December 23, 2022 – Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

“Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other; wry not the mouth; and bedew no man’s face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak.” (George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation; number 12; p. 11, Applewood books”)

How important do you think it is to always use proper manners? Where is Miss Manners (Judith Martin) anymore? I believe it remains enormously important to our world, and our society today if we concentrate on our manners more and being right less. Accept, when it comes to getting Jesus right. It is important to our personal life, our religious lives, and our communal life for us to get Jesus right. Some might say “Well, Jesus is who Jesus is.” And that is true. We do not want to make more of less of Jesus than what he truly is.

So, to begin with, we believe Jesus was, and is G-d’s Son….G-d Incarnate. The Gospel of John states that Jesus was pre-existent – that Jesus was there at the time of creation – a co-creator with G-d and the Holy Spirit. Other Gospels only state that Jesus either was born in the lineage of King David, or he appeared around the time of John the Baptist, his cousin. 

We are now in the Advent season – where we await the birth of Jesus. What lay ahead of us is his entire life: his teachings and salvatory actions. The danger to be aware is this: we must be careful not to make Jesus into our own personal image of him, rather than to understand that he is the image of G-d, come to earth to inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven. As such, Jesus was both a “Son of Man”, and the “Son of G-d”. He was pre-existent – he was there at creation. And he was born to Mary and worked with Mary’s husband, Joseph, as a carpenter. This is just the beginning…but every great story, like good manners, begins somewhere.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, we would like to think we have good manners always. Of course, we will only know when we step outside of ourselves and are more mindful of our actions. This Christmas season, help me to be more mindful of how I treat others. Amen.

Pastor Dave

December 22, 2022 – Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

 ^“For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us—bodies that will never be sick again and will never die. We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.” (Romans 8:22-25 The Living Bible)

“Shift not yourself in the sight of others nor gnaw your nails.” (George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation; number 11; p. 10, Applewood books”)

Pilate famously said “What is truth?”, as he responds to Jesus telling him that he came to testify to the truth. (John 18:38) The Latin is Quid est Veritas? What Pilate nervous being in the presence of Jesus – or just worried he might be killed soon?

Quid est Veritas? What is the truth? What is the truth of faith and works? What is the truth of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus? Our main hope is that we might encounter some truth in our lives—truth about the world, about existence, and about faith. The bible continues to tell us that it is the truth—that it posits to us G-d’s truth. The Bible states: ‘“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) and ‘”Your word is truth.” (John 17:17).

The truth is revealed in The Bible as the person and character of Jesus Christ, and His teachings, and the reality of G-d’s promises. Jesus Christ is the truth; He is the absolute standard and embodiment of truth. The Holy Spirit of G-d gives the revelation of the truth to individual children, men, and women. The Bible does not provide every answer to every question of life, but it does provide much of what G-d wants to share with us about Himself, His Son, His Spirit, and His eternal purpose.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, we know the Bible provides standards and morals for living; and helps us to know right from wrong. Give me a sense of your truth and your will today and every day. Amen.

Pastor Dave