Category: Devotions for the Church Year

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” Luke 1:19

The role of the angel in the Christmas story has always intrigued me. Those of us living in the centuries following the events of Jesus’ birth take for granted the presence of the angel. In children’s Christmas programs, someone gets dressed up in a white robe with cardboard wings and a tinsel halo and joins the other characters on stage as if the angel was the next door neighbor or a relative known to the people who saw him before the events of the Christmas story happened.

But this wasn’t the case. Gabriel appeared to Zechariah and then to Mary out of nowhere. If Mary and Zechariah were familiar with the stories of the Old Testament prophets, they would recognize the name Gabriel from Daniel’s experience. But no one would have ever anticipated another visit from him. Not during routine worship rituals in the temple and certainly not to a common teenage girl from a small town.

Imagine what a surprise that would have been for them. It makes sense that Zechariah’s and Mary’s initial response was fear. The angel Gabriel, second in command to Michael the archangel captain of angel armies, would have had the essence of a warrior about him. He would have shone with the pure light of God’s glory while carrying the demeanor of a fighter accustomed to victory. Beautiful and militant. Holy and intrepid. This was the angel Gabriel. Enough brilliant glory to light up the entire village. Adequate grace to speak the truth and calmly assure of God’s favor.

What would the Christmas story be without the angel? Zechariah probably would still have had a son. Mary most likely would have given birth to Jesus. John the Baptist and his cousin came into the world according to God’s sovereign plan and therefore would have fulfilled the prophecies about them regardless of the method of communication used at the time of their births.

And yet the angel’s role is vital. Associated with God’s work is his word. He speaks things into creation. Someone needed to be sent as his representative to announce into the earthly realm what God was in the process of creating.

New life in Zechariah’s family would lead to a new order. John would grow up and preach repentance. He himself would become a mouth piece for God making a way for the Lord and his kingdom to come to earth and to enter people’s hearts.

God’s work wasn’t necessarily dependent on the angel’s visitation, but it did benefit from the angel’s prophecies. God had a good reason for sending the angel ahead of time. Without Gabriel, a call to faith would not have occurred.

His words, “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news” needed to be said. They needed to be heard in order to deepen people’s belief in God. The Messiah had been promised for hundreds of years. Is this announcement by a heavenly being the one to take seriously? Did the people of Israel dare to get their hopes up and keep them there?

God spoke, and he did it through the angel he sent. His work of redemption had begun. Salvation was being made available to all. This was good news.

Gabriel’s message is for us too. He brings good news. The one to be born will be called the Son of God. Praise God for the angel. Gabriel teaches us to have hope and to believe in the new work God is doing.

So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:17-19

With Christmas day less than two weeks away, we’re entering the time of year when people are making plans to travel. Some of us may only need to go a few miles to reach our destinations, while others may need to drive or fly long distances. Our reasons are all the same.

We’re coming home for Christmas.

The word home is loaded with hopes and expectations. Time spent there may include sharing a meal with loved ones or exchanging gifts. It may mean catching up on stories and news with people we haven’t seen for a while. It might also involve sharing in games or concerts and making special memories. These things are all wonderful, and we might enjoy them very much, but they still may not completely answer our longing for home. Somewhere that we can find peace. A place where we know we will never get hurt again. A space where loss cannot happen, we never have to say good-bye, and we won’t ever be forced to leave it.

Home. A place to stay for as long as we want with people we love. It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? This is what we’re all hoping for, and what we might be searching for. And yet, it seems so difficult to find. Once we have found it, sometimes it can disappear into evaporation right before our eyes. We just can’t seem to hold onto that elusive place our hearts so desperately want to have.

Mary and Joseph strayed far from home at the time their first child was about to enter the world. Their travel did not happen by choice. It was forced upon them by a tyrannical ruler in the Roman Empire. I wonder how Mary felt as distance grew between her, their families, and their home town. A young woman ready to deliver a baby would want the comfort of her mother and the trusted local midwife nearby. How she must have longed at times for Joseph to just turn the donkey around. If he’d take her back home, she could give birth in her own bed instead of along the road or among strangers.

