Advent Devotion for November 30th, the fourth day of Advent

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, into my life and into the life of Your world.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:24

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Devotional: Obedience! Do you think that everyone in both families, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances agreed with or approved of Joseph's actions? Probably not! Do you think that everyone “bought” the story of being encountered in a dream by an angel of God? Do you think that he never had any doubt that he was encountered by an angel? Do you think that he never had to deal with reservations about whether he was doing the right thing, God's will?

 

Obedience to God very seldom happens with absolute certainty. At best, it is initiated by God as a matter of Grace – unearned and unexpected. Appreciated most likely, only by the recipient of this Grace.

 

Faith, trust and obedience are called for in the midst of ambivalence, doubt and uncertainty. Not only about the order or direction given by God, but also about the consequences in the future about such obedience.

 Yet in the midst of the human situation, we are called by God to obedience. Sometimes the call comes to be involved in the familiar and the friendly situation. Other times the call is to abandon the familiar and manageable, and venture out into the unknown and daring. Sometimes the call makes good, logical sense. Other times, it calls for blind response. 

Mary was the epitome of faith. Joseph was the epitome of obedience. Could it be that God is calling you in this Advent season to obedience to God's Will for your life? It may be a major endeavor or one that may look to be rather inconsequential. What is of significance, however, is not our evaluation but that the call is from God whose love for you cannot be measured.

 

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus.

Advent Devotion for November 29th, the 3rd day of Advent

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, into my life and into the life of Your world.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:22-23

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” - which means “God with us.”

Devotional: God's plan for the redemption of His world through Jesus Christ, born of God and man, was known from the beginning of creation. The prophet, Isaiah, was to speak of this child – “God with us” – long before the event took place in human history. The virgin conceiving by the Holy Spirit and giving birth to “God with us” was the plan for the expression of God's redeeming love forever.

Articulated at a completely different time and place in different circumstances has become the expression of the reconciliation of the sinful world to its Creator.

According to John's Gospel, this One born of the Holy Spirit and the virgin, cared for by the human father, Joseph, was before the prophet Isaiah, and was in reality the agent of God creating all things in the beginning.

So Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was from the beginning for all time. This reality of God's Son among us was revealed to Isaiah. This revelation was fulfilled at the birth of Jesus.

Each of us has been forever in the heart and mind of God. Not as Jesus was, that is, not as God, but in the awareness of God before we were born and after we die. There never was a time when we were not in God's love, and God's Will is that we reciprocate with our love for God.

Jesus opens to us an avenue of being with God in God's intricate love forever more. That avenue is paved with the blood of the cross and God's gracious offer of eternal life through faith in His blood.

This Advent provides no more appropriate time or occasion for our faith commitment to fulfill God's eternal Will and purpose for us in Jesus Christ.

Could this be the “eternal moment” for you?

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus.

Advent Devotion for November 28th, the second day of Advent

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, into my life and into the life of Your world.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:20-21.

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

Devotional: As a responsible person, Joseph planned how he was to deal with this totally unanticipated situation. Surely he tried to consider the welfare of all involved or concerned. But after thinking about his and Mary's situation, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and affirmed the astounding reality that the child conceived in Mary's womb is from the Holy Spirit. Therefore he is to refuse to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, and at the birth of the child, Joseph is to give Him the name, Jesus, for this Child will save people from sin.

So the responsibility of managing this situation and all concerned in this is taken away from Joseph and assumed by God. At the same time this is probably a relief to Joseph, but also a terrifying prospect that Joseph and Mary are being used by God as no other human beings have ever been used.

It is one thing to assume, whether true or not, that the individual is in control and responsible to manage self and the historical situation. It is quite another thing to realize, accept and act in accordance with the will of Almighty God. This is true for Joseph and Mary. It is also true for the lives of all God's creatures.

Of course, we must act responsibly, but the bottom line reality for each and all of us is that God is God, and we are not. Our part then in this life is not to run the show or the enterprise, but to seek to discern and to live out of God's Will and management.

In this sense, the story of these two young people is the story of  us all. If we seek to conform our lives to God's Will, there is absolutely no need to “be afraid”.

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus.

Advent Devotion for November 27th, the first Sunday of Advent

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, into my life and into the life of Your world.

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 1:18-19

This is how the birth of Jesus came about: his mother, Mary, was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

Devotional:  Life was following a common course for Mary and Joseph. They had committed to be married to each other; undoubtedly this commitment was accompanied with plans, hopes and dreams for their future family.

But prior to the consummation of their marriage, Mary found herself pregnant by the Spirit of God. How astounding to all concerned! Unheard of! Incredible! Beyond comprehension!

God is not supposed to act this way!

But Mary knew what we must learn. God is not captured or constrained by the past or the future. God's zeal in love to save the world overrides all human limitations or plans or comprehension.

In this most extraordinary way, God chose to send His Savior into this world, so that this child born into and reared in a human family could be for this world Fully God, and at one and the same time, Fully Human. Advent is a time provided for us by God's Grace to prepare ourselves to receive this Jesus; the ultimate and complete experience of God's Grace is Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus.

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanting to wish everyone a happy, safe and blessed Thanksgiving!!