Proverbs 28:2 (MSG)
“When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it— But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.”

Thank you, Lord, for this special time of praying and fasting. May your will be done.

Pray: against chaos during and after the election.

Fast: one meal

Proverbs 11:14 (NLT)
“Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.”

Thank you, Lord, for Your protection the ability to seek good counsel.

Pray: for wise leaders that listen to and heed good counsel.

Fast: one meal or all snacks

Zechariah 7:9-10 (NLT)
“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly and show mercy and kindness
to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not
scheme against each other.”

Thank you, Lord, for our coming together to pray for Your will during this election season.

Pray: that those who are elected will judge fairly, show mercy, and work against oppression.

Fast: one meal or social texting

Proverbs 21:1 (MSG)
“Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; He directs it to whatever ends He chooses.”

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the opportunity to pray for godly discernment and truth.

Pray: that people’s voting decisions will be directed by God.

Fast: one meal or your favorite recreational activity.

Romans 13:1-2 (RSV)
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except
from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the
authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

Thank you, Lord, that we can find peace in Christ Jesus and that You are on the throne.

Pray: that people will peaceably accept and respect the outcome of the election.

Fast: one meal or social media

Jeremiah 29:7 (NLT)
“And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you [into exile]. Pray to
the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

Thank you, Father, that in you we serve a mighty God of knowledge, wisdom, and grace.

Pray: for the welfare of our nation and the welfare of your city.

Fast: one meal or all sweets

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (RSV)
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be
made for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. This is good, and it is acceptable in the
sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of
the truth.”

Thank you, Lord, for your leadership and guidance.

Pray: for those currently in leadership in our nation.

Fast: one meal or television

2 Chronicles 7:14 (RSV)
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and
heal their land.”

We praise you God for the power of repentance and the hearing of this prayer.

Pray: for repentance – for yourself, for our leaders, for our nation.

Fast: one meal or your favorite beverage

The Trust Factor

“I do not trust in my bow, my sword doesn’t bring me victory.”  Psalm 44: 6

“You sit around here and you spin your little webs and you think the whole world revolves around you and your money. Well, it doesn’t Mr. Potter.”
George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life


Our culture insists that we rely on ourselves, our independence, and abilities.  However, the psalmist in this verse makes a direct statement against misplaced trust.  I wonder how the Christmas story would have played out if the characters trusted more in themselves than in God?  What if Joseph trusted more in his own judgment and plans, and followed through on his idea to quietly divorce Mary?  Or what if Mary had depended more on her reputation than on God’s plan to bear and bring up the Son of God?  What complications would ensue? Thankfully, that’s not what happened.  

In our modern world, we have ample opportunity for misplaced trust: our earning ability, our specialized skills, intelligence, physical capabilities, technology, and the list goes on.  As we reach the culmination of the Advent season, let us be a people who regularly point out to this world that we trust in God, not in the tools that God has placed in our lives. 

Lord, thank you for the gifts you have given me.  But I want to declare to you and myself  that I do not trust in my _______, or my _______ doesn’t bring me victory.  Like Mary, like Joseph, and like the Magi, you are the one who helps me overcome. Amen. 


Written by Stephanie Smith

Go Tell It on the Mountain
 
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”  
Luke 2:17-18 (NIV) 
 
Of all the Christmas carols I know and love, my personal childhood favorite has always been “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.” As a child, I loved the upbeat, exciting tune (as well as the fun dance moves that went with it). As an adult, I love the encouragement it gives us to be like those awestruck shepherds that first Christmas night.  
  
Scripture tells us that a group of shepherds happened to be in the fields nearby when an angel appeared to them in an overwhelmingly glorious manner. Their initial response? Fear and trembling. But then the angel delivers a great message of hope to them: “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord,” (Luke 2:11). Encouraged by this message, they move past their fear and seek out the newborn King. And once they had found him, they spread this message of hope to others.  
  
