RevRobin

Tuesday, December 6

Let every heart prepare Him room!
From Joy to the World

By Sharon H.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” God’s gift to the world , His beloved Son, Jesus, is the source of JOY to the world.

“Let earth receive her King.” With hearts filled with joy, the Magi, shepherds, and all who, by faith, followed the star to the site of the Holy birth, went on their ways to proclaim the JOYous message of Christ’s birth.

“Let every heart prepare him room” We are compelled by God to share in and spread this message of JOY. Let us do this by shar­ing God’s gift to us through family, friends, and those less fortu­nate. Make room, warm hearts, and bring JOY.

“And Heaven and nature sing . . . .” The angels, God’s messen­gers to the shepherds, resound with Heavenly hosts and proclaim a new JOY to the world—the birth of the Christ child, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, the Savior of the world. No greater JOY in the hearts of people on earth can be experienced. Too often we fail to keep Christ in Christmas by allowing earthly desires and pursuits to overshadow the real importance of the glorious season. Strive to spread the JOYous message to all humankind through thought, word, and deed.

Prayer: Lord God, our Heavenly Father, grant, we beseech you, to allow us to live our lives each day in the same manner Jesus lived His life on earth—in humility and with concern for our fellow human beings. Strengthen our faith in You that we may daily strive to spread the JOY of Your beloved Son’s birth. Amen.

Monday, December 5

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices!
From O Holy Night

By Marilyn W.

Christmas – rush, rush!!! Is the shopping done? What about the decorations? The children are in a school program. There are basketball games, Christmas concerts, holiday parties, baking, cleaning, etc., etc. The extended family will be here this weekend. WHOA!!! STOP!!!

The meaning of this season – think about it. Meditate on the jour­ney of Mary and Joseph, the birth of the son of God, the shep­herds in the fields, the star. Stare at your favorite angel on the Christmas tree. Listen to Christmas carols and concentrate on the words.

O Holy Night was written in the early 1800s. The things that caused those people to be weary were different from now, but how easy it is to get caught up in those things that keep us from focus­ing on our Lord no matter what year, or time of year, it is. We live in a weary world, especially at this time of year, But we need to focus on this “thrill of hope” – hope brought to us as a baby in a manger – and rejoice.

The next line in O Holy Night is “for yonder breaks a new and glori­ous morn.” With our Savior the main focus of our lives, we can awake every day to the promise of “a new and glorious morn.” That doesn’t mean we won’t get physically weary with activities, but our attitude will be joyfully on the reason for this Christmas celebration – the birth of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, help me to focus on “the thrill of hope” and awaking each day to “a new and glorious morn.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sunday, December 4

O come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind.
From O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

By Janet W.

It’s an invitation, isn’t it? That’s what strikes me most about this hauntingly beautiful Christmas hymn. The melody is full and evocative. The lyrics, to me, are just as compelling—telling the breathtaking story our Messiah’s coming to us. We could analyze words, musical notes, get ‘technical,’ but to me, it’s an invitation. The greatest invitation of all time.

I knew it was fate—writing this particular devotional. It’s been my favorite Christmas song for years. I approached the binder with my usual “let’s sign up and move on” thought process. I didn’t look over the entire binder; I simply glanced at the sign-up sheet, picking a date. One of the first blanks I saw was Dec. 4, so I filled in my name, hoping I’d get a ‘good song.’

When I saw that it was “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” I became filled with those familiar, serendipitous “chills” of Advent time. That ever-present yet always surprising, fulfilling feeling came over me— the old “this wasn’t just a coincidence” feeling.

I’d already received my best Christmas gift of the season (that I know of so far!), and it came from the simple act of signing up to write an Advent devotion.

Not “feeling the Spirit” this Advent season? Invite Christ into your heart: O come, Emmanuel. He’s with you, but you’re not fully experiencing that presence? Invite Christ deeper into your soul: O come, O come, Emmanuel; ransom our captive souls this Christmastide.

“O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine Advent here.”

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we open our hearts to invite you in this Advent. We know that You are already with us. Yet, we still need You. We humbly ask ~ we invite ~ Your Holy given Son into our presence, into everything we do this season and always. O come, O come Emmanuel. We do rejoice as You are Advent.

Saturday, December 3

From our fears and sins release us; Christ, in whom our rest shall be.
From Come, O Long-­expected Jesus

By Rick R.

Advent is a time of anticipation—a necessary and important part of the believer’s life.

Preparation is a key action associated with this anticipation. In preparation for Christ’s first appearance, John the Baptist provided a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Crowds were coming to receive John’s baptism (it was, after all, the popular thing to do); but, he saw that the people were not pre­pared for the coming of Christ. There was no evidence in their life­styles that they understood Christ’s message. After calling them “a brood of vipers” (Luke 3:7), John the Baptist went on to say “Bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Luke 3:8)

As believers, our preparation for Christ’s return involves not only acceptance of Jesus Christ as our savior and genuine repentance of sin; but, also living a lifestyle of “repentance”—an altering of what we rely upon in life, of what we hope for, of what we are counting on for help, and of what we are counting on for salvation. We can rest in the knowledge that Jesus paid the price and died for us. His precious blood releases us from our “fears and sins”.

