Advent

The Gift of Grace

Titus 2:11-14

By Arlene F.

In the 1997 film The Apostle, Robert Duvall portrays a severely flawed preacher who, after a horrible life-changing act, flees his hometown. Finding himself in unfamiliar territory, he decides to form a new congregation. He tries to escape his past, but he can’t escape his character.

He is a born preacher, an evangelist, a true apostle of Christ. In one of his exuberant sermons, he declares, “Grace is free, but it ain’t cheap!”

This passage from Titus echoes that notion when it proclaims that Jesus Christ is grace personified. Grace is a gift from God born in Jesus of Nazareth and paid for by Christ’s witness, pain, and sacrifice.

And while grace is freely given, it demands something from us, too. Grace “trains us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age (calls us) to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.” (vs. 12)

Grace is not a magic wand that wipes our life slates clean of flaws, sins, and mistakes. It doesn’t lessen our pain and struggles, but rather, buoys us up in the tumultuous times of our lives when we feel helpless or just plain worn out from trying to live a righteous life.

Grace can arrive in various forms and often comes to us unexpectedly. Writer Anne Lamott, in her book on prayer, Help, Thanks, Wow, talks of this quality of grace.

“I’ve seen grace manifest as spiritual WD 40, as water-wings, as ribbons of fresh air in dark, scary rooms,” she writes. “And I’ve witnessed the intervention of goofy angels, the poor short-straw angels who seem to draw me.” (p. 20)

The Advent Season, or Christmas time to the outside world, can be a time of great stress. Planning the perfect holiday, navigating complex family systems and even memories of past losses can affect our moods. And continuous reminders that this is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year only serves to heap guilt on top of stress and pain.

Take time to notice when grace arrives. Find times of peace during your busy days. Be gracious in your encounters with folks-especially those who annoy you the most. They probably are feeling the stress of the season, too. Show them what grace looks like.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the grace that surrounds us, waiting for us to notice and be touched by it. Lead us to moments when we can extend your compassion, love, and grace to those we meet. Amen.

Sing Loud and Clear

Psalm 96

Robin R.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. Psalm 96: 11-13

Spoiler Alert: In the movie “Elf,” it is revealed that Santa’s flying sleigh is powered by belief in Santa. On Christmas Eve, the backup rocket engine fails and to save Christmas, all of New York City needs to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. In the film, Buddy the Elf says, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for everyone to hear.”

Is that silly and nonsensical? Yes. Does it miss that the real reason for Christmas is the incarnation of God on Earth? Absolutely. Nevertheless, when grumpy James Caan is moved to start singing and that sleigh lifts off the ground, my cold, hard Grinch heart starts to melt and I tear up a little, every time.

So how do I get from oversized elves to Psalms? King David lived in a troubled time, (as do we). It would have been easy for him and his people to lose faith in God’s promise for them. But instead he wrote this Psalm, calling us to look to God’s reign on Earth, and to “Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.” Though it was written looking to the future, Jesus’s birth brings these Psalms to us in the present tense: The trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord for he is here, He has come to bring his truth to us.

The verses of these Psalms are not just something to read. They are built to be sung. They are calling to us, imploring us to allow the presence of God to take over our whole hearts and our voices. Grab your closest Bible and read Psalm 96 aloud a few times. God’s presence lives in these words written nearly 3000 years ago. And speaking them in our living rooms and out in the world is one of the ways that the Kingdom of God is realized in our midst.

The best way to spread Jesus’ cheer is to sing loudly for everyone to hear. So true, Buddy. So true.

Prayer: Lord, in this time when it’s often easier to keep silent or to mumble your praises, inspire me to sing loudly of your presence in my life. Show me how to make the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be a delight to You every day. In Jesus’ loving name I pray. Amen

 

The Courage of Mary

Luke 1 :26-38

Arlene F.

And Mary said, “Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say.” (Luke 1:38 The Message)

Mary had such courage. Young, not-yet married, from an ordinary family, she didn’t see anything special about herself that she should be called by God to do this extraordinary thing: Give birth to the Christ child.

I don’t think she even fully understood what she had agreed to at first. But she had a strong, enduring faith. She trusted God. And that’s all it took for her to believe she was being called to do something life-changing, indeed, world-changing.

Anyone would expect her to be afraid, to be hesitant, to be in doubt. And I’m sure she was. Yet her answer to God’s call for her life is a confident “yes.” She will go boldly into the unknown because God has asked her to do so.

Walking into the unknown is scary. It could be dark and terrible in there. Or it could be filled with light and joy. It’s, well, the unknown, after all. But God calls us to journey together into unfamiliar places every day.

God will go with us, but each of us has to take that first step. Feeding the hungry, helping the oppressed, championing peace, proclaiming Good News to the captives — we are each called to further God’s kingdom in this time and in this place.