The angel never tells the shepherds to do anything except to not be afraid. The shepherds chose to seek out the Messiah themselves. They chose to share the message themselves. 
  
I think we often find ourselves more fearful than excited at the idea of sharing the Good News with the world. We are afraid of rejection, we are afraid we will not know what to say, we are afraid we are not good enough to share. Yet this moment in Scripture shines a light in the face of our fears. The shepherds were afraid, but when they saw the true glory of God—when they came face-to-face with the Messiah—they could not help but share the Good News with others. 
  
My hope for this Christmas season is that we would be so full of joy and excitement about the Good News of Christ that we would abandon our fears and join the shepherds as we 'Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born’.   
 
God, help me to proclaim the Good News of your salvation throughout the Earth. Keep me from being afraid; give me the courage to shout from the mountaintops. 
 
Written by Julia Silverthorn

One Life Touches Many

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”  Matthew 25:40 ESV

In the Christmas Classic "It's a Wonderful Life" George Bailey wishes he had never been born. His guardian angel Clarence is sent from Heaven to help George see the importance of his life. Clarence then proceeds to show George what life would be like 'if he had never been born'.

George is experiencing confusion as he journeys through his town as if 'he never existed'. At his wits end, he goes to his Mother's home. His mother shuts the door on him, not knowing who he is. Clarence tells George, "Each man's life touches so many other lives. And when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?" This is when George sees the reasons for wanting to live.

In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, our small interactions with family, friends and even strangers can have a lasting impact on their lives. In your life, actions that we may deem small can actually produce tremendous and positive outcomes. Examples: a word of encouragement to someone who is learning a new skill, paying for the person behind you at the Starbucks drive-thru; returning a stray shopping cart from out of the parking lot; even buying a meal for a homeless person standing outside at the entrance of a Sheetz or Wawa.

All of the above are not complex or overly expensive efforts (well maybe Starbucks :)
God has placed us here on Earth in His timing, to help carry out His plan. Like George Bailey, we have an impact on other people's lives. One of the great mysteries of following Christ is that we will not know the impact of these actions until we are in Glory with Him.

Oh gracious Lord, Please help us see opportunities to serve others as we are serving You,
not just in the Christmas Season, but all year long. Amen.

Written by Brian Whitmore

Brains and Belief

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’
 The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”  
Mark 9:23-24 (NLT)

Like the father in the ninth chapter of Mark, ‘Anything is possible’  is the sort of thing that we want to believe, but it can be hard for our brains to comprehend.  In the verses above, the father responds to Jesus with belief and also exclaims that doubt is there, too.  We can almost hear the father’s desperation  because he responds instantly and straight from the heart. He is not trying to appear spiritual, he is not concerned about what his religion outlines - he is desperate for both his son and his lack of belief.  The father’s honesty hints at the idea that faith is not necessarily an either/or situation but can be a process of moving towards greater faith while at the same time contending with doubt.

Interestingly, researchers have studied what happens in our brains when we begin the process of changing the way we think.  They describe it as building a new neural pathway - a sidewalk of nerve tissue that is laid down in the brain as we think and do a new thing.  As we consciously make a choice to work at a new habit - let us say, practicing belief - the old pathway fades away out of disuse, while the new pathway is solidified the more we opt to use it.
 
It is the time between taking those first tentative steps towards belief and full fledged faith that can get us down. We can berate ourselves and compare ourselves to others.  Or we can do what the father does: ask Jesus for help with our doubt.  And here is the interesting thing:  Jesus could have turned the father away with  “Nope, not until you 100% believe”. Instead, he rewards the father’s less than perfect faith. The author and perfecter of our faith, Jesus, proved again just how merciful and generous He is towards us. 

Lord Jesus, turn our doubt into belief as we practice faith this Christmas season. Build us new neural pathways towards believing you.  Prune away the old unbelief and doubt. We don’t want to travel that way again.  Help us to have authentic faith in you that will reflect well on you, and change the cultures of our homes, workplaces, and circles of friends. Amen. 


