Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel!

John 1: 1-14

John 1:1  "In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God.

John 1:3 and 4: Through him all things were made. In him was life and that life was the LIGHT of all mankind."

Today we celebrate and worship in awe ~ the birth of Jesus Christ.   Jesus' birth was a gift.  We have all gazed upon a newborn baby ~ a gift ~ and thought to ourselves: "priceless... it doesn't get any better than this!"

Because we "believe" that Jesus was born ~ to die for all sin and that He chose us to "receive" forgiveness of that sin...we were given yet another gift and became "children of God."  When God became man in the birth of Jesus - it was the highest gift of GRACE the world has ever known.

Our Lord's birth was an advent.

"Behold, a virgin shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel ~ God is with us."  Isaiah 7:14

One of my many favorite advent hymns says it all: (verse 3)  

Silent night! holy night! Son of God, love's pure LIGHT

             Radiant beams from Thy holy face 

With the dawn of redeeming GRACE

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

John 1:14  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Father, full of GRACE and truth."

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel ~ God is with us!

Prayer:  Dear Lord, I am yours. Your gifts are priceless to me. Allow me to see your LIGHT and live your GRACE in my life. Amen and Amen.

Katherine Rogers

God uses the ordinary

Luke 2:1-20

In today’s scripture, we read about the first chapter of Jesus’ life.  What we can learn to be relevant to today—other than the obvious beginning of the life of Christ—is how God takes ordinary people and ordinary events and makes them extraordinary if we will do our part.  Mary, pregnant with her first child & Joseph, to whom she was engaged, were in Bethlehem to register when she gave birth to a son and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the inn. The Shepherds were in the field’s just doing their job of watching sheep when an angel appeared.  All were regular people to which extraordinary things happened.  Mary and Joseph accepted what God asked of them in becoming parents to Jesus.  The shepherds listened to the angel and went to see the new baby and tell others the story of Jesus. 

          Not all of us will be the person that will have the obvious, recorded extraordinary event happen in our life, but God wants all of us to take the opportunity to follow His will for our lives.  What you consider ‘ordinary’ may just be ‘extraordinary’ to the person whose life you touch.  God can and will use each of us if we will let him.  Enjoy all that he has planned for you—ordinary or extraordinary!

Prayer:  Dear God,  May I be open to the plan that you have for my life.  Even if I consider my life ordinary,  help me to realize, that with your help, I will be able to do just what you want me to do.  In Christ’s name, I pray.  Amen

Kathy Snider

Praise God

Psalm 96

In reading Psalm 96 several times, we were struck by how much we take for granted in our lives.  God is the giver of all things.   He is the one true God and is deserving of our praise and blessing.  We must give to the Lord both the glory He deserves and gifts to help to expand His kingdom.  Upon His return, all will be judged with fairness and justice.

Prayer:  Father, help us to remember and give you the glory daily for the blessings you so freely give to us.  Amen. 

Jo and Gene Fuller

A Song of Love

Zephaniah 3: 8-20

The prophet Zephaniah cries out, as all of the prophets from the heart of God, against the forces of darkness which destroy all that God loves.  Through Zephaniah God proclaims “The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.”  This is a holy jealousy, a jealousy which longs for the hearts of God’s people to turn again to the love and blessing of God.  This is a holy anger, expressed as a passion, which purifies for the sake of love.   God called his people to be the meek and the humble as God prepared to take away the punishment of sin that would become for them the salvation of life.  The compassion of God’s heart is expressed, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing…. he will remove sorrows, rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered, bringing them home.”  With the Advent of Christ we are given the gift of homecoming wrapped in the swaddling cloth of salvation as God sings over all of creation and humankind with the gift of himself in the tenderness of innocence.

A prayer of silence as listening to a lullaby. “The Lord will quiet you with his love and rejoice over you with singing.”

Jennifer Steil

Entry to Jerusalem

Mark 11:1-11

These eleven verses of the Bible amazingly describe Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion Week.  Only he knew that these were his last days as man on earth.  Asking his disciples to obtain a colt, a small donkey that had never been ridden, fulfilled the words of the prophet Zechariah.  He said that the Jewish messiah was to arrive as a gentle and peaceable King on a donkey.  What the people did not understand was the type of king that God had sent.  After all their years as slaves and being overrun by foreign governments, they were really expecting a power king, and overwhelming force that would put them on top of the world.  It was the telling of Jesus life, his way of living as a man that would lead the world in knowing the true power of being righteous.

