We Light the Candle of Love

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 

1 John 3:1

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

What signs of God's love do you see today?  What signs of God's love will you show?

Two thoughts occur to me.  Thoughts as simple as the straw in a manger.  

Thought One:  Phillip, my spouse, rises each morning descends the stairs before me and has ready when I come, a glass of water and a cup of coffee.  A simple gift, given day after day, for almost 25 years.  This is steadfast, long lasting, patient love.  It is a sign.

Thought Two: Me. When I am angry with my children, I sometimes yell at them.  I often send them away to their rooms.  I rarely call them to me and hold them.  But this is what God did for us when we were going the wrong way.  God came to be with us.  Such great and patient love!

Prayer:

Gracious God,

Let your patient, steadfast, simple love be born in us this day.  

Amen.

We Light the Candle of Joy

Joy Grows

 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹ to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,^[a] the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,^[b] praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

 

It starts with one and then before you know it, there is a multitude.  Look at the rose window in the picture.  See how the petals radiate from the center?  When God sent Joy into the world it came in the form of a baby, a baby that would grow into a man, a man who would offer his life to save all people.  And how that message of joy has grown!

 

This flash mob "Ode to Joy" (click here to link) is a perfect illustration of the growth of joy, the contagious nature of joy. 

 

Where will you share joy this day?

 

Prayer:

Come Lord Jesus!

Plant the seed of joy in my heart that your love may radiate from me.

Amen.

 

Prints of Peace: Digging Deep

He will judge between nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2:4

I love the way the rows of this sprouting field radiate out like the light from a candle.   The furrows of a plowed field are another sign of the coming reign of the Prince of Peace, another "print of peace."  For who is free to plant and tend their fields, who is free to nurture the vineyard when war is raging and farmers are soldiering?

Isaiah's promising words transform instruments of war into tools for planting.  The earth is turned over, perhaps unsettled for the planting of seed which will emerge and grow. 

I wonder what soil in your life is being upturned?  Perhaps it does not feel like the coming of peace to you.  But what might be planted in that upturned soil?  What might grow and flower there?  How can we help our children to see the upturned places in their lives as a place to grow?

Let us pray together today for the transformation of weapons into wheat and soldiers into farmers, enemies into friends, and furrowed ground into plentiful harvest. 

Come Lord Jesus, make us instruments of your peace!

Prints of Peace

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests on his shoulders and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Children have a funny way of misunderstanding the words we say.  Sometimes what they hear has such insight that we hestitate to correct them, like the child who heard these names for the expected Messiah and heard... Prints of Peace, rather than Prince of Peace.



Where have you seen prints of peace in your life? 

Where have you left prints of peace? 

Where would you pray for prints of peace?











Later in Isaiah's prophesy, there is a description of the prints we might see in God's peaceable kingdom.


The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

Isaiah 11:6

I have enjoyed in the last few months seeing what creative parents have done with dinosaurs and elves.  Have you seen them?  Recently, I have seen a few images of unusual visitors to nativity scenes.  One parent wondered if it was okay that their child had put a hippopotamus and a pig in the scene.  Yes!  Advent is a time to use our holy imaginations!  I mean who would imagine wolves and lambs? calves and lions? sisters and brothers?  estranged friends?  waring nations? walking together in peace?

Who would you dare to bring to the manger?  What unlikely pairs would you like to see there?

Look this week for prints of peace as we look with hope for the coming reign of the Prince of Peace.

Prayer:
Come Lord Jesus,
Renew our imaginations with the vision of your coming peace.
Amen.

 

Guess What?

Yesterday the devotion was for parents.  Today it is for children.

What do God's Messangers Look Like?

Read:  Luke 1:5-25

This is a story about a man, Zechariah.  He was a priest.  On this day, he had a very special job to do.  He was going to the holiest place he knew, to the holiest place that the people of Israel knew.  He was going into the heart of the temple to make a sacrifice and pray to God.  This was a special opportunity for Zechariah.  Zechariah expected to meet God in the heart of the temple.  Zechariah expected to talk with God there.

Where do you expect to meet God?  Where do you expect to talk with God?  What would you expect God to say to you? 

While Zechariah was in the heart of God's temple in Jerusalem, the ange Gabriel appeared to him.  The angel could see that he had frightened Zechariah, so he said, "Don't be afraid.  I am a messenger from God.  I have come to you to tell you that your prayers have been answered."  You see, Zechariah had been praying for a long time, not just here in the heart of the temple, but at home and in his local synagogue (church).  Zechariah had been praying for his family and for his community.  He had been praying that God would give him a child.  For his community he had been praying that God would save them from the difficult lives they led under the rule of the Romans, that God would show the people how to live peacefully with one another.