Written by Stephanie Smith

See or Believe 
 
“Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” John 20:29

The movie “The Polar Express” explores the question of ‘what does it take to believe?’ So many in our world equate seeing with believing. If they can see it, touch it, or experience it firsthand then they will believe it. People in Jesus’ time had the same perspective. Even though they were familiar with the prophecies about the birth of the Messiah, they would only believe it when they saw it. Many saw it, and still did not believe.

Dictionary.com defines believe ‘to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so”. What constitutes proof?  The Jewish leaders had the scriptures and did not believe. Many people heard Jesus teach on the kingdom of God and witnessed His miracles and still did not believe. Today, Jesus is clearly evident in the lives of His people, and still people do not believe.

Belief takes trust and confidence. Belief takes what we often refer to as ‘a leap of faith’. At some point we have to trade relying on what we see with our senses for relying on what we believe in our heart. That does not mean we throw out evidence; the evidence exists in the historical accounts of Jesus life and death, in the evidence of lives restored and healed, and, hopefully, in the daily actions of His followers.

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart” – Helen Keller. Christmas, the coming of Jesus, is the most beautiful thing to happen to this world. We may not be able to see Jesus with our eyes or touch Him with our hands, but we feel Him in our hearts. We believe in Him. We believe without seeing.

Father God, thank you that Jesus came to this world to redeem it. Strengthen our faith that we might always believe even when we cannot see, especially when our circumstances challenge our belief. This Christmas, let us feel the beauty and wonder of believing. In His name, Amen.

Written by Reenie Peppers

Seeing God in the ICU
“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me…” Jeremiah 29:13 (Message)

During our days in the ICU waiting room, Mom and I would sit by the coffee machine (which only had hot water for tea…no coffee) the spot with only two chairs. A larger family congregated around the corner and a few others scattered throughout the area.
One day, I came out from sitting with Dad and Mom was talking to a lady. Nothing unusual for her, unlike her introvert daughter, she talks to everyone. Yet, this God-orchestrated encounter, had been initiated by a sweet and precious two-year-old.

This little one ran around the corner, from her big family, and laid her head in Mom’s lap as she was crying. A woman came to get her and apologized for the child’s intrusion, as she introduced herself as Linda. Mom said, “It is no problem. She knew I needed a hug.”
Mom and Linda talked briefly. She asked if she could pray with Mom. This sweet, Jesus-loving woman, whose own father lay in a coma in ICU ministered and loved on my Mom. At this moment, neither Linda nor I knew what God planned through our encounter…all in the ICU waiting room.

Linda shared that her focus was on ministering to her family; they knew her father was dying, they just did not know when. As Linda recalls, “Dawn, you looked at me and asked but who takes care of you? And then you asked if you could pray for me.”

After I finished praying, Linda told me it was just what she needed at that exact moment. However, Linda didn’t know that praying with her is what I needed too. I called Brian and told him God showed me He could flow through me…even in the lCU waiting room.

Yet, Linda’s story with my family does not end in the ICU waiting room. Linda came to see Mom at the hospital this week (yes, we are back, but that is another story for another day). While visiting with us in Mom’s hospital room, Linda shared with me, “Your prayer over me that day (in the ICU waiting room) it was the shift in my response to what was happening! I was able to exhale, breathe deeply, keep praying, but not feel I was carrying the majority of the weight of the situation. The shift gave me permission to feel what I was feeling in real time. I was no longer shoving my feelings down to deal with later.”

God used a little one to connect some of His children in the ICU waiting room and I am grateful.

Dear Lord, as we continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas may we look for you in all of the situations of our lives. You are there in the good, hard, stressful, and even in the ICU waiting room. In Jesus name, Amen.