It is a wonder in that day a time (no TV, radio, twitter, email, etc) the crowds that turned out to greet His entry to the city.  They were all there due to word of mouth that the King was coming and they met him with chants and a carpet of braches honoring him.  They knew their scripture and believed the words of their prophets.  What they hadn’t counted on was that they had to change the way they lived on earth.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, we thank you for the day that you sent your son, Jesus.   He came first as a man so that we could learn from his teachings and his life.  Help us, we pray, to try to live up to these standards he set of Love and Service.  For he will come again to judge what we’ve learned and how we have applied these lessons.  Help us live right that we may be worthy of his sacrifice.  We pray to you through His name.  Amen

C. G. Kimberley “Kim”

Yes, Lord!

Luke 1:26-38

Mary is pledged to be married to Joseph, their wedding plans may well be under way; possibly the date is set and the place reserved.   Then, an angel appears with a message – God has chosen her, a young virgin girl, to give birth to the chosen one, the Messiah.  

Mary is perplexed, stunned, surprised!   She even asks an honest question:  “How can this be?”  This was not in her plans – oh, how this could change things. 

The angel reassures Mary and explains that nothing is impossible with God – even her cousin Elizabeth (who was barren) is expecting.    Then, Mary steps outside her comfort zone and responds in faith:  “I am the Lord’s servant – may it be to me as you have said”. 

Mary yielded to God’s purpose for her life and trusted Him to fulfill the promise.  

And, she was blessed for saying:  Yes, Lord!

What has God chosen you to do?
What plans does God have for me?

How might we respond?

Prayer:   Dear God, thank you for Mary’s example of asking honest questions and then responding in faith.   Help me to hear your call on my life, and help me respond as Mary responded, by saying  “I am the Lord’s servant”.  Help me yield to your purpose for my life and trust you to fulfill it.   In Jesus’ precious name, I ask these things. Amen.

Anonymous

Ethan; David’s Son Leader

Psalm 89:1-4; 19-26

Verses 1-4   Ethan sings of the mercies of God and the covenant with David.  He sings of the mercies, loving kindness and faithfulness of God – who made David his servant.

   

Verses 19-25   David’s exaltation and anointing by God

Verses 25-26   God’s promises to David

Ethan sings of the greatness and mercies of God who has chosen David to be his servant and from David’s see God will build his throne to all generations.

Prayer:   Thank you – Dear Father – that thru your servant David, down thru the ages to our Saviour “Jesus Christ” – we can sing as Ethan sang thy praises for rich blessing; times of rejoicing for the birth of Jesus “The Christ”; and throughout our lives as we celebrate the birth of “Christ” this Christmas.

Jim & Dawn Wood

Afraid

Luke 1:26-38

As I read and re-read this passage one word keeps coming up in my mind... Afraid.

Was Mary afraid? Whenever we have something new and strange happen to us we get confused. The things we're used to are disrupted and those little alarms go off in our head. That's the way God made us to respond to change; it’s a kind of built -in conservatism and defense mechanism. But while this alarm system that Mary felt is normal and healthy, there is a dangerous and sinful kind of fear that can control us . We often live in fear of death, fear of sickness, fear of not having enough money to pay our bills and still be able to spend money on things we want. When fear lives in us, as opposed to being a reaction to something new, we become warped. We respond to situations out of fear rather than out of faith and make pretty poor disciples. We must learn to resist fear for it's the breeding ground for unbelief; it must not control us. When we read this passage, we see that Mary accepted the angel's "Fear not" at face value. I pray that we as disciples can learn from Mary and learn to not be Afraid.

Prayer: Lord, Help me to not be afraid, to serve with joy and not with a grudging or complaining attitude. Help me to be a servant of whom you can be proud. Help me be like Mary. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Tonya Moore

Who Is He?