Will we go where God sends us? Hopefully, like Mary, we will go boldly, dedicated to the vision of our living God, confident that we can make some impact in this hurting world. But, God will accept our going cautiously, hesitantly, even warily, as long as we go.

God calls to us through the birth of his son and our Christ in this Advent season. So it’s a pretty good time to start our journeys into the unknown, to serve God through serving God’s creation.

Prayer: O God, as you call us out of our routines and familiar places toward your kingdom-building path into unknown territory, may we go boldly, confidently, without hesitation. But if we cannot, remind us that it’s ok to go with fear and trembling, even doubt. Because you will be with us every step of the way. Amen.

Joyful Noise

Psalm 98: 1-9

Randy K. C.

Noise. Joyful? The nine verses of Psalm 98 tell us to make a joyful noise unto the Lord with music, trumpets, harp, voice and clapping of our hands.

There seems to be a lot of noise in our society today. It is impossible to go through a day without hearing some noise. We often think of the word noise in a negative way.

Students, and sometimes adults, occasionally get noisy. Battlefields are noisy with guns and cannons blasting. Stores are noisy with music playing over the intercom, people talking, and cash registers “beeping” as they read the bar codes at the checkout lane. Some people have their car radio turned on so loud you can hear it as you drive by. Years ago the radio was considered optional equipment on a vehicle. Today, can you even purchase a new car without a radio?

What would Christmas be without music? The traditional Christmas songs are joyful noises that we should embrace each year. Each Christmas song, both sacred and secular, has a message for young and old alike. Even “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” reminds us that excessive drinking over the holidays can have devastating results.

It is time for all of us to embrace the joyful noises of life and filter out the negative ones that are so often easy to dwell upon. On this day, listen to the joyful noise of the season and even better yet, MAKE some joyful noise that others will WANT to listen to.

Prayer: Lord, quiet the earth with the noises that are not in the spirit of your holiness and help us to sing unto You a new song this advent season that will last forever and ever. Hallelujah! Amen.

Separation and Reunion

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Kathy W.

The passage before us today is one of great joy and exultation, but the scriptures that immediately precede it tell of God’s intent to destroy Judah because of their idolatry and unfaithfulness, their separation from God. This reversal of God’s intentions is a glimpse of the redemption that will come to full fruit in the person and godhead of Christ.

Separation and Reunion — the twin poles in our relationship with God. Once we were separated from God; now we are offered reunion through God’s redemption.

Many years ago, while I was sitting on a train in London, I witnessed a physical representation of these spiritual states. I looked out the window and saw a young family-clearly American tourists-getting ready to board the train. As the train pulled into the station, the parents were distracted by their misbehaving son and turned away. The little girl didn’t notice and ran right onto the train as the doors closed. The parents were stricken as the gulf between them and their child widened, moment by accelerating moment. The little girl was terrified and burst into tears. They were separated.

It was a different time, when a stranger could help a helpless child, and I shepherded her off the train at the next stop and back to the station where her parents stood, not so much panicked, but shattered and numb. When they saw their daughter, their faces lit up and tears streamed down the mother’s face. Reunion.

This is the promise of God. We who have been separated from God can be reunited with God. Twice in our scripture passage, we are assured that God is “in our midst”.

The message of Christmas, “Emmanuel — God is with us”, is not new; it has ever been so.

Prayer: God, we thank you for Christ who has crossed the great chasm that separates us from you and your goodness.

Focusing on the Goal

1 Peter 1:3-9

Chris R.

It was 21 years, five institutions, and a colorful variety of career paths in the making, but in 2013 I received my Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership from Eureka College. Wow, did my family and I rejoice! The path, however, was not always smooth.

Higher education and the completion of a bachelor’s degree had always been my intent. The problem which existed for me was the lack of a clearly defined goal. The BA degree was a general objective, but a degree in what? How would I use that degree? What did I want to be when I grow up?

Without a plan, I faltered several times. I tried paths which I stumbled upon and paths of least resistance, but never really put thought into who I wanted to be. It was not until I looked to my family and friends for support that I was able to find the path that was right for me. With their help, I found my passion and was able to chase it with gusto. I had confidence, I had a goalI had faith.

Even though I could not always see the light at the end of the tunnel, I believed I would reach my ultimate goal.

In much the same way, we cannot always see Jesus, nor know exactly what God has planned for us. We face trials in life and have our faith tested. However, if we stay true to God, have faith in Him, and rejoice in the inheritance we have been given through Jesus, we will find salvation.

Prayer: Dear Lord, today’s world has many distractions and many opportunities to only focus on the difficulties we face instead of focusing on Your gift of salvation through Your Son, Jesus. Please grant us the ability to quiet our minds, focus on the joy of the season and rejoice in the presence of Christ in our lives. Amen

Minding What You Do

Philippians 4:8

By Deanna K.

