Thursday, December 24, 2015 Luke 1:46b – 55
Sophie Maness
Mary was a young woman (scripture does not tell us her age) from rural Palestine, Nazareth. She lived in a world in which the ruling government maintained control by force. For women that sometimes meant rape. It was a violent world.
Here comes the angel of the Lord asking her to bear the word of God, Christ. She asks how, and the angel answers. Mary consents to the will of God. Consent is important in this context. She said yes to God, knowing full well what she would face as a young unmarried woman with child, risky business.
Her response to God’s call is the song we hear in Luke. It is the longest speech/ song of any woman in the New Testament. She was called to bear the Christ child not because of how she looked, or her virginity. She was called because of her grace. Her grace is a rallying cry for the poor.
Her song is often compared to Hannah’s, but the two women have very different circumstances. Hannah’s song is one of Thanksgiving. She has been barren for a long time. Her child is a fulfillment of a long held desire. Mary on the other hand is a young woman not ready to be a parent. Her song is one of vision. If God can see the grace in a lowly, young woman in a small village and call her to bear Christ, God can do amazing things! This is a song that calls all of us to unfinished business. It is not the kind of work we will finish, but it is the kind of work that will bring the kingdom in God’s time.
It is the work of lifting up the hungry, the voiceless, and the left behind. Mary’s song interrupted the hold violence had on her world, and it does the same today. Sing on Mary! Let us disrupt violence with love. It is the call of God.
Prayer: Holy God, help us look for places and people who need a bit of your love today. Guide us to be the body of Emmanuel here and now. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
A Song of True Motherhood
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Melinda Coles
Melinda Coles
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the
lowliness of his servant. Surely, from
now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great
things for me, and holy is His name.”
Our Advent days are circling down to these last two days,
closer and closer to the birth, closer to Mary.
This passage in Luke is Mary’s song of praise to God, the Magnificat. In humility and faith she bears the
Christ. I have been intrigued by a poem
written by the 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich, “A Song of
True Motherhood.”*
God chose to be our mother in all
things
and so made the foundation of his work,
most humbly and most pure, in the Virgin’s
womb.
God, the perfect wisdom of all
arrayed himself in this humble place.
Christ came in our poor flesh
to share a mother’s care.
Our mothers bear us for pain and
for death;
our
true mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life.
Christ carried us within him in
love and travail,
until
the full time of his passion.
And when all was complete and he
had carried us so for joy,
still all this could not satisfy the
power of his wonderful love.
All that we owe is redeemed in
truly loving God,
for the love of Christ works in us;
Christ is the one whom we love.
Prayer: O God our LORD, make us rejoice this day at the coming of our
Savior. May we bear in humility and
faith the blessings of Your love. Amen.
*Canticle R, A Song of True Motherhood, Julian of Norwich, Enriching Our Worship 1, p.40.
Remembering the Struggle
Monday, December 21, 2015
George, Camille, Jack, and Clay Crawford
Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord . . . He lifts the needy from the ash heap . . . He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113: 1, 7-9)
Issac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” (Genesis 25: 21-23)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation . . . He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1: 15, 17)
Well, there are a lot of child birth references in those passages. Of course, during the Christmas season, the focus is on child birth, since the “reason for the season” is the birth of Jesus. How did Mary survive child birth without an epidural or without taking natural child birth classes? Rebekah in Genesis refers to the tough go she had with Jacob and Esau “struggling” in her womb. It is hard to imagine going through the physical and mental struggles that both Mary and Rebekah endured.
Of course, the miracle of birth is celebrated throughout the above passages. What we learn from the above is not only the miracle of Jesus’ birth, but also what it means to all of us. God gave us Jesus, his only Son, to “hold [us] together”. God blesses us with the gift of his Son so that we can see all that God does for us as God’s children. With this gift that God gave us, we are grateful and we celebrate this Christmas week by going to church on Christmas Eve, by listening to the birth story, and by singing traditional hymns as loud as we can (really loud). But, as we go through this week, we are reminded that we are servants of the Lord and should give of ourselves to others, especially those in need who are stuck in the “ash heap.” So as we begin the celebration, let’s remember to help others who need a hand in getting out of the ashes.