John 7: 40-52

While reading this scripture I tried to picture the scene playing out those 2,000 plus years ago.  Jesus had definitely “shaken things up”.  His list of enemies was growing and if we read some of the scripture leading up to today’s passage, we see that even some of his own disciples were starting to waver.  The people are still coming to hear him though.  Some believed that he was the Christ while others cannot accept that he is anything more than another prophet just because the way he arrived did not exactly follow the script that they had been foretold.  Either way, they cannot deny the powerful message that he brings. 

This same scene looks pretty familiar today.  I believe we can all think of recent examples where we saw each of this cast of characters on display.  There are still those who display characteristics of the Pharisees, feeling as though they have all of the answers and not willing to accept anything that challenges their view.  We definitely have people all around us in search of answers and something to hang onto just like those who flocked to Jesus to hear him teach.  And even our most dedicated disciples still have moments of weakness and doubt just as Jesus’ chosen ones did many years ago.  Over the years and up to this day I know I have performed each of the roles in this story.  I am thankful that God is patient and forgiving as he continues to work on me.      

Prayer:  Heavenly father, please be with me today as I continue to grow stronger spiritually.  Help me to remain rooted in my belief of Jesus Christ but to remain open to new ways of receiving  and experiencing him in my life and the lives of those around me.  It is in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

Jeff Henricks

Revealed

Hebrews 1:1-14

Our Heavenly Father is so awesome.   He reveals Himself to us in so many ways: through His phophets of old; His word; the beautiful nature; our church; our family, friends and community.  Most of all, He reveals Himself through His Son, our Lord and Saviour.   Through Jesus, we have direct access to our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us in every way.

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father, speak to us again during this Advent season through your only Son Jesus, in whose name we pray.   Amen.

Estella Bowman

Our Eternal Home

2 Samuel 6:1-19

An old hymn of the church reads:

O God our help in ages past;

Our hope in years to come;

Our shelter from the stormy blast;

And our eternal home.

We need to study and be reminded how the Lord has led us in the past.  If we placed a stone each time the Lord helped us, what a wall we would have.  We can thank him for the past and have confidence in him for the future.   Yet sometimes we find it difficult to trust him for the needs of today.  But we must remember he is willing to do the same for us today as he did in the past, and will do in the future.  He is the great ‘I am’ of today, the all sufficient one for this very moment.

Sometimes he takes us out of situations, problems or needs; other times he takes us thru them.  Regardless of the way he works in our lives, we can trust him as our ever present guide for today.

Gracious God we believe, help our unbelief.  Amen

Honor Vaughn

The Son of God Revealed

Mark 9:9-13

This scripture begins with Jesus telling Peter, James and John not to tell what they had just witnessed, and they had indeed witnessed a true event!   They had witnessed Jesus transfigured, saw him chat with the supreme law-giver of the Jews (Moses) and the first and most revered prophet of the Jews (Elijah), and had heard the voice of God!   And, now they were being told not to tell.

Their minds raced with questions.  God had directly proclaimed to them that Jesus was indeed His son, but the appearance of Elijah raised the question about the teaching that Elijah would come first, before the Messiah.  Jesus answered their questions, and in these few verses, outlined the entire lesson of the Gospel.

Moses and Elijah had appeared with Jesus, but after God spoke, only Jesus remained.  God instructed “This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to HIM.”  In other words, Moses and Elijah had served their purpose, and now the disciples (and we) are to listen to and follow only Jesus.   Moses and Elijah were history, Jesus is the future.   Jesus taught that Elijah had already finished his work, and now the Savior would suffer, die and be resurrected.  Though not fully understood by the three, Jesus was proclaiming the Gospel in a nutshell.

Why were they told not to tell?  There are many theories, but maybe Jesus knew that these things (His death and resurrection) would have to be experienced first to be understood.

Prayer:  Gracious and loving God, we did not physically walk with our Lord, but we do have the benefit of knowing that He did in fact suffer, die and arise, and the He did it all for us.  We also know that we are no longer restricted from telling the world about it.   Bless us with the strength to be messengers of the great gift of Jesus.  It is in His name we pray.  Amen.