For as uncertain as the trip may have been for Mary, a moment arrived when she came home. All the things she longed for lay wrapped in the bundle in her arms. This new baby she and Joseph named Jesus would bring her salvation. He would offer her a grace that overcame any of the pain and distress of her journey to Bethlehem. His limitless provisions of peace and love would satisfy her better than the comforts of home back in Nazareth ever could. She was welcome to stay in this place for as long as she wished. The stark manger in a musty barn probably didn’t hold much charm, but the promise of a relationship with this newborn reached into eternity. Jesus gave her a place in his kingdom that would never end. Mary never needed to leave. She wouldn’t need to say good-bye to him or sustain any loss of his favor and care. She was his and he was hers. Forever.

Are you living far from God this holiday season? Have you lost your way home or forgotten how to find it? Jesus knows your way home. He is your way home. He stands at the door ready to welcome you in.

Yesterday afternoon, I had “one of those days.” I started to feel down about many things. My optimism crashed. Satisfaction in recent accomplishments collided with discontent. Joy in the holiday season smashed into despair. My insides trembled with anxiety and worry.

Finally, after sharing a meal with my husband and talking with this stable, faithful man, the lights came back on and I started to feel better. But for a couple of hour prior to our evening meal, I had a bonafide struggle with doubt on my hands.

Have you ever felt this way? The world looked bright, cheery, and manageable a moment ago, but then our confidence or our sense of well-being sinks until we feel overwhelmed and shadowed by disbelief or skepticism.

The promises God has been making to us stick in our minds as intellectual information. We know what he said. We recall the words. But our hearts have forgotten and lost peace. I wish I could say an instant fix can perk us up at this point. But we all know that wouldn’t be true. In times like this, recovering peace, or perhaps retaining it in the first place and not losing it becomes our most important wish.

Last week’s devotional explored the story of Ruth. While she journeyed and worked in the fields, carrying on in her apparently ordinary existence, God was at work preparing for her a reward, a residence, and most importantly, her redemption.

This week’s devotional continues the series on the topic of waiting. Ruth was redeemed in her waiting. This week we see that a doubter can be strengthened in waiting. How does this happen?

Hebrews 11:1 tells us our confidence comes from faith. We hope for and find assurance in that which we cannot see. But God sees. This should bring us comfort. We know it’s true, but in those moments of shadow and trembling, a visible, concrete object is what we wish for more than elusive hopes or theories.

This is when I turn to Psalm 27. In verse 1, it calls God “light.” Here is something tangible enough to anchor us when hopes and theories just aren’t cutting it. God is light. This is something we can look for, and then recognize when it is found.

God is also the stronghold of life, giving no reason to fear. The Psalm goes on to rehearse the ways we can find strength. In verses 2 and 3, our hearts do not fear and we have confidence, even in the face of war and conflict. In verses 4 to 8, we find strength in dwelling in God’s presence and gazing upon his face. These activities are not done in a hurry. They take time, and are accompanied by the singing and making music to the Lord as referenced in verse 6, and also through learning from God’s instruction as mentioned in verse 11.

While we appear to be sitting still gazing, singing, and learning, God is at work strengthening. Like the wicked, the enemies, and the army mentioned in verses 2 and 3, our doubts and fears fall away. The light of our salvation is fortifying our inner person, and ultimately securing our victory.

I love how Psalm 27 ends. It is a true Christmas Psalm, a true Advent season encouragement as we prepare and as we wait. Verses 13 and 14 exhort us to remain confident. We will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, in the land of the hopeful, the faithful, and the satisfied. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord.

Are you in a place of despair this holiday season? Are you grieving loss or wrestling with fear? Is doubt threatening to drown out your faith and sink you into skepticism? Has your heart forgotten God’s promises and lost its peace?

Look to the Light. He strengthens you. Make good use of your situation to sing and praise. Allow him to teach you and lead you in straight paths. When we wait, we grow strong because the day is coming when Jesus will arrive. Promises will be fulfilled. Everything we’ve hoped for and dreamed about will come to pass.

