Advent Devotional

Please join us

2011-12-26T11:40:00.000-05:00

We hope that you have enjoyed sharing Advent with our Church. If you would like to continue on the journey with us, we publish weekly devotionals throughout the year at www.jmdevotional.blogspot.com and daily through Lent at www.jmlent.blogspot.com.

Devotional 12-25-11

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000-05:00

Light shines through the lectionary Gospel reading for Christmas Day - the stunning Prologue to the Gospel of John:

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:6-9)

Most times when I read this prologue, I am focused on John the Evangelist’s powerful description of how Christ came into the world as the Word: the Word that was with God, the Word that was God, the Word that was in the beginning with God, and the Word that came as life and light. I am often stunned by the power of this poetic prologue and what—and how—it tells us of the God who chose to become human, as life and flesh and light, and a God who is involved with us. Yet, in the midst of the stunning description of the Word, I am drawn back to John—the one who we call the baptizer, the one who prepared the way, who as the Scripture puts it, “. . .came as a witness to testify to the light. . .” Testimony to the light coming into the darkness!

We need darkness. I find myself uncomfortable with the ways that we perpetuate stereotypes that hold that all that is good is light and bright and white, and all that is evil is dark and black. We need darkness. The seed in the ground, the child in the womb, a night of sleep, the body and soul in rest and dreaming! We must have times of shelter from the light in order to grow in the ways that God calls us to grow. The prophet Isaiah says from God, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name” (Isaiah 45:3). Classical spiritual writers speak of the “dark night of the soul”.

And yet, even as we are called to accept the gifts within darkness, the holy season of Christmas bids us to recognize our ancient longing for light - to celebrate the God who came to us as light into the world. In the midst of the shadows in our lives, in the dark nights of the soul, God calls us to look deeper, and to look more closely. We find the presence of the Christ who dwells there – the light of the world. And, when we find that presence of Christ in our lives - to bear witness to the light!

How do we, in our own lives, do what John the baptizer was called to do with his life? How do we bear witness to the light of Christ in our family, our home, our community, and the world?

Entering into the holy season of Christmas, here at the end of our Advent journey, join me in this examination of conscience:

In the days, weeks, months to come, how will I bear witness to, point toward, open myself to and share the God who came as life and light?
Are there any shadows that I’ve grown too comfortable with, any places of darkness that God might be wanting to stir around in and shed light on?
Are there pockets of ignorance or indifference within me that God might be desiring to illuminate?
Is there some dark corner of my soul that I’ve been content to leave in the shadow, in mystery, where God might be inviting me to light even a small flame and wait in the stillness to see what God reveals?
What light beckons me? What does God want of me as God’s witness?

Wherever your path takes you, may this Christmas be for you and yours a season of celebration, one of hope, and a time of peace - a time of light in the darkness!

Rev. Dr. Bill Wilson

Devotional 12-24-11

2011-12-24T02:00:00.000-05:00

Please read Luke 2:1-7

“When Christmas morn is dawning, I wish that I could be
There by the manger cradle, God’s son, newborn, to see.
There by the manger cradle, God’s Son, newborn, to see.”

Christmas Eve. Does Christmas Eve mean relief that the season is drawing to an end? As I write this, a local radio station has already been playing Christmas music for two weeks. Christmas displays are out before Halloween! True, Christians stole secular traditions such as winter solstice lighting of trees, but we have allowed the secular world to steal the truth of Advent anticipation from us. Let me rephrase that: it’s one thing for the secular world to do what it does; it is not so fine that we allow the meaning of our faith to be steamrollered by the secular and commercial world. Christmas Eve becomes the “last minute” for attending to secular desires and holiday preparations instead of searching for the manger cradle, “God’s Son, newborn, to see.”

“How kind of you, our Savior, for us to come to earth.
O may we not by sinning, despise your lowly birth.
O may we not by sinning, despise your lowly birth.”

Through the birth of the human child Jesus, we receive the revelation of God to us. In a prayer, Professor Laurence Hull Stookey petitions: “Grant that, being born in our hearts, he may save us from all our sins, and restore within us the image and likeness of our Creator.” Jesus Christ, born into this world, is the gift of our salvation from sin and death. What does it say about us to receive the gift of salvation if we then willfully displease to God? “O may we not by sinning despise your lowly birth.”

On this Christmas Eve, let your mind and heart feel the emotion of God’s tender love for this world. Focus away from secular concerns toward the love radiating from a cow’s feed bin. Heaven knows, this hurting, struggling world needs God’s love! In the experiences of our lives, WE need God’s love! More importantly, don’t we have some tender love to share?

Let this be our prayer:

“We need you, O Lord Jesus, to be our dearest friend.
Your love will guard and guide us and keep us to life’s end.
Your love will guard and guide us and keep us to life’s end.”

The poetry is attributed to Elisabeth Ehrenborg-Posse, translated by Joel Lundeen. It is set to a German folk tune in our United Methodist hymnal and reflects the reading from Luke. May God’s full blessings be yours this Christmas Eve. See you this evening, Christmas Eve at Johnson Memorial! Merry Christmas! Love, Jack Lipphardt

Rev. Jack Lipphardt

Devotional 12-23-11

2011-12-23T02:00:00.000-05:00

“Someone With Skin On”

At the feet of my friend and mentor, Kathy, I learned the practice of looking to the person of Christ in fleshing out emotions and experiences. Kathy taught me to ask “When did Jesus feel this way?” when facing something uncomfortable and to find comfort in the knowledge that He had. For example, “Did Jesus ever feel sad?” He did. See John chapter 11; He cried when his friend died. “Was Jesus ever betrayed by someone He loved?” Yes, and the betrayer’s name was Judas (see Matthew 26).

In this season of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth, I am grateful. Grateful for His life and the comfort I find in knowing Jesus experienced many of things I experience. I invite you to read the following story from MaxSmithOnline.com. I love this story because it reminds me that Jesus’ life’s purpose was more than to be our savior, redeemer and ransom. He is our example, our comfort.

A little girl had been tucked in bed one night after the family prayers. It was a stormy night, the lightning flashed across the sky and thunder shook the house. The youngster endured this as long as possible. Then, she scurried to the living room and threw herself into her mother’s arms exclaiming, “I am afraid.” The mother quieted the child as she put her back to bed saying, “Remember, honey, God loves you and He will keep you safe.”

But, no sooner had the mother returned to the front room and seated herself comfortably, than the child appeared in the doorway crying, “Mommy, I’m still afraid.” Mother put the child back to bed telling her, “Honey, you must stay in bed, you are perfectly safe, I told you that God loves you and He will take care of you.” The little girl replied, “I know God loves me mommy, but, when it is thundering and lightning, I want someone with skin on to love me.”
God knows that we, like the little girl in the story, need someone with skin on to love us. Someone to walk like us, talk like us, love like us, hurt like us… to be like us. Jesus came to us. Became flesh. Put on skin. Walked. Talked. Breathed. Healed. Taught. Lived. Died. And loved. Let us also love. Glad tidings to you of comfort, and of joy. Amen.

Marcia Canterbury

Devotional 12-22-11

2011-12-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

Living the Joy of the SeasonScripture References: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98

Advent begins for the northern half of the world during the darkest, bleakest time of year – winter – a time of short days, dreary weather, and restless waiting…

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis tells us how young Lucy Pevensie discovers entry to the mythical land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe. Narnia is an intriguing, somber, snow-covered place inhabited by talking animals and creatures who endure a dismal existence because Narnia is under the powerful spell of the white witch. It is a place, Lucy is told, “where it is always winter and never Christmas.” It is a place without joy, without warmth, without reason for celebration.

Yet the citizens of Narnia are not without hope. They await the arrival of Aslan, the great lion, who alone is able to break the power of the white witch and her hold of eternal winter. They have heard the prophecy; they know the signs heralding Aslan’s arrival; they cling to the hope the prophecy will soon be fulfilled. Then, a messenger, Father Christmas, arrives with the joyous news that Aslan has come!

Aslan’s presence begins the weakening of the power of the white witch. Christmas arrives and Narnia begins to celebrate. Spring begins. Ice and snow dissolve. As Aslan moves through the land, grass and wildflowers explode with new life; the sun breaks through the overcast sky; the sea reverberates with the sound of its waves once again rushing to meet the shore.

This season of Advent we await the coming of Christ – in quiet anticipation; we contemplate the birth of the One who brings life and meaning to all we are, to all we do. May we give thanks for Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Child, given to us to break the power of the eternal winter of our souls and bring joy to our lives.

Gracious Father, renew in us the warmth of Christmas joy through the love of Jesus Christ. Bring us to the manger with eager hearts and willing spirits. Let us kneel in loving worship. Send us forth in loving service to share the Good News that our LORD has arrived and His light has overcome the darkness of our world. Amen.

Linda SummersTo leave a comment for the author, go to www.JMAdvent.blogspot.com

Devotional 12-21-11

2011-12-21T02:00:00.000-05:00

Read Titus 2:11-14

Christmas is the time of celebration of one of the mysteries of the Christian faith, the Incarnation. The root word “carn” means flesh; God took on flesh and dwelt among humans. Other words in the English language with the same root word invoke negative images. Statistics of war and catastrophe are measured in carnage, or the number of bodies slain. Preachers warn not to be interested in carnal pursuits. And, while I’m a fan of his music with partner Paul Simon, the seventies movie Carnal Knowledge certainly conjures up some negative images for me of Art Garfunkel.

Interestingly, this negative association is not seen in Spanish. The root of encarnación has the same root word and meaning, but without the negative associations. Moreover, it has connections to everyday words in the language that help lead to an understanding of the Incarnation as God’s flesh and blood in human history. One can readily see the link, for instance, between the flesh of the Incarnation and the meat, or carne, being sold at the butcher shop, or carniceria. Author Luis G. Pedraja suggests that these subtle language differences help lead to an understanding on the part of Hispanic people that in the Incarnation, God enters into ordinary, everyday human life.¹
If that is true, does our language suggest that we do not want to think of God having entered the human realm as a helpless baby in the same messy way we all did? After all, why would God do that?

The writer of the Letter to Titus attempts to answer the question. It was God’s gracious act to come down here and show us how to live. We needed an example, someone to show us what it really means to fulfill God’s law. In Jesus Christ, God gave us that example, not so that we can wait for some heaven that is light years away, but so that we can live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly.

Dear God, thank you for the Incarnation, and for showing us in human form how we ought to live. Give us strength to live up to that example. Amen.

¹Luis G. Pedraja,Teología: An Introduction to Hispanic Theology(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 130-135.

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 12-20-11

2011-12-20T02:00:00.000-05:00

Christian belief, he says, should understand Eschaton metaphorically and with the affirmation that the second coming of Jesus occurs over and over again for modern man. He asserts it can come in the form of the Eucharist; be present in our daily experiences of the Spirit, or be expressed in the celebration of Christmas, which occurs year after year.

My goal is not to claim that Borg is right and orthodoxy is wrong. In fact, as a Karl Barth loyalist, I often shutter at some of Tillich’s theology. But, just for a moment, let us suppose that T. S. Eliot got it right about the end of time in his poem The Hollow Men: this world ends with just a whimper . . . there is no big bang. Or, consider the present day lamentations of those environmentalists who claim that it will be our carbon footprint which causes all life to cease on this planet rather than in parting clouds or descending visions. Will such an end make a fraud of our faith? Of course not. God is God, and only He knows the time and the season and the method for the world’s end.

Therefore, rather than ducking our heads and shrugging our shoulders about the meaning of the Book of Revelation, should we not give some deference to Tillich’s and Borg’s faithful witness? Doesn’t Jesus, in truth, come again and again to each one of us to comfort us in times of turmoil and to motivate us to daily feed the hungry, heal the sick, and end warfare and racial discrimination? Doesn’t Jesus come to each of us again and again at each Christmas after blessed Christmas?

The absolute truth is that no one knows the end game and no one will until it arrives.

Until then, we can be fortified by the awareness that both eschatologies may be right. Our Jesus can both come to us daily as well as at the end of time. So, welcome Christmas, hail Jesus, please come into our world for a second time this Christmas Day for, in my case, at least the 65^thtime, and, for all of us, every other day thereafter.

Tom Craig

Devotional 12-19-11

2011-12-19T02:00:00.000-05:00

Isn’t That Ironic?

The eyewitnesses standing in their yards and those looking from their windows stated that the car, once its right hand set of wheels returned to the pavement, rolled four and a half times before coming to rest, upside down, in the oncoming lane. Since I wasn’t standing with these witnesses, I can only attest to the ‘and a half’ part. When the car stopped moving, I was upside down, my back resting on the ceiling of the interior, and my knees resting right beside my ears. The roof of the car was smashed down to the level of the seat tops. I managed to get rolled to one side and crawl through what was left of a broken window frame. Once outside I stumbled and fell -- my equilibrium gone by the way of the best any roller coaster could have offered. I turned on my hands and knees and started back towards the car to look for my friend. He had been driving and was no doubt tossed about inside just as I was. I hadn’t crawled far when I saw his head appear. A wreck of a boy being birthed out of a wreck of an automobile. We both survived. The car had to be hauled away. Charlie and I had left an end-of-school- year party/barbeque to search for two friends that we had heard were in a car accident. They had not been and were unhurt. We had been and were fairly banged up. Isn’t that ironic?

I once heard a minister say, when questioned about the mysterious, nearly unbelievable events of Christ’s birth, “Come to Christmas by way of Easter. If you can believe that Jesus died and rose for us, then believing in Christmas is easy.” Begin with death to understand birth. That’s a little bit of an ironic twist.

Jesus taught and healed, and when He questioned the “religious” leaders, they killed him. I can just see them brushing their hands together as if dusting chalk from their finger tips, “Got rid of that trouble maker. Now we can get on with worshipping God.” The ones He had come to save took his life. In silencing Him they gave Him a voice to be heard through all eternity.

Oh look, a baby. Who doesn’t love a baby? Well, apparently Herod. His insecurity and anger at having his own position questioned forced him into an action that would strengthen Mary and Joseph’s faith and steadfastness to have their son stay safe. That child made safe would change the world.

The Christmas shopping season comes earlier and earlier each year. Carols playing before the turkey at Thanksgiving is carved. We complain about that, don’t we? The most wonderful time of the year (no play on the song here), and we don’t want it to be here before we are ready. We finally do go shop, with loving thoughts of a family member or friend in mind, and the battle begins. Someone parks in the spot we were going to take. Another customer cuts line at the checkout. The sweater – the last sweater – just got picked up by another shopper. All of these events add together and what should be a love filled time converts us into angry, sad, “I can’t wait till Christmas is over” people. You have to admit, that’s a wee bit ironic.

I pray this season that we see the blessing that is the birth of a baby and embrace it. That we feel the warmth of grace poured out and that we don’t find ourselves saying ironically, “I love Christmas.”

Steve MatthewsTo leave a comment for the author, go to www.JMAdvent.blogspot.com

Devotional 12-18-11

2011-12-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Please read Luke 1:26-38

I’ve tried to imagine the young Mary as she meets the Angel Gabriel. So often the Annunciation is depicted in paintings with the long-flowing robes of Gabriel as he stands before a radiant young Mary. In my mind, Mary is a typical young, skinny, awkward, wide-eyed teenager. She is engaged to be married, but has no idea what married life means. She is just doing as she has been told and taught. I think God may have had it right in asking a teenager to share in this astonishing task. An older, more mature person would probably have said, “No.”

It was eight years ago this week that a call came to me that changed the path of my life journey. Ice and snow blanketed Bluefield each Sunday of Advent. The children were scheduled to present their offering of the Christmas Story to the congregation on the 4^thSunday of Advent, but the weather had disrupted our carefully laid plans and their rehearsal schedule. Now I needed to preach on that last Sunday before Christmas.

Only the bravest were on the roads that afternoon, so I used the time to begin work on a sermon I hadn’t planned to need to preach. The Gospel lesson was this passage from Luke. I can remember trying to decide if Mary could have answered with a “no.” In the midst of that work, the phone rang. It was Bishop Ives calling (which was most unusual). I sat up straighter wondering what I might have done that would cause the Bishop to call. After a few pleasantries about the weather, he said that he was calling about my appointment—particularly about a place on the cabinet, asking me to become the superintendent of the Western District. We scheduled conversation time for later in the week when I would give an answer and the phone call was over. I didn’t want to be a superintendent. I was flattered by the honor of being asked, but I valued the opportunity to serve with a congregation. I searched for ways to say no to this new appointment possibility.

As I tried to work on that sermon again, every resource that I read seemed to offer the same message: Sometimes the logical, thoughtful, practical, even desired response is to just say no. If Mary had thought about Gabriel’s question for even a little while, I think she probably would have wanted to say no. But sometimes – sometimes you have to say yes.

I do not know what you are being asked to do; what new opportunities you have been called to do; or what new places you have been challenged to go. The most thoughtful choice may be a no, but God isn’t about the practical, logical, sensible things. God’s desire for us often leads us beyond the safe and secure, tried and true, rational and logical answers into God’s wonderful and mysterious possibilities, with Mary’s assurance that God will be with us every step of the journey.

Mary answered, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your Word.”

Prayer: Here am I, Lord, your servant. May your Word come alive even through me as I offer my heart and life to you. Amen.

Rev. Mark Connor

Devotional 12-17-11

2011-12-17T02:00:00.000-05:00

Landon’s Logic

Recently my grandson, Landon, came to spend the night. Landon and Don wrestled and played Super Hero vs. Villain, but as bedtime neared, I thought I should do something to get Landon ready to settle down. He took a warm bath where he formed words with foam letters which stuck to the side of the tub, he had a snack to get his tummy full, and then I offered to read his favorite book DC Super Friends Flying High. This book is part of the Step into Reading Series that encourages children to read for themselves.

I started the familiar saga of Batman, Superman, Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman by reading and pointing out the title, author, and illustrator. ( Once he told me he didn’t want to hear that part, but I told him if he had written a story or had drawn the pictures, he’d want people to know it.) As I read the story, I asked Landon what he thought would happen next and what else he saw in the pictures.

Landon had been extremely patient , but finally I pushed my luck. When I told him that the “c” in city had an “s” sound, he came back with the logical counter point that c was for cookie; therefore, it had the “k” sound. I told him that sometimes it didn’t. It was then that he said in an exasperated but respectful voice, “Grammy, I promise I’ll learn it if you’ll JUST READ THE STORY!”

So I read the story.

In the Bible, Jesus tells stories to make his teachings as simple as possible. His disciples tell stories so we can know the real Jesus Christ. Reverend Lipphardt tells us “the rest of the story” to make it even more relevant to our lives in 2012. We just need to read it. Landon promises we’ll learn it, if we just read the story. So does God.

P.S. My favorite story is found in Luke 1:1-40. Merry Christmas!

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-16-11

2011-12-16T02:00:00.000-05:00

His wife slept

Luke 2: 1; 3–7

His wife slept.
He was grateful that she could
He could not.
His mind was overtaken by crowded thoughts
As he sat near the manger
Watching the newborn fitfully sleep.

He struggled with the weight of what had happen
In the past year of his life.

His betrothed had been found to be pregnant,
And he knew the child wasn’t his.
He was angry.
He was heartbroken.
A visit by an angel?
Who would have imagined?
Marry her anyway.
Hadn’t he struggled to accept that?
To obey?
To believe that this child was of the Holy Spirit.

Then, of all times, in all places,
After his world has turned upside down,
Caesar changed his plans.
Go to Jerusalem.
Take his betrothed across country,
To the home of his ancestors.

He wasn’t even surprised
After everything else that had happened
That the child would come as they arrived in the town.
No room, no place to stay, no plans, no help.
At least the innkeeper had offered them a stable.

He had found a clean place for her
Clean straw, clean water.
The manger was falling apart,
So he had taken nails from his pack,
And hammered them into the wood.
As he struck the blows,
His wife had cried with the labor pain.

Finally, both of them slept
She in the straw,
He in the manger, carefully wrapped.
And Joseph sat keeping watch,
struggling to catch up with his life.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 12-15-11

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

There is a central theme in all the readings for this week. All of them praise God for His promise to His people. We begin with 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16. David wants to build God a temple, but He prefers the tent. Then David praises God for His promise to his dynasty. In Luke 1:46-55, Mary praises God for His promise of generation after generation of David's dynasty. In Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26, God is again praised for making a solemn promise to David. In Romans 16:25-27, Paul sings the praises of God so that the people around the world will have faith. Finally, in Luke 1:26-38, Gabriel tells Mary that her baby Jesus shall be called the son of God, and the Lord shall give him the throne of his ancestor David.

It is the month of Christmas in the year 2011 but we can still see that God had plans for the future even in the time of David. His son was to be in the line of King David, and we still praise God for His promise. He promised that He would die for our sins, and He knew it early in His life here on earth. This baby that Mary totally accepted was the promise of God, and she felt honored to be chosen.

Let us Praise God:
Dear heavenly father, we sing your praises for your promises. Your blessings flow to us as your children. You lived on this earth to die on the cross for our sins. Your resurrection is the promise to us that there is life after death where we can meet our mothers, fathers, and other loved ones. We praise you for your promise to David long ago. We sing your praises for your blessings as they flow over us. Amen

Carolee Brown

Devotional 12-14-11

2011-12-14T02:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure many of you have at least one poinsettia in your home over the holidays. Do you know The Legend of the Poinsettia?

There was once a poor Mexican girl named Pepita who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.

"I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.

Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.

As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes." She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.

Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes.