Brent Russell

Power of Responsibility

2 Kings 2:9-22

It’s quite amazing how Elijah was one of only two people recorded in scripture who didn’t die the natural way an average person dies. He received a miracle. He was “carried by a whirlwind into heaven”. It’s also incredible to consider God’s messenger sweeping down from heaven with chariots and horses of fire without his friend Elisha’s being hurt or killed. Elijah had just performed a miracle—dividing the water of the Jordan River so the two friends could walk across on dry land. Elisha wanted to receive this power, and he did receive it later as he was able to divide the Jordan’s waters just as he’d witnessed Elijah dividing them.

These verses from 2 Kings show that God is concerned about us and listens to our requests. We can want something very much and not realize the hard times we may have to endure waiting until we are able to receive that something. With our gift, there may be a responsibility we’re required to bear. We may feel anxiety about it as Elisha must have felt before he repeated the miracle Elijah performed using his cloak to divide the Jordan River. Elisha wanted more power. He received his request! As soon as he received this tremendous gift, he was asked to solve the problem of bad water in the city of Jericho. He used his powerful gift to heal the waters of Jericho and served as the agent of God using that holy power for good. It reminds us of the New Testament verses which say “to whom much is given, much will be required”.

Our prayer is that as you ask for “gifts” God will grant you the strength and wisdom to shoulder the responsibility that will surely come with their use. Amen

Rod and Denise Linzman

God’s Protection

Psalm 125

“You will never go wrong by doing what’s right”.  While growing up, my children must have heard me say that hundreds of times.  However, I also reminded them often that bad things happen to good people.  God never promised a life without evil and pain.  His promise was that he would send his Comforter. I personally have leaned on this promise many times.

His infinite promise of protection is of our mind and soul when tragedy strikes, not necessarily our body.  God is truly a loving God and does not wish bad things on anybody or anything, and in His time and with our “Mount Zion faith” we will someday understand…but for now it is OK to say “I don’t know” when asked, Why?

God loves us all as we are, human, made in his likeness.

Father, thank you for protecting us and sending us your Comforter when we are in pain.  Help us to keep our faith strong by trusting you and walking in the path that you have prepared for us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

Debbie Savage

Rejoice Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

When your Grandmother is Irene Ballard and your mother is Frances Green one could not grow up and not understand this scripture.  Growing up as a child the words in this scripture were words I heard often, and at times when all is quiet and still I can hear those words being spoken by either one.

“Be joyful always.” That doesn’t say sometimes or when we feel like it, but we are to be joyful always.  Even if we have received devastating news we should be joyful.   We are able to be joyful because we have the Lord in our hearts to comfort and guide us. 

 “Pray continually.” What this means is that we are to maintain a close relationship with the Lord.  For example, we text our friends and family, sometimes even in the same room.  What are we doing? We are communicating. That is the relationship that the Lord desires for us to have with him.  It is a constant sharing of our heart with His great heart, knowing he cares for us and delights in our conversation. 

“Give thanks in all circumstances.” This is similar to the first directive for us to be joyful.  It is our acknowledgement that we agree with what God is doing in our life.

There are things that keep our faith burning and things that put it out. When we continue to learn what God says in the Word our faith will continue to grow and as it does we need to hold onto the good things and not let them go.  This will keep our faith burning brightly!

We need to let go of all the things that burn out our faith and that applies to the to the TV shows we watch, the language we use, people we hang out with or the places we go.  Our faith in Jesus is too important. 

We grow in our faith every day by being faithful, being fruitful, and remembering that we are forgiven. After all, the one who calls you is faithful—and he will do all these things. Jesus is our Savior.

Prayer:  We rejoice in the knowledge that our true joy is rooted in the One who promises unending joy.  So rejoice, pray and give thanks.  Amen

Elizabeth Collins

Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Jesus was teaching this parable in the Temple to believers in Him and Unbelievers (elders and priests) “The Father asks his two sons to work in the vineyard.   Both sons’ attitudes and actions were contrary to the Father’s request.  The older son said ‘no’, but then changed to ‘yes’.  The youngest replied ‘yes’, but his actions said ‘no’ for he did not go.   Jesus then told the listeners that neither son obeyed the Father…”

“Jesus then told the believers and unbelievers of the consequences of their failure to do the Father’s Will”

 

How do we understand and use this parable in our Christian lives today?  Do we often postpone our commitment and opportunities when the Father calls us to serve Him?  Do we say ‘Yes, ‘No’ or ‘Maybe’?  Do we wait for a more convenient time to answer His Call for service?

