ignore your gifts.  Thank God for them and use them to his glory.

God kept his promise to Abraham to be merciful to God’s people forever.  Christ’s birth fulfilled the promise, and Mary understood this.  She had known Jesus’s mission from before his birth.  She was not surprised when her special son eventually announced that he was the Messiah.

Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, rhank you for the Blessed Mary that you chose so long ago to be Jesus’s mother.  She was so humble to accept what you had instore for her.  Help us to not deny, belittle or ignore the God given gifts, so we can use them to glorify your name.  Be with us as we follow God’s journey during this Christmas season.  Remembering that Jesus is the reason for the Season.  In Jesus Name,  Amen.

Melanie Herr

Devotion - December 21, 2023

 Luke 1:26-38: The angel Gabriel appears to Mary. “Fear not,” he says, “The Lord is with you.” And so he is. The Lord is with you…

Let me tell you a little story about that. There were two sisters from Brazil who told their story a few years ago in a church magazine. Identical twins they were. Both of them blind from the time they were born. And when they were ten, their father lost his job. It happened not long before Christmas. And they knew that Christmas wouldn’t be the same that year, because they were so poor. It would be like any other day. 

On Christmas morning they were all sitting together at the breakfast table. And their mother started praying the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” she prayed. And when she came to “give us this day our daily bread,” her voice gave way, and the twins, Vilma and Ruth, could hear their mother crying. So, they finished the prayer for her. 

Just as they reached the end of the prayer, they heard someone knocking at their door. It was one of the neighbors. And this kind, warm-hearted woman had brought a basket of fresh-baked bread for their breakfast. Oh, there is just something about the smell of bread -- something good and wholesome and holy. It smells like home. Like love. The kind of love that’s there when you know you’re not alone, when you’re with someone who cares, someone you can depend on, someone who’s with you and for you no matter what ….

One of the sisters said that it wasn’t until she sensed the fragrance of bread and the joy in their mother’s voice that she realized that there had been no food on the table that morning. And that’s when they knew that God had come near -- that God was with them and for them. When the neighbor came with open hands and an open heart, carrying with her the fragrance of Christ who is the Bread of Life.

That’s who you are. You are the fragrance of Christ. And like Christ-scented candles you have been called by your God to spread the healing, affirming, life-giving aroma of God’s loving presence wherever you go, to all the people around you -- the people God loves.  

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

Rev. Tom Nolan

Devotion - December 20, 2023

 Luke 11: 29-30 -- As the crowds increased, Jesus said, ”This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.  30 For As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the son of Man be to this generation.

As I write this, it is late October and there are already signs up advertising Christmas items for sale. These include Christmas trees, decorations, lights…..you know the drill. As we travel over the Holidays, we depend on and look for signs telling us where we are and where we are headed.

Stop/Go/Yield/Merge all are signals designed to smooth out traffic flows and make us safer.

What about our faith travels? What are the signs we depend on to navigate our spiritual lives? In the scripture above. Jesus has been teaching and healing yet some in the crowds refused to believe and accused Jesus of driving out demons by Beelzebub! Others asked for further signs from Heaven. Even today we ask God for proof and question his goodness.

Advent arrives for us just in time! It reminds us of the many times in our life when we were downtrodden and suffered with doubts about our faith and where we were going. Advent serves as a gentle reminder of God’s goodness and unlimited gifts of never ending grace if we only slow down to read the signs in our life.

Advent offers us the perfect opportunity to slow down and yield to God’s will for each of us. Stop our busy, daily struggles long enough to GO to our heavenly father for a renewal of our spirit as we await that house not made with hands but eternal to the Heavens! May it always be so.

Prayer: Father during this busy holiday season help us to navigate our daily travels so that we can remember your enduring promise of grace for each of us as we make this earthly journey. Amen

Marv Jones

Devotion -- December 19, 2023

God's Covenant with David
Now when the king was settled in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind for the LORD is with you.”

But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, when I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all you enemies from before you, and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and be disturbed no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever....

“Your house and your throne shall be established forever.” In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O LORD GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O LORD GOD; you have spoken also of your servant’s house into the distant future. May this be instruction for the people, O LORD GOD!” !! Samuel 7:1-13, 16-19 (NRSV)

Not only does this passage of scripture show us God’s covenant with King David, that his kingdom and throne will be established through David’s successor forever, but it also reminds the king, through Nathan, that throughout Israel’s long history, God has been with them, ever moving, ever defending and saving, ever loving His people, Israel.

During the Advent Season, we are reminded that God chose to enter our world as a vulnerable baby, one who will be called “Emanuel,” God with us, clothed not in the finery of a king, but clothed in human flesh, to experience all the human feelings, temptations, and choices we often are faced with every day of our lives. May we experience the Wonder of the birth of this Christ Child, King of Kings, LORD of lords, Prince of Peace, with the eyes of a child, of a shepherd, of Mary and Joseph, and remember the great and glorious Gift God gave us so many years ago, yet forever the sign of God’s unfailing love for His children.

Loving, Creator God, fill our hearts with Your light and love, that we may shine that light through our lives as we do our best to serve You and bring Your light and love to everyone we meet. It is in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen

Linda Summers