From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.

Today, the common name for this plant is the poinsettia.

The shape of the poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem which led the Wise Men to Jesus. The red colored leaves symbolize the blood of Christ. The white leaves represent His purity.

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 12-13-11

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, Steve Matthews gave a wonderful sermon about getting out of your comfort zone, which must have made some impact on me. Kim was later whining about needing Advent devotions writers . I have successfully ignored her til now, but in the back of my mind Steve was saying "do it". So I reluctantly am giving it a try.

Christmas is approaching and everyone is busy buying gifts for people, either because they want to, or feel guilty about not buying them. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. I love a cheerful giver too. However, for there to be a cheerful giver, there must be a cheerful receiver.

Several years ago my Mother was very sick. She made many trips to the hospital for treatment. As she could no longer drive, and I was also retired and had plenty of time, I drove her to and from her appointments. I was so pleased that I was able to do this for her. Early on, she asked to give me money to help with the gasoline. What are you thinking Mother? I can certainly buy my own gasoline. I thought I was being kind to her by not taking her money. In fact, her feelings were hurt. Although she was very sick, she still needed to do this, not because I needed it, but she wanted to contribute to the cause. This was my pride which was hurting her feelings, very selfish on my part. This is when I discovered the concept of the "Cheerful Receiver". I finally let her make a contribution for the gasoline. This pleased her, and that was what I wanted to for Mother.

So remember, if someone wants to do something for you, don't brush it aside because of your pride. Be a cheerful receiver.

Scott Ramsey

Devotional 12-12-11

2011-12-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

Our Goal!!

Hope: In hope we are saved; we pray that we abide in hope.

Peace: O, Prince of Peace, come and grant the world your peace.

Joy: Joy to the world, the Lord is come.

Love: God is love. God created us out of love and redeemed us out of love.

Folks, during this time of Advent we are preparing for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. During the past several Sundays, we have examined Hope, Peace, Joy and this week Love. But Advent is only the beginning of the message of Christ it is not the goal. Our goal is to be like Christ, it is to bring Hope for those in need of being saved, of having/giving Hope. It is to bring Peace to wherever it is needed, to ourselves, our home, our family, our city, our church, our county and our world. It is Joy to all, the Joy of knowing our Lord of Peace and Hope that is found in and through him. And this week Love, the Love of our God. Our God that came to walk and live among us through his son Jesus Christ. To be the greatest example of Love of how we should live our lives even to the Cross.

Please read Paul’s letter to the Philippians 3:12-21

Focused on the Goal

^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

^15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

^17-19Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

^20-21But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Pray: Father thank you for your Love, for sending your son Jesus Christ to live among us to show us the way we should live our lives even to the cross. Please help me live like Christ a life of Hope, Peace, Joy and LOVE. In the name of Christ your Loving Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen

To all With Hope, Peace, Joy and LOVE

Fred Herr

Devotional 12-11-11

2011-12-11T02:00:00.000-05:00

The season of advent is one of waiting…eager and watchful waiting. It is a season of waiting, but it is not about the waiting, it is really about the coming of the one for whom we wait – The Christ, God with us. The advent season is about more than a Christmas countdown, and about more than remembering the coming of the God in the flesh “once upon a time”. We wait now for that same Christ who died, who rose, and who comes again. Though the season we call advent culminates with Christmas, the present advent, the second coming, will go on (unless Jesus shows up at our Christmas service!). We're living in an advent all year, every season,

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)

These lines in the psalm speak instruction to the spirit. The image of those who wait in the psalm is an image of a people not simply mourning as they wait. They are working as they wait. They go out sowing even as they weep, groaning with all the creation for better things and better times. Even if the seeds fall on hard ground, they sow. Even if the seeds fall in shallow soil, they sow. Even if they fall in choking weeds, they sow. They weep. They groan. They wait. And they keep sowing – hoping, waiting, for the Lord of the Harvest to perfect their work. Let us not grow weary in our labors, knowing that the time of joyous harvest comes.

Come quickly. Lord Jesus

Rev. Joseph Hill

Devotional 12-10-11

2011-12-10T02:00:00.000-05:00

John 1: 19-28
Who are You?

In this passage, the Jewish leaders are confused and unsure who John is and what he is doing. The scribes question him as to whether he is the Christ……Elijah……..or a Prophet. When John answers no each question they demand an answer to take back to Jerusalem.

I think this question is central to our spiritual journey during Advent. This is a time of preparation!

As we “walk” toward Christmas, it is the time spent in prayer, bible-study, reflection and service that paves the road to a closer relationship with Jesus. I don’t think we can celebrate the true meaning of Christmas without Advent!

God revealed to John the Messiah! When John spoke of the lamb of God he knew what was ahead for Jesus. Yet he also rejoiced for the Light of the World gave way to eternal life! God with us!

I LOVE the Christmas season. The decorations, the parties, the search for that perfect gift. I DREADthe work of putting up decorations, cleaning the house before hosting a party and receiving another set of color-coordinated running clothes. I think you get my point. I enjoy the end result but not the effort required to get there.

If you are like me, I challenge you to embrace the work of Advent so that you can truly enjoy the Christmas season.

Who are you…………?

Prayer: Heavenly father we thank you for the many blessings you have given us. Life, family, friends and church. We thank you for this time of preparation as we point toward Christmas. Thank you for your son, thank you for his sacrifice and thank you for the promise of eternal life! Be with us as we search for the answers as to who we are.
Amen

Marv Jones

Devotional 12-9-11

2011-12-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

FEAR or FAITH?

At the Christmas season we hear how the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds as they watched over their sheep........

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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.

"And the angel of the Lord said unto them, FEAR NOT, for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". (Luke 2:8-14)

Imagine how frightening it must have been for the shepherds, an actual angel suddenly appearing surrounded by the glory of the Lord. No wonder they were FEARFUL.

If you are like me it takes much less than the shepherds' experience to strike fear into our hearts. Something as mundane as driving on the interstate in a torrential downpour causes me to become a nervous wreck. What are your fears? They come in all shapes and sizes, little fears, big fears, fear of losing your job, fear of losing your house in these economically stressed times, fear of ill health, fear of the death of a loved one, so many fears. What to do about them?

In Mark 4:35-40 we read of a great storm and how Jesus calmed the wind and the waves and said to his disciples, "Why are ye so fearful? Have ye no FAITH?"

There's the answer to all our fears, big or small. Take those fears to Jesus and have FAITH that he will calm them and give us peace. His love surrounds us wherever we are, in whatever circumstance we find ourselves, all we have to do is believe and have FAITH.

Jean Dean
To leave a comment for the author, go to www.JMAdvent.blogspot.com

Devotional 12-8-11

2011-12-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

“Be Joyful”

Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126; Luke 1:46-55; 1Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8.
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

I am sitting in one of my favorite chairs holding a rock with the word JOY etched on it. I received it at the funeral/resurrection celebration of Marilyn Holleran. Marilyn had made the request that the service be as joy-filled as possible. She believed that sharing JOY in all of life’s circumstances increased our blessings and made burdens easier to carry. She was emphasizing SHARING as a means of increasing our own JOY. She challenged us to find JOY in allof our daily activities and in eachperson we meet during our faith journey. But in an examination of my walk, I find that I have a JOY deficiency. I love the Christmas Season, but have I become too immune to the awe and wonder that it was meant to hold?

Paul describes Joy as one of the fruits of the spirit. Joy in this spiritual sense, given by God, far exceeds the joy that we experience because of some worldly gift or circumstance. So the answer to experiencing joy must be a great deal more than just sharing a laugh, smiling cheerfully or wishing others a “Merry Christmas”. Joy comes to us as part of the response we have to God’s LOVE for us. But how do we re-model our daily walk so that we can experience the true Joy of the season? In Thessalonians, Paul tells us to “Be joyful always”. There has to be a consistent connection to the source of the JOY-namely to God. We have to be open to the creative ways that God speaks to us and can fill us with JOY. We have to get in the habit of listening, paying attention and heeding the messages he sends.

In the “busyness” of the holiday season, it is especially difficult to pay attention. There are deadlines, lists and multiple responsibilities. There are work, church and family traditions to carry out. There are too many things to do and not enough hours or days to do them. “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” but I have to admit, I can say the words but my heart and my actions don’t always convey that Christ is at the center of things.

I am going to challenge myself this holiday season to “change my ways”. I hope you can join me in this challenge. I am going to find at least one thing each day that brings a joyful light to my life. Perhaps as others have done during the days of November in finding something to be thankful for each day, we can celebrate a daily “Joy” with such enthusiasm that the Joys we discern far outweigh the stress and burdens of the season. I will try to write these joys in a journal so that I will be more consistent in discovering the abundant life I am meant to live. Maybe by attempting this change in my habits I can grow closer to Paul’s advice to “Be joyful always”. Since Advent is a time of preparation, I want to prepare my heart to truly receive the gift of God’s love this Christmas. I want to be ready to sing “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come” with that JOY in my heart as well as on my lips.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing. Isaac Watts

Dear Loving, Creative and Generous God: We thank you for the blessings of all your gifts. We especially thank you for the gift of your Son to us this Christmas. We are awed by your majesty and overwhelmed that you love us so much when we are not worthy of so precious a gift. We desire to be your faithful servants, but often fall so short of those goals. We ask you to forgive us and to continue to assist us to change our ways. We thank you for saints in our lives like Marilyn who have shared their walk with us and help to point the way to a closer walk with you. Renew us during this season of Advent

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 12-7-11

2011-12-07T02:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew 6:14-15

“If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but, if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

I have to admit that whenever I see or hear the date December 7, I always instinctively say, “Pearl Harbor Day”. In fact, that date is so etched in my memory that if my son had been born one day earlier he might have been named Pearl instead of Sam.

For those of you who are too young to remember the significance of that date, it was the day the Japanese attacked our naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii without warning or a declaration of war. As President Roosevelt so eloquently stated, “It was a day that will live in infamy”.

Actions like the attack on Pearl Harbor are hard to forgive. Yet, if we are to follow the scriptures we should do exactly that. I do not think that it means as a nation we should do nothing, or let every enemy take advantage of our country and turn the other cheek. The Bible is full of instances where the people of Israel answered violence with corresponding violence. Interestingly, it appears that although we may not have forgotten the attack on Pearl Harbor (people like me who think of December 7), we certainly have forgiven the Japanese. After the end of World War II, the United States provided assistance to our former enemy to help them rebuild their country. Japan is now one of our closest allies. Americans drive Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans without thinking twice. What U.S. city wouldn’t be thrilled at the announcement of a new Toyota plant being built? Had we not provided help to the Japanese, and had we treated them poorly, our relationship could be much different.

I guess the lesson to be learned here is that when we follow scriptures whether individually or as a nation, things work out for the best.

Lee Oxley

Devotional 12-6-11

2011-12-06T02:00:00.000-05:00

"But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel." (Micah 5:2)

Hearing about Bethlehem is not the same as being a part of it. Reading about the birth of Jesus is not the same as worshiping in the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. These thoughts may well have been what went through Phillips Brooks's mind after his visit to the Holy Land in 1865. When he returned to Philadelphia and his pastorate at Holy Trinity Church, the heartwarming memories never ceased.

Several years later when he wanted a new song of Christmas for the children to sing at church, he reached back for inspiration to his Holy Land visit. The poem he wrote in 1868 painted the sights and sounds of the little town he had visited. What came from his heart was a Christmas carol that has lived to become a world wide favorite, "O Little Town of Bethlehem".

Brooks asked the church organist, Lewis Redner, to compose a simple melody for it. But nothing seemed to fit the mood of the melancholy words. One night, during a fretful sleep, Redner thought he heard music. Immediately he wrote the melody just as we sing it today. "I think it was a gift from heaven," Mr. Redner joyfully admitted.

Phillips Brooks was a beloved and respected evangelist. Born in Boston in 1825, and educated at Harvard, he became the bishop of the Boston area Episcopal churches. This giant of a man, who stood six feet, six inches tall, also had a big heart that endeared him to young and old alike. When he died unexpectedly at age fifty-eight, his extended family was overwhelmed with grief.
A child put his death in perspective. When told by her mother that Bishop Brooks had gone to heaven, the little girl simply replied, "Oh Mama, how happy the angels will be!"

Our Lord Emmanuel, thank you for coming to us and abiding with us. Amen.

'O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by,
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light;
the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.'

Phillips Brooks, ca. 1868
52 Hymn Story Devotions by Lucy Neely Adams
Abingdon Press Nashville 2000

Kay Lewis

Devotional 12-5-11

2011-12-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

Oaks of Righteousness

Please read Isaiah 61:1-4

In this passage, the author relates that the spirit of the Lord is upon him, and he has been anointed to be good news and a positive presence for others, specifically the downtrodden, sorrowful, and mourning. He says they will be called “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.” Isn’t that a wonderful image? I have observed that oak trees are tall and regal-looking with distinctive leaves. Their fruit, the acorn, is also easily recognizable. Oak wood is very strong and hard, fairly impervious to insects and fungus because of its high tannin content, and very attractive on the inside, making it prized for use in buildings, furniture, floors, boats and a host of other items.

It seems to me that these are qualities that would be good for us to strive for as Christians. Imagine if we stood out because we lead lives indicative of being “planted by the Lord“; if our “clothes” of righteousness were distinctive because they reflected our priorities and actions as being God-influenced; if the fruits of our actions were easily recognizable as evidence of a strong relationship with our creator and an openness to follow his leading; if we “display[ed] his glory.”

How beautiful to reflect strength in our living such that we stand up for what is just without concern for the consequences; that we boldly follow God, even past the boundaries of our comfort; that we model strength of character in the difficult, trying situations of life without wavering in our faith.

What a delight it would be to live as though we are impervious to the insects and diseases with which we come into contact daily--those things and people, including ourselves sometimes, which lure us into self-centeredness, apathy, laziness, idolatry, unforgiveness, and other conditions which stand in the way of living a life centered on God. What a blessing it would be if our age and experiences made us, like the oak, more and more attractive on the inside and if that were the way we all measured another’s worth rather than by physical beauty, title, possessions owned or money accumulated.

I know; I’ve just listed a lot of lofty aspirations and seemingly unattainable goals. If we take small steps, however, beginning with ordering our priorities and making efforts to put and keep Christ at the center of our lives through worship, prayer and meditation, and the study of God’s word, we just might experience a taller stature reflecting our growth toward God. We might also realize that our branches are growing outward as we reach to touch others. Pretty soon we too might be called oaks of righteousness, and when our time on this earth is finished, maybe those who observed or were affected by our growth would be inspired to do the same.

Dear God, in this Advent season may we take time to assess and reorder our priorities and to consider the legacy we will leave on this earth. May we, like the mighty oak, work to become strong, inwardly beautiful people who live to do your will. Amen.

Mary Taylor

Devotioal 12-4-11

2011-12-04T02:00:00.000-05:00

Please read Mark 1:1-8

I find John the Baptist intriguing. His parents longed for a baby all of their married life, but it was not until they were quite aged that a pregnancy occurred. The angel Gabriel was sent to announce the baby’s coming. His father, Zechariah, was struck dumb because of his inability to believe that his wife Elizabeth conceived. A few months later, Gabriel visited Mary, the mother of Jesus, to tell her that she, too, would have a special baby, even though she wasn’t married. Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth perhaps for guidance and support. Mary learned that in spite of her long inability to conceive, Elizabeth was now pregnant. Elizabeth told Mary that the baby inside of her leapt when he heard Mary’s voice.

These are miraculous events that took place in the life of a very important baby who became an important man. We don’t hear anything else about John until he appears years later in the wilderness around the Jordan River baptizing people in that river. Where has he been all of this time? No one knows for sure, but many scholars think he was with the Essenes, a monastic community which lived around the Dead Sea. His parents probably did not live much longer after his birth, since they were quite aged when he was born, according to Scripture. He appears in Mark’s gospel as a fully adult man. At other places in the Bible he is described as someone who dressed in animal skins and ate things that most of would not. When Jesus wanted to receive baptism from John, John told him that he was not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals.

What God is bringing to my spiritual consciousness this Advent is the fact that John was a powerful man with a large following and disciples of his own. Yet he chose to be a fore runner. He made a well thought out, and prayed out, decision to put someone ahead of himself. At first, he seems quite sure that Jesus is the Messiah, but other places in the Gospels it seems as though he is questioning that. Yet, he never tried to take power away from Jesus, but was always putting Jesus ahead of himself. Are we willing to be in second place this Advent season? Do we want the recognition and applause that we feel we deserve because of our accomplishments? If we don’t want public recognition, then do we conduct ourselves in the hope that God will notice how good we’re being or what sacrifices we are making? The world tells us that being number one is the only place to be, the only thing that counts. The words and actions of John the Baptist fly in the face of that. This year, will we point the way to Jesus by our words and actions? Are we willing to consciously accept being number two, or three, or . . .? Advent is a wonderful, but truly stressful time of year. Are we getting the right presents for our families and friends? Will we receive the things we really want? Will the meals be wonderful, the cookies cleverly decorated, our homes immaculate and our halls decked beautifully? Why are we doing all of that anyway? John the Baptist put someone else before himself. Can we?

Rev. Dorcas Conrad
Highland Ave. UMC
Fairmont, WV

Devotional 12-3-11

2011-12-03T02:00:00.000-05:00

"The Perfect Christmas”

I love everything about Christmas. I love the carols and the Christmas services. I love my house when it’s decorated for Christmas. I love finding that special gift. I love the baking and the cookies (especially the cookies!). I even love fruit cake! None of this makes Christmas happen, but you would never know it by observing the world as Christmas approaches.

How did God's gift of love to the world turn into the ‘season of greed’? How did the celebration of our Savior’s birth in a humble manger turn into the world trying (and always failing) to create the ‘perfect’ Christmas? The stores are full of books and magazines to help us create the ‘perfect’ Christmas--the perfect gifts to buy and how to wrap them; decorating ideas for your home; the perfect Christmas dinner and all kinds of cookies, cakes, and pies to make. The impression is given that if we do all of these things (and spend lots of money), then we and our family will have a wonderful, joyful Christmas. No wonder so many people get depressed at Christmas! We set ourselves up for failure (not to mention exhaustion!). No one can create the perfect Christmas. Only God can!

God has already created the perfect Christmas; given us the perfect gift. All we have to do is slow down and open our hearts to it. When we do that we not only ‘prepare the way for Him’ in our own lives, but in the lives of all we meet.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 12-2-11

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-05:00

Peter 3:9-15a

There is one word regardless of whatever our age may be that we would rather not hear spoken to us. That one word is the word Wait. We often consider it to be acceptable for us to request others to wait on us either to go somewhere or to do something to fulfill an earlier promise that we have made. But we grow impatient, when we are asked or expected to do the same.

The writer of Second Peter tells his hearers that they need to wait. They are reminded that God does not necessarily measure time in the same way that we do. Indeed we are told that “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” I would imagine there had been many days that seemed to last a thousand years with all the persecution they had faced of one kind or another. Persecutions that ranged from being cast out by their families due to their acceptance of Jesus as the Christ and Lord to torture and stonings by either the religious or secular authorities for their new faith. And I can also imagine that as they looked back there were moments when it seemed like just yesterday they had experienced the difference their new faith had made in their life.

Wait, none of us like to wait. Waiting runs contrary to who we are. We are an impatient lot, and somehow I doubt that has changed all that much throughout the years. “We want, what we want, when we want it” goes a line in a movie whose title and the actors I have long since forgotten. Still the reality remains there are situations where we have to wait. Change often comes slowly. Acceptance comes slowly, and so we have to wait.

This waiting I am describing, though, is not that we are to sit idly by. Far from it! The biblical view of waiting is one in which we are actively involved. In verse 13 the writer states we: “wait for and hasten the coming of the day of the Lord.” We do that by modeling the example of Christ in our daily life through our relationships and dealings with others both within and beyond the household of faith. We wait living and treating others knowing that the fullness of Christ’s reign has already begun.

Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Thom Malcolm, D. Min

Devotional 12-1-11

2011-12-01T02:00:00.000-05:00

Advent: the period of time leading up to Christmas from the Sunday nearest November 30th until Christmas Eve (Latin - adventus"coming"). Advent was first celebrated in the late fourth century. Originally, Advent was observed by strict fasting, prayer and meditation; but now it must compete with Christmas parties, shopping, lights and tinsel.

Of course, we have special services, prayers and music. Modern Christians look forward with great anticipation to the celebration of the anniversary of Christ's birth. But one wonders, what must the first Advent have been like? How long had God's people yearned for a hero to drive out the Romans or for the "anointed one" as foretold by the prophets of old? What was the world like in the period just before Jesus' birth? What were the circumstances into which he was born?

Oh, yes! The ancient prophecies were promising and were expounded in some of the most eloquent passages of the Old Testament. In particular consider these words from Isaiah:

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,"
saith your God.
"Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished
and her iniquity is pardoned."
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
"prepare ye the way of the Lord!
Make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
every valley shall be exalted,
every mountain and hill laid low,
the crooked straight and the rough places plane.
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all flesh shall see it together
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

Drop down dewy heavens from above,
and let the clouds rain down the Just One
Let the earth open and the Savior blossom forth.
or this:

Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son
and shall call his name Immanuel (God-with-Us).

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined....
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the might God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse
(progenitor of the Davidic dynasty),
and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.

Or Isaiah's version of the Peaceable Kingdom

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf and the young lion and the fatling togehter;
and a little child shall lead them ...
And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain:
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
and the waters cover the sea.