Written by Dawn Whitmore

Come Lord Jesus

“It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.” Mark 13:34-36

“The Lord is coming, always coming. Be alert to his coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.” (Henri J. M. Nouwen “Gracias! A Latin American Journal”)

Advent is a time to be preparing our hearts and our homes for the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, the Prince of Peace. We need to be, as it says in the scripture from Mark, awake and alert, so that we do not miss all that Jesus has for us this Advent season. Many in Jesus time, even though they knew the prophecies in scripture, were not alert and actively looking for His coming and basically they missed what God was doing.

Today, many people continue to miss the coming of Jesus, because they have become complacent and too comfortable. They are not looking for something new because they have become too familiar and too comfortable with the status quo. We can become complacent and too comfortable in our spirituality and miss the significance of what God is saying and doing.

Are we in a state of alertness and spiritual readiness for the coming of Jesus; of experiencing Jesus anew this Christmas? Are we anticipating the coming of Emmanuel, Prince of Peace or are we merely going through the motions?

Father God, help me to be spiritually, alert, and ready for the coming of Jesus this Christmas. Help me to recognize Jesus in every moment of my life. Let my life be a continual preparation for the coming of Jesus and His kingdom here on earth. In His name, Amen.

Put On Peace

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-154

Someone cuts you off to take the last parking space. The line at the post office snakes out the door. You have another get together that requires you to bring food. Your kids have an additional rehearsal for their Christmas program and your Christmas cards are still sitting unaddressed right next to the unwrapped presents. At this time of year, when the Prince of Peace came into the world, it seems that the peace of Christ is very far from our hearts and our homes.
 
It stands out to me that the Colossians passage above starts out with the admonition to ‘put on’ the following attributes. ‘Put on’ requires action on our part. We do not come by compassion and kindness and patience and peace automatically, we must ‘put’ these on. We must ask the Holy Spirit daily to help us ‘put on’ these attributes.

During this advent season, I have been praying the following:
Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, ‘Come Lord Jesus!’ Amen.
(Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J. Nouwen)

I especially need today, as this prayer so eloquently puts it, that the Holy Spirit will be upon my Christmas preparations, not only the physical, material preparations, but the preparation of my heart and spirit to receive Jesus anew and afresh this Christmas - that the Holy Spirit helps me to ‘put on’ peace.

Dear God, Help me by Your Spirit, to put on compassion, kindness, patience, and peace. Let me be more concerned with preparing my heart and spirit for Your coming rather than any worry or stress over material preparations.

Written by Reenie Peppers

Be an Elizabeth 

“A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed’. . . Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.”  Luke 1:39-42, 56

In the movie ‘Elf ', a human child named Buddy is raised by elves. Eventually, Buddy is confronted with the fact that he is, in fact, not an elf, but a human. To help him deal with this unexpected and disturbing reality, he sets off to find his human family, the only ones he believes can help him with this dilemma.

In the scripture passage above, we find that Mary goes to visit Elizabeth. Mary has had the most unexpected and disturbing reality become hers; she is going to bear the Son of God. She immediately goes to the one person she feels can help her make sense of her situation  The person who can encourage, strengthen, and instruct her.

“The story of the visitation (Mary visiting Elizabeth) teaches me the meaning of friendship and community. How can I ever let God’s grace fully work in my life unless I live in a community of people who can affirm it, deepen it, and strengthen it.”  (Henry J.M. Nouwen, “The Road to Daybreak”)

All of us, in times of unexpected, and often disturbing circumstances need an ‘Elizabeth’ to be a refuge of wisdom, comfort, and joy. We also should be available to be an Elizabeth to others; to others who need our refuge, our wisdom, who need someone to cry with and someone to laugh with.

Dear Father, Thank you for the ‘Elizabeth’s’ in my life. Show me who needs me to be an ‘Elizabeth' for them today. Thank you for my community of faith that affirms, deepens, and strengthens Your work of grace in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

Written by Reenie Peppers

Excited

“As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. ‘Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.’ They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.”
Luke 2:15-18


We often hear about the shepherds as being the first to hear the news of Jesus’ birth. We are reminded that they were on the lowest rung of their society, and that God choose them to receive the angelic message of the good news.

