Category Archives: Daily Devotion

Love Came Down at Christmas

Advent

December 24, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

What would life be like without God? We exalt God as being omnipotent—all-powerful, omniscient—all-knowing, and omnipresent—always with us. However, the overriding character that makes these descriptors meaningful is that God is love. We have seen examples of leaders who momentarily ruled as if they were greater than anyone else throughout history. Most turned their power into authoritarianism, using the people to enhance their wealth and power. God created the world based on the premise that it works best when God’s love for us is accepted, returned, and reflected outward toward all of God’s creation.

We get into trouble when we seek to possess the powers of God without that foundation of love. In everything we do, we must make a habit of considering whether our actions pass the test of love. Jesus, the Christ, was sent not only to teach us about love but to demonstrate it in all that he did. Understanding Jesus’s ways give us the tools we need to live and love as he does.

Love came down at Christmas,
love all lovely, Love divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
star and angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, Love divine;
worship we our Jesus,
but wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token;
love be yours and love be mine;
love to God and others,
love for plea and gift and sign*.

Prayer: Lord, help me develop the habit of testing my actions and words against the example of love Jesus set for all. Amen.

*Poem Love Came Down at Christmas by Christina Georgina Rossetti

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Blessed

Advent

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. –Hebrews 1:1-4

On the evening sports, I watched Tiger Woods hugging his son after coming in second in some father/son golf tournament and saw the love from both as they walked off the green together. Earlier in the year, Tiger was nearly killed in a terrible car accident and faced the possibility of losing one of his legs. That event changed them both. Both recalculated what is most valuable in life.

As we look forward to celebrating the coming of God with Us in the form of the infant Jesus, let us envision the love God has for God’s Son and how much the Son loved God. God’s giving Jesus as the Christ is the greatest gift we will ever receive. Jesus willingly modeled the way of love in his life, death, and resurrection, is the greatest blessing of all.

Children have always been our future. Therefore, we must invest our better selves in providing them with the faith, hope, and love that will prepare them for whatever calamity they may meet and how to make the best of their skills and talents to create the world God envisioned for us at creation. I mentioned calamity first because we seem to be surrounded by it now with pandemics, violent storms and other challenges of climate change, violence on the streets, and poverty in all our communities. However, our commitment to using our skills and talents as partners in God’s Kingdom prepares us to deal well with calamity and blessings.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your saving grace and the gift of your Son as a model of how we are to love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Sing a New Song

Advent

December 22, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 98

O sing to the Lord a new song,
   for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
   have gained him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory;
   he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
   to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
   the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
   break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
   with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
   make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. –Psalm 98:1-6

I am ready to sing a new song or, for that matter, to sing at all. My church returned to in-person worship in September, and our choir was present in masks and socially distanced, but it was a joy to hear them sing. We are trying to be very diligent about following such precautions because we do not want to go back to our homes and computers. Yet we learned much from experience. We continue to live stream our services because those homebound enjoy the service. We have added hybrid Sunday School with people in the classroom and some on Zoom. Singing a new song has its challenges but is also rather refreshing. I attended a seminar on worship several years ago where the speaker said it was essential to maintain some routine in worship, or people would spend most of their time figuring out what was happening and forgetting to worship. It was equally necessary to insert one change somewhere in each service so people would not go through the motions and forget to worship.

As we move closer to Christmas Day, let us add something each day to our routine to remind us what we are celebrating and why.

Prayer: Lord, teach us a new song as all kinds of challenges overcome our lives. Help us meet each one with the knowledge that You are with us. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Work of Love

Advent

December 21, 2021

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

A wood stove heated our home when I was a child. One of my first jobs on the farm was to carry an arm full of kindling to the house while my Dad had an armload of heavy wood cut to the size that would fit in the stove. I remember well my Dad unbuttoning the sleeves of his shirt and rolling them up his arm to give him more power to cut the long logs into stove-size fuel. He had muscular arms and raised the ax high above his head, bringing it down in a swift and powerful chop. The phrase to roll up one’s sleeves and get busy stems from such work. Isaiah may be using that analogy when he writes that The Lord has bared his holy arm, indicating he has done, is doing God’s work and perhaps raising the question, are we?