But that time had not arrived, nor had the great leader materialized. The Jews were oppressed, despondent and were without any visible signs of optimism. In order to "fit in" or do business, they had adopted many of the customs of the Greeks and Romans. The Jews had even forsaken their mother tongue, Hebrew, and now spoke Aramaic.

True, deep within themselves, the Jews still harbored a glimmer of hope that God would send his representative to rule over them -- but it was a forlorn hope. They could see no signs of daybreak in their dark world.

So, that first Advent period -- that time of expectation of "the coming" had lasted hundreds of years! No wonder the Jews were despondent.
But their savior did, indeed, arrive! However, he came among them in a very unexpected form. So different was he that the Jews did not recognize Him for who he was.

They expected that their hero might even come down from heaven.
They received a baby born in a stable.
They expected a warrior in glistening armor.
Here was a carpenter's son wearing common robes.
They expected marching orders for a bloody revolution.
This man preached love for their fellow man.

Is it any wonder He was not immediately accepted as their savior!?

Well, we Christians of the twenty-first century can look back on history. We know of Jesus' birth, death, and rising again! We know of the spread of Christianity and the wonderful changes in the world that have come about because of the birth of this single baby so many years ago. It is only fitting that we celebrate his birth and that we devote a few weeks each year to the Advent, "the coming" of the Prince of Peace -- our Savior, the Son of God!

Luke 2:6-7:
And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born; and she gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger because there was no room in the village inn.

Charlie Lewis

Devotional 11-30-11

2011-11-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Fishing Trip...

One of my favorite TV Programs is the daily NBC Today Show.

This morning I saw a story of some young people who went on a fishing trip off of the coast of Florida.

C.J. Wickersham, 21 years old was in the water spear-fishing and was having a pretty good day. Seems like he had located a school of fish, when suddenly a 9' bull shark clamped down on his leg (bit down upper thigh - tore back flesh so deep exposed his thigh bone). A couple of his female friends were floating in chair floats. After seeing C.J. being attacked and pulled under by the shark, they immediately got out of water. A long-time kindergarten friend, who was on the boat, also witnessed this event and immediately jumped into the water to distract and/or help Wickersham. The rest of the group helped get the injured lad out of the water and back on the boat. A tourniquet was immediately applied using some marine rope, and #911 was notified. They all returned to the shore as his friends tried to keep C.J. calm. At the shore they were met by a group of paramedics who transported him by Emergency Helicopter to a nearby hospital.

There was a returning military doctor who had just recently returned from a military tour in Afghanistan (who was familiar with these types of injuries). He was one of the doctors who assisted in (2) surgeries. After 800 stitches the doctors were able to not only save his life, but restore the thigh muscle and save his leg. I am giving GOD the credit. Thank GOD for highly-trained doctors.

As I write this I cannot help but wonder - if I would have the guts to jump into shark infested waters to help a friend in need??

GOD our FATHER, walk through my house and take away all my worries and please watch over and heal my family, and please protect our freedoms, and watch over our troops who are defending those freedoms. Amen.

Paul Riggs

Devotional 11-29-11

2011-11-29T02:00:00.000-05:00

Ephesians 4:32 — … be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Ephesians 5:1 — Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Ephesians 5:4 — Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 5:22 — Wives, be subject to your husband as you are to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:25 — Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Ephesians 6:1-4 — Children, obey your parents in the Lord.

Paul’s writings to the Ephesians provide us with instruction about how to live together in families. However, all too often Paul’s advice falls on deaf ears. Many specialists say that families have deteriorated over the past decades. Children are not being shown how to love and are turning to peers for that feeling of security and acceptance that they do not find in their families, often with tragic ends. Spouses become estranged, hurt each other and separate.

The product of dysfunctional families affects the whole society. Any of us can cite a laundry list of problems caused when families do not love and care for each other. When we read or hear the news about the evils occurring in society, we wonder “Where is God?” God has not moved; He is the same yesterday today and forever. It is individuals who have moved away from God and his love and instruction. They do not experience God’s unselfish love, and thus cannot give unconditional love to anyone else, even in their families.

But, thankfully there are those who value family. During the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to see how two people exercised God’s love in their families and communities. I have experienced two funerals where the deceased persons loved their families and loved God. Charlie had been married for almost 65 years and had raised two devoted Christian children. His daughter and four of his grandchildren spoke at the funeral service about Charlie’s devotion to family and his love for each of them. Pictures displayed prior to the service testified the great joy that Charlie’s family provided to him and he to them.

In the other case, a Godly woman planned that at her funeral a polished stone that had been engraved with the word “Joy” be given to each attendee. She wanted her family and friends to experience the joy that she had felt through her Christian experiences. She preferred that they celebrate her life and not be too sad at her passing. This woman, Marilyn, had been an inspiration to her family, her church and her community. She created activities that brought her family together to share creative activities and make memories. She was a giving, unselfish person who was devoted to her children and her grandchildren. She also gave of herself to the church and the community in which she lived. Anyone who knew her felt her love, kindness and warmth.

These two examples of lives well lived could serve as an inspiration for everyone. Contrast these families with the dysfunctional ones we read and hear about. What makes the difference? God makes the difference. Families experience many stresses, communication issues, misunderstandings, heartaches, illnesses and other problems. We are not guaranteed a bed of roses. However, God’s love and grace can give families the tools they need to cope successfully with whatever life brings. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us the wisdom we need to build strong families.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, you have given us the ultimate example of unselfish love by sending your son to die for our sins. We praise you for your love and forgiveness. Help us give of ourselves to our families and grow in love and the ability to forgive. Amen.
Maudie Karickhoff

Devotional 11-28-11

2011-11-28T02:00:00.000-05:00

Please read Isaiah 40:1-11

When you think that nothing is going the way it should and everything is falling apart, don't forget to call on God for comfort. You can feel the comfort of the Lord during inescapable times when you cannot face it alone. We must remember that someday, we do not know when, we will be with God, the great comforter. Appreciate the comfort and encouragement found in His word, His Presence and His people.

In our lives we experience trials and sufferings that we must go to the Lord for comfort to remove the obstacles so that we prepare for the coming of the Lord. We must have faith that will carry us through lives experiences that all of us, at one time or another must experience as we grow stronger in our walk with Him.

We are like grass and flowers that wither away. People are mortal, but God’s work is eternal and unfailing. Public opinions changes and is unreliable, but God's word is constant. We will find lasting solutions to our problems and needs by turning to God's eternal word.

The gentle shepherd takes care in guiding his flock throughout their lives. He is caring for the most defenseless member of his society, the children and their caretakers. Thus, the one that relies on God's caring strength is more powerful than the nation with a strong military.

In preparation for this advent season, we all must keep focus on the coming of Jesus. We must get ourselves prepared by removing all the obstacles that get in the way; for us to remember that the real reason for the season, Jesus, the gentle shepherd, the comforter, and the eternal one.

Please pray,

Dear Lord,

We call on you for comfort when we need you.
We call on you for support during life time trials.
We call on you to help us prepare the way for your coming.

You call for us to follow you.
You call us to shout for you.
You call us to not be afraid.
You call for us to believe; to trust; and have faith that you will come to save us.
Your love will carry us through this advent season as we put our trust in you.
Amen

Melanie Herr

Devotional 11-27-11

2011-11-27T02:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 13:24-37

But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 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. 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, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

Getting It Right For The Wrong Reason

On May 21, 2011, Gerald stayed up all night waiting. Harold Camping had predicted that the world would end and so, Gerald waited for the judgment. When he woke up the next morning and realized that Harold Camping had been wrong, Gerald was mad. For the last three weeks he had prepared for the end and now felt like a fool. But I think that Gerald got it right, even though Harold Camping got it all wrong.

On May 4, 2011, Gerald learned of Harold Camping’s prediction and had been convinced by the amount of media publicity that the prediction must be correct. So Gerald did several things. First, he drove 250 miles to spend the day with his grown son, who he hadn’t seen for more than a year. His son was surprised, but very glad to see his father. They took a long walk and talked about what each had been doing over the past year. Before Gerald left for the long drive home, he hugged his son and told him how proud he was of him.

On May 12, 2011, Gerald went down to the local food pantry and took with him grocery bags filled with green beans, corn, soups, boxed stuffing, macaroni and cheese, tuna, gelatin mix, toilet paper, diapers, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and socks. He didn’t know what to bring because he had never donated to the food pantry before, but he had heard that they were giving out food that day and decided to go. When he got there he was employed in handing out the food to those in need. He met a young woman with two young children who lost her job and was eager to get food for her family. It reminded him of the time when he was little and his father lost his job and they went three weeks eating grilled cheese sandwiches.

On May 19, 2011, Gerald wrote a three page letter to a guy named Sam that he used to work with. Sam never did his job and Gerald would always end up doing his work and Sam’s work. Moreover, Sam always got the credit for everything good that happened. One day, Gerald had enough and told Sam that he was a no good, lazy, rotten, scoundrel. Gerald found another job and gladly quit his old job. The two never talked again. In the letter that Gerald wrote to Sam, he told Sam that he was sorry and that he was wrong to say such hurtful things.

Harold Camping got it all wrong. He was focused on the “when” if it all. But the Scripture passage from Mark’s gospel says that we won’t know when; we will be surprised; not even the son (Jesus) knows when, only the father (God). Focusing on when the end will happen is a pursuit in futility. If only God knows, then it is presumptuous of us to think we could figure it out as if it were some hidden code in the Bible.

Gerald got it all right, even if it was for the wrong reason (mistaken prediction of the end of the world). The Scripture passage from Mark’s gospel has Jesus giving a parable about a man going on a journey and trusting his servants to keep guard. The challenge to the servants was to stay awake and not be caught sleeping on the job. Well, Gerald had been sleeping on the job. But because of Harold Camping’s prediction, Gerald awoke from his slumber and began doing the kinds of things that he needed to be doing: relationships, giving, forgiveness.

There is a saying that goes: “live each day as if it was your last and one day you’ll be right.” It isn’t the when that matters, it’s the how. How we live in each present moment (loving or hating; forgiving or grudge holding; giving or greedy) is the key. I hope Gerald doesn’t stay mad at Harold Camping for long because I want Gerald to see how much fuller life is when he is acting as if his end was near and because I want Gerald’s family, the food pantry, and Sam to know the love of God shown through the actions of Gerald.

Prayer
Loving God:

Give to us EYES so that when we look at this world,
we might see your vision of how the world could and should be.
Give to us EARS so that when we listen to others, friend and stranger alike,
we might hear your voice, reminding us that we are all creatures of God.
Give to us LIPS so that when we speak,
we might speak words of hope, love, forgiveness, and peace.
Give to us HANDS so that when we reach out,
we might touch the lives of others.
Give to us COURAGE to see, hear, speak, and touch this world so others might,
through our lives, feel your grace.
In the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Rev. David Stackpole

Devotional 1-2-11

2011-01-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

“Hope of the world, thou Christ of great compassion,
Speak to our fearful hearts by conflict rent.
Save us, thy people, from consuming passion,
Who by our own false hopes and aims are spent.”

The poetry of Georgia Harkness offers a word of grace for us at the start of a new year. If the message of Christmas brings nothing else to us, it offers the hope that was wrapped in THE Christmas gift, the one from God, wrapped in swaddling cloths, wrapped in the life of Jesus.

“Hope of the world, God’s gift from highest heaven,
Bringing to hungry souls the bread of life,
Still let thy spirit unto us be given
To heal earth’s wounds and end her bitter strife.”

In many corners of the world, people would be hard pressed to find a word of hope – to believe the promise of peace – to see past their physical starving to find nourishment for a hungry soul.

“Hope of the world, afoot on dusty highways,
Showing to wandering souls the path of light;
Walk thou beside us lest the tempting byways
Lure us away from thee to endless night.”

Howzat for a new year’s resolution: to seek and to find the son of God walking beside us wherever our life-journeys take us.

"Hope of the world, who by thy cross didst save us
From death and dark despair, from sin and guilt;
We render back the love thy mercy gave us;
Take thou our lives, and use them as thou wilt.”

When we are troubled by the world, we know that God offers us strength and hope. When we see others who are troubled, God expects OUR active compassion. Let us be faithful.

When we wander away from the ways of God, our task is to find Christ walking with us, leading us to the better path. When we see others wandering aimlessly, God expects US to provide a better roadmap by the example of our own faithful lives. Let us be faithful.

When we are burdened by guilt, we need to seek forgiveness from those we may have offended and to remember our redemption offered from the cross. When others have offended us, God calls on us to “forgive those who trespass against us.” Let us be faithful.

Christ is the hope of the world. As this new year unfolds, let us be faithful to our Lord, offering active compassion and hope for the world.

Let our prayer be:

"Hope of the world, O Christ, o’er death victorious,
Who by this sign didst conquer grief and pain,
We would be faithful to the gospel glorious:
Thou art our Lord! Thou dost forever reign.”

Happy and blessed new year.
Rev Jack Lipphardt

Devotional 1-1-11

2011-01-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

A Prayer for the New Year

"To everything, turn, turn, turn,
There is a season, turn, turn, turn,
and a time for every purpose under Heaven"

These words are from the 1960's song by the group The Byrds. I always loved the song because the music was pretty, and the lyrics were more meaningful than those in other popular songs of that time. It wasn't until many years later that I realized those meaningful words were from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. Today, as we cross the threshold into 2011, I would like to use these words as a prayer for the new year.

Dear God, in the coming year, help us as we tend to our spiritual gardens, pulling out and allowing to die those habits, attitudes, thoughts, and actions that are poisonous to our existence as Christians. In their place, let us plant seeds of love from which kind, grace-filled thoughts and actions will be born. (vs. 2).

I pray that, with your help, we can kill/eliminate the stereotypical thoughts and prejudices we and others harbor that are borne of ignorance and fear and that divide your children of different nations, races, religions, genders, socioeconomic status, political parties, etc. Please guide us in breaking down barriers, healing relationships and building up bonds of unity so that, as one world, we can address hunger, poverty, injustice, environmental concerns and many other important issues.

When we weep out of anger, frustration or sorrow, please help us to remember you gave us the gift of laughter to relieve our stresses and help us view our problems in a different way. When we mourn, please send us your strength and comfort to ease our sense of loss and guide our way through the grieving process so that we may one day be able to even dance and praise you with gratitude for the persons, relationships or other things we have lost (vs. 4).

In the coming year, please grant us the insight and determination to throw away the stones in our lives - the people, relationships, guilt, addictions, self-destructive tendencies - that weigh us down and prevent us from being the best we can. Please help us to refrain from embracing similar types of negative influences but instead to replace those weighty stones with smaller, lighter pebbles which allow the hope, joy, peace and self-acceptance you offer to drain into our beings, causing us to realize how beautiful and amazing you created us to be (vs. 5).

I pray that, as a church, we will seek your guidance in ministering to those in our congregation and outside the walls of our building. May we never lose sight of our mission and the vision you helped us discern for our church. Please help us to continually monitor our progress in nurturing our current members and working to bring your message of hope and love to those who need it most. Guide us in the difficult task of determining what ideas and practices from the past we should keep to lead us forward and what attitudes and mindsets we need to discard because they are unrealistic and unsuitable for our future (vs. 6).

As we interact with family during the coming year, dear Lord, reinforce in us the need for love, patience, a quick mind and a slow tongue (especially with our children) so that our words and actions do not hurt or tear down those we love or damage relationships. Please give us wisdom, objectivity and a forgiving spirit so that we can mend relationships that have been strained or broken. Help us remember that it is not about us, and there are times when the best we can do for someone is to be quiet and listen to what they are saying. Please give us wisdom to discern when we need to speak up and the courage to do so even when it may be unpopular (vs. 7).

Finally, God, help us to "above all, clothe (ourselves) with love," (Colossians 3:14) seeking opportunities to respond to hate and violence with a loving and peaceful presence in which others can see you (vs. 8). Amen.

Mary Taylor

Devotional 12-31-10

2011-01-01T00:43:00.000-05:00

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
From everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90: 1-2

Hard though it is to believe, another year is about to close. As you look back over the past 365 days, do you recall, even a moment, when God was not present with you? On this day of looking back and anticipating the future, it is appropriate that we pause to offer our thanksgiving, confession, and adoration to our God.

Prayer:
All praise and thanks be to you, O God of all generations. Day by day you have shown us your amazing and loving ways. With your generous nature, you have blessed us with far more than we deserve. You give to us not only our daily bread, but so much more. You have walked with us through times of joy and hours of struggle. Your grace and love have never failed us. You provide for us in ways beyond our comprehension and we humbly offer to you our thanks and praise.

As we look over the past year, we must confess our sinful ways. We have acted according to our self interests rather than seeing the needs of your kingdom. In our selfish moments we have thought first of ourselves without realizing how our actions affect others. We confess that there are times when our actions and words have hurt others and you. We have not loved you with our whole heart. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to know again the grace of forgiveness and love which you freely offer to us through Christ.

In this glad season of new birth and great possibilities, we celebrate Christ-with-us. We give thanks that you chose to offer yourself in Christ Jesus—born as one of us. In Christ we see your way and know that we are a part of your kingdom. The wondrous gift of love has been given us. We seek to accept that gift and live in Christ’s love.

In these moments of reflection we bring before you our love and concern for:

Those who have walked through difficult times of disaster, hardship, and war. Surround them, please, with your love, comfort, and strength.
Those who grieve. We remember those dear to us who have died during the past year. We name them before you giving thanks for their lives and for their life in you, which will never end.
Those who live outside the knowledge of your love. Help us to share our faith in ways which will show them the power and wonder of a relationship with you.
Those who lead us in our world, nation, state, county, and community. Grant strength and courage to them that they may faithfully follow your kingdom’s way.
Our congregation, the United Methodist Church, and our local church and denominational leaders. Help us to share the light of your love in a world of darkness and despair.

As we close this year and begin a new year, we know that you walk with us. As we look back, we wonder where we would be if you had not been on our side. We thank you for 2010 and look forward to the possibilities and wonder of 2011. Thank you for your abiding presence and power with us. Strengthen us and use us for your work, for we want to be your faithful disciples today and all our tomorrows. In Christ we pray. Amen.

God’s blessing be with you,
Dr. Mark Conner
Western District Superintendent

devotional 12-30-10

2010-12-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

December 31, 2010

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

During the Christmas season, I see a lot of fruit for sale and in homes. Bands sell them as a fund raiser, grocery stores put them on display as you walk in and normally a gift of a fruit basket can be seen in most homes.During this season of joy, I think Luke’s scripture of Jesus is a perfect reminder for us.

As we purchase gifts for family and friends and extend warm greetings of “Merry Christmas” we need to ask ourselves — are we living a Christ-centered life? Many people enjoy the Christmas Season without giving a thought to the birth of the Christ Child. This does not make us “bad fruit.” On the contrary, it is a reminder to all that the secular world has captured the Season for commercial use. However, we need to be reminded amid all of the gift giving of that greatest of gifts! Christ was born so that we may have eternal life! This gift is free for the taking! So, during this Holiday Season take a moment to remember what and why we are celebrating.

My hope and my prayer for each of us is that we will look at a basket of fruit as a new reminder of the gifts and blessings we receive not just this Season but also every day!

Prayer: Father we thank you for this day, this season, this birth. We are unworthy yet you give us grace, peace without cost to us. Open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to your word that we may bear good fruit in the witness of your life.Amen

Devotional 12-29-10

2010-12-29T14:44:00.000-05:00

A Prayer for Advent

Gracious God, how grateful we are during this Advent season to know that you have visited and redeemed your people! We praise you for fulfilling your promises to the ancient prophets in bestowing upon all people the gift of a Savior.

During this blessed season, may our hearts be filled with Christian joy.

May the Christmas carols speak to us of the glory of the newborn King.

May the excitement of children remind us of the One who suffered little ones to come unto Him.

May the spirit of good will which is so manifest during these days illustrate for us the blessed transformation which occurs when we turn our attention to Jesus Christ.

Will you help us, as we anticipate our Lord’s birthday, to be more aware than we usually are of the needs and feelings of others.

May our conversations be more cheerful, our smiles more genuine, and our patience more sincere.

May the greetings we send and the gifts we exchange be outward expressions of an inward love and adoration.

We pray in Jesus’ name and for His sake.

Rev. Joseph Casey

Devotional 12-28-10

2010-12-28T15:34:00.002-05:00

Ephesians 1: 3 – 14

In verses 4 and 5 of today’s Lectionary Reading, the Apostle Paul raises the issue of predestination in his letter to the church at Ephesus. Verse 4 states as follows: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world….

Although I have a rudimentary idea about the concept of predestination I was by no means confident that I really understood the import of the above scripture. So, I decided to do some research. Unger’s Bible Dictionary referred me to the term “election” when I looked up “predestination.” I discovered that the subject was more complex than can be dealt with in a daily meditation, but I decided to give it a try. Apparently there are two differing views of the concept.

The first view is the Calvinistic View of unconditional election, which regards the election of salvation as absolute and unconditional by virtue of an eternal divine decree. Augustine first taught this doctrine, and it was formally accepted by the church in A.D. 529 in the Canons of the Council of Orange, approved by Pope Boniface II. The doctrine was later promoted in the Protestant Church by John Calvin and adopted by The Westminster Confession, the standard of the Church of Scotland.

