Advent Devotional 12-24-24

 Immanuel

Read Matthew 1: 18-25   

It came to my attention recently that there are only two references to Jesus as “King of the Jews” during his life on earth.  The first we recall was from the Christmas narrative when the Magi saw a star in the East and journeyed to Bethlehem to meet the new born child, “the King of the Jews,” and bowed down before Him with their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.   Herod, the ruler at the time, was disturbed by the news so the Magi returned home another way to avoid sharing where they found the child.  The other incident was at the death of Jesus.  Recall that Pilate could find no fault in Jesus and asked him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied: “Yes, it is as you say.”  Pilate gave into the demands of the crowd but to their dismay had the words “King of the Jews” written above the cross. The title appeared at the beginning and end of His life.   

Jesus was born in obscurity, in the most humble setting, a manger at an inn since there was no other place available in Bethlehem.  Indeed, some came to worship Him and realized who he was. Yet, many doubted then and through the ages to the present time.  He did not fit the image of “King of the Jews” and was not the Messiah for which the crowds were looking, not what they had in mind.  Have you ever received a gift which was not what you anticipated at the time although it turned out to be a very meaningful gift?   

So, who was this Holy child entrusted to Mary and Joseph?  As foretold by the prophets of old, the Messiah would come to serve, “a suffering servant” recorded Isaiah, to model what it means to love one another, to seek the least and the lost, to forgive our sins by taking them to the cross. “Who is He?” Immanuel, God with us! The incarnate Word made flesh coming from heaven to earth to live with us and give His life for us. Note the present tense - God with us, not in the distant past, nor some remote time in the future but now. God is with us in our struggles, our sorrows, in disappointments as well as in our joys when we open our hearts to Him.  May we worship Immanuel in wonder and awe this Holy Season and may you indeed have a blessed Christmas.  

Sue D. Woods

Devotional 12-14-20

 PREPARING THE WAY

Micah 5:2-4

The Lectionary readings this fall have focused on the Exodus story in which God prepared the way for the children of Israel by choosing a leader, providing food in the wilderness and parting the Rea Sea. Now forward to around 731 BC. The fall of Damascus marked the end Syria’s freedom and shortly thereafter the fall of Northern Kingdom followed. While Judah survived the Assyrian regime, it was a vassal state.  
   
It was during this period that Micah lived and prophesied and we learn that the Lord was preparing the way for the One to come.  “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”  In his commentary about the prophet, William Barclay points out that at the time of Micah’s writing, there were two towns called Bethlehem.  Micah chose the correct one where Jesus would be born.  (In Genesis 35:19, we learn that Ephrathah is identified with Bethlehem near the place where Rebecca died.)  Unlike some of the other prophets, Micah came from common people. He prophesied that the one to come would be born among the smaller, insignificant clans. Micah also described a shepherd king. “And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.”

Sometimes we miss God’s blessings because they do not come in the form or fashion we anticipate.  We may recall an occasion when our prayers were answered in ways we did not foresee.  Permit a brief personal example.  For over a year I have worked at finding a purchaser for our office building.  I had an idea of the perfect match, a small business or professional service which would utilize the downstairs rooms and benefit from the wonderful tenant in the second floor space.  Despite much work and assistance from real estate agents, nothing materialized.  In early fall an offer came which did not fit my image, one who wished to occupy the entire building.  I prayed and pursued the offer.  What I did not know at that time was that Agency upstairs had an opportunity to expand their business by relocating to the eastern part of the city at year end.  I did not know, but God knew and was preparing the way.  

There is a concept in our Christian faith called prevenient grace, that is, grace which precedes and comes before us.  It is another way of saying that God is at work, preparing the way just as through the prophet Micah so many years ago.  We are now deep into the Advent Season. May we give thanks for the ways in which God is at work in out lives, as we prepare for the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.  

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
Above the still and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.
Yet in the dark streets shineth, an everlasting light;
The hope and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. “

Sue D. Woods

Devotional 12-12-19

Keeping Watch

Luke 2: 8   “And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field and keeping watch by night over their flock.”

There are a number of references in the Bible to shepherds and comforting images related to them.  Yet the work of a shepherd was difficult and demanding, a lowly and lonely job.  It required constant attention to provide grazing pastures by day, then keeping watch and protection from predators at night.  It was to the shepherds that the angel of the Lord first appeared with joyous, “breaking news.”

A Savior for all people was born in the city of David, Christ the Lord.  In Bethlehem, the city of David, the young mother Mary was keeping watch over the infant child born in a most humble setting.   She, too, had been visited by an angel months before and learned that she was “highly favored,” chosen by God for an extraordinary purpose.

One of my most memorable childhood Christmas’ happened long ago when I was about eight years old.  A kind woman named Sarah came several hours a week to our apartment to assist our mother with household tasks.  She was probably about thirty years of age although she seemed older to me.  As I recall she had four children.  Her husband was a decent person when sober but it was another story when he squandered family resources on alcohol.  One such episode happened several weeks before Christmas that year.  My parents were concerned for Sarah and keeping watch over the situation as Christmas neared.  They knew that if there would be any Christmas for Sarah’s family, we were called to provide it.  While our mother handled most of the planning, each person in our family had a responsibility.  Mine was to purchase a special gift for Sarah’s three-year-old daughter.  I went to the toy department with some money I had saved but mostly money given to me for this gift.  I purchased a doll.  A few days later I realized that I had bought a gift I would like rather than one for Sarah’s young child.  I asked my mother to take me back to the store.  A gracious sales clerk greeted me.  I told her why I was returning the gift and why I needed the money returned to me.  “I can do that.” She seemed like an angel as she counted the dollar bills and coins in my hand.  “Before your go, there is a doll I believe is what you want.”  It was indeed, a baby doll perfect in every way.  On the morning of Christmas Eve, we filled stockings with an apple, orange, candy canes and smaller gifts for each child. That evening we went as a family to Sarah’s home after her children were tucked into bed.  She met us on her porch.  When she saw the gifts and food, tears flowed down her face.  Her only words were: “Thank you Lord, Jesus; thank you Lord, Jesus.”  It seemed to me that we had been to Bethlehem that night.  