God did not send Jesus to save God’s people to sit on our laurels—to be satisfied with past success and do nothing to achieve further success. God had a definite plan when the world was created based on love and interdependence. When God’s people resist doing their part, God sent prophets to remind us who we are and what our purpose is. God finally sent God’s Son as the ultimate gift of grace and salvation.

I like the imagery of rolling up one’s sleeves and getting to work for those who want to rest on laurels. The Lord set the example for us when he bared his holy arm. Isaiah might not have known how prophetic he was when he wrote this poem, but one cannot help but envision Jesus’s bare arms stretched on a cross on our behalf. Jesus called us as disciples to continue the work that God expected for us. As we celebrate such a gift as this, let us roll up our sleeves and love the world into becoming the Kingdom God desired.

Prayer: Lord, help us see where love is needed and guide us in filling the gaps.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Peace

Advent

December 20, 2021

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
   saying, ‘Peace, peace’,
   when there is no peace. –Jeremiah 6:14

When we think of the word “peace,” we often consider the lack of war or perhaps peace of mind. The terms used above in Isaiah and Jeremiah’s quotes are translations of the Hebrew word “Shalom*” and have a broader meaning, including completeness, soundness, welfare, (plus) peace*. Recently, we have experienced the withdrawal from a war in Afghanistan that lasted for 20 years and continues today, although our nation is not in the fighting.  Yet, we are experiencing little peace as we deal with violence of all kinds and miss the joy of peace of mind. How do we withdraw from the battles of who is right and wrong and who owns God?

As we approach the celebration of the coming of the Christ child, let us take some time to restore our souls with love that poured forth from God at the birth of a child, an innocent entering a world that was just as messed up as we are now. He, however, brought with him and taught us the ways of shalom, if we are willing to give up those things that divide us and follow the path that Christ set before us.

Prayer: God of Love and Mercy, forgive us when we let the world distract us and lead us off the path you carved for us. Draw us back to the road you set before us, Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7965.htm

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Love is a Choice

Advent

December 19, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

What does it mean to be born of God? The stories of Jesus’s birth relate the great mystery of one born of God, assumed to be a king. Jesus was born into a world full of gods of all types and purposes. The Roman kings of the first century all claim to be divine. Jesus’s being proclaimed as the Son of God was not unusual in that time and place. The unexpected element of Jesus’s ministry was having been given the power to make everyone children of God.

John reminds us that Jesus was with God at the beginning of the world when all humans were created in God’s image. John then tells us that God wants humans to choose to accept and love God. I do not believe it is possible to make anyone love someone else. Love does not love unless it comes from the heart and soul of the lover. The whole idea of free will is tied to that concept. We often interpret free will as the right to sin or not. I think John may be viewing the free will that God grants us as the right to love God by choice. What accompanies the choice to love God is the commitment and empowerment to love others as we love God. Indeed, separation from God exists when we choose not to love God, and all types of folly can follow. We are experiencing that in our world today.

Prayer: Creator God, You designed a world that functions at its most excellent efficiency when love rules, help us let go of anything that distracts us from living in love.  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Immersed in God’s Ways

Advent

December 18, 2021

Scripture Reading: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

We are each a combination of our genetics, life experiences, cultural influences, as was Jesus when he came to dwell among us. The Scripture above describes his beginning present at the creation of the world. The book of John delves into the mystery, might, and majesty of Jesus, the Christ. Matthew, Mark, and Luke shared more about his human experiences and dwelling with other humans. Star Trek may have borrowed from those scenarios when it had a series of shows that place the ominous Q in the experience of being a human without his supernatural powers. It was very tough for him. His reactions were more like those of Moses, raised in the Pharaoh’s palace when he struggled to accept his identity as an Israelite, having been raised as a royal. He killed a man and ran for his life. Moses spent some time as a shepherd trying to find himself until he found the burning bush. Jesus had the advantage of being born and raised in human form. He knew what it meant to work hard and perhaps be hungry. He knew who held power and who did not. Jesus’s trip to the wilderness with John the Baptist was designed to immerse him into life as the Son of God.

During Advent, let us consider how well our humanness meshes with our faith. Does our genetics, culture, or life experiences define our faith, or have we immersed ourselves in the ways of the living God? One of the greatest gifts God gave us was a baby born in a manger who, from the beginning, knew personally the struggles we face, who taught us how to love one another because of or despite our genetics, life experiences, and cultural influences.