Are we willing to surrender our time, talents, and finances to reach out to unbelievers who need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, especially the inactive members of our own congregation?   Many inactive members are trying to struggle through life’s challenges without acknowledging Christ who consistently asks believers and unbelievers to accept and receive His Unconditional Love.

May we let the parable of the two sons help us to be alert and ready to say , “Yes Lord”, we want to trust and obey whatever You ask us to do with dedication and enthusiasm without DELAY.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,  Thank you for the Gift of Grace through Calvary.   Remember we cannot spell JESUS and not include U and US as well as Resurrection.  In Your Name we pray.

Amen.

Martha King 

Strive for the goal

Philippians 3: 12-16

Are Christians always happy, good, wholesome, fulfilled, spiritual, close to Christ, kind and wise?  No, of course not.  Christians are human and we are sinners.  But people of faith can strive to know and understand Jesus and have a goal of living a Christ-like life.

In these verses, Paul talks about how his past works and achievements did not lead him to salvation and they did not make him right with God.  I think Paul is saying this: we should strive for the goal of moving away from the past and moving toward Christ.  We know we’ll never achieve Christ-like lives, but if we keep our minds and hearts open to Christ and keep striving for that goal, we’ll continually get closer.

So too is it with our lives in general.  We all have a past we want to leave behind.  Many of us have lived our life in ways that were not good for us or appealing to God.  We want to change and know that change is hard, but we strive to do it so we can live happier and more fulfilling lives.  This change doesn’t happen overnight, but is a process with a goal.

Paul’s past accomplishments did not make him right with God; just as our past mistakes and sins do not make us wrong with God.  When we pursue the goal of understanding Christ and seek the spiritual prize, we will know joy, usefulness and peace and have a closer relationship with Christ.

Prayer: God, forgive our selfish ways.  Please help us to not look backward, but to continually seek our goal of a spirit filled life that is pleasing to you.

Rod Smith

Collecting Garbage

Philippians 3:7-11

I once heard a story of a homeless man who filled his stomach each night out of the dumpsters of the local restaurants. One evening as he was sifting through the dumpsters he was spotted by a man who was coming out of the back of a restaurant. The man said, "come here." Even though he was scared of going to jail, he walked up to the man who took him inside the restaurant. As he walked into the kitchen he saw that there was so much food. The man told him that he owned this restaurant and whenever he was hungry he could come here for a free meal.  As the man looked around astonished, he thanked him humbly. After taking it all in and turned to the owner and asked, "would you mind if I still ate from the dumpster too?"

As unbelievable as this is, how often do we see all the things that the God of the universe has supplied and blessed us with and still want to hold on to the junk in our lives? If we were true to ourselves, we could look at everything we have in this world and realize it means nothing compared to the goodness of God.  Paul had the right perspective when he said, "But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7, 8 NIV)

Prayer:  Lord, show us the riches of Heaven that you have lovingly poured down upon us. Keep us from thinking too highly of the worldly things we have acquired. As we focus on your goodness today, let us love more fully, give more generously and praise you wholeheartedly. In Christ's Name, Amen.

Ryan Benton

Listen

Luke 1:5-17

Zacharias went that morning to the temple

To serve his Lord, which was simple.

He was to light the fire beneath the incense

So the sweet smell would rise to thee in silence

To the pleasure of God, Zacharias was thrilled that day

To the core of his being but when he thought of their tragedy

And prayed once again from his heart for a baby

In the silence, suddenly, and angel Gabriel was there

Saying he was God's voice with news to end their despair.

They would be parents of a wonderful, special son

Zacharias questions what the angel said where upon

The angel quieted the Lord’s servant’s voice

Until the birth of the child.  Still in his heart, he rejoiced.

Upon arriving home, after his service to God ending

He motioned to Elizabeth what God was sending.

As promised, they gratefully received  a son,

They named him John, who became the special one.

What stands out is - Zacharias heard God speak

Is this something you might happen to seek?