I love the way the shepherd's reaction to the glorious news is portrayed in the Message version. It says that they ran as fast as they could to find Mary, Joseph and the baby. They did not meander, as represented by every school and church Christmas pageant. Why did they run? Why do you run? They were brimming with excitement. They were eager, they were enthusiastic about seeing the baby born to set them free. Not only were they excited for themselves, they were eager to tell others about this child.

Excitement should be part of our Christmas experience; not the excitement over gifts, or holiday events, or special foods. Our excitement should be in seeing Jesus afresh and anew this Christmas. We should be so excited that we run toward Him. We should be eager to tell others the good news of the baby laid in a manger, come to set us free.

Father God, I want to be as excited about seeing Jesus as the shepherds. Help me to have a fresh, new experience with You this Christmas. Let my excitement and enthusiasm for You spill over onto others. In His name, Amen.


Written by Reenie Peppers

Knowing Him

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this:  that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.“  Jeremiah 9:23-24

“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord, ’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord.’ For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”  Jeremiah 31:33-34

When I first met my husband, I had so many questions while we were dating.  He probably felt interrogated, but I was sincerely interested and wanted to know.  We would spend hours talking on the phone and going out as often as we could. Each time, I learned something new about this unknown man.  I soon fell in love with him because I got to know him and enjoyed the man I discovered.  With the power of God in our lives, we still enjoy each other thirty years later.
If we want to get to know someone, it requires time and energy.  Time is one of our most valuable assets, once spent it is gone- null and void.  You cannot add time to a 24-hour day.  One of the biggest challenges we face is how to spend those 24 hours, how to be present in the precious moments we have, and how to plan for an unknown future? It requires a lot of self-directed energy.  This is difficult to do on a consistent basis for the long haul.  Regardless of the difficulty, we still get to decide how, when, and if we are going to spend our time.

That is where the Christmas miracle of our Savior comes in.  We cannot do anything well independent of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To understand that we can know the ONE that knows all, and He has already put His Word in our hearts is truly amazing!  Let us rejoice! There is hope for tomorrow.  A reason to receive Him with gladness!  Regardless of where you are this Advent season, you can get to know Him better.  He waits for us, and if we are breathing, we have the time.  Let us choose to turn our energy towards Him.  It is not that difficult if you ask Him to carry the burdens that wear you down.  If you are tired, unsure of your direction, seeking peace, or just need to get to know your Heavenly Father better, ask Him.  He is here, the time is right now.

Dear Heavenly Father, I desire to get to know you better.  Thank you for filling my heart with your Word. Lead me into your presence to find out more about you.  Guide me in the path you have for my life, so that I may be able to say, “I know you!” -  to experience your love that goes beyond understanding.  Thank for the miracle of Christmas, I look forward to knowing you better. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Written by Susan Coleman

Joy in the Midst

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” 2nd Corinthians 1:3

When life is tough it can be easy to forget about joy. The last few months have been tough in our household.

When leaving the hospital the other night, while speaking to my hubby, I told him, “I haven’t written my devotion for this week and not sure if it is going to happen because I am struggling with joy.”

As I thought about this, I remembered joy is not a feeling dependent on my circumstances like happiness. Patheos.com says this about joy, “Joy isn’t like happiness which is based upon happenings or whether things are going well or not. No, joy remains even amidst the suffering.”

How can joy remain amidst suffering? It is because joy is from Jesus. A pastor once said, “Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life…”

This doesn’t mean we will never hurt or struggle.

My trip back to the hospital was tough, but God was in control of the details. Let me share with you the text I sent my husband: ‘God took care of me, because it hit me hard when I got here…being first time back since Dad died. I thought I was telling Mom’s nurse that I beat the transport from the free standing ER to the hospital, however, I was actually talking to the hospital chaplain. She sat and talked with me. She said she knew exactly who Dad was and that he had a tremendous effect on the whole chaplain team at the hospital’.