The angel came to tell Zechariah that his prayers had been answered.  That Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth would indeed have a son! And that their son would help to bring about the changes that Zechariah had been praying for.

Zechariah thought this news was pretty funny, since he had nearly lost hope that God would answer his prayers.  You see, Zechariah and Elizabeth were quite old.  Way too old to have a child.  When Gabriel, the angel heard that  Zechariah did not believe, the angel made it so that he could not speak until the child was born. 

Now, you know, this child was not Jesus... he would be John, the one who would come before Jesus, telling everyone that Jesus was on the way. 

The angel brought Zechariah the good news!  The son that would be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth would bring the best news of all, that Jesus the Savior, is coming!  God's messengers can be angels or babies!

What do you think that angel looked like?  Can you draw a picture of the angel that came to Zechariah? 

The picture above is from a book illustrated by Julie Vivas called The Nativity.  It may not be what you thought an angel would look like.  But I think it shows that messengers of good news can come in lots of shapes and sizes.  They may even look like you... or me. 

Can you think of someone who needs to hear the good news of Jesus' coming today?  Maybe you could take the picture you drew and add a message of good news for the person you just thought of.

Prayer:
Dear God,
Zechariah met you in the heart of the temple.  Let me meet you today, in my own heart and in the heart of all whom I meet.  Let us surprize one another with the good news that your kingdom is coming!  Be with all those praying for good news.
Amen.

 

Bearing Another

Today's Devotion is for Moms and Dads.  It is for anyone who has experienced the painful love for a child and for those who stand beside them.  Please share these resources provided here with those who need them.

Reading:  Luke 1:5-38 
While we wait in hope, we remember that the annual anticipation of Christ's birth can be a painful time for many. 

To hear of the angel's visit to Zechariah reminds many that their own hopes for a child have not yet been fulfilled. They grieve for the child that has not yet and may never come. 

To hear these announcements of good news, reminds many of the good news they once heard but which ended in the pain of miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death. 

To hear the angel's proclamation, "your wife is with child...you will have a son," is to bear both life and fear.  For every parent who ever said, "I will hold a child in my heart," has committed to hold both delight and pain. 

For every parent who ever said,

"I will hold a child in my heart,"

has committed to hold both delight and pain. 

Matched here in the Gospel of Luke is surprising news of imminent life delivered first to an old priest and then to a young, unmarried woman.  As we read the familiar stories, our imaginations are filled with the delight of new human life held in wonder, the laughter of chubby cheeks and the toddling run of eager legs.   But in the back of our minds is the knowledge that each of these miraculous boys, John and Jesus, will grow to men.  They will embrace their callings and endure great suffering.

While expecting a baby... Jesus or our own... it is hard to know how to reach out to people who have experienced painful love for a child.  What we do know, is that they long to be heard, they long for our comfort and friendship, for listening ears and compassionate hearts that will hear and bear both the expected delight and the endured pain. For neither joy nor grief are meant to be born alone. 

After the angel departs, Mary seeks out her cousin Elizabeth.   I imagine that during their visit, they share both their dreams and their fears with one another.  In this season of expectation, I pray that you will be received by one who will listen to your hopes and your grief, and that you will be open to recieve others.

Here are two resources I hope you will use and share.  The first is a beautiful devotion for those grieving pregnancy loss written by our former Interim Associate Pastor for Children and Family Minstry, Holding Hope by Ashley-Anne Masters (link here). 

The second is a helpful article
Fifteen Do's and Dont's for Helping a Friend with a Child in the Hospital. (linked here)



Prayer
God of Love,
You gave us your child to show us your love and to bear our pain.
Help us embrace one another as you have embraced us, with love and compassion.
Be with those who mourn the loss of a child.
Be with those who sit by the bed of a child.
Comfort us all with your eternal presence and hope.
In the name of your life giving child,
Amen.

Be still...

Did you laugh at the irony of the title?  Really... you want me to be still?  Don't you know I am a parent, a wife, a husband, employed with more than I can do today?  Don't you know that toddlers never sit still? that third graders have swim practice and homework and something that keeps them from sitting in their chair more than 2 minutes?  Don't you know that Christmas is just around the corner and the list is longer than the hours and the energy between now and then?

Yes, I know. 

And still... there is this.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

⁸ Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
⁹ He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields^[d] with fire.
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

                               Psalm 46:7-11

 

 

This section of the Psalm starts and ends... The Lord, Almighty is with us.