The second view is known as The Arminian View which regards election to salvation as conditional based upon repentance and faith. This view grounds itself, in opposition to Calvinism, upon the universality of atonement and the restoration of freedom of human will. Grace is therefore contingent and not an absolute. We can attain salvation by acceptance of God’s grace. John Wesley and his followers were largely responsible for the development and practice of The Arminian View.

I suspect that Paul was more of an adherent to the Calvinistic view of salvation. (See also Romans 8: 29 – 30.) However, I was happy to see that we as Methodists adhere to the view promoted by John Wesley. It appears to me that it would be difficult to reconcile the strict Calvinistic view of predetermination with the New Testament gospel of forgiveness through repentance and grace. If your fate is already predetermined what would be the point of evangelism? I really believe, as one author pointed out, that predestination might be better explained by stating that God in His wisdom knows who will attain salvation and who will not. But the number is not really predetermined. It is still up to each of us to determine our own salvation.

Lee Oxley

Devotional 12-27-10

2010-12-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

Read John 1:10-18

Word of Heaven, Word of Earth,
Word of Life, and Light, and Birth.
Word made flesh, a baby child,
Word in a manger, meek and mild.

Spoken Word, they would not hear;
Word of love, they chose to fear.
Word made known, they would not see;
Word of Peace, bound for a tree.

Word with Father, Word the Son;
Holy Spirit, Three in One.
Word today and ancient story;
We beseech, reveal your glory.

Word of Grace, Word of Truth;
Word of elders, Word of youth.
Grant us grace to hallow you;
Give us strength to follow you.

Word of creation, Word of perfection;
Word of death, of resurrection.
Grant today that we might be,
The means by which the world will see.

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 12-26-10

2010-12-26T19:34:00.002-05:00

I'm wearing disappointment, sweatpants, and no makeup. God's still right here. No matter how you feel or what you're wearing while you read this, God's with you too. He's year round, but Merry Christmas.

Betsy Warren

Devotional 12-25-10

2010-12-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Speaking When Spoken To

Any parent can identify with those who think “children should speak when spoken to”. Many of us don’t entirely support the idea, but sometimes it would be nice if our kids would stop and listen to us! Even the most energetic child, though, is able to see when an adult needs to tell him or her something important.

In Luke 2, verse nine tells, “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (NRSV). Like a child who knows when an adult is saying something momentous, the speechless shepherds understood the significance of what they were hearing. They intently listened to the angel’s news, and then they quickly departed for Bethlehem.

After seeing Jesus, the shepherds shared their experience with Mary and Joseph. They knew it was time to speak. Despite the cold and physical discomfort, Mary sensed that it was time to listen. Verse nineteen says, “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” The shepherds were ‘speaking when spoken to’ by the angel of the Lord.

On this joyous Christmas Day, I pray that we all are aware of the awesome miracle before us, and that we take the time to listen to what God has to tell us. I also have faith that we will share His message with those who are ready to listen. Merry Christmas!

Natalie Wray

Devotional 12-24-10

2010-12-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

Rules vs. Guidelines

Has Hollywood ever given us a sequel or a threequel (my word) that could rival the original? Ok, I’ll give you The Mummy – pretty darn good all the way around. Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my all-time favorites. The original that is. Destroyed in theme, romance and character in Parts II and III. But that’s a different story for a different day. The original finds our heroine, Elizabeth, standing toe to toe with the chief pirate bad guy quoting him, chapter and verse, the rules from his own Pirate Code. Once she stops, his response is simple; “Those are more like guidelines.” If only life were that way – just guidelines.

Adam and Eve had a few rules -- well one BIG rule and when it was interpreted as a guideline…what happened?

Moses brought some rules down off the mountain. I know I have seen on numerous occasions, and you probably have too, the bumper sticker or poster that states simply; “They are Not the Ten Suggestions” (most likely an outline or faint image of two stone tablets is visible)

Since May of this year I have been on fifteen flights, handled by two airlines through ten airports. Along the way, I saw a nice wide cross section of people. Once on board, I sit dutifully and listen to the flight attendants going through all of the safety features and reminding us that “the nearest usable exit may be behind us.” They are gracious to conduct this mandatory speech over the din of noisy travelers. They make sure you hear and know (several times throughout the flight) what electronic devices can and cannot be used and when they can and cannot be used. Focus here with me on the cannot. On EVERY flight, I kid you not, every flight, someone – sometimes my seatmate – fails to follow what I would, most definitely , consider to be a rule, and leaves their iPod running, their electronic book engaged or plays a game on their mobile phone. Do they feel that the airline is just over-anxious and that the stated actions are just guidelines? I hope each time that the guideline interpretation doesn’t interfere with, say – THE ALTIMETER.

A man came out of the crowd that had been listening to Jesus. His question itself speaks to the strength of what he most likely knew to be the answer, “What MUST I do to inherit…?” (Luke 10:25-28) And the verses that follow outline what Jesus let the man himself answer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Even in Eugene Peterson’s more modern translation, The Message, the answer does not come back as “Well Dude, ya know if you have a chance and feel like it, might I suggest you love God a little, and maybe an occasional knuckle bump with a neighbor.”

In Mark 12:28-31 we hear the same answer come from Jesus when asked to identify the greatest commandment. Commandment, according to Miriam Webster, lists in its synonym roster, directive, imperative, injunction, order, decree and dictate. No reference to guideline.

God must have known that left to our own devices, like water, we would take the path of least resistance. That given loosie-goosie language we would interpret to our own advantage.

Jesus left great rules for us. How to love, how to live, how to serve. They have been spoken forth, written down and acted out.

They say that babies don't come with an instruction book. Maybe, 2000 years ago, this one didn't either but wow what a How To... book He left.

Steve Matthews

Devotional 12-23-10

2010-12-23T22:50:00.000-05:00

Questions! Questions! Questions!

After rereading the birth story of Jesus in Luke 2:1-14, I am filled with questions.

It all begins with Mary. She asks the profound question “how can this be?” when the angel Gabriel first announces to her that she will soon bear a child. How can I bear a child when I am a virgin? How can I be the means by which the Son of God comes into the world? How can it be that God is coming into this world in human form anyway?

Eventually Mary accepted her role. She asked her questions, and accepted what God asked of her. Are we asking questions openly and honestly, and accepting what God asks of us?

Joseph and Mary question their ability to be parents. How can this be, that God trusts us to be the human, fallible parents of the Son of God? How can God allow this baby to be human and subject to human errors and disease? How is it that this baby is the “Lord and King”?

Eventually Mary and Joseph accepted their role as parents. They asked their questions and accepted what God asked of them. Are we asking questions openly and honestly and seeking what God would have us to do?

The people in our churches have always questioned and struggled to agree on the concepts of our faith. From the beginning, the disciples had so many questions. How can this be that this man Jesus is the “messiah” – the one to save us all? How is it that God has come to us in human form?

The disciples eventually accepted what Jesus had shown them through his resurrection. They asked their questions and accepted what God asked of them. Are we asking questions openly and honestly, and accepting what God asks of us?

When we ask our questions and face our doubts, we discover the real truth. This story of Jesus’ birth reminds us that this is not about what we know and understand in our heads, but rather what we know and understand in our hearts. God is reaching out to each of us. We must respond in faith and love!!!

Questions? Doubt? Respond to God with all of your heart!

Rev. Suzanne Ellis

Devotional 12-22-10

2010-12-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 9:2-7 • Psalm 96 • Titus 2:11-14 • Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

What is the message for you?

This devotional is not going to be one in which the readings are interpreted or one which I give a personal story. This devotional is an opportunity for “you” to take a short period of time and slow down during this Advent season. To take time to read the passages and really listen to what GOD’s message is in each one. Now I’ll digress just a little and say that each passage is a very familiar story but look a little deeper. I’ll also say that each one of you may see a different message as GOD speaks to you. (And feel free to concentrate on one of the passages that really speak to you.)

Now I am going to give you a few short instructions. First, read the passage and then read it a second time slowly (You might even read out loud). Now during the second reading is there a phrase or word that gets your attention? Repeat this Phrase or word for a few minutes and reflect on it. Second, read the passage again even more slowly and see how the passage speaks to you and your life right now. Did your phrase or word change? Third, read the passage again and listen for GOD’s invitation for your life in the next few days. Reflect on this invitation.
Pray, Heavenly Father, Thank you for your message in your Holy Book, thank you for your message for my life and empower me to answer the invitation that you have sent to me. By the Power of the Holy Spirit and through your son Jesus Christ, Amen.
GOD is with Us!!!!

Fred Herr

P.S. What you have just been lead through is an abbreviated form of Holy Reading, or Lectio Divina. This is normally done in a group setting with a leader reading the passage aloud through several steps with the group or groups discussing how GOD is speaking to them.

Devotional 12-21-10

2010-12-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

There are four lectionary readings for this week, which concern the birth, praise, and Christian responsibility toward our Savior. All if the readings are similar but each has a different approach. The readings come from: Isaiah, Psalm, Titus, and Luke.

In Isaiah we learn that people will see the Great Light -- Jesus born! He will be called by Royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” the “Mighty God,” the “Everlasting Father”, the “Prince of Peace.” All Christians who pray have titles that are used to address that child. Some are the ones mentioned here. The one address that stands out in my mind is “Sweet Jesus.” Every time that I heard my dear mother pray, she would begin the prayer with “Sweet Jesus.” It seemed to symbolize their relationship with each other. It reminded me of the relationship between a mother and a “sweet baby.” The sweet baby had become the Heavenly Father but she also saw Him, as He first appeared to us- the baby Jesus.

Psalm 96 is a song of praise to our Heavenly Father. We are reminded that our God was made in the heavens not like the idols that were created by man. We should all praise him and let the people know that He reigns over the world but will judge all people fairly and with the truth. Praise Him for all growing things. We should give Him all the glory that He deserves. Many of us fail to give Him the credit. We take so much for granted and fail to think about His role in the world. Praise Him because He is always there to give us the strength to face the world.

Titus Two tells us that we have the responsibility of teaching others that the gift of eternal salvation is a free gift that is offered to everyone. We should look forward to the time for which we have been waiting to see. Teaching and encouraging others to do God’s will is our responsibility. We should do this in such a way that they would know that what we say is important. I feel that the best way to do this by example. We should not encourage others to do what we are not willing to do. Many Christians at Johnson Memorial are teaching by example more so that I am able to do but I have always said that my journey has become a process. I hope to get better and not go backwards in my journey.

Chapter two of Luke covered the birth of Christ. Mary and Joseph must go to Bethlehem for tax purposes, but the city is so crowded that there is no place for them to stay. Our baby Jesus is born in a stable. Yet, it is still a royal birth! The angels tell the shepherds the Christ child is born. Wanting to see for themselves, the shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the Messiah. They knew that the angels had spoken the truth.

Eight days later, the baby was named at his circumcision ceremony. He was named “Jesus.” This name was given to Him by an angel before he was even conceived. Thus, my dear mother’s “ “Sweet Jesus” became the savior of us all!

Carol Lee Brown

Devotional 12-20-10

2010-12-20T20:50:00.000-05:00

Psalm 96

Many years ago I went to a conference at Arrowhead Springs Hotel in San Bernardino California. Known for its Natural Hot Springs, Native Americans, Early Settlers and Stars of Hollywood’s” Golden Age” were drawn to the healing waters. In 1962 Dr. William Bright, founder of Campus Crusade For Christ, purchased the property as their International Headquarters. After the headquarters moved to Florida the resort underwent development. New homes and condos and a new hotel is planned.

The focus of the conference was, Celebration of a new life in Christ.

The retreat proved to be a life shaping experience for me. Surrounded by Gods beautiful creation, we worshiped, prayed and played. We considered our unique nature in Christ, made possible through his righteousness. We shared our purpose, to glorify God. We learned more about our identity because we are all children of God by faith in Christ. We celebrated our blessings, power, peace faith, hope and love because we all belong to Jesus.

Verse one of Psalm 96 was always my favorite, "Sing to the Lord a new song". That means every day we receive new grace. Every day we can compose a new song of praise, worship, confession and repentance.

Every day we receive blessings from God.

New mercies, new grace every day. Because the Messiah, who is the son of David and the son of God has arrived. Nothing can ever separate us from Him.

Nothing , ever!

Amen

Judith Wilburn

Devotional 12-19-10

2010-12-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

THE CHILD IS THE SIGN?

George was having one of those days. First, his car did not start and the mechanic said that it needed an alternator. Second, he didn’t have money for a new alternator and so he would have to take it out of his next paycheck, which he was planning on using to buy his wife something nice for their first Christmas together. Third, when George finally arrived at work, he was told that his position was being eliminated at the end of the year due to the economy. George couldn’t remember ever having a worse day.

So the last thing that George needed on his mile and a half walk home from work was a run in with the two college-aged boys wearing suits. “Jesus loves you,” they told him as a greeting. He tried to ignore them and kept walking, but they were persistent. “Christmas is just around the corner,” they told him. All he could think about was the fact that he just lost his job and would not be able to buy his wife anything for Christmas. Their first Christmas together would be the worst Christmas ever, he thought. One of the boys, the one with too much hair grease in his blonde hair and wrinkles in his suit pants, began to read to him from Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14,” the boy said. “Go away!” George muttered. “God bless you,” they said in unison as they headed off toward a woman walking her two poodles.

What kind of sign is that, George thought to himself: a child? The sign is a child? Somehow it didn’t seem enough of a sign to prove that God loved him. How about letting him keep his job, how about some money for Christmas, how about a new car? George could think of a lot better signs than a child. He walked the rest of the way home in silence, staring at his feet as he walked in the snow.

His wife greeted him at the door. George couldn’t even look at her. How could he tell her that he wouldn’t have a job after December 31? Before he could speak, she took his hand and said to him, “I’m pregnant.” There was joy in her voice. “Pregnant?” he asked. “Yes,” she exclaimed. “I took two tests to be sure, both were positive.”

George began to cry. Two hours later, after he had explained what had happened with the car and with his job, she embraced him and said, “it will be alright.” “How will it be alright?” he asked. “It may not be easy,” she said as she put her hand over her heart. “But I love you and we are going to have a child for us to love and to love us.”

George didn’t think that having a child was proof that everything was going to be ok. Then he remembered the blonde boy with the greasy hair and the wrinkled pants. “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son,” the boy had said. “The child is a sign,” George said. “What,” his wife asked? “Nothing… nothing,” he muttered. The child is a sign of love, he thought to himself. He looked at his wife. She was beautiful and he knew that he loved her and wanted to have a family. I could really use the job, some money for Christmas, and a new car, he thought. But those items aren’t evidence of love. The child is a sign, he thought over and over.

George never contemplated the possibility that the prophet Isaiah had given his community hope by pointing to a child who was be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” and that the hope helped inspire Isaiah’s community to make it through some pretty hard times. George never pondered about how the Christian community, in trying to show the world the love of God, saw in Isaiah’s words of hope a glimpse of the one through whom they experienced grace, the one named Jesus. George never thought about the likelihood that God is constantly putting someone in our path, sometimes even a child, to show us the transforming power of love. But one day, the following September, George held a child in his arms, and with the biggest smile that could fit on his face, said to his wife, “The child is the sign.”

PRAYER

Loving God, out of love you created us. Your love is unconditional.

Jesus told us that we should love you with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus even told us to love our enemies.

But we get so caught up with everything else, like school or work or daily tasks, that we lose sight of love. Often times, we take our frustrations out on those most dear to us: our children, our parents, our spouse, and our brothers and sisters. Instead of loving our enemies, we demonize them. We don’t really get to know people, but yet we criticize them, including our neighbors, our boss, our employees, our co-workers, our political leaders, and all who think and believe differently than we do.

Forgive us we pray. In this Christmas season, give to us a sign of the power of your love. Inspire us to vision a world where love is more powerful than hate, more powerful than political divisions, and more powerful than religious dogma.
We pray for children: for infants dependent upon moms and dads to care for them, for kids and youth struggling to feel loved in a culture where strings are always attached, for children in poverty, for children who struggle with health issues, for children who have been abused, and for children of all ages for whom Christmas is a lonely season.
Help us to act in love toward all who we come into contact with, until the world we envision and the world we live in are one in the same. In the name of Jesus, whom we call the Christ, whose love is stronger than death, whose birth is truly a sign of the love of God. Amen.
Rev. David Stackpole

Devotional 12-18-10

2010-12-18T18:08:00.000-05:00

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. Luke 2: 4-6

The movie The Nativity Story came out in 2006. I am generally skeptical when Hollywood does religious topics and actually didn't see the movie till the following year when it was on TV. To my surprise, I mostly thought it was well done.

One particular scene isn't Biblical but made quite an impression on me. Joseph and Mary have packed their things and are heading out of Nazareth. The locals on the street are pointing and whispering. You and I can certainly imagine what they were saying: "That's Joseph, he could have married any girl in the village but he chose Mary, who's pregnant and not with his baby!" "Look at them, acting like the happily married couple when we all know what's going on." "Can you believe she claims she was never with another man? Please!" At this point Mary and Joseph share a glance, and he smiles and reassures her saying, "We're going to be missed." She responds with a simple smile and a nod, and they go on their way.

I love that scene because Joseph and Mary come off as real people, living in the real world and dealing with real problems. They do not look like the Christmas card Holy Family, where Mary looks like she just stepped out of a beauty salon and Joseph is calm and serene. In the movie, Mary was played by 16-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes. She had tattered clothes and tangled hair and dirty fingernails. She looked real.

I fear that we have heard the Nativity story so many times that in our minds Mary and Joseph are like fairy tale characters. We forget that these were real people who never would have believed we would still be talking about them all these years later. The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is 70 miles. I'm sure no mother reading this would have wanted to ride a donkey for 70 miles while pregnant! Joseph was walking and this was before fancy walking shoes. Although real, Mary and Joseph were chosen by God, and they trusted in Him as they took this journey.

This year, as you're looking though your Christmas cards and notice that Mary's clothes are clean and pressed and Joseph's beard is neatly trimmed, remember that these were real people, who had just made a 70-mile journey on foot and donkey and frantically raced to find a place for the baby to be born.
Throughout history, God has worked through real people. Today, God continues to work through real people. You are a real person--think about it.
Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 12-17-10

2010-12-17T11:07:00.000-05:00

I must be dreaming!

Matthew 1:18-25

1:23 "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." 1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

When I look at the world in which we live I wonder what has happen to the dream. What dream is the focus of my attention? It is the dream of Joseph. The dream that told Joseph that God would be with us. The dream that became the reality of Jesus. The dream that offered us Christ.

We live in a world of dissention, denial, competition and hate. We worship a God of community, truth, intimacy, and love.
We live in a world where one group is right and the other group is wrong. We worship a God who does not see male/female, Muslim/Christian, black/white, gay/straight.
We live in a world where we want to exclude and create “the other.” We worship a God who sees us as God’s creation, and we are one.
We live in a world where money is king, and we are betrayed by its princes of power. We worship a God who tells us we cannot have two masters.

We live in a world where someone who deals drugs is thrown into the dungeons of hell but the one who embezzles millions is sent to camp. We worship a God who was beat and dragged through the streets of Jerusalem for the thief beside him.

We live in a world that believes the biggest bomb makes right. We worship the prince of peace.

We live in a world where greed is honored. We worship a God who had no possessions.
I was taught by Mrs. Erwin in the third grade that God loves everybody regardless of whom they are and where they are from. She told that as a Christian I am to be like God and do the same even when I do not want to and even when it cost me something. That is the way I live my life even today.
What did you say?

Yeah, I must be dreaming.

Rev. David Johnson
Charlotte, NC

Devotional 12-16-10

2010-12-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

Ronald Reagan once said - "if we ever forget that we are one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under."

Each year on the 3rd Friday of September - POW/MIA Recognition Day - the nation honors and remembers both prisoners of war and those missing in action who have yet to come home. Incorporated in Washington, D.C. on 28 May 1970.

As of Feb. 2010 the Dept. of Defense reported 4,450 - W.W. I; 78,384 - W.W. II; 8,050 - Korean War; 1,720 - Southeast Asia; 123 - Cold War.

The POW/MIA Flag is flown around the country - congressionally mandated POW/MIA Recognition Day - 3rd Friday in September; Armed Forces Day - 3rd Saturday in May; Memorial Day - last Monday in May; Flag Day - 2nd Monday in June; Independence Day - 4 July; and Veterans Day - 11 November. Also flown at every national cemetery, every military installation, and every Post Office, among many other sites nationwide.

The POW/MIA Flag honors the courage of our servicemen and women. It reaffirms our country's commitment to bring these men and women home. "Everyone wants to honor and remember people who served their country. The hard part is working to bring them home. That's the real mission."

Prayer - LORD - Hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families, for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.

Paul S. Riggs
If you need/want pic. POW/MIA Flag...I have one.

Devotional 12-15-10

2010-12-15T13:40:00.000-05:00

Identity Crisis

Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

“Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!” Romans 1: 5-6

Who are you? Yes, You, the reader…who are you? I know some of you, but not nearly everyone who reads our devotions. How do people know you? Are you known for your famous hot chili? Or maybe, you are known for that wonderful smile? Would others remember that you are a good listener or perhaps you are best known for your work-ethic? You play many roles, so you might be known as a good daughter, son, brother, sister, wife, husband, mother, father, etc. But really, who are you on the inside of your heart and soul where only God can see?