The hospital chaplain, you here at Salem Fields, my bible study group, and my radio family, have prayed, brought food, and sat with us at the hospital. Your ‘being Jesus with skin on’ has shown us that we can still have 'Joy even amidst the suffering'.

Dear God, thank you for being in control of all the details of my life and for Jesus. Amen

Written by Dawn Whitmore

Exuberant Joy


“Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.”  1 Peter 1:8 

In the movie “Elf”, the main character Buddy always seems to have an exuberant joy. 

Throughout the film, Buddy is a giddy man dressed as an Elf. He consumes massive amounts of sugary foods and almost incessantly speaks of Santa. People, of course, are skeptical and are really unsure of what to think of a grown man, dressed as an Elf, who believes in Santa. 

Maybe we should strive to be more like Buddy (sans the Elf costume) in our walk with Christ. If we are filled with His glory, should we not also have a joy that is ‘inexpressible’ in the eyes of the World?

Jesus Christ came to Earth as an innocent Lamb, was sacrificed on a Cross and then rose again! He did this not only to give us eternal life, but to also give us eternal joy!

Most gracious Lord,
Help us to be more like Buddy in our walk with you. We want to have a childlike trust and joy in you. Amen

Written by Brian Whitmore

Hospitality

“Open your homes (show hospitality) to each other without complaining.” 1 Peter 4:9

Hospitality means the “friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers,” according to the Oxford Dictionary. Our culture’s definition of hospitality has become quite narrow. Most people are willing to show hospitality to family and close friends. However, even during the Christmas season, we have become increasingly unwilling to open our homes to those who are not in our established circle of relationships.

Our culture tells us that our home is our castle, our refuge, our stronghold. While our home should be a shelter and refuge, God wants us to offer our home as a shelter and refuge to others. We had the privilege for two summers to house and give hospitality to some college aged softball players. They came from a number of different states to play ball in a summer league hosted by our church. These young men had such a positive impact on our son, an only child, who was 9 and 10 during those summers. This can be a very crucial time in the life of a boy. These players became surrogate big brothers to him and amazing role models. It was such a blessing to show hospitality to these young men.

When was the last time you had someone in your home that you did not already have a relationship with? This season of Advent is a great time to open our homes to others and show hospitality. Who knows, you may be entertaining angels without realizing it. "Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!" (Hebrews 13:2 NLT).

Dear Father God, thank you for the home and other resources you have blessed me with. Help me to see all that you have given me as means of blessing others. I pray that during this Advent season I would find ways to be hospitable to others beyond my immediate circle of family and friends.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Written by Reenie Peppers

Busyness

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.” Philippians 4:6-7

Have you heard yourself say, “There is just not enough time in the day to get everything I need done.” Do you often find yourself totally exhausted by the end of the day, yet you cannot stop. Well, you are not alone. In a country where we have 24/7 access to technology, travel demands, along with work and family obligations- busyness has become a normal way of living.

When we are too busy, our physical bodies, families and mental/emotional health tend to break down. We were not created to live in a constant state of busyness which can lead to chaos. There are many examples in the Bible where Jesus demonstrates and encourages His disciples to take a break.  One example is when Jesus and His disciples had a long hard day’s work.  People were excited to hear Jesus’ teachings, and many came to be healed.  The number of people kept increasing and the disciples did not have time to eat.  We find in Mark 6:31, Jesus tells His disciples to “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” In other words, Jesus made His disciples take a time out.  Time away for themselves, away from the busyness and demands of life.
 
Again Jesus shows us the importance of slowing down when sisters, Mary and Martha are entertaining. Martha is continuing to prepare, clean, and wait on others while Jesus is speaking.  Martha, feeling the stress of doing all the work, becomes upset with her sister Mary.  She brings this frustration to the attention of Jesus with the expectation that He will correct Mary. You see, Mary was resting at the feet of Jesus, listening intently to what He had to say. Jesus responds to Martha by telling her in Luke 10:42, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha must have been shocked to learn that listening and being present in the moment was acceptable and the right thing to do; that sometimes the work can wait.

