The Hope of Advent
(KJV) 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. 17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Oh, how I love the season of Advent. It is a time of preparation as we do things to remind us of our Savior’s birth AND look forward to our Lord’s return. We bring out our Nativity sets, some simply showing Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, and others replete with sheep, cattle, camels, angels and shepherds and elaborate crèches. We put up Christmas trees, evergreen which represents the eternal life given by Jesus. We string the tree with lights because Jesus is the light of the world, and we top it with either a star or an angel.
When I was at Asbury UMC I wrote many poems, inspired by the love and genuine care of the people who attended there. I am including one of my Advent poems in this devotional, Advent at Asbury, and pray it is meaningful to all who read it.
Advent at Asbury
It is that time of year again
when celebration is the theme,
and the focus of our joy
is the coming of Christ the King.
We honor His first appearance
as a baby in a stall,
when He lived His life as one of us
so that He could fully redeem us all.
He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies
and became the lamb for sinners slain
so at Advent we celebrate not just his birth
but the time when He will come again.
Christmas is a season of hope and love
and we share it with family and friends,
Our Advent season at Asbury
is where our celebration begins.
The greens are hung in the Sanctuary
with the crowning achievement the Chrismon Tree
and we celebrate the meaning of Christ’s life on earth
with symbols precious to you and to me.
And when Christmas Eve finally arrives
we will enter His courts with praise
and we will continue to look forward to His return
when he captures His bride away.
But until that grand and glorious day
we will love Him and serve Him well,
and Asbury through His grace will continue to be
a beacon upon a hill.
May we, wherever we find ourselves this Advent season, be filled with the hope found only in Jesus, and may we share that hope with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessing from the Lord
(KJV) Ps 24:1 The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods.
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD?
or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,
nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him,
that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
There is something about tradition that gives me peace, and my tradition includes reading only the King James translation for all of my young life and much of my early adulthood. In a world that is ever changing, I need the promises of God’s Word that are ever faithful, ever true, and the familiarity of the King James old English adds to my worship experience.
David is not talking about being ceremonially clean, but being clean from the inside out. Aren’t you thankful that the cleansing of our hearts does not rely on the works of man, but is solely dependent upon the grace of Jesus Christ?
The song “At Calvary” has been on my mind for days. “Mercy there was great and Grace was free, pardon there was multiplied for me, there my burdened soul found liberty, at Calvary.”
May we be strengthened by God’s Word and lifted up by His promises. As He has blessed us, may we bless others.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Show me, Guide me, Teach me
(NIV) Ps 25:4 Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
When I finished my physical therapy session Wednesday, I returned to the waiting room to find Larry talking to a couple. Larry said this gentleman plays a banjo. In less than five minutes I learned he has preached at the same church for 30 years. We developed an immediate kinship and in a moment we had church in that lobby.
When we actively seek after God (show me, guide me, teach me) the relationship we have with our Creator deepens. The more we have of God, the more we want of Him, and the more we must share Him with others.
Praying that as we approach Christmas of 2024 we will not tumble headlong into the holidays but instead we will slow down to savor the stories of the Star, the Shepherds, and Savior. I pray that we will relish the relationships made meaningful through both our human connections and through the Divine.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praise His Name
(ESV) Ps 77:11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
One thing I have learned in my lifetime is that a vital aspect of having a relationship with God is engaging in meaningful worship. I am not just referring to singing but remembering all of His great works. When was the last time you read the exodus account, or of Gideon’s defeat of the Midianites? Or of Paul’s transformation on the road to Damascus?
Do you know why it is so necessary to remember the mighty works of God? When we think about all God has accomplished, it serves to build up our faith. Even more importantly, our God is worthy of all praise. All praise! He is our Creator, He had a plan for our salvation from the foundation of the world. And when Jesus taught us to pray, He began by addressing God as our Father, saying His very name was hallowed, or holy. When we begin each day by honoring the Lord our God, then we can better face the challenges in today’s world.
May we praise Him not for what He has done, or for what we expect Him to do, but because of Who He is.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Love of God
Psalms 25:4-11
(NIV) 4 Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.
8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
Do you ever think of God’s steadfast love for us? Steadfast is a word we don’t use much anymore, but it means to be firmly loyal or constantly dutiful. Although God referred to David as the apple of His eye, David was not perfect. But, because David had a solid and long-standing relationship with God, he knew that one of the characteristics of God was His love. And he knew although he strayed from the pathway of righteousness that God could lead Him back to the light of his love.
So what can we learn from this Psalm?
We can see that David did not just ask for God’s help without being willing to do something in cooperation with God. When David asked for help, he also admitted his sin. David knew we can’t out run God’s love or out sin His mercy. Lamentations 3:22 says The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
May we start each day thanking God for His love which shows up in both small moments and in life-changing events. And may we be quick to ask forgiveness both from God and from our fellow man.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Seeking Holiness 