And so, as we are keeping watch over usual responsibilities and extra tasks this Advent season, it is well to ponder where God may be calling us to share good news.  As we respond to God’s leading, there is a word for the wise.  Stay attentive, for you never know when you might meet an angel of the Lord.

Sue Darlington Woods

Devotional - Christmas Evening

Christmas Blessing

The following is “A Christmas Blessing” Betty Long prayed in my home about six years ago on Christmas Day.  Last year I invited friends from church for a meal near Christmas and used this prayer.

“Almighty Father,  How beautiful upon the mountains was the news of your coming and last night the heavens again reflected your glory and might,  crisp and moon lite as it must have been when you were born.

Each year we are blessed anew with the story of your birth.  For all of our lives we have shared this miracle with those we love and loved - then, now and may it continue forever. The gifts of your love and care know no ending.  We each share the memory of those gifts in our own way.

May we meet the challenges of tomorrow unafraid.

We thank you for the food prepared for us this night and ask that you bless the world with your message of peace.   Dear God, bless the family and friends gathered here tonight.    Amen.”

Sue D. Woods

Devotional 12-8-16

Giving and Receiving

We are well into Advent with thankfulness for a time of preparation of our hearts and spirits.  Indications that Christmas is near are all around us: packages in the mail, catalogs searched for just the right gift, online shopping for bargains and convenience, malls filled with people, glitter and decorations.

If you are like most persons, including myself, we focus a lot on giving.  After all, are we not reminded: “It is better to give than to receive.”  Certainly, with so many needs in the world there is much truth in these words. It may be better to give than to receive but perhaps it is more difficult the other way around: to be the recipient.  I find this to be the more challenging of the two and yet, isn’t receiving at the heart of Christmas?  I confess that I must remember at times that it is not the content of the package received but the love of a family member or close friend who has given a gift to me.  I need more attention to receiving graciously and gratefully.

Have you ever had the experience of no acknowledgment of a gift given or sent in the mail?  Perhaps not often, but this leaves us with uncertainty.  Was the gift received?  Did the recipient dismiss it casually?  I have wondered if this is the way God may feel at Christmas.  He has given the perfect gift, that of Himself in the form of a little child who came to live and dwell among us, sent to be the Savior of the world.  The gift of the Christ child is for anyone and for all; we have only to receive God’s gift with gratitude.  Receive and be blessed.  May this be the season when we open our hearts to do just that at Christmas and in the coming year.

       “How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given;
        So God imparts to human hearts
        the blessings of His heaven.
         No ear may hear His coming; but in this world of sin,

         Where meek souls will receive Him;
         Still, the dear Lord enters in.”

Sue Darlington Woods
with an inspiration from Dr. Richard Lancaster, (now among the saints in heaven.)

Devotional 12-23-14

Pray without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.   (Thessalonians 5:16- 18)

Earlier this fall one of the weekly devotionals focused on the question of what does it mean to “pray without ceasing.”  The idea expressed was that all aspects of our life can be offered to God through prayer, and there are many different ways to pray in addition to our intentional, quiet time of prayer. This meaningful devotional also reminded me of an illustration of the latter, intentional prayer.  

For many years there was a ministry at the church known as the Tuesday Morning Prayer Group. The associate pastor who began this ministry in the 1980’s , Rev. Dr. Charles Echols, is still remembered by many for his spirit filled life and teachings.  On one occasion during a meeting of the Prayer Group he encouraged those present to think beyond family, friends and immediate contacts, to choose a person for whom they had never prayed and do so each day “without ceasing” for one year.  My mother was among those who accepted this invitation.

Sometime after that year and the peaceful conclusion to the Cold War, we learned that the person for whom she had prayed was Mikhail Gorbachev.  When asked why she had chosen him, she mentioned several factors.  First, she and my father had been on a trip to the Scandinavian countries which also included several days in St. Petersburg, Russia.  They had seen the oppression of the people, Bibles banished under the Soviet regime, churches used as museums and even government offices.  They had also witnessed the courage of a lovely tour guide who said:  “Please enter the next room quietly; it remains a sacred place.”  Secondly, she had read that Mr. Gorbachev’s mother had been a Christian and that he was been baptized as a young child.  If accurate, and she believed it to be, this provided assurance that he had been claimed as a child of God years before, whether he knew it or not.  Thus she began a prayer journey that his heart and mind might warm to the needs of his people and that he might become receptive to God’s spirit at work in his life.   While many factors contributed to the peaceful end of the Cold War, these include, at least in my mind, the work of the Holy Spirit.  

God loves us, cares about each of us and covets the prayers of His people.  For whom might we “pray without ceasing” in the coming year?  The possibilities are endless in a time of crisis around the world, problems facing our nation, needs in our community and yes, needs in our church. What measures might we continue to take to identify, encourage and welcome children into our fellowship that they may be baptized, hear the stories of Jesus and experience the love of God?

“Every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.  Yes, every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.”  Nudge us, oh God, to feel Thy spirit at work in us as we pray in Jesus name.  Amen.

Sue Darlington Woods