Prayer

God of mercy, whenever I lose sight of you and my faith falters, whenever I am tempted to doubt your heart or misconstrue your motives, turn me again to the clearest sign of your generous mercy, your only Son, Jesus. With you, Lord, there is steadfast love. There is no darkness in you. Glory be to the father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen

Ruth is an unlikely character to introduce into a season belonging to shepherds and wise men. And yet, her story is one of waiting making it totally appropriate to the advent season. Her story has a place among the prophets and signs from heaven guiding us in how to prepare our hearts to receive the gifts of Christmas.

Ruth is mentioned in Jesus’ family tree. In the list of names outlining numerous generations, the first chapter of Matthew includes Ruth as the great-grandmother of King David. A woman and foreigner, Ruth the Moabite hints at God’s great plan to make salvation available to everyone. The story of Ruth and her mother-in-law is filled with tragedy and sorrow. For whatever reason the Bible doesn’t mention, the men in the family died. A shortage of food forces the women from their home. Naomi has nowhere else to go except her hometown in Israel, in the land of Judah, which happens to be Bethlehem, the town in which Jesus will be born.

A time of waiting has begun. In their effort to survive, Naomi and Ruth probably did not recognize the work God was doing in their lives, but he was there and active,using them to bring about his expansive and marvelous plan.

Anytime the Lord has designs on a person’s life, a joyously happy ending is in store,as we see in the last chapter of the book of Ruth. But first comes long stretches of waiting. These are times when God calls a person on a journey,introduces them to new people, and orchestrates events and opportunities.

In the book of Ruth, I detect three different ways Ruth is led into waiting on God.The first wait Ruth must endure is for reward. After arriving in Bethlehem,Ruth meets Boaz, a landowner beginning his barley harvest. Ruth’s reputation has preceded her, and Boaz commends her for the steps of faith she has taken.He says, “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12).

This wait for a reward required Ruth to leave behind everything she knew. Although she’d arrived in this new place, she was still the foreigner, the stranger who must make new friends and find a new purpose. Boaz helped her by including her in his harvest. He looked out for her and showed her favor.

The daily work in the fields eased Ruth’s situation as she waited for a residence. She and Naomi needed a home. As unmarried women, they had little standing in the community and no protection. A permanent home with a man as a head of their household would solve their problem.

Naomi is well aware of this predicament so coaches Ruth on how best to honor Boaz. Her interaction with Boaz requires more waiting. She must wait for him to finish his meal and go to sleep. When Ruth got the opportunity to make her request and receive Boaz’s approval, she still had to wait through the night with the matter of her need for a home unresolved.

In the morning, she returned home and waited some more. Wondering, removed from the action uninvolved, and apparently forgotten. Naomi encouraged her with the words from Ruth 3:18. “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.”

The men are gathered at the town gate to negotiate a solution for Ruth’s ultimate wait,the one for redemption. Boaz, as the relative of Naomi’s late husband, satisfied the role known as the kinsman-redeemer. This man was the one with the right to redeem. He was a close relative who took responsibility for protecting the rights of a family in the absence of the head of the household. Because of his willingness to marry Ruth, the family name of Naomi’s husband and sons would live on preserved and honored.

The dictionary says the act of redeeming is to get something back, to recover it.Other words associated with redemption are ransom, deliver, fulfill, and restore. This is what Boaz did for Ruth and her family. Naomi’s life, full when she left and empty when she returned, has once again been filled. All the bitterness and grief she carried from her affliction and misfortune is swallowed up in joy. The Lord gave her new meaning and a fresh start.

This is what he does for us too. Have you been waiting, maybe for a long time? Have you been praying prayers that haven’t yet received any answers? Do you feel like Naomi, empty, afflicted, or grieving? The Lord as our kinsman-redeemer takes the responsibility to protect and to restore.

Christmas is the time when he breaks into our world with a fulfillment to the promises he has made. Joy swallows up the sorrow. Hope gives us a new purpose. Christ the Savior is about to be born. In Bethlehem, and in us.