Prayer: Almighty God, as we begin the celebration of the birth of your son, Jesus Christ, help us to remember all of the other gifts that you have given us, keeping us ever mindful of the unmet needs that exist in this world every day. In your name, Amen.
George, Camille, Jack, and Clay Crawford
Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord . . . He lifts the needy from the ash heap . . . He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113: 1, 7-9)
Issac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” (Genesis 25: 21-23)
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation . . . He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1: 15, 17)
Well, there are a lot of child birth references in those passages. Of course, during the Christmas season, the focus is on child birth, since the “reason for the season” is the birth of Jesus. How did Mary survive child birth without an epidural or without taking natural child birth classes? Rebekah in Genesis refers to the tough go she had with Jacob and Esau “struggling” in her womb. It is hard to imagine going through the physical and mental struggles that both Mary and Rebekah endured.
Of course, the miracle of birth is celebrated throughout the above passages. What we learn from the above is not only the miracle of Jesus’ birth, but also what it means to all of us. God gave us Jesus, his only Son, to “hold [us] together”. God blesses us with the gift of his Son so that we can see all that God does for us as God’s children. With this gift that God gave us, we are grateful and we celebrate this Christmas week by going to church on Christmas Eve, by listening to the birth story, and by singing traditional hymns as loud as we can (really loud). But, as we go through this week, we are reminded that we are servants of the Lord and should give of ourselves to others, especially those in need who are stuck in the “ash heap.” So as we begin the celebration, let’s remember to help others who need a hand in getting out of the ashes.
Prayer: Almighty God, as we begin the celebration of the birth of your son, Jesus Christ, help us to remember all of the other gifts that you have given us, keeping us ever mindful of the unmet needs that exist in this world every day. In your name, Amen.
Turning Tables
Saturday, December 19, 2015 Luke 13:31-35
Elizabeth Hollingsworth
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13: 34-35)
In this passage, Jesus reflects on the prophets who have come before him who were torn down in the city of Jerusalem. What a paradox – that the holy city, the city of the temple, perpetually rejects the people who bring the word of God.
In this advent season, I wonder in what ways I, and the church, are like Jerusalem. It is so easy, so natural, to cling tight to what we know, what is familiar. It is startling when our worldviews are shaken, and what we know is questioned. I don’t like to be challenged. I like to do things my way, in the way I that I know how. I like plans, completing tasks, checking names off my Christmas shopping list, sleeping no less that 7.5 hours a night, and starting every morning off with a strong cup of coffee, topped with a splash of my 1% organic milk and zero-calorie stevia sweetener, thank you very much.
The familiar becomes what is “right,” what is “holy.”
But God doesn’t work like that. God sends Godself into the world in mysterious and unexpected ways. God comes to us in the form of a poor, Middle-Eastern, refugee child, who grew up and surrounded himself with the outcasts of society, healing the afflicted and oppressed. God interrupts our plans, turning the tables of the world as we know it on their heads.
Prayer: Holy God, Help us to remain open to your presence in our lives and in the world. Help us to realize that our values our often misplaced, which causes us to shun your prophets. Help us to listen for your voice, and in this Advent season, find the courage to say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Elizabeth Hollingsworth
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13: 34-35)
In this passage, Jesus reflects on the prophets who have come before him who were torn down in the city of Jerusalem. What a paradox – that the holy city, the city of the temple, perpetually rejects the people who bring the word of God.
In this advent season, I wonder in what ways I, and the church, are like Jerusalem. It is so easy, so natural, to cling tight to what we know, what is familiar. It is startling when our worldviews are shaken, and what we know is questioned. I don’t like to be challenged. I like to do things my way, in the way I that I know how. I like plans, completing tasks, checking names off my Christmas shopping list, sleeping no less that 7.5 hours a night, and starting every morning off with a strong cup of coffee, topped with a splash of my 1% organic milk and zero-calorie stevia sweetener, thank you very much.