Emmanuel... God, with us.  But how will we know, we ... who scurry and worry, we ... who count on our own labor, our own efforts, our own plans to bring about Christmas, know that he is with us, that he has come.

 

In the beginning.... God is with us.  In the end... God is with us.  In the middle, let us be still even for  a moment and know.

 

Yesterday, in the still moment of a stop light, I had the time to contemplate a tree, only just now unburdened of its leaves.  I had time to remember the fullness of its branches in summer and the dazzle of its autumn transformation.  I had time to imagine its spring budding.  But for now, it rests.  Oh... for a season of rest!  What wonderful ways we would bud in the spring.  What things God would grow in us!

 

Unlike the tree, we do not have a winter to rest, but what if we took a moment, to be still and know God who so wants to know us, that he came among us?

 

Prayer

Try this prayer, by yourself, with your spouse, or with your child.  Sit still (this may take some practice).   You may want to light a candle to signal the quiet time for all who are praying,  hold a piece of your nativity scene, or contemplate a meaningful piece of art.

While breathing quietly, speak the following lines slowly, waiting in the silence at the end of each line, enjoying this time in the presence of the one who is with you always.  Bask in God's love for your being... not your doing.

 

               Be still and know that I am God.

               Be still and know that I am.

               Be still and know.

               Be still.

               Be.

 

 

Still, Still, Still (link to the song)

Still still still
let all the earth be still
For Mary in her arms enfolding
Hope of all the world is holding
Still still still
let all the earth be still

Seeking Jesus

Mark 13:32-37


³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Beware, keep alert;^[f] for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵ Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”


It seems strange that the first readings for Advent come from the end of the Gospels. Before we come to the weeks telling about his first coming as a baby so long ago, we are reminded that he will come again, that we are to expect him to come, even now.  And that is a great comfort, because there are so many places that need his presence, so many hearts waiting to be healed by his love.

As a parent, I am encouraged by Jesus' words to his disciples.  How many times do we not know the answers to our children's questions?  Over the years, I have grown more and more comfortable saying to my children, "I don't know,"  just as Jesus responds to his disciples when they ask him about his return. 

Sometimes, my "I don't know," is the end of the answer, but sometimes I go on to say, "Let's find the answer together."  What if today, we tried that answer with our children in response to this question?  When will Jesus come again?  "I dont' know, why don't we find out together." 

The passage helps us to remember, that we are looking for Jesus to come at any time, not just on December 25 or a long time in the future, so let's stay awake and look for him today.  I know that at this time of year, I am so busy looking for the perfect gift, planning for the next event, that I am asleep to the gift in front of me, the event that is happening right now. 



Little Girls and Jesus
by Jean Keaton

What if we challenge ourselves and our children to look for Jesus each day?  Will we find him at school? in the store? at work?  Will we find him in the face of a friend? a family member? a stranger?  Will he need our help or will he help us?  I think the more we seek...the more we will find

that Jesus is among us even now.

Begin the day with wonder. 

Where will we find Jesus today?  "I don't know, let's look together."

End the day with sharing. 

Where did you find Jesus today?  "Oh!  Let me tell you!  He was everywhere!"

Here is a song to accompany your wondering and your sharing.  Sleepers Awake!
Won't you share with us?  Where did you see Jesus today?

Come Lord Jesus, light the candle of hope.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art,
dear desire of ev'ry nation,
joy of ev'ry longing heart.

In our church and perhaps in your home during Advent, there is a circle of green, a wreath.  It has no beginning and no ending, reminding us of God's presence with us always.  Made of evergreen bows, it helps us to remember our everlasting life in Jesus.  Adorned with 4 candles around and one candle in the middle, it marks the weeks of waiting for the coming light of Christ, the light that stands at the center of all things and dispels all darkness and fear.

Today we light the first candle, the candle of HOPE!  Throughout scripture, we are reminded that Christ is our everlasting hope.  Read with your family these passages of scripture and remember the hope we have in Jesus. 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.

Psalm 130:5

 

11 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.³ His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;⁴ but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

Isaiah 11:1-4a

 



Think together about people and places who need the hope we know in Christ and pray together for the light of hope to be kindled in their lives.  Think together about the places in your own life where fear and sin have overshadowed the light of hope.  Pray for God's light to enter those places too.

A Prayer to Share at Meal Time
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest; let these gifts to us be blest. 
Keep us always in your sight; be our joy our hearts' delight.  Amen

A Prayer for Children at Bedtime
God in the night
God at my right
God all the day
God with me stay
God in my heart
Never depart
God with thy might
Keep us in thy light
Through this dark night.
Amen.