In the scriptures outlined for this week, Paul relates to the church in Rome that Jesus descended from auspicious ancestors. Matthew names them all, but Paul only calls out the name of David. Jesus is rooted in history, he had a family tree and was a son and brother, friend and teacher. He would have been an imposing figure in history had those been his only roles. But he was and will always be the Messiah. He is the Son of God. He gave his life for our sins and then was raised from the dead to become our everlasting Savior. This sounds like the ultimate gift. It was and still is! Hallelujah!! But it was a gift wrapped in the soft gentleness of a baby. How can we resist the urge to reach for the baby with arms outstretched, ready to protect and encompass the child with love?

Paul declares that we are who we are because of the gift of this special baby. We have been called to accept the gift. We are not just given a gift, like a present of something material, but called to become part of the gift. We are called to be a part of the fellowship of Christians who share the gift of a relationship with Jesus Christ with others. Are you ready to accept this gift? Are you up to the challenge of passing the gift on to others? Will you be known now as a Christian? Will others know you as one who lives for Christ and lets the light of Christ shine through their actions and words? In this time of Advent, can you present yourself for a closer examination? Can you open your heart for an early “spring” cleaning so that the Babe of Christmas can arrive with a guaranteed place to lay His head?

I want to walk as a child of the light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus.
In him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

~~Kathleen Thomerson

Dear Jesus, Baby of Light, shine down on us so that we might clearly see your face and feel your presence in our lives. Fill our hearts with a light that dispels the darkness of the world. Continue to CALL us to receive the gift of your life and then to live out the calling by sharing your love with others. May we always know that we are yours and that our identity is forever linked to the baby in the manger. May we use these days to truly prepare for your coming and walk with you as children of the light. Amen.

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 12-14-10

2010-12-14T14:41:00.001-05:00

Watching the miners being brought out of their cave recently was an emotional experience for me. It went on for hours and continued to be emotional with each person who came from below. What would we be thinking if we had been buried alive for 17 days knowing only that in all probability it would be our grave? Then the wonderful realization that there is hope for seeing our family again, and having time to do the things that are important in our lives. What would you consider to be important? How would you want to live the rest of your life? I keep hearing his voice telling me to LIVE SIMPLY.

So what does that really mean? Defining what I would consider living simply may be very different from what you would consider on your list. For me I think of some small things like avoiding clutter around me, being as healthy as I can by eating healthy food and exercising, keeping Gods world in a way to please him. I would want to keep my activities manageable, and I would also include helping others.

Think about what you would do. Maybe these words written many years ago can help.

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy lord
Abide in him always, and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing his blessings to seek.

As I have thought about this I have come up with three things that I feel can guide me. Take time to remember who I am, take time to be a friend in a way they (friends) will know that I care about who they are, take time to praise God for who he is.

Marilyn Holleron

Devotional 12-13-10

2010-12-13T13:51:00.001-05:00

Your Faith is What You Make of It
Psalm 80 is believed to have been written after the people of the northern kingdom of Israel were defeated and deported to Assyria. Though the text certainly refers to the experience of trial, the perspective seems to be very positive. In the aftermath of war, one might think that it takes deep-rooted faith to keep a pleasant outlook.

When I was teaching middle school students, I really noticed the effects of the affirmation, “Your day is what you make of it.” Stepping in a puddle on a rainy morning can lead to a day that just continues to worsen, or we can take a deep breath and leave the negativity behind us with that puddle. I tried to help adolescents see that trying to be positive would go a long way toward actually feeling that way.

Of faith and action, which comes first? Was Asaph (or his descendant) writing Psalm 80 out of doubtless faith? Verse three says, “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” Verses seven and nineteen, echoes of the same request, give me the impression that the psalmist was speaking out of struggling faith. I do think, though, that he had the right idea. To maintain brightness despite encountering difficult would likely strengthen one’s faith.

Even when we find it difficult to feel spiritually confident, we should act and speak with faith. There are perfect examples of this throughout the story of Christmas. The shepherds, the magi, Mary, and Joseph all acted with faith, which led to an affirmation of that faith. The same can happen to all of us, because your faith truly is what you make of it.

Natalie Wray

Devotional 12-12-10

2010-12-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

From Matthew 11:2-11

"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?"

It is the question that reveals of crisis of faith for John the Baptist. Israel seemed to John to still be in such terrible religious and political turmoil. Jesus was the Messiah. He was the one John expected to reform the temple and cast out the Romans. Jesus was supposed to be change John could believe in! But so terrible was John’s anguish over the ongoing condition of God’s chosen people, his Holy Land, that he had to ask the question…”Am I waiting for someone else?” Or perhaps his question to Jesus really was “What are you waiting for?”

It is a question I have pondered more than once. In light of so much depravity and suffering in the world, so much hypocrisy and hatred, I proclaim that Chris has died, Christ is risen, and that Christ will come again (sing it with me!). Yet I too wonder at times “Lord, what are you waiting for?”

When faced with John’s question, Jesus pointed to his teaching, his healings, his tenderness to the outcasts, and the resurrections he performed. He was saying to John, “Cousin, it has already begun!” The big picture does look bad sometimes, but Jesus was saying to John, “I’m sketching in some new details.” The tapestry of life that we hope will come out beautiful in the end does sometimes appear too dark and ugly, but Jesus is saying “I’m weaving in some new and beautiful threads and in the end it shall all be well.”

It is easy, especially for the sensitive heart, to be overwhelmed by the many things that seem always to cast down and never to uplift and inspire. The extent of human need is especially felt at this time of year. But there is still beauty in the world, the newborn and the growing child, the tender hug or handshake, the person who takes a stand for someone weaker, the church of God in those brief moments when we live up to the vision God has for us, the glad surprise and the unexpected acts of grace and generosity, and of course always there are the obvious moments of God’s faithful providence. There is beauty and wonder still, the child inside and Spirit of God within both testify to it. Be still and look for it, feel for it, listen for it. Where you discover it, celebrate it. It is not enough for you to work at becoming and making the beauty. You must also see the beauty and wonder of the world where it already is, lest you feel that you labor alone or in vain

Beauty and wonder are all around, yea the Kingdom is come! It has already begun! And in the spirit of this advent season, we watch…and we wait…come quickly Lord Jesus.

Joe Hill

Devotional 12-11-10

2010-12-12T20:25:00.001-05:00

WHAT GOOD IS GOD?
Philip Yancey is a New York Times bestselling author who, in his latest book, "What Good is God: In Search of a Faith That Matters,” tells of his travels to ten different countries from Mumbai, India to Memphis, Tennessee to find the answer (or answers) to that question. I was privileged to do an on-air interview with him recently and learn of the firsthand evidence he found that faith does indeed make a difference.

Your reaction may be, "You are not telling me anything I didn't already know. Of course faith makes a difference." From the center of my comfortable life it's easy for me to say that, too. Not so easy for one of the rescued Chilean miners to say but his words were, "I was with God and with the devil. And I reached out for God." Not so easy to say when thirty-two people are killed on a college campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, when we hear of those suffering from AIDS in South Africa, and women and children tortured in Ruanda, when the force of nature in the form of a tsunami ends thousands of lives.

Yancey concludes that the question, "What Good Is God" is lived out in the lives of believers, people like you and me and Christians throughout the world experiencing dire events but still keeping the faith. As a prison volunteer seeing her work bear fruit in the changed lives of many incarcerated there explained, "God was always there," she said, "I just had to make Him visible.” What a challenge to all of us, to make God visible to those around us.

Psalms 146:5-9

Jean Dean

Devotional 12-10-10

2010-12-10T17:15:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 35 1-10

Theoretically, if this gets published since I am late in submission, we as a community are about 15 days away from Christmas. This particular scripture reading is not one that you would think has a place during Advent. I had to read through more than a couple of times to find an appropriate line of thought.

I mean we are talking about being in a desert with all of those negative implications, and the prophet starts thinking about plotting God’s revenge on those that had made the Jewish nation so troubled. Those are not the normal pictures or sentiments that we subscribe to this time of year.

Upon reading through it for the seventh or eighth time, you do hear a message of hope and a celebration of what it is like to have God with us?

Things have gotten more stressful and complex for all of us over the last several years. Changes in health, family structure, our jobs, and being apart of the world in 2010 make things seem as desolate as conditions may be in the most barren of deserts.

With the hope, security, and strength that we have in our God attached to love and peace that come from our own relationships with Emmanuel, even the deserts in our own lives are survivable.

Mike Bowen

Devotional 12-9-10

2010-12-09T13:54:00.002-05:00

The Advent Virus
WARNING……WARNING: ADVENT VIRUS
Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus:

A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
A loss of interest in judging other people.
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
A loss of interest in conflict.
A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
Frequent attacks of smiling.
An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it.

Jim Perry
Anonymous via email

Devotional 12-8-10

2010-12-08T13:24:00.000-05:00

Please read Luke 1:46-55

Growing up Methodist, and Methodist Protestant at that, I did not know much about Mary, the mother of Jesus. . Oh, I knew it was a Catholic thing, but those were the next door neighbors, my cousins, and the kids that went to the other school down the street from mine. I never really gave her much thought until my husband and I had the opportunity to study in Switzerland at the World Council of Churches’ program on international ecumenism. That’s been almost 30 years ago, but I still remember the awesome privilege and challenge of living for five months with 60 different people from 40 different countries and every denomination from Pentecostal to Romanian Orthodox, with lots in between. Over time, I became friends with some Eastern Orthodox priests who did not quite grasp the fact that I was an ordained minister in my denomination, just as they were in theirs.

Friendly but intense theological debates were an everyday occurrence. Really they were one of the most important reasons why we were all there: to learn from one another. One evening, one of the Orthodox priests said, “You might not be so much into this women and ordination thing if your church worshipped Mary, if it had any kind of a female role model, someone you read about, prayed to, someone who affected your spirituality in profound ways.” Well. I certainly wasn’t thinking of God as male in those days, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t raised with that image in Bible stories, Sunday School curriculum and stained glass. What would a visible female presence in church be like? I decided to do some reading, and then some reflecting.

Mary is one of the stars of the show at Advent and Christmas. She is called “blessed” many times in Luke’s gospel. But just how blessed was she? I like to imagine what the lives of some biblical women were really like, more than what they said or did in Scripture. Mary had the unenviable task of telling her parents she was pregnant before she was married. What was that conversation like for her? For her mother? The siblings which she must have had? She had to tell her fiancé the same thing and that she was bearing a baby that was not his. We know a little of Joseph’s reaction, but what was it like for her when she told him? What was it like to walk miles and miles to Bethlehem from Nazareth when she was nine months pregnant? What was it like to have a baby in a place that was probably dirty and smelly and uncomfortable? Who, besides Joseph, was there to help her and soothe her? Who cut the cord? As her boy Jesus grew and changed, as he began to realize his calling and uniqueness, what went through her mind when she took care of him and disciplined him? We have no record. When she and Joseph had to return to Jerusalem to get him because he had stayed behind with the scholars, how did she begin to really let go of him? Years later, when he began his public ministry, how did she react when she heard him teach and saw the people he healed? Was she proud of him or was she frightened of his power? How did she handle the criticism of him that I am sure she knew of? When it became clear that his very life was at stake if he continued his ministry, were there times she wondered if he should have chosen a different path? Finally, when she knew he was to be crucified, and actually saw him on the cross, did she regret her decision to say yes to God’s angel all those years ago? We don’t know, but for me, when I think about her life, I think there must have been times when she thought, “If these are blessings, then I don’t know what blessings really are.” I don’t think that she had an easy life. Yet, the book of Acts tells us that she was active in the early church, so she must have experienced the risen Christ in ways we cannot begin to fathom. That was surely a blessing that I do not understand.

Every year when I preach on this text, I think about these events in her life. What I’ve come to understand is that life isn’t easy for anybody. But God is always there. What a strong and faith filled prayer life this woman must have had. She accepted what happened to her and at times, even praised God, as this passage clearly shows. She kept going no matter what happened to her. As far as we know, she was a poor, uneducated woman who society then and now would overlook. Yet God had something special for her to do as surely as God has something for each of us to do, even if it’s not the magnitude of Mary’s. Over the years, what I’ve learned about Mary through many books, articles, studies and reflections, is that she stayed on the road that God had placed her. I’ve also come to understand that God often doesn’t use so-called important people to do His will. It’s Halloween when I write this, and I have no idea what Advent and Christmas hold for us in our new churches and in our newly emptied nest. I don’t know what they hold for anyone. If we take our faith seriously, I know we will all be called to do something this holiday season. Some will be called to experience the holidays without a particular loved one for the first time. Some will be called to help people they would rather not help, if they were honest. I don’t know what, but there will be something that is challenging, as well as something that is joyful. My prayer is that whatever it is we are called to do, we will stay as faithful to the task as Mary did, that no matter what happens, we can truthfully say. “My soul magnifies the Lord for he has done great things.”.

Rev. Dorcas L. Conrad
Highland Avenue UMC
Fairmont, W. Va.

Devotional 12-7-10

2010-12-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

How Will We Know Him?
The Lectionary readings for the week of December 6th include Luke 1:46(b)-55 and Matthew 11:2-11. The former appears in Luke’s birth narratives and tells the story of John the Baptist leaping for joy inside Elizabeth’s womb when she meets Mary while Mary is carrying Jesus. The latter is the account of an imprisoned John the Baptist sending a message to Jesus at the start of His ministry inquiring, “Are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another?” These two passages when laid side by side contain a little wrinkle for modern Christians. How is it that John recognizes Jesus so definitively in utero but falters in his recognition of Him, for sure, some thirty years later?

When sacred scripture is read metaphorically, there is no Christocentric contradiction here. The nature of Jesus’ identity has not changed nor has His role in salvation history been altered in these two passages. Rather the problem which creates the wrinkle is in John’s inconsistent perception or recognition of Jesus. As a baby, he knew Him instantly as Messiah . . . but, later as Savior, he was not so sure. In the above-identified Matthew text, John is in reality saying, “the miracles which this Jesus performs are persuasive evidence that He is Lord, but I really need for Him to come right out and say ‘I am ‘The One’.”

For us Christians, Advent is the season of unabashed joy. The Advent road is always adorned with the same familiar hallmarks: we neither get lost nor tired in traveling upon it. There is the star, the manger, the shepherds, and the wise men and the story culminates with the arrival of the baby . . . our Messiah. Despite the passage of each succeeding year without exception, we know and recognize Jesus as Messiah instantly on Christmas Day

What about the other eleven months of the year when the roads on which we travel are less certain? How will we know Him when we sit in the board rooms of corporate America and weigh profit margins against community obligations . . . or when we sit on juries to decide the guilt or innocence of defendants in courts of law . . . or when we reap a harvest which yields a thin crop . . . or when we look squarely into the eyes of the homeless on a cold winter night? The answer is that at all those times, in one form or another, we will ask John’s question: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Christmas is easy. Faith is hard. Thank God for Christmas; its majesty sustains us all the year long.

And, as always, there is no small amount of irony included in the conclusion of this text from Matthew’s gospel. After Jesus answers John’s question by deliberately refusing to declare that, “yes, I am ‘The One,’” Jesus says this: “and blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Biblical commentators tell us that the Greek word “offense” in this passage literally translates into “stumbling block” or “Happy is he to whom I shall not prove a stumbling block in their understanding of Almighty God.” Happy is he who, despite the poverty and obscurity of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, sees evidence of Messiah in Him and believes in Him as Savior. We have a basis for such faith. We have already welcomed Him as Messiah on Christmas Day when He was born in the humility of a manger.

Tom Craig

Devotional 12-6-10

2010-12-06T14:44:00.001-05:00

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 1 - 2

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver

The evening of the Marshall vs. WVU football game, I took a walk with my grandchildren and dog. Since most everyone else in Huntington was at the stadium, it seemed that we were the only people left on earth, and we were enjoying our status as owners of everything we beheld (my grandchildren can be a little over-dramatic, wonder where they get that?). As we turned onto the next street, we came face to face with an amazing sunset. As we walked along, the horizon became visible between houses, and it became more and more vibrant. When 3-year old Thurston declared, "Look, green stripes," I thought to myself, I thought he knew his colors, but as I lifted my eyes there were, indeed, green stripes mixed with the pinks and yellows and oranges of the sunset. (I thought this might be a good omen for The Herd, but noooooooooooo). By the time we got to the end of the street, the sun was almost out of sight and 5-year-old Loretta announced that "this must be the best sunset in the whole world." Well, it was certainly the best sunset for me at that moment. Thank you God for allowing me to see this, not only through my eyes, but through the eyes of these precious children.

I once heard a lady in our church refer to Psalm 121 as the West Virginia Psalm because of the reference to the hills. I never hear that first verse that I don't think of our beautiful West Virginia hills. We are lucky to live in a place where beauty is the norm and not the exception. But the Psalmist is quick to remind us that our help does not come from the hills themselves but from the creator of the hills. All this beauty isn't just for our enjoyment, it also serves to remind us of the creator. Looking at that sunset without thinking of and thanking God, would have been impossible.

This is a hectic time of year. I urge you to run outside every now and then and lift your eyes to the hills.

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

Anita Gardner Farrell

Devotional 12-5-10

2010-12-05T20:54:00.001-05:00

People Who Prepared The Way For Us

Matthew 3:1-11 & Roman 15:4-13,

I joined John Wesley UMC in Lewisburg, W.V. when my brother David was the pastor in 1983. I received my call into the ministry during the Advent Season and Norman Snagg, a teammate of mine from W.V. Tech who was from West Palm Beach, Florida would drive from Montgomery, W.V. to Lewisburg on weekends. David and the members of John Wesley helped me hear God’s voice as I played basketball, and they prepared the way for me to be the person I am today. I have received so much encouragement since my dear David passed away on October 24, 2010. It is during the Advent Season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ that the Matthew and Romans passages of scripture encourage me. As someone reads this devotional for today on December 5, 2010, you may be grieving the loss of a loved one. This Christmas will not be the same without David or your loved one. I’m crying still, but I am getting stronger. John prepared the way, and Jesus gave his life. Romans 15:4 says, “for everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Because of John preparing the way for Jesus, and David and the members of John Wesley preparing the way for me to receive, respond and live out my call, I have infinite hope. Praise God. Amen. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, during Advent and always, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Rev. Jeremiah Jasper

Devotional 12-4-10

2010-12-04T20:10:00.001-05:00

Hope and Joy
The world seems to have run amuck--floods, oil spills, mine accidents, a minister planning to burn the Koran (this one really got to me), people losing jobs, homes, hope. As I write this, the election season with its constant onslaught of innuendo that plays on people’s fears is drawing to a close (thank goodness!). When people lose hope--fear and anger seem to fill in the gap, leaving us very vulnerable. All of this greed, anger, pain, and sadness makes my heart hurt, and if my heart aches, how must God feel?

God in his infinite mercy sent us hope. He sent hope in the form of a baby. What baby doesn’t bring a feeling of hope and joy to our hearts? But, this one brought hope and joy, not just to his own family, but to the world. This baby was God’s own Son. He brought love, forgiveness, and hope to a world that needed it and still needs it very badly.

This holy season fills our hearts with hope and joy. Hope that the world will be a better place. Hope that we can make our little corner of it a better place by loving, forgiving, and accepting others as God loves, forgives and accepts us; by sharing the hope and joy that God’s love and forgiveness brings to each of us. Loving, forgiving, accepting, sharing... caring--isn’t that what Christmas is really all about?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

Margaret Williams

Devotional 12-3-10

2010-12-03T13:56:00.003-05:00

This was taken from the book THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS by Rick Warren

The Purpose of Christmas

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Please read Luke 2: 8-14

Regardless of your background, religion, problems or circumstances, Christmas really is the best news you could get. Beneath all the visible sights and sounds of Christmas are some simple yet profound truths that can transform your life for better here on earth and forever in eternity. It is important for you to understand the implications of Christmas for your life.

God’s Christmas gift to you has three qualities that make it unique. First, it is the most expensive gift you’ll ever receive. It’s priceless. Jesus paid for it with his life! Second, it’s the only gift you’ll ever receive that will last forever. Finally, it is an extremely practical gift—one you’ll use every day for the rest of your life.

On that first Christmas night, the angel announced three purposes for the birth of Jesus:

Christmas is a time for Celebration!
Christmas is a time for Salvation!
Christmas is a time for Reconciliation!

The first purpose of Christmas is Celebration

The angel’s opening statement to the shepherds of Bethlehem. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” Luke 2:10

The good news of Christmas is worth celebrating for three reasons:

It is personal: “I bring YOU.”
It is positive: “Good news of great joy.”
It is universal: “for ALL the people”. This news is for YOU!

God Loves You

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” The entire reason for Christmas is the love of God. God became one of us, a human being, so we could understand what he is really like.

God is with you

God came to earth at Christmas to remind you that he is always with you, no matter where you are, whether you feel it or not. You must connect or “tune in” to his presence. Whatever difficulty you are going through now in your life, God knows about it, cares about it, understands it and is going through it with you. You are not alone!

God is for you

God is mad about you! “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world.” John 3:17

When you make a mistake, Jesus doesn’t rub it in. He RUBS IT OUT! He came to erase all your sins, mistakes, failures and regrets. Jesus came to same us, not to scare us. It is a reason to Celebrate!

Salvation

The second purpose of Christmas is salvation. The announcement of salvation for anyone in world who would accept it was the angel’s second declaration of good news to the Shepherds. “Today……..there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 God is waiting to save you from Sin and yourself, save you for His purpose and save you by HIS Grace through Faith. But you’ve got to relax, quit trying to save yourself, let go and trust your savior to do it for you.