Celebrate Christmas by preparing the way for His return. Rejoice in the fact that Jesus is the risen Christ. We sing “Come, O Long-expected Jesus” in anticipation of the return of our Lord, Jesus. Share this good news with those around you—tell the world that He lives and is coming again, bringing a message of hope, love, and justice!

Prayer: We bring you more than just our song, we bring a heart of worship, for it’s all about You, Jesus. Show us how to live a life of repentance, pleasing to You. Guide us in the paths of righteous­ness for Your name’s sake. Make us a light unto an unsaved world and use us as living witnesses to those individuals in our sphere of influence. Thank you, Lord, that your purposes are always accom­plished. Amen.

Friday, December 2

So come, our Sovereign; enter in!
From Lift Up Your Heads, O Mighty Gates

By Rev. Arlene Franks

Advent, as we know, is a time of anticipation and preparation. We are anticipating the arrival of the Messiah, and we are pre­paring our hearts and lives for Christ to enter in.

This 17th century hymn is based on Psalm 24, in which David calls the people to prepare the city of Jerusalem for the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant. “Open the gates of the city, so that the Lord may enter!” the Psalm implores.”Let God dwell here and be your Lord.” This hymn uses the imagery of opening the gates of the city and calls us to open the gates of our hearts so that Jesus the Christ may enter and dwell within us. When we sing this hymn, we invite the Savior in:

“So come, my Sovereign, enter in! Let new and nobler life begin! Thy Holy Spirit, guide us on, until the glorious crown be won.”

This Advent, will you let Christ in? Will you make room for the Sav­ior in your hearts, in your lives, in your homes? Will you bring a Christian heart with you to your workplace, while running errands, when you’re shopping? Finally, will you share the heart of Christ with the people you meet each day—your family, your children’s teachers, your co-workers, friends and even strangers? We have no greater gift to give the Christ Child but ourselves. Be the most wonderful gift you can be.

Prayer: Come, our sovereign enter in; make us vessels of your love and grace. Let us share Your gift with the world. Amen.

Thursday, December 1

When God is a child there’s joy in our song.
From When God Is a Child

By Rev. Gloria Hernandez

Advent is probably my favorite of the church seasons for a number of reasons. Advent comes just as the hours of daylight are at their shortest and cold is settling in for the winter . . . Advent brings us warm candlelight and anticipation. Advent is full of the wonder and mystery of “God with us” . . . Emmanuel. Ad­vent is full of wonderful scents, beautiful visions, and glorious sounds . . . evergreen, pine, and cedar, royal blues and purple, and hymns not quite Christmas. The season of Advent gifts us with hymns like “When God is a Child.”

This relatively new hymn reminds us that with extravagant love, God came to us as a child . . .helpless, vulnerable, and needy. But it also reassures us that “When God is a Child” there is hope, peace, love, and joy for us because God is Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy! The refrain of this hymn challenges us as members of a community of faith to be hope . . . peace . . . love . . . and joy in our world, which is sorely in need of healing. When we are able to share hope, bring peace, and do all things with love, then there is “joy in our song . . . and none shall be afraid.”

Prayer: Loving God, may each day of Advent bring us closer to You. Teach us to be hope, peace, and love to those closest to us, to those who love us, and to those who don’t. Fill our hearts with anticipation and joy. Amen.

Wednesday, November 30

God with us, revealed in us.
From Emmanuel, Emmanuel

By Rev. Jennie Churchman

This line from the Christmas carol “Emmanuel, Emmanuel” has always struck me as a bit odd. You would expect it to be, “God with us, revealed to us.” That’s how we normally think of the incarnation. God has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus. The veil between heaven and earth has been lifted, and we catch a glimpse of the divine in the face of that baby born in Bethlehem. “Revealed to us,” indeed. And yet, that’s not how the carol goes.

The phrase “revealed in us” gives a completely different perspec­tive of the incarnation. It’s not just what we learn about God in the birth of Jesus; it’s also what we learn about ourselves. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. Because Jesus was both fully divine and fully human, of course his birth would have some­thing to say about our nature. His coming—His Advent—means that our lives now have a greater purpose. They have a sacred purpose. We are the ones who reveal God-with-us to the world.

How do we do that? Let me count the ways! We can be like Mary. She said yes to God’s call when it would have been so much eas­ier (and safer) to turn away. So it is with us, if we say “yes” to the call. We can be like the shepherds. Luke tells us they left the manger with enthusiasm, glorifying and praising God for all they had seen. So it is with us, if we turn loose of our fear and let the Good News of Jesus Christ radiate out from us. We can be like the wise men. You know the story. When they finally found the place where the child was, they opened up their treasure chests and offered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts told the story of the Christ event for those with eyes to see. So it is with us, when we share our gifts in meaningful, prayerful ways.

We have been given a significant responsibility. Emmanuel has been revealed to us; now it is up to us to reveal Him in our lives. Let’s use this season of Advent to find new and exciting ways to reveal God-with-us to all around.

Prayer: Merciful God, you have given us such responsibility—to reveal Emmanuel with our lives. Give us the courage and the vision to live up to this call. Inspire us to find new and loving ways to reveal Jesus the Christ through our words and our deeds. Amen.

Monday, November 28

Sunday, November 27

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!
From O Little Town of Bethlehem
By Eva D.