The familiar becomes what is “right,” what is “holy.”
But God doesn’t work like that. God sends Godself into the world in mysterious and unexpected ways. God comes to us in the form of a poor, Middle-Eastern, refugee child, who grew up and surrounded himself with the outcasts of society, healing the afflicted and oppressed. God interrupts our plans, turning the tables of the world as we know it on their heads.
Prayer: Holy God, Help us to remain open to your presence in our lives and in the world. Help us to realize that our values our often misplaced, which causes us to shun your prophets. Help us to listen for your voice, and in this Advent season, find the courage to say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Don't Just Sit There
Friday, December 18, 2015 Isaiah 42:10-18
Whitney Booth
A few weeks ago, I gathered with my small group of seven high school junior and senior girls on the blue denim couches in the youth room to read this passage and listen for God as we hope for something new in this season of Advent. In light of the ongoing episodes of inexplicable violence happening around the world and in our own country, we felt that the prophet Isaiah’s words were deeply applicable to the desperate situations of God’s people today. As Isaiah praises God for the glories of the earth and calls us to praise God alongside the majesty of nature, there is also a call to action in this prophet’s message. The people will no longer remain silent in our fear of the darkness, but will work to help usher in the light that God promises, as the prophet declares.
The counter-cultural message of Advent that we’ve grown used to is that, instead of losing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the secular season or rushing to celebrate the manger scene, we’re called to be still, to hope, to wait. We hear that Isaiah is pushing us a step further, not only to wait but to do so actively. God calls us to join in with the work that is needed, to bring about the radical love that we wait for Christ to bring as God bends down to be with us. But we know this work will not be easy -- we will go through the pain to bring about something new and, like the labor pains that the prophet describes, it will be strenuous to turn the darkness into light. God does the world-changing that seems impossible to us right now, but we called to be active participants in our waiting and hoping. In trying to find God this season, amid the heartbreaking headlines that seem unending, let us remember that we have hard work to do as we wait.
Prayer: God, be with us as we wait. Help us to push through the pain to bring about something that is already on the way, to be active in our waiting, to bring the Kingdom near as we walk in hope toward the place where you will come and meet us in our mess. Amen.
(This devotion grew from the flourishing ideas and challenging responses of these seven wonderful young women in our congregation: Anna Avinger, Carrie Haynes, Claire Trabue, Marie DeWitt, Cammie Douglass, Anna Grace Cole, and Emily Jenkins).
Whitney Booth
A few weeks ago, I gathered with my small group of seven high school junior and senior girls on the blue denim couches in the youth room to read this passage and listen for God as we hope for something new in this season of Advent. In light of the ongoing episodes of inexplicable violence happening around the world and in our own country, we felt that the prophet Isaiah’s words were deeply applicable to the desperate situations of God’s people today. As Isaiah praises God for the glories of the earth and calls us to praise God alongside the majesty of nature, there is also a call to action in this prophet’s message. The people will no longer remain silent in our fear of the darkness, but will work to help usher in the light that God promises, as the prophet declares.
The counter-cultural message of Advent that we’ve grown used to is that, instead of losing ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the secular season or rushing to celebrate the manger scene, we’re called to be still, to hope, to wait. We hear that Isaiah is pushing us a step further, not only to wait but to do so actively. God calls us to join in with the work that is needed, to bring about the radical love that we wait for Christ to bring as God bends down to be with us. But we know this work will not be easy -- we will go through the pain to bring about something new and, like the labor pains that the prophet describes, it will be strenuous to turn the darkness into light. God does the world-changing that seems impossible to us right now, but we called to be active participants in our waiting and hoping. In trying to find God this season, amid the heartbreaking headlines that seem unending, let us remember that we have hard work to do as we wait.