Reconciliation

The third purpose of Christmas is reconciliation. Christmas, the season of “Peace on earth, good will toward men “ is the perfect time to offer the gift of grace to others, while celebrating the grace God has shown you. Only when you feel fully forgiven yourself will you be able to forgive those who’ve hurt you most. Only as you are filled with the love of Jesus will you be able to let your hurt go and get on with your life.

In Jesus your past is forgiven, you get a purpose for living and you get a home in heaven. Jesus came to make a relationship with God possible.

Your Christmas Prayer

Dear God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, so I could get to know you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being with me all my life even when I didn’t know it. I realize I need a savior to set me free from sin, from myself, and from all the habits, hurts, and hang-up that mess up my life. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I want to repent and live the way you created me to live. Be the Lord of my life and save me from my sins, and save me for your purpose. I want to learn to love you, trust you and become what you made me to be. Thank you for creating me and choosing me to be part of your family. Right now, by faith, I accept the Christmas gift of your Son. Fill me with your peace and assurance so I can be a peacemaker, and help me share this message of peace with others. In your name I pray, Amen

Melanie Herr

Devotional 12-2-10

2010-12-02T11:10:00.002-05:00

Bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord,
Bind us together, Lord.
Bind us together in love.

There is only one God.
There is only one king.
There is only one body.
That is why we sing.

The Faith We Sing hymnal, No. 2226

Recently, I read an excellent book by Nicholas Wade entitled The Faith Instinct. I was able to identify two major premises in Mr. Wade’s writing: First, that mankind instinctively strives to communicate with the supernatural — i.e., with a higher power; and secondly, that having a religion in common has survival value for the members of a community.

We know from the few groups that still exist that the primitive hunter-gatherers would go into frenzied dancing and singing to induce a state of trace or coma in which dreams or visions would occur — purporting to be from the great spirits, etc. Down through the ages various peoples have invented gods, created idols, worshiped animals (lions, bulls, cats, etc). Rulers have many times, in many places, dictated that such-and-such a religion would be the national religion and that all of their subjects must follow this religion and no other. Every society developed their own deities in order to solicit help, blessings and favors from “other worlds.” (Aren’t we fortunate that the one true God has revealed himself to us and that he sent his son to live among us and be our example for living?)

Mr. Wade’s second theme is that for all members of a clan or society to worship the same deity has survival values for that group. A common religion tends to bind its members closer together — making it easier to work together, hunt together, build together and, yes, even make war together.

So is it any wonder that Bob Gillman, the composer of our introductory hymn, would ask God “bind us together in love”?

Now let’s try changing our point of view — a different perspective. Imagine, if you will, that you are our creator. You have finally achieved the pinnacle of evolution and created humans in your own image. Wouldn’t it make sense to equip this species with a desire to communicate with you? After all, you did create them — they should want to thank you, if nothing else.

So, apparently, we are so equipped — let’s do it. And, let us remind ourselves that at least half of communication is listening.

A Prayer by Thomas à Kempis:

Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening….

In days gone by the children of Israel said to Moses, “Speak to us, and we shall listen; do not let the Lord speak to us, lest we die.” This is not how I pray, Lord. No. With the great prophet Samuel, I humbly and earnestly beg: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So, do not let Moses speak to me, but you, O Lord, my God, eternal truth, you speak to me. If I hear your voice, may I not be condemned for hearing the word and not following it, for knowing it and not loving it, or believing it and not living it. Speak then, Lord for your servant listens, for you have the words of eternal life. Speak to me, to comfort my soul and to change my whole life; in turn, may it give you praise and glory and honor, forever and ever.

Amen.

Charlie Lewis

Devotional 12-1-10

2010-12-01T19:59:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

WE DID IT!!! Two years ago, I wrote a devotional about the 'Corn Maze' in Milton, WV. My sister Judy, friend Sharon, Judy's grandson, my great-nephew, Alex and his friend Brandon, plodded our way through the Maze in the dark, with only a little led light I had on my key ring, to show us the way. Oh, yes, God did provide us with a three-quarter full moon.

We got lost, and thankfully Judy had her cell phone and Alex remembered the cell number to call for help, which we did and God provided. Mike Cooper, the owner of the maze, came to our rescue.

We planned on going back last year, 2009, but a rainy downfall came and drowned our plans. See, Alex was on his fall break from his school in Maryville, TN, and we could only go on a Thursday evening.

So, now it is 2010, and we wanted to redeem ourselves. So try again we did. The maze is only open Thursdays in the evening, 5:00-10:00 PM, and we knew it would get dark around 7:00 PM. With flashlights and cell phones in hand, we set out. Alex and Brandon, now 11 years old, got to go on their own as they wanted. (We mature women couldn't keep up with them anyway). Judy, Sharon, and I started out following the questions and hoping for the correct answer to know the correct direction to go when we got to a station. We were doing well except when we got to a fork in the path, and we had to decide if we were to go left or right. It was getting dark; I called on the cell phone to see what we do in that situation. All Kim Cooper would say is, 'there are pointers, signs, to point the way'. I kept asking, 'what pointers'. 'You will know', he would say. So, we began thinking about this and looking and sure enough, there are. I won't tell you the pointers, because you might go to a maze and need to find out for yourself. They are there, look.

John 20:30-31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Kay Lewis

Devotional 11-30-10

2010-11-30T09:54:00.002-05:00

Please read Isaiah 11:1-10

Our oldest son, Grant, is taking herpetology in high school. In case you have forgotten you list of –ologies, herpetology is the study of reptiles. As part of his work for the class, each six weeks he has the responsibility of caring for a different reptile. So far, all of these animals have been snakes.

If you are like me, right now you are saying, “EWWWH! Snakes!?” I don’t want to touch them. I don’t want to hold them. I don’t want to care for them. I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t exist in the world. I suppose it is a good thing that I am not the creator of the universe, or snakes would have to watch out — they would be on my “hit list.”

And yet, read this:

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. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:6-9

We read this passage, and we are enchanted by its peaceful imagery. I wonder if we even consider what it means. What is this “peace” that Isaiah sets forth as a vision of the future kingdom? What is this vision that Christ gives us of loving one another and living in peace, together?

Lions and calves living together, children playing around the nests of snakes, wolves and lambs sharing the same table. When you think about it, it is unimaginable. Unreachable. Certainly, it is not the road God insists that we travel. Is it?

I imagine that, for the people of Judah, who were torn away from their way of life, from their land and their God, the idea of living in peaceful harmony with their enemy seemed not only radical, but impossible. Jonah would rather have been swallowed by a big fish than preach of repentance to the people of Ninevah. Imagine what Ananias, an early disciple of Christ, thought when God told him to head down the road and take care of Saul — Saul, who had been persecuting the followers of Christ. God’s vision of a future peaceful kingdom not only seems impossible for us, but probably is impossible for us, alone.

And yet, born in a stable, over 2000 years ago, was hope. Not just wishes, not just desires, but the hope of the world. Hope. It is the certainty that God exists, that he keeps his promises, and that he can make the impossible, possible.

We are called to love our enemies. Impossible. I would rather touch a snake. But when hope enters my life and fills my heart, the impossible is made possible. Forgiveness becomes a possibility. Grace brings light and love into the picture.

What impossible task is God calling you to do? What unimaginable relationship is now reachable because Hope was born in a stable, died on a cross, and now lives forever?

Kim Matthews

Devotional 11-29-10

2010-11-29T14:53:00.000-05:00

A Little Child ...
Read Isaiah 11:1-9.

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

It was trick-or–treat night in Huntington, and my three-year-old grandson, Landon “Scooby Doo” Lewis, had been looking forward to traveling from house to house with his father Jesse, filling his Halloween bag with delicious candy. What a great holiday!

As six o’clock neared, my daughter Anna helped Landon slip into his costume, kissed him goodbye, and prepared to hand out Skittles and Blow Pops to the neighborhood children. She noticed that the air had suddenly turned much colder and hoped that Landon would not get too chilly inside his fleece dog suit.

A quick half-hour later, Anna spied her husband, Jesse, with Landon on his shoulders. Landon had decided he had enough candy for one night. As Jesse took over handing out the candy to trick-or-treaters, Anna took Landon inside to check out his treasure.

When the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of a new trick-or-treater, Landon reached into his bag of goodies, ran to the door, and deposited a Snickers bar into the outstretched sack. At first Anna thought that Landon was just confused. “You don’t have to give away your candy! I have candy here for the other kids.”

Landon looked at her and then his bag of candy. “Mommy, I have lots of candy. We need to share!” And for the next hour, that’s exactly what he did, until his bag was completely empty.

Heavenly Father, each day we see children who are responding to the needs of others. Help us to be not childish but childlike in our giving, this season and all year long. In Your name we pray. Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 11-28-10

2010-11-28T15:39:00.001-05:00

Swords into Plowshares
Please read Isaiah 2:1-5

Hard as it is to believe, today is the First Sunday of Advent. During the next several weeks, you and I will be asked many times, and we’ll probably ask the question of others a few times: Are you ready for Christmas? The conversation that ensues will be about decorations, shopping, cooking, traveling, and visions of sugar plums. We will talk nostalgically of past Christmases, simpler times, less secular “holidays,” you know, the same stuff we gripe about every year.

But what about Advent? Are you ready for Advent?

Advent is the period of four weeks before Christmas. It is a time of waiting, of anticipating, the coming into being of God in the form of the Christ-child. Advent is pretty much reserved for church—the world hasn’t claimed it yet.

This year, I invite you to celebrate Advent. Ponder in your hearts, as Mary pondered in her heart, what it means that God would choose to be revealed in the Christ-child. What did it mean then, and what does it mean for us now that God has lived among us?

Are you ready for Advent?

As the words from this week’s lectionary text were percolating through my mind and heart this week, I had the privilege of participating in a telephone conference with several United Methodist leaders from other parts of the country who are planning an international, interfaith summit on peace. The planning committee has done this three or four times now, each conference with a specific focus on bringing about peace. They had gathered to begin planning the next conference, which includes as part of the working title or theme, Economic Justice for All God’s Children. My invitation to join came because I was recently elected as an officer in a national organization for United Methodist foundations. I am expected to suggest ways that charitable foundations might use our substantial collective resources to affect economic justice.

I was energized by the conversation. It is exciting for me to be a part of what feels like a grassroots movement among religious leaders—Christians, Jews, and Muslims—to begin to collaborate on ways we can be agents for change in the world. Some will roll their eyes at the notion—it’s too big an issue to be resolved by religious leaders. I wasn’t prepared for the question that came up during the call, however. One of the other participants questioned whether the idea of “justice for all God’s children” and specifically “economic justice” is too controversial. Would the notion offend some of our congregants?

At that point, I was glad I was only on the telephone so that no one could see my jaw drop and my hands raised in exclamation. Why would anyone be offended by justice, even economic justice, for all? Shouldn’t we be offended by the reality of injustice? Whether economic justice is offensive to some or not, I do not think we can ever have peace without economic justice. Victims of economic injustice will always fight for justice. When will we stop fighting against it?

I guess I’m pretty comfortable right here where I am. Not rich by any stretch of the imagination among my peers and neighbors. But by world standards I am among the very richest in the world. (Don’t be envious; so are you). Does economic justice for all God’s children upset our notion of fairness? Entitlement? Have we really earned it?

Justice, including but not limited to economic justice, goes hand in hand with peace. In today’s reading, the prophet Isaiah foretold of a day of peace when God’s people beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. He didn’t say swords into stained glass and spears into pipe organs. Isaiah foretold of a day of world peace, when the implements and resources used for war and destruction would be used for building community.

Are you ready for that day Isaiah proclaims? Are you ready for Advent?

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 2-5-10

2010-02-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

Luke 5:1-11

Jesus had been teaching a group of people on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. He told Simon Peter (as well as James and John) to go out into the deep waters and let down their nets. Verse five follows:

“Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

As the familiar scripture goes, the catch was plentiful and Jesus instructed the three to abandon their nets and become ‘fishers of men’.

I can only imagine how incredibly weary one might be after a long night of casting nets. In addition to the physical strain, these men must have been disheartened to have nothing to show for their night of work. Maybe Simon Peter was thinking that it would be a waste of time to try again, or he wanted to grumble about how the only thing he’d like to try to catch now would be a nap. His actual words and actions, however, were doubtless and obedient.

Obedience and faith are so often interwoven. As parents do, I try to teach our kids to do things for themselves. I sometimes find myself trying to get one of them to surrender a toy in order for me to demonstrate how it works. Two-year-old Devon, for the most part, understands when I want to show her something. JT, at fourteen months, seems to think I just want to take away that precious toy to be cruel. Devon has a greater degree of faith in me, so (in instances like this) she is more obedient. In order for them to see what I want them to see, they have to trust me and do what I ask.

In order for us to see what God wants us to see, we have to trust Him and do what He expects of us. We as Christians are meant to be fishers of men. We need only cast the net by being faithful witnesses. My children are learning to trustingly heed my requests, just as all of us are children of God, on a similar journey of spiritual growth. I hope that today’s lesson from Luke inspire us all to become more aware of our own faithfulness to Him.

Natalie Wray

Devotional 1-3-10

2010-01-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2: 19)

In these Christmastide days, it is now our time to treasure and ponder all that we have seen and heard.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Those are the words of the first stanza of a poem by Christina Rossetti. (The words have been set to music in the Christmas carol, In the Bleak Midwinter.) It seems that Miss Rossetti assumed that the place of Jesus’ birth had weather like her own home in England. While the frosty wind, the frozen ground, and the snow on snow may not have been a part of the Bethlehem scene, I think she writes about the “feeling” of the time and place.

I enjoy Advent and Christmas. The festive days take energy, but there is something joyous in the air. I dread those days after New Year’s when all the “stuff” gets packed. The house seems so naked without all the special decorations and lights. The days are short; the darkness long. Resolutions are already forgotten or broken. It is the “bleak midwinter” (and winter has barely even started). It seems as if we have done so well in celebrating birth only to be confronted with the dark and cold of winter.

In Parker Palmer’s series of essays, Let Your Life Speak, he uses the seasons of nature to describe the seasons of our lives. He writes, “Winter is a demanding season – and not everyone appreciates the discipline. It is a season when death’s victory can seem supreme; few creatures stir, plants do not visibly grow, and nature feels like our enemy.” He then reminds us that “times of dormancy and deep rest are essential to all living things.” Nature is not dead in winter, even though it may seem that way. Wintertime is needed to prepare for springtime renewal and new growth.

It seems that way in life, too. We all have our valleys – our winter times when we feel failure, betrayal, depression, even death. The stable of Bethlehem looked nothing like a place for new life. The people of the day were more worried about getting registered and making their way back home than they were about something new in our world. Yet the gift of Christmas gives us One who walks with us; a compassionate friend who knows the hills and the valleys of our lives, who understands our bleak midwinter days as well as our times of joy and gladness. This One, our Christ, sits at the hand of God and can whisper in God’s ear to explain what its like to live in these mortal bodies of ours. This Christ walks with us through our winter days to lead us into the new birth which is real love and life, this day and forever.

Rossetti ends her carol with:

What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.
That is all that we can do – give our hearts to Christ. And although the signs of midwinter are all around us, there is warmth of heart and soul. Christ is with us. Emmanuel has come.

Prayer:
Loving God, giver of Christmas and all our days, we bring to you the bleak midwinter days of our lives. May we treasure your Gift to us, trust your presence with us, and surrender our hearts to your love. Lead us through these days so that we may experience the gift of renewal and new growth; with Christ we pray. Amen.

Dr. Mark Connor
Western District Superintendent

Devotional 1-2-10

2010-01-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

A Different New Year’s Resolution

Psalm 72: 12 – 13

For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy….

My New Year’s resolution will focus on my selfishness. It is a selfishness that I think many of us share. I think many of us need to confess that we are tired of the poor. We ask ourselves, “Why don’t they just get a job?”, “Why do they spend what little money they have on junk?”, or “Why are they satisfied living like they do?” These are wonderful questions from those of us who ask them from our position of privilege.

Many who read these words will be offended by my thoughts about selfishness and defend themselves against such a claim. We will read the words of the Psalmist and agreed with the words from the 72nd Psalm. God loves us all! I mean who can disagree with that statement? Yes I agree with the Psalmist but I think we are all tired of the poor.

The debate on a national universal healthcare system is the latest indicator to me. In a country that is awashed with affluence, we who have insurance are debating whether we should give those who are without such a benefit a place at our table of full coverage healthcare. As we worship the God whom we are told “will deliver the needy when he cries…”. While we claim to be God’s agents in this world, we want to deny the same access to the healthcare that we enjoy to those who God reaches out to because those without are “him who has no helper”.

So this year I am not pledging to lose 10 lbs as I have for the last 20 years. I am praying to lose my selfishness. I am praying because I know that if the poor get the same healthcare as me, I am going to have to pay for it. It is a lot easier to be generous when it does not cost me anything.

Prayer: Gracious God, I pray this day and everyday in 2010 that I will be freed from the bondage of affluence and the chains of selfishness.

Rev. David Johnson
Carolinas Medical Center
Charlotte, NC

Devotional 1-1-10

2009-12-31T17:39:00.002-05:00

Lectionary Readings: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 146; Colossians 3:12-17 and Luke 2:41-52

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Col. 3: 12-14.

Ready or not, 2010 is here ! Happy New Year to everyone!!!. It seems like only yesterday that we were beginning a new century and now it is the beginning of the final year of the first decade. Time is so fleeting and uncontrollable. It seems we are never happy with the passing of time. It either goes too slow or way too fast. There is never enough time to do the things we enjoy and way too much time when we are impatiently waiting for something. So how will we fill the 8,760 hours or 525,600 minutes of 2010? What will be our priorities for this clean slate we’ve been given?

I guess the traditional way to begin a new year is to write resolutions. Usually these resolutions are motivated by a need for self-improvement. We want to lose weight, eat more healthily, get in shape, stop gossiping, learn a new language, clean out the basement, etc. If your resolutions are like mine, they are neither kept nor become lasting habits. What goes wrong in this process? We all mean what we say, but rarely do we follow-through.

Perhaps we should begin the year using some of the traditions of our Jewish cousins. The Jewish New Year begins with Rosh Hashanah, traditionally a day of rest. According to this tradition, God inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into a “book” on Rosh Hashanah and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the ten “Days of Awe” between the two days, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other persons. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. This holy day is observed with a 25 hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.

I’m not suggesting we give up the parades, the football games, family get-togethers, parties or special meals that we enjoy on New Year’s. But I am suggesting that God is calling us through the scriptures to begin the year with a more spiritual center. Paul suggests that we clothe ourselves with the virtues that connect us to serving others, caring for them with a love that builds up, is tolerant and supportive. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven, be ever thankful and continue to worship and celebrate the good news that Christ dwells in us. God has chosen each of us. He seeks a daily conversation with us and wants a long-term relationship.

The gift of the Christmas Baby has come. How will we nurture and care for that gift? In order to faithfully begin this new chapter, we must “get in shape” with prayer, fasting, meditation and a conscious attempt to deepen our commitments to the service of others. We do not know what situations or events this New Year will reveal to each of us. I’m sure there will be a variety of positive and negative--but in each, God will be With Us. We must make the most of the time we are given to care for and nurture the Christ Child that lives in each of us. All that we need at any given moment is and will be provided. We think we are rushed or even “out of time,” but God has “appointed a time for every matter and for every work." (Ecclesiastes 3:17) Every path or even every task begins with a first step: let’s take all our steps With God this year.

Oh Glorious and Generous God of the Universe, In Your infinite wisdom and plan, You have gifted us with a new year, full of possibility and promise. We thank you for this very blessed gift and pray that You will guide us as we attempt to learn how to serve You more completely. Help us to persevere in our attempts to practice new habits of prayer and study. Transform us with your grace to share your love with others in Your perfect plan of time and place. Amen.

Chyrl Budd

Devotional 12-31-09

2009-12-30T20:27:00.003-05:00

Grant wrote an essay to be submitted the to Youth Gathering of the Northeast Jurisdiction as part of his application process for selection to attend the Global Youth Gathering in Berlin this coming summer. This is a paragraph from his essay.

My future vision for the United Methodist Youth is a very large one but, at the same time very obtainable. I think that growth is a priority on this list. I go forth in my life to bring people to Christ. I produce a rich and desirable landscape for new people to become a part of. Our saying as a United Methodist Church is, “Open Eyes. Open Hearts. Open Doors.” At a first look one may think that this is a description of what a Methodist should be. That is entirely true. One should have the open eyes, an open heart, and an open door. We should always see that people need Christ and that we should show them Christ though us. An open heart is crucial asset to obtain our goal. No matter what the situation is or what circumstances there are, we should look to Christ and open our hearts to him. We should always have open doors. We should go forth and bring other people into the Church. At a second and closer look at the text, one would start to think something different. This saying is not just an explanation of what a person should be, but it is a list of things people in the United Methodist Church should do. Each person in the church should try and open the eyes of another. Open their eyes to Christ and the love he shares. We should open people’s hearts to feel the compassion and grace of Christ our Lord. We should teach them to let Christ into their hearts and show them how to do it. As a church we should open doors. Open not just the doors of people’s lives, but to show and teach them that the doors of the Kingdom of God are open to those who completely give their lives to him. Doing these things would insure a great outcome and would open a new path to others.

Grant Matthews

Devotional 12-30-09

2009-12-29T22:11:00.001-05:00

Marsh Marigolds

Although these plants are called marigolds,
They belong to the buttercup family, we are told.
Two marigolds which I saw were in my neighbors bush
Where scores of plants stood.
The marigold helped to brighten up my day
As the sky was trying to make the day gray.
God always has some bright spots in life,
All we need to do is gaze upon each moment as a widening pond.
Improving our lives to his plan,
He did create all things for man.