Dear Lord, we live in a world that is rewarded for busyness, multi-tasking, and the expectation that things be done quickly without a minute to spare.  Would you help us to renew our hearts and minds in you, to find time to rest at your feet?  Would you guide our lives according to your will as outlined in your Word?  And help us not to be anxious about anything as we let go to rest in you. We are thankful for this time well spent in your presence; we look forward to continuing to find time to celebrate your birth this Advent season.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Written by Susan Coleman

No Lone Rangers
“It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share, the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps, but if there’s no one to help, tough.” Ecclesiastes 4:10 The Message

Have you ever heard or used the term ‘pulling up oneself by their own bootstraps?’ The phrase is normally used to mean the person improved their situation without any help from other people. However, did you know that the original intent of this phrase was sarcastic because it was well known that it was an impossible to accomplish by oneself?
 
Why do we try to do life alone? You know it, ‘the lone wolf’ mentality. I do not need anyone. I am fine alone. I have heard many times over the years, as a response to this statement, ‘even the Lone Ranger had Tonto’.  Yes, I will give the younger crowd a minute to Google ‘Lone Ranger’. Where did this attitude of self-sufficiency come from? Self-sufficiency, according to Webster.com, is having an extreme confidence in one's own ability or worth…haughty. This makes me think of being prideful…which sounds similar to the Pharisees.

This is not how Jesus wants us to live. Ecclesiastes 4 explains, “It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps.”
 
Jesus did not intend for us to do life alone. We all need to have a group, even if it is a tiny one, to call on, to pray with, and be there for us. My Dad died on November 9th of this year and as an introvert, my circle is on the smaller side. But, each one of them has been there for me during this tough time.

It can be easy to forget, especially during the hustle and bustle of the holidays, that the babe born on Christmas Day never intended for us to be ‘lone wolves’ or to ‘pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps’.  

Dear God, as we gather together this Christmas, may all of us (even the introverts) remember that Jesus never meant for us to do life alone. He did not ask us to be self-sufficient for He is all-sufficient. Amen.

Written by Dawn Whitmore

The Glory and the Grime

“And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”  Isaiah 40:5 (ESV)

The Christmas story starts way back in the Old Testament, stretches across centuries of waiting, and bursts into the New Testament with glory fulfilled.  However, while the prophets must have yearned for the glory of God, the shepherds shrink back from it in their New Testament fields. (Luke 2:9).  And while Old Testament readers and listeners surely leaned forward whenever glory on earth was described, Mary is told not to fear when visited by the Angel Gabriel.
(Luke 1:29-30).

It seems that we humans crave the glory of God. At Christmas, especially, we are striving to approximate some version of that original Christmas through glorious music and decorations, lights and nativities. However, in the Christmas story we see  glory in two versions - straight up from God, which scares us, and another version that looks and feels different than expected because it mingles so intimately with, well, dirt.  A newspaper headline might have read “God’s Glory Steps into the Grime.”  In the fulfillment of God’s glory, there’s a woman giving birth in an animal stall, and just as shocking, a newborn sleeping in a feeding trough. There is the grime of shepherds just in from the fields, and there is grime involved in fleeing across the desert to Egypt in the middle of the night.  

For us, we find our joy stolen when we lean too much one way or the other.  If we see only the grime, we become a Grinch that no one wants to be around.  If we look on the glory of Christmas to the exclusion of the hurting and suffering around us, we become a virtual Mayor of Whoville, easily seen through and not taken seriously. We risk becoming inconsequential in affecting our culture. Instead, as followers of Christ and influencers for those around us, let us ask God to help us see both the glory and the grime.

Dear Father, help me seek Your glory while acknowledging the grime that permeates our world. Jesus, You came to a grimy world to bring Your light and glory. Let me shine Your glory into the grimy places of my life and my world. In Jesus name, Amen.

Written by Stephanie Smith