Prayer: God, be with us as we wait. Help us to push through the pain to bring about something that is already on the way, to be active in our waiting, to bring the Kingdom near as we walk in hope toward the place where you will come and meet us in our mess. Amen.
(This devotion grew from the flourishing ideas and challenging responses of these seven wonderful young women in our congregation: Anna Avinger, Carrie Haynes, Claire Trabue, Marie DeWitt, Cammie Douglass, Anna Grace Cole, and Emily Jenkins).
Going through the Motions
Thursday, December 17th, 2015 Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 10
Sara Frederick
As a church, we all take communion on the first Sunday of every month. We listen to the ministers inviting us to the table and are reminded of the symbolism of the bread and wine. Sometimes I feel like I’m just going through the motions and think to myself, “Is it time for communion again? That month flew by!” Then, something might happen the week before and I feel bad for the way I’ve reacted. Examples of some of these instances might be not talking to an irritable co-worker, getting upset with a friend’s decision, or getting irritated with another driver on my way to church. Situations like this make me that realize if I fail; God will understand and forgive me. I am then thankful it is communion Sunday. I can ask God again, even though I already did at the beginning of the service, to forgive me from acts or sins. In Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 10, the Lord says “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” What a comforting statement, as I do not want to be reminded of my sinful acts. It’s a gift that I can start on a clean slate for the week and try to be a better person.
Prayer: Lord, please help me to not just go through the motions. Help me to remember your laws and keep them to memory. Amen.
Daily Challenge: Try not to go through the motions each and every day. Be mindful of what the Lord has and will done for you.
Sara Frederick
As a church, we all take communion on the first Sunday of every month. We listen to the ministers inviting us to the table and are reminded of the symbolism of the bread and wine. Sometimes I feel like I’m just going through the motions and think to myself, “Is it time for communion again? That month flew by!” Then, something might happen the week before and I feel bad for the way I’ve reacted. Examples of some of these instances might be not talking to an irritable co-worker, getting upset with a friend’s decision, or getting irritated with another driver on my way to church. Situations like this make me that realize if I fail; God will understand and forgive me. I am then thankful it is communion Sunday. I can ask God again, even though I already did at the beginning of the service, to forgive me from acts or sins. In Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 10, the Lord says “I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” What a comforting statement, as I do not want to be reminded of my sinful acts. It’s a gift that I can start on a clean slate for the week and try to be a better person.
Prayer: Lord, please help me to not just go through the motions. Help me to remember your laws and keep them to memory. Amen.
Daily Challenge: Try not to go through the motions each and every day. Be mindful of what the Lord has and will done for you.
Breathe...Push...
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Scott Baker
Micah 4:8-13
Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?
Scott Baker
Micah 4:8-13
Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?
In a prophecy about the exile facing Jerusalem, the word of God comes to the people comparing them to a woman in labor. Now, during Advent, labor metaphors are not uncommon. We typically encounter them in the narratives about Elizabeth and Mary, though I’m not sure we dwell on them as anything other than moments along the way. My wife, Beki, is pregnant now with twins, so this is a metaphor with some currency for me right now.
Labor, as spoken in Micah, is not a fleeting moment, but a state of being. Of waiting, and enduring the pain. And it’s richer than merely illustrating pain. See, when you’re in labor you’re at the end of a plan that began long ago. When you’re in labor, you’re in the middle of a time-stopping reality that shuts out everything else. When you’re in labor, you’re at the beginning of the life to come. It’s a part of something much larger. Not one of us got here but through the pain and enduring of someone else’s labor, someone else’s plan.
And so it is in Advent. The pain of the moment is a part of the deliverance begun long ago. It is our reality, but it is not our eternal reality. And it makes a way. On the other side…
“There you shall be rescued, there the LORD will redeem you from the hands of your enemies.”
Prayer: Sovereign God, though we know that our place in your story has a past and a future, we experience only the now. And now many of us are groaning in the pains of labor as we await delivery and deliverance. Bring your peace to our pain and help us to live in the in-breaking kingdom of your reign even as we await its fullness. Amen.
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