Becky White

Becky is a resident of Huntington, has been writing poetry for many years and sharing it with the members of her church and any with whom she comes in contact. Becky is also known as the Spring Valley greeter.

Marilyn Holleron

Devotional 12-29-09

2009-12-28T22:10:00.003-05:00

Shine, Jesus, Shine
Lord the Light of Your Love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness shining,
Jesus light of the world shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me. Shine on me.
Please read Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

One evening, I was driving home at night during a power outage. I was close to home, and I noticed how dark our neighborhood was – no streetlights, no porch lights, no glow from televisions or reading lamps filtering through curtains. It was dark – darker than we normally ever see it. I stopped the car and turned it off, eliminating the light from the headlights and dashboard. At that point, I was IN the dark, not just observing it.

Pretty quickly, I started the car and drove the rest of the way home. The dark can be a dangerous and disconcerting place (if I couldn’t see, perhaps people driving other cars couldn’t see me, either!).

We have just finished celebrating the incarnation of Christ into the world as a human – one of us, and yet God. Our world of darkness was transformed. Pause for just one moment and imagine the difference that has made in our lives. Imagine what life would be like without that light.

Imagine what life is like for those who haven’t yet seen the presence of that light.

We have been so richly and greatly blessed by Christ. Our lives are alight with his love, just like the homes in my neighborhood when the power is working. The windows in those houses can’t hold back the light – it shines forth.

When people look at you, listen to you, come close to you, can they tell that the Power is on? Do your words, thoughts and actions convince other people that Christ’s light is shining in the world, providing God’s light in their darkness?

Do people come to Christ, come to know Christ, because of you and the way his light shines through your life?

Or have you drawn the shades?

Shine Jesus shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word
Lord and let there be light.

(Shine, Jesus, Shine, Lyrics by Cliff Richards)

Kim Matthews

Devotional 12-28-09

2009-12-27T22:13:00.001-05:00

Enlightenment

Read John 1:1-18

Jesus came as a light shining in the darkness. When light shines in the dark places, the truth is exposed and made known. Sometimes, we do not want the light to shine on our dark places; we would just as soon keep them hidden.

Many enlightened people have faced significant obstacles when they have tried to shed light on the darkness of the status quo. One such person is Clarence Jordan. Clarence Jordan is known as the author of the Cotton Patch Gospels. He took the gospel out of the stained glass sanctuaries into the fields where the people were working. Clarence Jordan also lived as a bright light in the midst of the racial prejudice that is a dark part of our nation’s history.

Clarence Jordan grew up in a prosperous family. He received a traditional Baptist theological education, got his PhD in Greek New Testament and was on his way to becoming a seminary professor. Instead, he left seminary to establish Koinonia Farm, an interracial community in rural segregated Georgia in the mid-forties. The members of the Koinonia Farm followed Jesus and lived, worked, and worshiped together—a radical concept. Many people did not look on Koinonia Farm with favor.

Because he challenged established tradition, Clarence Jordan expected opposition, but he did not anticipate that he would be excommunicated by his denomination. Certainly, he could not have known that he and the Farm would be the victim of vandalism, cross burning, beatings, bombings, and shootings. Yet he continued to be a light: to live, speak, and write the truth.

Sometimes, people would rather that the darkness not be exposed by the light of truth.

When companies began to refuse to deliver LP gas to the farm for heat, in spite of laws that required them to do so, Jordan turned to his brother Robert for help.

Robert Jordan was an attorney and an aspiring politician who would later become a state senator and state supreme court justice. Robert refused. He told Clarence that because of his political aspirations, he had “too much to lose” to help with the Farm’s problems.

Clarence challenged Robert to recall a time when they both were boys. They had attended a church service together, and they had both gone to the alter. The conversation went something like this:

Clarence: “Do you remember when the preacher asked you if you want to follow Jesus?”
Robert: “Yes Clarence, of course I remember! I told him I did want to follow Jesus…and Clarence, I do follow Jesus—to a point”
Clarence: “Robert, I suggest you go back to that little church, and you stand up before the people, and you tell them that what you meant to say is that you admire Jesus, not that you want to follow him.”

If we want to be followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be a light to the world even when the world wants to remain in darkness. Being the light requires us at times to step out of our comfort zones. Do you want to follow Jesus? Or do you just admire him?

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 12-26-09

2009-12-26T20:47:00.001-05:00

Christmas Boots

I love Christmas. Notwithstanding the argument that the holiday has become very commercialized, I love Christmas. I love the smells and the sounds and the food and the crisp air and well, I love Christmas.
I was about to say ‘most,’ but I will correct myself and say ‘all’ of the last minute rush and painful need for a 25th hour in the day is entirely self inflicted. I do not lay out my plan soon enough and once laid out, I do not act upon it swiftly. Believe it or not, I DO like shopping for gifts. I enjoy the challenge of selecting just the right present for just the right person, and I enjoy the happiness shown when the fruit of that research is unwrapped.

To say that our family had a Christmas tradition may be a misnomer. Raised as an Army brat, we traveled. As the high school years came along, the Army days had ended and things may have taken on somewhat of a pattern. As if it were a tradition, the question is asked of us and by us – even if there is no intent to give or receive, “What do you want for Christmas?” We are almost petitioning for a list. When our boys were (very) young we asked for the proverbial list. One of them had wanted a computer. No not a PC/MAC type computer but a little Toys R Us learning device. When Christmas morning came, and the present opening time was coming to a close, the little one asked, “Where is the computer I ordered?”
We sometimes treat Christmas as a catalog ordering event. “Dear God, thank you for your Son, I would like more hours in the day, more money, less hassle, nicer co-workers, a new car, season football tickets, maybe a boat and, well, that’ll do for now. And, by the way, could we get some world peace and a slow down on that global warming thing?”

As a kid I always remember being asked what I would like for Christmas. I never remember having a desire along the order of ‘If I don’t get a blue bike I w-i-l-l j-u-s-t d-i-e!!!’ I don’t remember everything I got, but I do remember NEVER being disappointed or unhappy on Christmas.

I do have a memory of our Christmas living in Germany when, on my list, I wanted a pair of cowboy boots. I don’t recall what led me to like the boots or to ask for them but that was what was on my mind that year. Christmas morning dawned and in a gleeful shredding of pretty paper, all of the presents were opened…. no boots. I remember that there were no boots, and I remember being a little deflated. When the dust settled, and we caught our collective breath, Mom pulled on the cord controlling the drapes covering the large living room window. There in the corner(s) of the window sill….. cowboy boots. A pair for me, and a pair for Rob. Joy unspeakable!

Isn’t God that way with us? He fulfills our needs and even provides to us what we think we want. We are happy and about to move on with the day and suddenly he draws back the curtains on the window to the stable and reveals what we most desire – His Son.

Steve Matthews

Devotional 12-26-09

2009-12-25T20:57:00.002-05:00

Old Farmer’s Advice

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig tight, and bull strong.
Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere Tractor
Words that soak into your ears are whispered - not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles.
When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived - not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life - then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a 2nd time.
Don't interfere with something that ain't bothering you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it in.
Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly, Leave The Rest To GOD.....

Paul Riggs

Devotional 12-25-09

2009-12-25T02:05:00.001-05:00

"Rock-a-bye, my dear little boy, dear little boy,
wonder of wonders, my blessing and joy;
slumber as I gently hold you,
let my tender love enfold you;
gift of God to me and the world,
here in my arms lies so peacefully curled.”

The poetry is from a Christmas lullaby from Czech tradition. Any of us could sing the song as we hold our own child – or grandchild. Nancy and I could sing it now to a great granddaughter. “Rock-a-bye my dear little girl, love-gift of God in my arms safely curl.”

But the lullaby is the song of Mary – singing to her baby boy on the first Christmas morning. “Slumber as I gently hold you, let my tender love enfold you.” I confess that I cannot sing this carol without a tear breaking free from my eyelid and escaping down my cheek. I know the tender and overwhelming love of a new Daddy holding a minute-old baby boy. While the carol is about Jesus, my mind cannot help but race to the images of our children and grandchildren. The lesson of the carol for me is that God chose this very human and very, very ordinary way of revealing God’s personality and nature to the world. The carol draws me to an identity with Mary and Joseph; and it traces a remembrance that I was once someone’s newborn love. Such is the way of God: to draw on our experience in life to speak to us and to reveal to us the depths and wonders of love.

On this Christmas day, let your mind and heart feel the emotion of God’s tender love for this world. Heaven knows, this hurting, struggling world needs some tender lovin’! In the experiences of our lives, WE need some tender lovin’! More importantly, don’t we have some tender love to share?

“Little Jesus, Infant Divine, Infant Divine,
one with the Father, yet born to be mine;
as I rock you calmly sleeping,
angel guards their watch are keeping;
precious child, one day we shall see
what love has destined for you and for me.”

Merry Christmas!
Love,

Rev. Jack Lipphardt

Devotional 12-24-09

2009-12-23T23:04:00.003-05:00

Luke 2:8-16 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 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: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.

I offer to you an adaptation of “A Meditation about Christmas” by Howard Thurman -

There must be always remaining in every man’s life some place for the singing of angels. Someplace for that which is in itself breathlessly beautiful and, by an inherent prerogative, throwing all the rest of life into new and creative relatedness. Something that gathers up in itself all the freshets of existence from drab and commonplace areas of living and glows in one bright light of penetrating beauty and meaning… then passes. The common place is shot through now with new glory. Old burdens become lighter. Deep and ancient wounds lose much of their old, old hurting. A crown is placed over our heads which for the rest of our lives we are trying to grow tall enough to wear. Despite all of the crassness of life, despite all of the hardness, despite all of the harsh discords of life, life is saved by the singing of angels.

-"Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people "-

It is of profoundest significance that the gospel story, particularly in the book of Luke, reveals that the announcement of the birth of Jesus came first to simple shepherds who were about their appointed tasks. Whatever else theology and tradition may add to or extrapolate from the nativity story, the birth of Jesus remains the symbol of the dignity and the inherent worthfulness of the common man. Stripped bare of art form and liturgy, the literal substance of the story remains: Jesus Christ was born in a stable. He was born of humble parentage in surroundings that are the common lot of those who earn their living by the sweat of their brow. Nothing can rob the common man of this heritage. When he beholds Jesus he sees in him the possibilities of life even for the humblest, and a dramatic revelation of the significance and meaning of God.

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

If the theme of angel’s song is to find fulfillment in the world, it will be through the common man becoming aware of his true worthfulness and asserting his generic prerogative as a child of God.

Joseph Hill

Devotional 12-23-09

2009-12-22T22:19:00.001-05:00

The Gift of Presence

Please read Luke 2:1-20

Those who gathered at the Stable to see and welcome Jesus, the newborn king honored him with their Presence. It is easy -- all too easy to get caught up in just giving presents rather than our Presence, by being there – being with – being for – being available – being open to the one we call the Christ.

Two images come to mind for me this day. One is the phrase we look for on the back of the cards we like to receive. It starts: “When you care enough. …. To give the very best – give a _______ card. The other image comes from the hymn Drummer Boy. Perhaps the words have already come to your mind but in case they haven’t, they are these. “What I have, I give Him. I give Him my Heart.”

We are a blessed people, and we are called to be a blessing to others. In the months since we started attending Johnson Memorial, the expressions of love and the greeting of friends previously known and those we have met since we started attending here have blessed us. You have taken us in and received us warmly in Christ’s name and on his behalf.

As we together more forward in this season of our lives may we continually strive to remember we are in His Presence and live accordingly.

Prayer: Gracious Lord, you bless us with your presence each day. Help us to open our hearts to you this day and share your boundless love with others. Amen.

Rev. Thom Malcolm

Devotional 12-22-09

2009-12-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

Is God concerned about the details of your life? Does He care about the "little things"? Piles of dishes need to be done. The washer leaks a big soapy puddle on the floor, and you have people coming in an hour. Little things. Nobody else seems to notice or pay that much mind...so why should God? After all, isn't He the God of the BIG things? Isn't He the one who spoke swirling galaxies into the vast frontiers of space, who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and calculated the dust of the earth (Isaiah 40:12)? Why should this great, awesome God notice the tears that came to my eyes this morning at breakfast-when no one else noticed? Why should the Creator of the universe care about the worries that kept me awake until 2am? Why should the mighty Sovereign of eternity be concerned about the fact that I'm late for an appointment and can't find a parking place?

Sure, the bible says He has compassion for His people. But isn't that sort of a "general" compassion for humankind? Isn't that an arms-length kind of compassion? Just how intimately is God involved in our small, petty problems? David says "He has the compassion of a father."

I remember my father having a kind of intimate, heartfelt compassion with me. Often when my Dad would be busy at his easel, I'd sit on the floor at his side with my crayons and coloring book. Sometimes he'd set his brushed aside, reach down and lift me into his lap. Then he'd fix my hand on one of his brushes and enfold his larger, stronger hand around mine. Ever so gently, he would guide my hand and the brush, and I would watch in amazement as, together, we made something beautiful. This is the kind of love our God has for us. Father love. The kind, gentle compassion of a Dad who deeply cares for His sons and daughters. Maybe you never had a Dad like that...but you do have such a Father.

Let God's big hand close gently over yours. With His help, even the discouraging scribbles of your life can become a masterpiece. Nothing would delight a Father's heart more.

Written by: Joni Eareckson Tada

Jenny Matthews

Devotional 12-21-09

2009-12-20T22:22:00.002-05:00

From the thoughts of this precious season that we find yearly on our Christmas cards…do we really give them the attention they deserve? I have listed of few; there are many – all sent thoughtfully and sincerely from family and friends.

I am including a few of my favorites, oft-repeated throughout the years, but usually read hastily. I include a few more for us to think about and enjoy again and again!

May your heart be lifted by the light of the season.
May the Christmas Season fill your home with joy, your heart with love and your life with laughter.
May God fill your life with love, joy and peace this Holiday Season and throughout the New Year.
May His love and presence fill you to overflowing and bring you a most joyous Christmas.
May the blessings and joy of this Christmas season be with you throughout the coming year.
(and my personal favorite, for each of us) May the blessings and joy of the Christmas Season be with you though the coming year.

For each of you,

Quinn Van Nostran

Devotional 12-20-09

2009-12-19T21:43:00.001-05:00

Reflecting the Light
Luke 1:46-56

A little girl was sitting in church during Advent, and she asked her mother as she looked at a stained glass window of a saint, what is a saint? Her mother looked at the stained glass window as the sun light shined through it and said, “A saint is a person who lets the love of God show (reflect) through them.

We like Mary are sent to bear witness of that light. Jesus is the light of the world. We must walk in the light. The beautiful light of his love.

It must have been a hard decision for a teenager to agree to let the light of God reflect through her to be the mother of Jesus.

Flying into a city these weeks before Christmas is a treat for even the jaded traveler. All cities are decorated in lights. Every neighborhood is outlined in the colors of holiday lights stretched over roofs, windows and chimneys. This “Santa Claus view” of thing is repeated all over the world.

Christmas is a time of bright lights. We light and illuminate everything during Advent. Trees, houses, businesses, even skyscrapers. The metaphor of reflecting the LIGHT is the dominant theme of Christmas.

The first act of creation according to Genesis 1, was God’s announcement “Let There Be LIGHT”! This was the introduction of meaning into the world. This was the beginning of hope and purpose and thought.

During Advent the light still shines. Christmas is the time to celebrate the light. Behind all of the Christmas lights there is the ancient affirmation that God is still at work in the world. This remains the hope of believers. No matter how dark times may be, the light still shines.

May God grant you peace joy, and happiness throughout Advent and 2010 and always as you and I reflect the light of Jesus daily. May each time you see a Christmas light, you pause and think about the gift of Mary to all Christians. Amen.

Rev. Jeremiah Jasper

Devotional 12-19-09

2009-12-18T23:18:00.000-05:00

December 19, 2009

A Light Aglow

Stand up and show your soul because when we exhibit our soul it liberates others in allowing them to find the courage to shine in their own light. We change others when we brighten the day of another with the light of our soul. But what kindles that light aglow in dark times? For some, that may be will-power but who among us has the will-power to continue on for an entire life loving and shining? For others, it may be the desire to love but what happens when we find ourselves without love for others, unable to turn away from hatred? For yet others, it could be the love they feel from their peers, but what happens when that love light is scarce? It is the unending love of God that provides the oil for the lamp to burn through the night. It is the love of God that pushes us and inspires us when the times are dark. It is God’s love that compels us to love when our mind tells us differently, when the hatred that fills this world seeps into our thoughts like poison.

So I rely not on myself because I have not the power to persevere. I rely not on others to inspire my light, my love, and my life, for all together, they have not the love God has for one single human in existence. I rely on God’s love because it will forever burn the wick that keeps my heart aglow. Even when that wick seems out of reach, God’s love will never falter or lessen. I rely on God’s love because it is eternal and without limit. As long as I rely on God, the flame of my heart will never cease to glow. Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Ryan Lavalley

Devotional 12-18-09

2009-12-17T20:16:00.002-05:00

Luke 1: 46 - 55

At Christmas we are reminded of the miracle of birth. Most specifically, the birth of Jesus. We should also remember the courage and faith of Mary. Here is a young woman, unmarried, and made pregnant by a spirit that we can only begin to understand. Yet Mary does not falter in her faith, or her belief that her child is indeed the Son of God.

The child within the body of Elizabeth, Mary's relative, by some unknown means, recognized that Mary's child was special. Elizabeth acknowledged the wonder and spiritual nature of Mary's child. These two women showed a faith and belief system that many of us strive to gain for years.

Maybe we make it too complicated. In our quest to explain the unexplainable we become so intellectualized that we forget the simplicity of belief. One does not always need to have complete understanding to know that something "just is." With our own children we sometimes "know" what they are truly like without being able to define how we acquired that knowledge.

Thus it was with Mary and Elizabeth. They "just knew." They accepted that Mary's baby was the Son of God with joy and faith.

And isn't that what the birth of Jesus is really all about - Joy and Faith?

Sue Kearns

Devotional 12-17-09

2009-12-16T21:42:00.002-05:00

Subject - 5th grade Assignment....

A Fifth Grade Teacher in a Christian School asked her class to look at TV Commercials and see if they could use them to communicate ideas about GOD –

GOD is like "Bayer Aspirin" - HE works miracles.
GOD is like a "Ford" - HE's got a better idea.
GOD is like "Coke" - HE's the real thing.
GOD is like "Hallmark Cards" - HE cares enough to send HIS very best.
GOD is like "Tide" - HE gets the stains out that others leave behind.
GOD is like "G.E." - HE brings good things to life.
GOD is like "Sears" - HE has everything.
GOD is like "Alka Seltzer" - Try Him - You'll Like Him.
GOD is like "Scotch Tape" - You can't see Him, but you know He's there.
GOD is like "Delta" - He is ready when you are.
GOD is like "Allstate" - you're in good hands with Him.
GOD is like "VO-5 Hairspray" - He holds through all kinds of weather.
GOD is like "Dial Soap" - aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?
GOD is like the "U.S. Postal Service" - neither rain or snow, nor dark of night will keep Him from His appointed rounds.
GOD is like "Chevrolet" - the heart beat of America.
GOD is like "Maxwell House" - good to the last drop.
GOD is like "Bounty" - HE is the quicker picker upper - can handle the tough jobs and HE won't fall apart on you.

Blessings from my house to your house.

Paul Riggs

Devotional 12-16-09

2009-12-15T20:56:00.002-05:00

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. John 17:6

Thou our father, Christ our brother,
All who live in love are thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
--(Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee) Henry Van Dyke

The Broler
Last December my co-teacher, Barb, and I were telling our 3-year-old preschool students the Nativity story. I made a point of explaining what a manger is and how it made a good substitute for a baby bed. The story ended with the visit of the Wise Men, and the children thought gold and perfume were strange gifts for a baby. So we asked them, "What present would you give to Baby Jesus?" Our little geniuses came up with very practical gifts: a crib and a blanket, a teddy bear, baby clothes, little socks, a high chair. The last child to speak was Nicky and the conversation went something like this:"Nicky, what would you give to Baby Jesus?"

"A broler."

Barb and I looked at each other. Nicky's mother is from Peru and he is bilingual, but every now and then we couldn't understand something he said, and this was one of those times.

"Say that again."

"A broler."

"One more time."

“A broler."

It was clear Nicky knew what he was saying but we were clueless.

I started rhyming in my head--what would rhyme with broler that would have to do with a baby?

"Ah-ha. Nicky, do you mean a stroller? You want the baby to have a stroller so he can take walks?"

"No, a brooo-ler." He was clearly becoming frustrated, and he clearly had something to tell us.

It was Barb who finally figured it out. "Nicky, are you saying brother?"

"Yes, yes, a broler!"

(Barb and I shared a teary-eyed "ahhh......")

Do I need to keep writing? The child wanted to give Baby Jesus a brother. What better gift could any of us give than the gift of a brother or sister, our own lives?

Dear Lord, May we always see you and your world through the eyes of a child. Help us to be deserving to be called your brothers and sisters. Amen.

Anita Farrell

Devotional 12-15-09

2009-12-14T22:29:00.002-05:00

What are you waiting for?

