December 15, 2022 – Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

“My hope is built on nothing less  than Jesus and His righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean in Jesus’ Name

On Christ the solid Rock I stand All other ground is sinking sand

When darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil

On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand”  (My Hope is Built, hymn  Edward Mote, 1797-1874)

Advent is marked by the themes of expectation, anticipation, preparation, and longing. There is a longing for deliverance from sin, death and the devil experienced by persecution, tyranny, injustice and hatred in this world. Our hope is that G-d will redeem all creation – begun in the birth of Jesus, and completed when Christ comes again. It is the hope that G-d will come again in righteousness to reign over G-d’s people and creation. It is that hope that the reign of an Anointed One, a Messiah, will bring peace and justice and righteousness to the world.

The First Candle (The Candle of HOPE)

The first candle on the Advent Wreath is sometimes called the candle of prophecy because it symbolizes the promises the prophets delivered as messages from G-d; promises that foretold Christ’s birth. Others consider the candle to be a symbol of the hope we have in Christ and so it is called the Hope candle.

In 1843 Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is published and 6000 copies are sold. The theme of this play is, of course, one of hope – hope that it is never too late to change our ways, increase our faith, and to stop being so selfish and instead reach out to help those in need. Often people wait until they experience a significant or traumatic event in their lives before they learn to change their paths. Why not start now instead of waiting for your wakeup call. The visitors to Ebenezer Scrooge are “Spirits” ( Christmas’ past, present and future) – we have a different Spirit to lead and guide us, that of the Holy Spirit.  Allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into and through this Christmas season.

Let us Pray: Lord, as Scrooge speaks so let me be prepared to live “(To) honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!” Amen.

Pastor Dave

December 14, 2022 – Devotions to Prepare Us For Christ’s Coming

 ^“Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see”.  John 1:44-46

We have the calling of the disciples in this part of John, Jesus selecting people who are at the bottom of society. Here we have the conversation between Philip and Nathanael. After being called by Jesus, Philip first goes to tell Nathanael about his experience with Jesus. We do not know any of the conversation between them except for Nathanael’s comment about what good can come out of Nazareth. It seems like a negative comment, but Philip’s response is very ordinary and matter-of-fact: “Come and See.”  We can learn a lot from this short exchange. First and foremost, Philip becomes the first evangelist, going forward to share what has happened to him in his encounter with Jesus.  And even in the face of severe rejection, Philip persists with compelling words – come and find out for yourself. It doesn’t take a lot of fancy words to invite people to come and experience the good news of Jesus Christ. Simple words of invitation will do – and may speak volumes to those who just need a simple invitation.

But the invitation is just the beginning. Once we have invited people to come to church with us to come and see Jesus, are we prepared to allow them to take the next step – actually becoming involved in the ministries of the church. Following Jesus is one thing – becoming a disciple takes courage – and preparation as well. Once again, we need to take time in Advent to see what ways we still need to prepare for the coming of Christ.

Let us pray: Dear G-d, it is important for us to be prepared to welcome people with the openness that we hope and trust Christ welcomes us. Come Lord Jesus and be our guest and prepare us to welcome others as guests. Amen.

Pastor Dave