Gabriel was God’s voice and He spoke to Zacharias

While he was praying in the silence of God’s house.

If you pray from the depth of your heart and soul

God will speak to you and take control,

Listen… be still, seek silence, listen and hear

Hear what God has to say and do not fear.

Listen with heart and soul and you will find

He is there and He will bring peace of mind.

Just listen.

Prayer: Loving and forgiving Father, help us as we reach out to you for the power that will transform us.  Use our hands to serve you, as well as others; our voices to speak the good news; and our ears open to hear you.  In the name of Jesus.   Amen

Lelia Evans

Connecting the Old with the New

Isaiah 4:2-6

The Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, isn’t just something for the Jewish people to use or to make our Bible thicker.  In today’s scripture there are some significant passages for twenty-first Century Christians.  From a Christian perspective, the reference to the branch of the Lord may be taken as an early indication to the advent of Christ and the glory and beauty of His kingdom.  Perhaps in a more overall sense, branch can mean that wherever the true worship of God is followed, new branches will grow and produce much beautiful and wonderful fruit under God’s divine will. 

Verses five and six also may be applied to our twenty-first Christianity.  This scripture was written during the Babylonian exile to assure the Hebrews that God would protect those that remained faithful and true to Him.  A remnant would be left to continue the Kingdom of Israel.  As present-day Christians, we may be assured that this promise in Isaiah is still true through the open and loving arms of Jesus and the New Covenant He instituted.

Prayer:  Dear God, when as Christians we feel that we are too small of a voice to be heard in the tumult of the world around us, help us remember that we live in a pavilion,  covered by a canopy, given by You through Jesus to protect his flock!  Amen

Warren Davenport

Confidence

Psalm 27

Reading the Psalms, I always find myself wishing that I could relate my feelings in beautiful words as David does.

In this particular Psalm, David shows us that he too had concerns and fears as we do today.  I think he even questioned his faith somewhat because he prayed, but then he continued to worry, even though he was confident that God would answer his prayers.  I think this is something we all do. 

We should have confidence in God’s promise.  We should pray for God to hear our prayers, and be confident that He will.  There is no need for us to live in fear.  God promised us He would not abandon us.  He will be with us today, tomorrow and always.

God does answer prayers … we see evidence of it all around us every day.  We see His goodness, His compassion and His unconditional love.  We know we will see God someday, but as David said, until then “we must be brave and courageous and wait patiently for the Lord”.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we thank you for your goodness, your compassion and your unconditional love.  We thank you the most for your son, Jesus, in whose name we pray.  Amen

Gaylon & Joyce Russell 

Words of Hope

Isaiah 40: 1-11

                      

"Encourage my people says our God.  Comfort them". 

This scripture of hope and encouragement speaks to us as we approach Christmas.  We have come to the end of a trying year of drought but through God's word we realize that we and our problems last " no longer than grass and wild flowers".  We are told, "He will take care of his flock like a shepherd".

Prayer: God, let us feel your arms gathering us and leading us though our trials and our joys every day of our lives. We pray that you will speak through us to encourage others when they are suffering.  Open our hearts to their needs and shine your light through us in this joyous season of celebration of Christ.  Amen.

Donna Hunt

Questioning

Mark 11: 27-33

There's a story in Lawrence's family about him at age 4.  He and a little friend were lying down on a quilt resting after a morning of VBS and playing while Lawrence's Mom was hanging out clothes.  Wilma, Lawrence's Mom, said the little friend asked Lawrence, "Who made the clouds?"  To which Lawrence replied, "God did."  His friend then asked, "Who made the birds?"  Again, Lawrence replied, "God did."  "So," the little friend asked, "who made the sky?"  To which Lawrence replied, "God did."  The little friend looked at Lawrence and asked, "Who made God?"  Lawrence replied, "God just be!" 

I'm like the little friend, full of questions about God's way of doing things, about the answers which seem to come so easily to some people.  I continue to search, question, and long for such a faith filled feeling as Lawrence had at age 4.   