Read: Micah 5:2-5a • Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7 •
Hebrews 10:5-10 • Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

As I sit here this morning I have no idea what the day will bring. Only God knows. I am not like Micah blessed to prophesize the future. Nor I am like Luke to tell of the fulfillment of the Prophets. I only know what has happened. What I do know is that our Lord and Savior was born to save us all.

Micah 5:4-5: And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

I do know that this first coming of our Lord and Savior is linked to his death and resurrection. For the real waiting is not for Christmas Day but the day that he will come again, and we will be risen, as he rose, from the dead.

In the mean time we have a Savior to guide us and a God that will protect and lead us to that day, if we only follow them. So again, “What are you waiting FOR??”

Fred Herr

Devotional 12-14-09

2009-12-13T17:16:00.001-05:00

Optimism in Pessimistic World
Micah 5:2-5a

By the time this is published, God willing, Bryan and Sarah will have become the parents of Katelyn Elizabeth Bowen. That allows Lou Etta and me to become grandparents. As the character, Flounder said in the movie Animal House, “Is this great, or what?”

By the time Ms. Kate is old enough to understand the English language I really have some concerns about what impressions she is going to have of the world she will be living in.

Sesame Street, Sponge Bob, and Dora the Explorer can take a little girl so far, but the realities of everyday life start showing themselves in warnings about how dangerous this world can be. I hope that is not all she hears.

As a matter of fact, I think one of the things that Old Grandad may do is share with her the words from Micah to remind her that this world is not run by the 24 hour news cycles of Fox or CNN, and the good news is found in another media altogether.

My hope for all of us is that with all we are exposed to for the rest of the year that this Advent Season we find the triumph of optimism in these pessimistic times.

Mike Bowen

Devotional 12-13-09

2009-12-12T22:50:00.001-05:00

This poem was written while flying over Huntington from Cleveland, OH to Charlotte, NC. It is an attempt to use an art form that expresses a thought of the season. I decided to access my childlike skill at this medium and offer it as a gift to the Christ child.

God Is Great

God is Great,
Jesus is too,
What would the Holy Spirit do?
If we gave him our souls,
Instead of trying to be cool.

God is Great,
Jesus is also,
A baby is born,
A world has been warned.
Whoever thought?
It would take so long,
For his Kingdom to Come.

God is Great,
Jesus is too,
Advent is near,
The meaning is clear,
Christ enters this world,
With a message so dear.
We are loved by Him
And the Holy Spirit is near.

God is Great,
Jesus is too.
I have been blessed,
And so have you.
It is not to late,
For the us to state,
To those who have less,
To those who hate,
That God is Great and
Jesus is too.

Rev. David Johnson

Devotional 12-12-09

2009-12-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 12:2 says, “God is my savior; I will trust him and not be afraid. The Lord gives me power and strength; he is my savior.”

Since our wedding five years ago, I have thought from time to time about the fact that I was a bit of a “bridezilla.” I did a lot of work myself, because I wanted it all to be done exactly my way. I coordinated the reception, made the place cards, and even typed instructions for the caterer on how to arrange the centerpieces (since I couldn’t be there during the wedding to do it myself). I bet that the week after our wedding, not one of our guests would have been able to describe the place cards or the centerpieces. For some ridiculous reason, though, I felt the need to have total control so everything was absolutely perfect. Why didn’t I just let go of a few things and allow my loved ones to help me?

You might be able to think of something in your life with which you wouldn’t trust anyone else. I’d also guess that I’m not alone in that I tend to rely on myself to resolve everyday problems. In the same way that I wanted total control over those wedding arrangements, I often try too hard to have control over my life. If we can’t trust God for the small stuff, how will we ever feel comfortable with Him handling our real crises? Allowing someone else to handle the place cards and centerpieces would have been an exercise of my trust in others. Similarly, I should try harder to have faith that everyday situations will find resolution according to God’s plan. I propose that we as Christians begin a self-improvement process by starting small. If we practice putting our trust in God for more common problems, it might become a “good habit of the spirit.” When we have this good habit in times of prosperity, it will be so much easier to approach greater challenges with trust in Him and without fear.

We Christians frequently think of Jesus Christ as our savior from sin, but we need to remember God is also a savior during adversity. Has someone ever done you a favor to “save you the trouble” of wasting your own time or energy? This is why I think the scripture above describes God as “my savior” twice. Rather than drawing on our own energies and ability to solve our problems –especially the greatest challenges—We need to get our strength from God. It would be impossible to count the number of times that He has helped any one of us, but how many of us actually begin the battle by asking for His help? My trust in God frequently comes into play much later than it should, which often proves to be an effort in vain. If we sincerely allow God to be a savior, He can “save us the trouble” of trying to walk in a direction that wasn’t meant for us.

Natalie Wray

Devotional 12-10-09

2009-12-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

Luke 3:7-18

In this passage, John, the Baptist discusses salvation with the crowds who have come to be baptized. He warns them not to think that their salvation lies simply in who they are (descendents of Abraham) but tells them that in order to be the wheat that God will gather into his granary rather than the chaff he will cut down and throw into the fire, they must "bear fruits worthy of repentance." In other words, their actions and thoughts should show that they are trying to change from living a self-centered to a God-centered life.

When asked what kind of acts would demonstrate such a transformation, John instructs them to share what they have -- their clothes and their food -- with the less fortunate, to be honest in their business dealings and to deal justly with those over whom they have power.

Finally, John tells the crowds that he is not the Messiah, humbly proclaiming his unworthiness. John's role as witness for Jesus was tremendously important, however. No longer "a voice crying out in the wilderness," he was among the people, and his teaching and baptizing were preparing them to receive the Messiah and the radical concepts he would introduce.

Who or what helps prepare the way and open your heart to be receptive to the coming of Jesus in this season of Advent? Is it the commercials for what we can buy to adorn ourselves or make our lives easier or give to someone else to do the same? What about the decorations - the Santas, snowmen, nutcrackers, nativity scenes, brightly lit trees with ornaments we have collected over the years? Maybe Christmas music or parties with friends and co-workers?

While I certainly enjoy these things, and they are part of the "tradition" of Christmas, I have become aware that they don't really prepare my heart to welcome and receive Jesus.

Increasingly, I have felt a longing for something more centered on what John tried to convey to his followers. I have found that the fruits I bear that evidence my attempt, feeble as it is sometimes, to walk more closely with God, are what the Christmas season is really all about.

Holding on to self-centered notions from childhood that measure Christmas by the quality of the gifts I received prevented me from bearing any fruit at all. I have come to realize that the fruits worthy of repentance include the things I share with those I don't even know - - coats and clothing for those lacking something appropriate for the weather; food items to help in preventing hunger; time so that those unable to get out to church may see the friendly faces of our youth; money for organizations which provide vital help to our needy sisters and brothers and to animals; and most of all, love. Even if it is just a smile or kind word so that the stressed clerk in the store, the server in the restaurant, or the mail carrier feel appreciated, it is important. Maybe a hug for someone who's having a bad day or perhaps a courteous gesture such as holding a door open for that person with packages or in a wheelchair, or letting the driver of the other car have that parking space I really wanted might make a difference. These are fairly small fruits to be sure, but I hope they are like Miracle Grow and lead to more frequent and more sacrificial giving of myself and my resources so that my fruit tree looks pleasingly productive to the one for whom I have been preparing.

Mary Taylor

Devotional 12-9-09

2009-12-08T22:09:00.001-05:00

Always a Lamb

When I was little, “during the Great Depression,” I went to Sunday School every Sunday clutching my three pennies to put in the collection jar. I loved going to Sunday School because they told stories, sang songs and prayed for me and everybody. But the two things I really liked were Vacation Bible School and the Christmas Pageant.

Bible School was fun and games and cookies and milk with other kids my age, but the Christmas Pageant was really important and each year I would try to be Mary and hold the baby Jesus and be the center of it all.

However, Jane with the blue eyes and the golden Shirley Temple curls was Mary. Well, maybe I could be an angel with wings who stood above Mary – Nope! Well, if there weren’t enough boys (I knew I could never be king) maybe a shepherd and carry a crook – Nope again!

The teacher called my name, “Betty, you can be a lamb.” That’s what I always ended up as because I was skinny, breathed through my mouth, and had cotton white, straight hair.

Once again I would dawn a new suit of long underwear, they’d glue cotton balls around my head and other places. Then they would stick a little shoe black on the end of my nose. I was fidgety but I was a good lamb, but always a lamb.

I look back now, some eighty years later, and think being a lamb was important. Who was it on that cold winter night who heard the angels sing and gazed at that brilliant star? Who followed the shepherds and stood at the manger at that miraculous event? So many of them that it appeared as a multitude of soft white everywhere – Who Indeed? Lambs, that’s who. Now I am glad I was a lamb.

If I may paraphrase an anthem I sang a long time ago, I think you will recognize who was the most important Lamb in the stable. IT WAS ALL ON A WINTER’S EVENING; I LOOKED ON THE LAMB OF GOD.

Betty Long

Devotional 12-8-09

2009-12-07T17:10:00.001-05:00

A Merry Little Christmas
In 1944, Meet Me in St. Louis was released. The musical starred Judy Garland, Tom Drake, Mary Astor, Margaret O’Brien, and June Lockhart. It told the story of four sisters living in St. Louis, Missouri, at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair of 1904. The musical was directed by Vincent Minnelli and included “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis”; “The Trolley Song”; and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The Christmas song became a favorite of WWII soldiers who were far away from home and their families who missed them so dearly. It was also to become a favorite of mine.

I was born in the 1950’s. The war was over, but the songs of that era would be a part of my family’s Christmas for as long as I lived at my parents’ home. Some of you may remember the Firestone and Columbia Christmas albums that would feature stars such as Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, and Mel Torme. “Merry Little Christmas” would play on the stereo, and I would sing along with the rest of the family. That was a very special time.

As a teen in the 1960’s, I watched Meet Me in St. Louis on the Saturday Night Movie presentation. I don’t know if I had seen it before, but it was the first time that I noticed that the lyrics that Judy Garland was singing to “Merry Little Christmas” were not the words I had learned. They were somewhat depressing; they made me sad – and as a teen I didn’t need an outside stimulus to make me miserable.

I decided that I liked the newer version better. I later learned that the words were changed in 1957 at Frank Sinatra’s request. He told the writer, Hugh Martin, that he needed jollier words for his new Christmas album. Sinatra’s popularity was so strong that Martin could not refuse him, so the following generations learned the new version.

Recently I watched the movie again; it transported me to a time when my family was all together. What is strange is that the words that so depressed me in my youth were somewhat comforting now. The following are the original lyrics:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

The words we sing today talk about hanging a shining star upon the highest bough. My family did hang a silver star on the treetop as did many families at that time. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what we would have put in its place.

But when Don and I were married in 1975, we didn’t have a star. I don’t remember why. Maybe we couldn’t find one, or maybe we couldn’t afford one, but in its place we put a cardboard angel. She wasn’t particularly pretty; she had that “’70s” folksy look about her, if you know what I mean. But that same angel has adorned our treetops for the last thirty-five years.

From the very beginning, our Christmases, like our lives, were not the pretty post-cards that we thought we were supposed to live. Year after year we “muddled through” less-than-perfect Christmases and less-than-perfect lives. We lived, loved, worked, raised children, and suffered year after year, searching for the perfection we thought we were supposed to attain. It never came.

What did come – love based on respect, trust, and old-fashioned hard work – was so much better. My friends and colleagues have recognized my weaknesses but have decided to accept me anyway. I have come to realize that while I think I know everything, the world continues to turn if I don’t give my opinion. I also know that my family loves me unconditionally, or they would no longer be speaking to me. I am one lucky “muddler”.

God sent his son into the world to teach us to love one another. He didn’t say it would be easy, or that we would always succeed. Each national disaster and personal problem will test that love. As the Christmas season draws near, we must fight the urge to strive for perfection. Even Jesus balked at that description. Just love one another, do what you can to end pain and suffering, and buy the cookies, if cookies you must have. That will boost the economy and give you time to be with your family. With God’s help, you’ll muddle through just fine.

Heavenly Father,
Bring us closer together in order to love one another as you have commanded. In your name we pray. Amen

Becky Warren

Devotional 12-7-09

2009-12-06T21:08:00.002-05:00

Philippians 4: 4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There are many adjectives and adverbs that come to mind when I think of Advent, but Rejoice is not one of them! I fear that is because I tend to confuse the secular Christmas Holiday season with the Church’s Advent. How can we rejoice when there are purchases to make, travel plans to schedule and budgets to be met? There are decorations, parties, cards and dinners to be enjoyed but……..Rejoice?

Paul’s advice to the Church in Philippi is as true today as it was then. We should Rejoice In the Lord! It is through this act of faith that we can begin the Advent season. Rejoice for the Lord is near is what Advent is all about. If we concentrate on this - then we will not be anxious about all the “noise” that the Holidays can bring.

My hope and prayer for each of us at Johnson Memorial is that this Advent season will be one where we can truly know God’s peace in our heart and when we do - then we will know Paul’s exhortation to REJOICE!

Prayer: Heavenly Father as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we stop to ponder the many blessings you have bestowed on us. The gift of grace and forgiveness is free and yet we struggle! Help us to open our minds and hearts to your word and then we can be open to true Rejoicing in the Lord! Amen

Marv Jones

Devotional 12-6-09

2009-12-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

Prepare the Way of the Lord

[T]he word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3: 2b-6

Are you ready for Christmas?

We’ll hear that question many times during the next few weeks. It will be referring to our preparedness, not for the coming of Christ, but for the holiday. And it won’t be heard from a voice crying out in the wilderness, but from a cacophony of voices in the wilderness of the hustle and bustle, long lines, and traffic jams that the Holiday Season has become.

Are you ready for Christmas—do you have your tree and decorations up?
Are you ready for Christmas—is your shopping done?
Are you ready for Christmas—how is your baking coming along?
Are you ready for Christmas—are your travel arrangements made?

Of course, this is not the kind of preparedness that the prophet Isaiah or John the Baptist talked about. They were speaking of the one who would radically change the world so that everyone could experience God’s salvation.

How can we be spiritually prepared for salvation? By repenting—making a commitment to turn away from our selfish lives and commit ourselves to God. Repentance does not earn our salvation, but it prepares our hearts to receive God’s gift of grace and helps us to lead a new life focused on loving God and neighbor.

As we prepare for Christmas—the Holiday Season—perhaps we should take time to prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus by recommitting our lives in service and discipleship.

Are you ready for Christmas?

Jeff Taylor

Devotional 12-6-09

2009-12-04T22:37:00.002-05:00

Read John 11:38-44 (The Raising of Lazarus)

It’s not a Christmas story, is it? The story of Lazarus doesn’t mention a star in the East, or shepherds, wise men, or even angels praising God. In fact, it’s not a story of birth at all. Jesus is standing outside of the tomb of his friend, in grief.

We know the rest of the story, but for a moment, let’s pause in this spot, standing outside of the tomb of a friend who has died. Jesus could hear the mocking of the crowd and the grief of those he probably considered family. He would have smelled the decay of death. He knew his own pain and the pain of those closest to him. He wept.

Dr. Robert Jordon, pastor of Dundee Presbyterian Church in Omaha, Nebraska, wrote that as Jesus stood outside the tomb of Lazarus, he stood in the space between grief and miracles. If we read the passage closely, we might be surprised as what Jesus does. He gives thanks. To Jesus, the space between grief and a miracle was the place for gratitude.

Perhaps this is a Christmas story after all. In the beginning of Advent, as we stand near the miracle of the birth of God into the world, we also stand in the land of grief. For some, it is the hot pain of recent loss, when Christmas is seen only through tears; for others, Christmas will be a time of waves of grief, arriving at unexpected moments, surprising them with sudden intensity. We all stand in the land between grief and miracles.

It is the place for gratitude.

As I read through the list of devotional writers for this past year, I am struck by the number of them who lost family members in 2009. I thank God for the impact those family members had on their lives, and I know you join with me in holding these people and their families up in your prayers:

Marv Jones, Debbie McGinnis, Steve Matthews, Bob Matthews,
Jenny Matthews, Grant Matthews, Jeff Taylor , Mary Taylor, Judith Wilburn

(Forgive me if you are a devotional writer who has had a family member die this year and you are not listed above; the omission is completely my fault.)

One of our devotional writers died this past year. Floyd Taylor, whose name you may or may not recognize, was not a member of Johnson Memorial, but he often wrote for our ministry. I can remember only one time when he wrote using his own name; however, some of the anonymous devotionals published over the years were his work.

I also thank God for you as you read this devotional, and for those whose death you may be grieving through this time of miracles.

The birth of Jesus was the birth of hope into our lives. We have the certainty of the hope of resurrection and the blessing of the love of God through the presence of his church.

Because he lives, so do we.

Kim Matthews

Devotional 12-4-09

2009-12-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Read Philippians 1: 3-11

The God who began a good work in us continues it through our lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face to face. God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Paul is describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus and continues until Christ returns.

Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, he completes it! God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished or distressed by your short comings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.

Taken from Life Application Study Bible
New International Version

Dear Jesus,

There is no deeper comfort than knowing in my heart that You are with me always: here on earth and throughout eternity in heaven. I have known this great truth in my head for many years. However, my heart is fickle and tends to chase after other gods. Only as Your Spirit helps me can I grasp the awesomeness of Your Presence with me forever. Amen

Taken from Dear Jesus by Sarah Young

Melanie Herr

Devotional 12-3-09

2009-12-02T22:42:00.000-05:00

Prepare the Way for the Lord!

Today is my son Mark’s birthday. When I saw the date for my devotional I couldn’t help going back 37 years to the time of his birth. I remembered the anticipation and excitement we felt as we got ready for our second child and the pure joy on the day of our son’s birth. As I started to read the scripture for this week, I thought about how Elizabeth and Zachariah must have felt. We were young parents with one child already, but they had waited their whole lives for this moment--a moment they thought would never come. Imagine, first to find you were to finally have a child and then to find out that this child would be the prophet who was to prepare the way for the long awaited savior.

And you my child, will be called a prophet of the most high;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,” (Luke 1;76 NIV)

In a way we all go to prepare the way for the Lord. Every person that we meet, every situation in which we find ourselves, is an opportunity to let God’s love reflect in our lives and make Him known to the world. I recently received an E-mail that had one line that really hit me. “Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” As Christians we need to try to be kinder, more patient, and more compassionate-to let God’s love shine through us to the world. This Christmas season let us truly go forth and prepare the way for the Lord, in our own hearts and in the hearts of all we meet.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 12-2-09

2009-12-01T22:57:00.001-05:00

First I must tell you this was not the original Advent devotional I set out to write. Life has a funny way of interrupting our best laid plans. And this is one of those times. I am in the midst of one of the most difficult trials of my life. The violent death of a loved one by his own hand. I'm in shock, I feel numb. It has cut me to the core.

Still I sense God’s mercy, and love all over me. And all around me. And this is my greatest blessing.

Advent marks the progression of the seasons. This is the season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus. Advent serves as a duel reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting Christians endure for the second coming of Christ.

"The waiting we endure.” It would be intolerable for me to wait without God’s love, his peace, his grace and his blessings.

Sometimes God’s blessings come with fireworks and excitement. But mostly I have found God’s tender mercies are small. Simple things one might overlook that are the most meaningful. And can only sprout from God’s mercy and love for us. For instance, a phone call out of the blue. A benign call that suddenly reminds you that you are loved beyond measure. An unexpected overnight visit form an adult child that senses your distress and in her quiet way lets her mother draw upon her strength. The unified prayers of a beloved church. A church family that has made themselves available to me in many instances. A heartfelt thank you for a kindness bestowed. So much more I can’t think of them all.

Yes all of this makes the wait for our Lord’s return not only tolerable but glorious.

Malachi 3:1-4 Speaks of standing in the refiners fire where we will be purified like gold and silver. I believe God will keep the best of what he has created in each one of us. And leave the dross to the refiners fire.

I’ll see you soon my friend. I love you.

Judith Wilburn

Devotional 12-1-09

2009-11-30T21:23:00.001-05:00

Two thousand years ago, Paul wrote a letter to the church at Philippi. He begins the letter with words of blessing (Philippians 1:3-11) for this young church. His words can speak to us, as well. Paul’s letter is quoted below in italics, interspersed with my thoughts regarding the dream of church (not italicized).

I thank my God every time I remember you,

The church
Created by the love, death and resurrection of Christ
A Body through which Christ is remembered.
Through which Christ embraces the Children of God.

constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you,

A praying body
Remembering the pain and hopelessness
Of each member
With joy and gladness
Because we are blessed to have the gift
Of lifting each other up to God
In prayer.

because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.

Witnesses for Christ
Telling the story to all those who will listen
Persuading those who believe they do not need to hear
Telling the story.

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

Faith. Hope.
We are given the gift of confidence
That God will be victorious
That his ultimate goals will come to pass
And that we are a partner
In the work of God.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

Church.
Held in each others’ hearts.
Comforted by comforting arms.
Crying together. Laughing together.
Seeking freedom for each other.
Present for each other
In grief and in terror.
In joy and in new beginnings.

For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.

Those whose hearts are empty
Are yearning for Christ
The church can reach out to them
With love, with care, with compassion,
Filling new hearts with hope.

And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best,

Imagine, if you can,
The wonder and grace of love overflowing
So abundant that we cannot hold it.
So overwhelming that it can only come from God.
Transformational love.
A gift from God, through us, to all.
Can we imagine it?
God has.

so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Amen. And amen.

Kim Matthews