(from Come, Lord Jesus: Devotions for the Home by Susan Briehl)

Traveling Home

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

 

 

Today or tomorrow, many of us will be traveling home.  As a prayer, I give you  Psalm 121 a traditional for travelers. 

 

For fun to fill your trip, I offer you three fun car games.  I wonder what your family plays?

 

Related

One person says a word, like "cat."  The next person says a word they think is related like "fluffy."  Keep going around the car and see where your thoughts take you.

 

I Prefer

The caller asks, "Which would you prefer, crunchy or creamy... rainbows or puddles... fireplaces or firepits... snowcones or icecream... etc.  Its a fun way to learn more about each other and can last as long as your ideas.

 

Snoggleblat

Every person in the car picks a thing they will see frequently, but not too often, on the side of the road.  Like a billboard.  Without telling the rest of the passengers, they assign that thing a silly name and everytime they see it, they say the silly name.  The rest of the passengers must try to guess what their silly word refers to.  Everyone in the car can have a different thing and a silly word at the same time.

 

With you, I pray for your safe journey and for the safety of all those who travel this day. We pray also for those who have no home to travel to, for those who live in cars or tents or shelters. May the Lord watch over our migration, fill our paths with joy, our way with peace, and guard us under a sheltering wing, until we are all home again.  Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus

 

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Isaiah 2:1-5

This morning I awake with the luxury of imagining how I might spend this day.  For it is not a school day, not a work day.  It could be a shopping day, a reading day, a playing with the children day, a visiting with relatives day. 

I am aware that as I write this, many have been awake through the night, stocking shelves or making lists, preparing for the shopping of the day,. That right now, there are folks waiting at the doors eager to get the bargain that will be just the right gift and that will propel retailers’ books  into the black. 

Many of you, I imagine have traditions for this day, even as you have traditions for Thanksgiving and for the days and weeks leading up to Christmas.   I wonder what your tradition is?  As a child, my grandmother packed a picnic of pimento cheese and hot chocolate for me and my sisters, my dad, my grandfather, my uncles and my cousins and sent us off to the horse races at Churchill Downs. While we were cheering on our horses, my grandmother, my mom and aunts went out to lunch and shopping.  How lovely it was to have a day, just to enjoy family, with no worries about what the next day would bring. How good it is to have a day after the big feast making and before the travel home, before the return to routine and the beginning of the rush of December. 

I pray that whatever you are doing this day, you will find a quiet time to think and even talk with your family about the way you will begin the new year that is coming, a new year  that for us in the Christian tradition begins on the first Sunday of Advent, which falls this year on December 1. 

Advent means “to come.”  In this season leading up to Christmas, we prepare for three comings, three advents of Jesus.  The first is the coming of Jesus over two thousand years ago, to a faithful people, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Miriam and Aaron, King David and prophet Isaiah, Elizabeth, Zachariah, Simeon, Anna, shepherds and kings, the simple and the wise, who watched for the coming of God’s promised Messiah.

we can be awake and alert standing on tiptoe, wide eyed and watchful, ready to receive him whenever he comes

 

The second advent is the coming of Christ among us now.  We know that every day, Emmanuel, God-always-with-us, comes to us in the waters of baptism, in the breaking of bread and wine, in the reading of God’s word, in the fellowship of disciples, the delight of creation, and in the least expected places.  Christ surprises us, coming to us in unexpected places, through people we least expect, blessing us with new life.

The third advent we prepare for in this season is the advent yet to come.  Christ will come again, at the end of time, gathering God’s people, healing all wounds, mending all that has torn us apart.  As author Susan Briehl writes in her excellent Advent devotional, “as with the coming of Christmas Day, we cannot make it happen sooner because we are eager, nor can we delay it because we are not ready.  However, we can be awake and alert standing on tiptoe, wide eyed and watchful, ready to receive him whenever he comes.”  (Briehl, Come, Lord Jesus, 8)

We affirm these three advents in the prayer we pray before sharing communion, the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving, “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.”  And in this season we pray with hopeful hearts, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Daily devotions through Advent will make us attentive to the way that Christ has come among us, the way that he comes among us in the midst of our ordinary and busy lives, and the hope we have in his ultimate coming.  May the days ahead be filled with wonder and joy at the coming of our Lord, and your table be a place of sharing the wonders God has shown you.   

On this day, no matter how you have chosen to spend it, may you be met by the One who has come, the One who comes even now and the One who will come again!

 

I look forward to this walk with you in the light of the Lord! 

Please feel free to post here your thoughts, reflections and family experiences as we watch together for the coming of our Lord!