Prayer: God of Grace, we thank you for the gift of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and minds to life as he taught us. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Sanctified

Advent

December 17, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
   but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
   you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
   (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’
When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The definition of the word sanctify has two meanings* that I believe are inseparable.

a: made holy: made free of sin or free from the bondage of sin

b: set apart to sacred duty or use

Hebrews tells us that we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

I grew up when the phrase, once saved always saved, was in vogue. I had never heard that phrase before I went to church camp with my best friend one summer. My family attended a different denomination church than hers did, although I did not know what a denomination was at the time. I, never having enough sense to keep my mouth shut, disagreed with the teacher when she expressed that tenet of faith in class. I said something to the effect that we also had to follow Jesus once we were saved. If we did not, we had to ask for forgiveness. I do not think a student had ever disagreed with her before.  She called my mother and recommended that she chat with me not only about my misled beliefs but also about my disrespect for authority. My mother did ask me if I had been polite and stressed that I always should be. She suggested that the next time something like that happened; I might not want to make a big deal because people did have different ways of expressing themselves.  Mom did not think the teacher meant we no longer had to ask for forgiveness.

I do not consider myself an expert on the absolutes of salvation, but I still understand Jesus’s teachings as saying if you do not live it, you do not believe it.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we stray from the path you have set before us, and for folks like me, put a guard over our mouths** as we try to live our faith. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you***. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/sanctified

**Psalm 141:3

***Psalm 19:14

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

God’s Grace

Advent

December 16, 2021

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
   but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt-offerings and sin-offerings
   you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, “See, God, I have come to do your will, O God”
   (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).’
When he said above, ‘You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt-offerings and sin-offerings’ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‘See, I have come to do your will.’ He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Civilization from its inception seemed to intuitively understand that there was something more powerful than individuals and even clusters of people, so they identified gods for all occasions.  Our ancestors in faith were among the first to recognize that there was one supreme God who created them and set the ways for them to live successfully. Yet, they struggled to know God more nearly as they discerned their imperfections in following God’s ways and sought a means to rectify their failure by offering what was of value to them. Eventually, the prophets helped them understand that they were valuable to God. God did not want their perfect sheep or even a turtle dove. God wants loving relationships with each and all of God’s children, and among them, in a world, God created to meet their every need. He made that clear in accepting the utmost offering of Jesus in his death on the cross.

Once we learn that we cannot buy God’s grace, that it is a gift, we are forced to deal with living a life of loving God and loving others in times when we may not want to love some of those others at all. God indicates, however, that the best way to show our love for God is to love all others just as they are. People we encounter who, in our opinion, are harming themselves and others need even more of our love. I do not think we can individually change anyone, but we can plant seeds to open their minds to new ideas and their hearts to receiving love by walking beside them as we all grow toward the perfection Paul describes in his writings. The hard part for us is that we must follow Jesus’s instruction in Luke 6:42, how can you say to your neighbor, “Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye”, when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I am more self-righteous than righteous. Help me to see the image of God in each of my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Living Love

Advent

December 15, 2021

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:39-45

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

Isn’t it wonderful to have someone we can go to whenever we need comfort or help or just some time to think? Elizabeth was such a person for Mary. She had to travel a long way to get from Nazareth in Galilee to a Judean town in the hill country. I wonder if she went by herself, did her family know she was going? Did Joseph? If we read between the lines, I think we find a lot more to Mary, mother, meek, and mild than we give her credit. I guess Charles Wesley saw the same grit in Mary’s son as Charles Wesley wrote the hymn Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little child**.

We, too, as Disciples of Christ, are called to be there for others when they need us and make difficult decisions in times like these. I am thankful that the gospels’ authors shared the disputes among the twelve disciples when Jesus was in their midst. So many of us today, during the holiday season, are skirting around family members and friends who interpret their faith differently than we do. In times like these, we need to seek common ground for the common good. It will make for a better Christmas dinner.

Prayer: Lord, help us let go of the things that divide and take hold of the things that will bring love into every room. Amen.

 *See the song at https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/mary_mother_meek_and_mild.htm

**See at https://hymnary.org/text/gentle_jesus_meek_and_mild_look_upon

Scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of

America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.