The priest and teachers of the law in our scriptures today question the authority of Jesus even though they had such incredible signs.  Jesus, God's son, God in flesh, did things and taught things no one had ever seen or heard before.  The prophets pointed to Jesus, and Jesus fulfilled those prophecies.  I would like to think that if I had seen, experienced, walked with, and felt the healing hand of God through Jesus, I would have become one of his followers.  Yet even today, with all the stories and knowledge about Jesus, I still question.

The priests and teachers questioned Jesus' authority, probably because they wanted things to stay the way they were.  They had good positions, good income, good security.  They questioned in hope of finding a way to deny Jesus, to deny His ministry and his claim as the Messiah.

God has walked with me.  He has healed my life and those of my loved ones.  God has comforted me in losses.  I've seen Him in and through the lives of others, and in His awesome creation.  Yet I question.  I feel God has a soft spot for us 'questioning' folks and often puts things in our lives just to let us see Him.  I'm thankful for His patience with me.  "God just be" and I know He does have all authority over us. However, I do have just a few more questions!!!!

PRAYER: God be patient with those of us who question.  As we celebrate this season of waiting, we realize you sent Your Son as a little one to show us the way, the truth and give us the life You have for us.  Help us open ourselves more each day to You and Your ways even when we don't understand!  You are an awesome God.

Lawrence & Sharon Herndon

No Excuses!

Jeremiah 1:4-10

The Bible is filled with stories of people who give excuses in an attempt to avoid God’s call on their lives.   Here, Jeremiah takes his turn.  When called by God, Jeremiah replied that he was too young.   I can understand – Jeremiah was being called to deliver an unpopular message to people who were not interested in listening.   It must have seemed to be a daunting, overwhelming task.  And, Jeremiah surely felt ill-equipped to perform the task, to accept the call.

God’s message to Jeremiah was this:

I have a plan for you.

Do not be afraid.

I will give you what you need.

I will be with you.

I know you!

In verse 7, I think God says ‘No Excuses’.

Once Jeremiah accepted His call, God used him greatly.  But, it was not easy - through very difficult times and circumstances, Jeremiah carried on and lived out God’s call on his life.

God still calls people to respond to tasks that appear to be daunting and overwhelming.  This Advent season, maybe God is calling you to be or to do something.  

Maybe you feel ill-equipped to perform the task, to accept the call.  

Listen closely – God’s message to you may be:

I have a plan for you.

Do not be afraid.

I will give you what you need.

I will be with you.

I know you!

No excuses!

Like Jeremiah, when you accept God’s call, no matter how difficult the circumstances, He can and will use you greatly!

Prayer:   God, open our hearts and our ears to hear your call.  Help us overcome our fear, and trust that you have a plan for us, will give us all that we need, and will be with us forever and always.  Help us to accept your call with no excuses.  Amen.

Delyn Cronk

Faith, Love, Hope

1 Thessalonians 1: 2-10

Paul's letter expressed praise for his growing flock, their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  He commended the Thessalonians for imitating the Lord and the apostles.

It's easy to get caught up in the parties, shopping, decorating and gifts that we associate with the holidays; but as Christians, we know that's not what Christmas signifies.  Let's be examples for others to imitate by showing our faith, love and hope during this season.

Prayer:  I pray that I keep Christ at the center of my Christmas celebrations and act as an example worthy of imitation.  Amen.

Karon Craig

Warnings

Luke 21:34-38 

This passage of the Gospel of Luke contains warnings to his disciples about what will take place after his death and resurrection.  His advice to them of the end of the age.  And, his sudden coming should not catch them (the disciples) unaware.

Verses 34-36.  Watch out, be careful.  This is a loving warning.  As Christians we can get caught up in day to day meaningless things.  Our focus is off, we forget about our Christian duties.  We need to be on our toes and be focusing on things that are important as followers of Jesus, until his coming.

Verse 37.  Crowds of people gathered to hear Jesus each morning.  We as Christians should begin our day in prayer in order to be ready and eager to show  and tell others what Jesus says

Verse 38.  In the evening after speaking to the crowds he would return to the Mount of Olives.  There he would pray to God and become refueled for the next day.  As Christians we should follow the same pattern as Jesus in our lives.