One of the scribes came near and . . .seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Mark 12:28 (NRSV)

In this scene in Mark, we discover a teacher of the law who finally gets it. This scribe doesn’t ask Jesus a question out of spite or with the intention to discredit him in public. He appears to have a sincere wish to learn. I’d like to think this scribe was not among those stirring up the crowd at the crucifixion a few days later, or hurling stones at Stephen, and that he was counted among the converted priests Luke writes about in Acts 6:7.

Jesus’ birth and later ministry rocked the world of Israel’s teachers. A new rabbi, claiming to be the Son of God himself, stirred an internal conflict for these authorities on law and religion. They surely sensed in their hearts that Jesus’ actions and words held truth. Everything Jesus did or said fit with the pictures and decrees God gave about his own holiness and character as written in the law Israel’s teachers worked so hard to uphold.

And yet, God hadn’t appeared the way they wanted him to. He didn’t come as the military leader ready to win for Israel the national power they thought they deserved. He didn’t come as a priest, similar in appearance to themselves. Jesus came as a rabbi, yes, but as a sort of hillbilly one. The person of God himself appeared as a humble, nondescript nobody from Galilee of all places.

He sure didn’t appear on the scene as someone capable of taking the world by storm in the way they wanted and with the outcome they hoped for. Because of this, their response to Jesus lacked acceptance. He must act differently or look more authoritative in order to secure their confidence in him. They may have sensed the truth and integrity about him, but in the end they chose to stand behind their own expectations of who Messiah was to be and how he would arrive.

Is Jesus breaking into your life this advent season? Maybe you aren’t sure how to answer because like Israel, you aren’t quite sure what to look for.

Often, Jesus comes quietly, unassuming, allowing us the choice to accept or reject his activity in our lives. But when he does come, his new order can make a mess of things. Jesus’ presence in our lives asks of us new priorities, different ways of thinking, and living from the heart.

If Jesus is breaking into your life this advent season, look for him in the mess, in the humble or the mundane. Look for him in the realities that call you to live out of your heart.

With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God. Mark 10:27

Mark 10 is an unusual place to find inspiration for a Thanksgiving themed devotional. Jesus is teaching his disciples as they travel the road to Jerusalem, days before Jesus’ death and resurrection. It appears an unlikely time and place to learn about gratitude, but woven into the teaching is a message about the kind of person who truly knows what it means to give thanks.

Jesus is forming a connection between eternal life, treasure in heaven, and the kingdom of God. Mention is made of reward for giving up relationships and assets in favor of the kingdom. This comes right before Jesus explains his death and resurrection, how he will die, and the number of days that will pass before he rises from the grave.

The rewards are in tension with the inevitable persecution. The resurrection is in tension with the preceding death. The good, the bad, the difficult, and the pleasure are all a part of the discipleship Jesus is asking for. How do we live in this tension? I wonder if we must allow it to become a part of us. We characterize and express it in our person and in our interactions with others.

This means that our witness contains the freedom, the joy, the love, and the abundance of life in Christ alongside the sobriety, the contrition, the lament, and the willingness to suffer. As God’s chosen people, we are joyful, yet lamenting. Free, yet suffering. Abundant, yet contrite.

But beneath it all, we are grateful. We can accept all that the Lord is using in our lives to grow us. Death has a place. Suffering has a place. Waiting has a place. So does joy, freedom, and abundance.

Thankfulness can mean appreciation for good rewards given and the feeling of happiness that comes from enjoying them. Or thankfulness can go deeper and say, “I’m grateful for how I’ve changed. Thank you, God, for allowing the painful and the impossible into my life. Because of them, I have a deeper capacity to feel joy. I’ve learned what it means to give, and I’ve been freed from temptations or habits that held me back.”

This week, as you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, take time to look over the past year. Remember those times where you’ve grown from difficulty, and then thank the Lord for his goodness to you.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

O most merciful Father, who has blessed the labor of the farmer

in the returns of the fruits of the earth.

We give you humble and hearty thanks for this your bounty.

We ask you to continue your loving-kindness to us

that our land may still yield increase.

To your glory and our comfort, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

from the Book of Common Prayer