It seems to me with this verse Paul is saying “Hey, I’m almost at the end of this letter and I don’t want to forget to tell you because this is important: Think about the right things!”

Take control of your mind, because the mind is where you take control of yourself. If you think about something, it is most likely you will do what you contemplate the most. If you think about doing wrong, the things God tells us not to do, then you will do wrong. If you think about doing right, the things God tells us to do, then you will do right.

These adjectives — true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy — are all attributes of God. They could also be used to describe his followers. If we strive to be better Christians, then we need to think about God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Asking him to take every thought captive is something that has helped me over the years. Ask him to help you. The Holy Spirit would love to help you do this. If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior, then the Holy Spirit is already inside you, wanting to help you become more and more like Christ. When we ask and then fully give over our thoughts to God, amazing things can happen. Things that only God can do — all because you have given yourself over to HIS guiding of your mind.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask that you would guide my mind this day. Help me to think about the things you want me to think, say, and do. Help me to know your will.

Rejoice!

Psalm 126

Lois F.

I will begin with the end … come to the child Jesus as an adult -come to the adult Jesus, our Christ, as a child. Hmm …. what?

Contemplate yourself in place of the captive — in exile. Just existing, away from everything you know and love, in a place, you cannot fathom. It is dark there.

Perhaps you are in a place where you are experiencing distance from God; Jesus is on a shelf in a spare room … it is just as dark there.

So come, come to the Cradle of Christmas. Come as the child in you longs for His intimacy and as the adult, for Grace that only He has to gift you.

Oh, to see through the glitter and chaos of “Happy Holidays” to the cradle of Christmas; do not be in exile but be renewed!

Prayer: Father, God Almighty, warm our hearts to overflowing with your Majesty. Renew in us your right Spirit, and may we trust in your Word that our peace and joy is in your gift of Christmas and all our days. Emmanuel!

A Spirit Filled Heart

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24

By Carolyn K.

Do you have a Spirit-filled heart? This scripture is Upart of a letter from Paul, describing how we should live in relationship with other people and how we should prepare ourselves for Christ’s second coming. The advice to “be joyful always, pray continually and give thanks in all circumstances” describes a Spirit filled heart which trusts God in all things and is able to even give thanks for the challenges.

This scripture has always been a challenge for me because it’s hard to be thankful in times of illness, loss, death, or disaster. During those challenges or when I’m impatient, or having an emotional response to issues about which I have deep feelings, I have to work very hard at praying and giving thanks. My prayers may end up being more expressions of anger or frustration than thanksgiving. And yet, I know that as a Christian, I do trust God and have the hope that He is in control of my life. When I am able to pray about things that are stressing me, I can feel God’s peace and His presence beside me as I face those challenges. Sometimes hindsight allows me to know that God’s purpose was for my own good, and other times I don’t know His purpose. But I choose to believe that He is guiding me. The joy in my life comes not from my own circumstances, but from what Christ has done for me and from what I can do to support others.

The purpose of Advent is to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ child and to let go of those barriers that prevent us from fully giving our lives to Him. Joy comes as we seek to be open to His voice, especially as we celebrate His birth and begin a new year committed to Him.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the Spirit which fills our hearts with your love and guides us on our life journeys. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you, praying continually and giving thanks for your presence as we reach out to others and as we encounter the challenges in our own lives. Amen

Rebuilding the Kingdom

Isaiah 61: 1-4; 8-11

By Bill Wright

The beautiful words of Isaiah should perhaps be applied first to their own time: here he announces to Israel God’s promise of a chance to rebuild and shine before other nations after a devastating exile. The time of rebuilding, however, was mired in disappointments. As elsewhere in Isaiah, so exalted is his vision of God’s righteousness and promises that the message, like a skipping stone whipped with excessive vigor, careens off its own time and leaps into the future. So we are right to imagine these words splashing down in Jesus’ time-Jesus himself (in Luke’s account) cites verse 1-2 (without the day of vengeance) in his inaugural synagogue lesson-and skipping on to address our own mourning and longing.

What intrigues me here is the shifting of the pronoun “I” from the prophet, then to God (vs. 8), and back in vs. 10 to one rejoicing “with my whole being” in God, adorned with righteousness (or “justice”), surprisingly, as both a bridegroom and bride are “decked” (sounds Christmas-y!). Though unusual, the images work well to evoke the marriage of identities in Jesus-the condescension of the divine, the exaltation of the human.

Miraculous as that sounds, as if it would defy all lines of secure expectations, the conclusion in verse 11 sees righteousness among the nations arising completely naturally.

After all, the world is (still) God’s creation. Advent invites us to recall that, despite frozen and barren appearances, there is no reason that the world cannot be the garden of God’s justice.

Prayer: Come, expected Savior, whet our taste for a justice among the nations beyond imagining, and at the same time restore our faith in possibilities by which we and the earth may be your habitat. Amen.