Prayer:

Holy Father, Help us to be faithful followers until the day Jesus returns.  Amen

Ann Loftin

“Promises We Fear and Hope”

Micah 4:6-18

Micah lived in a time when ordinary people could see what powerful people would not. They could see bad things were happening, and worse was coming. Their national leaders, of government and business, were indecisive. They had a hard time making hard decisions and a harder time sticking with them; they were easily bullied by their more powerful leaders.  Ordinary people could see signs their enemies were preparing to do battle. The leaders were over confident that God was on their side, that their rituals and sacrifices protected them. The idea of their fall was unbelievable. God spoke through Micah with several promises. God promised that what ordinary people could see was exactly right. No one need think that believing certain things about God, or certain ways of worshipping God, would make them immune from disaster. In fact, the damage done by their enemies wouldn’t be their enemies doing at all, but God’s! God would use their enemies to break down those people and that was bad news no one wanted to hear. However, God also promised that their fall wouldn’t be the end of their story. Their fall to their enemies wouldn’t be final. God would only tear them down in order to build them up. The people would be restored. Those scattered like sheep would be brought back to the flock. Suffering now would not be for nothing.  God would rule over them in peace when they were ready to let God to rule over them.

Prayer: Dear God make us clear-headed enough to see what is true in our own lives, whatever it may be. When the truth is painful may we not resist it and when it is good may we have the faith to accept it and celebrate it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Arnold Nelson

Commitment

Psalm 79

The writer was a Jew and a prisoner in his own land.  He had strayed from his God’s teachings.  But now he was asking for God’s help in overcoming his enemies and saving his land.  He wanted back in God’s graces.

This scenario resembles many aspects of our country today.  Many think we have strayed from God and have lost our way.  There seems to be grumblings from every corner – from the PTA meetings to the White House.  Even the church isn’t exempt from this.

However, the church is the perfect place to begin to build a strong family unit.  A true commitment to Jesus will give us the peace we long for and the strength to withstand the constant drain on our emotions.  Here are a few things we can do to commit to serve Him better.

A.       Thank God everyday for his blessings and pray His guidance in all that you do.

B.       Make every effort to be at church assemblies and activities.  Remember that

wherever 2 or more are gathered, He is there also.

C.       Make every effort to be actively involved in at least ONE area of the church.  He wants you to use the talent given you (and yes, you DO have one!)

D.       Make a conscience effort to understand the items that our government leaders are promoting and vote for the best Christian leadership possible.

Commitment is what makes every endeavor successful – it’s almost impossible without it!

Prayer:

Thank you for all the blessing you have given us.  Please give us the commitment to show others the strength, power, and peace that following you can give them.  In Christ’s name we pray….Amen

Bill Cope

Hope

Isaiah 64: 1-9

In Isaiah 64: 1-9, it is written about God’s awesome creation and powers (the creation of the heavens and earth) and our human failures.  In other words, the imagery of knowing God, not through seeing (as we did through Jesus Christ), but feeling and hearing and realizing that we have failed and lost sight of God!

There is always hope, even knowing that we have failed.  A hope that as God knows us and also knows what we need.  God will take care of us, he is our creator.  For “we are the clay and God is the potter”, we are the work of God’s hand. God will not forget or condemn what God has created.

As we prepare for Christmas in the coming weeks, when God comes to us through Jesus Christ, he reminds us what it means to be created in God’s image as Jesus lives with us and speaks to us.  God will mold and shape us if we are open and allow it.

Prayer: Remember there is always “hope” and hope is good.  We must never forget there is “Hope”. Amen

Marty Askins

Advent Season Devotional

Advent Season Devotional

2011

First Christian Church

Duncan, OK

          Advent season begins the Christian Church Year.  It includes the four weeks before Christmas day not including Christmas week when it begins on Sunday.  It is a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity and is observed with some fasting, prayer, and meditation to dispose all to welcome Christ.  The Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church considers this the most Holy time of the year because God sent his Grace into this world with the birth of Christ.  The season as we observe it includes the spirit of love, joy, hope and peace.

It is appropriate to include the spirit of love, joy, hope and peace in our devotionals.  Also, it is meaningful to remember Grace came to us in Christ's birth.  That in itself is reason enough to celebrate Advent season.

Advent Devo soon

Advent Devotionals to be posted daily beginning the first Sunday of Advent - Sunday, November 27