Experience Advent...& Christmas!: Monday, December 17, 2012

Monday, December 17, 2012

God is Faithful

Read 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=222755742

Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;
your throne shall be established forever.

In the passage of Scripture, we read yesterday (Luke 1:26-33), Luke mentions in verse 27 that Joseph, Mary’s betrothed husband was from the house of David. This is an all-important side note. Turning to our Scripture for today, one thousand years before Christ was born King David was promised that his throne would never be empty. In the Scripture reading for today, he asks to build a house for the Lord, but instead the Lord promises to build David a house. Joseph is part of that house and that line, and therefore, Jesus is also legally connected to the lineage of David.

The Gospel of Matthew more thoroughly outlines the connection between Jesus and David, but the connection between 2 Samuel 7 and Luke 1 is clear. Luke 1:33b says, “and of his kingdom there will be no end,” which echoes 2 Samuel 7:16. David’s reign was only temporary, and he probably upon hearing this envisioned a long line of temporary kings. God did a new thing though and did not appoint king after king from the line of David. Instead, Jesus was set to rule eternally. Jesus’ reign is not the earthly political kind that David envisioned. God was gracious to the people of Israel and saved them not temporarily but permanently.

The conclusion is that God is faithful. Promises made long before Jesus was born were honored and fulfilled in the coming of Christ. The throne of David is eternally filled with the Almighty God, and therefore, we are saved not through earthly reign and political power but through spiritual reign and power. Praise be to God!

Brandi Tevebaugh

Eternal and loving God, pour out in our hearts this day the light of your love, warming us to one another, enlightening our understanding of others, and revealing the path of charity upon which you have called us to walk. Amen.

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Christmas is Born!

Fourth Week of Advent: Joy

The fourth candle on our Advent wreath is the candle of joy. As we enter this last week of Advent, we allow ourselves a little celebration--the Savior is coming, alleluia! We've been waiting, and we must wait a bit longer, but God is coming--soon!

The invitation to rejoice during the season of Advent reminds us to consider the joy that awaits the end of Mary's pregnancy. Mary must have felt joy in carrying a child, in anticipating the birth of her son, the birth of the Savior. Her hymn of praise, the Magnificat, praises God for the great deeds that God has done. The God who proclaims righteousness and justice, who has fed the hungry and sent the rich away, this same God looked on Mary with favor and blessed her with the gift of service to the world.

Our joy calls up visions--what gifts can we expect from the Mighty One who has blessed us and looked upon us with favor?

Beth Richardson, The Uncluttered Heart (edited)

God of joy, may we dream dreams and share tales of hope as we enter these final days before Christmas. I praise your mighty name. Amen.

Third Week of Advent: Love

The fourth candle on our Advent Wreath is the candle of Love. That seems so appropriate as we begin the last week of Advent, the final days before we receive God's greatest gift to us--divine Love wrapped in swaddling clothes,lying in a manger.

Joseph's place in this drama is one of love. Engaged to Mary, he discovers that she is pregnant. Even the visit of an angel probably does not answer all of his questions or calm all of his fears. But Joseph, I like to think, acts out of love. Love and trust make up for any doubts he might have about his role in this matter. Joseph takes Mary as his wife and makes room in his heart for her son, whom he names Jesus.

We certainly don't play such a dramatic role as Joseph in God's story, but we are, nevertheless, important to the whole. Every action we take, every small or large task we perform, is woven in love into God's cosmic story.

God of love, may everything I do become an expression of your love. Amen.

Beth Richardson, The Uncluttered Heart

Second Week of Advent: Peace

The second candle on the Advcent wreath is the candle of peace. When we light the candle of peace, we affirm Isaiah's vision that peace will come on earth. As we move closer to the birth of the Prince of Peace, we are acutely aware of all the places in the world, in our families and relationships, and in our hearts that have not achieved peace. Peace is a vision, a hope, a promise made by the Holy One--that there will be a time when peace will prevail.

Peace, in the global sense, is the cessation of violence between peoples and nations...in Israel and Palestine, in Darfur, in Iraq and Afghanistan. We people of peace hold the vision that God's spirit will rest on the leaders of the world and will whisper wisdom in their hearts, wisdom that will guide their actions toward paths of forgiveness, compassion, and peace.

In our own hearts and lives, peace is the calm in the midst of chaos. Each day, may we hold the vision of peace, seeking times of rest and prayer when we open our minds and spirits to God's powerful, gentle peace.

Let peace be our vision.

Beth Richardson, The Uncluttered Heart

First Week of Advent: Hope

The first candle on the Advent wreath is the candle of Hope. When we light the candle of hope--in the Advent wreath or in our hearts--we kindle a flame of expectant anticipation that something rich, something special, is on the way.

As we enter into this Advent journey, we already know that the something special at the end of Advent is the birth of Christ, God's great gift to the world. But much of the richness of this season comes with the anticipation, the waiting, the deferral of the celebration until the appropriate time.

During Advent, the first season of the church year, we relive the story of Jesus, the wonder of how he came to be, the story of his birth. We don't yet know what God has in store, but we trust God's promises of righteousness, justice, and peace for the hurting world and our discouraged spirits. We live in the hope, that despite our current struggles, God has something good in store for us.

Jesus, the hope of the world, is coming to an unsuspecting world.

Beth Richardson, The Uncluttered Heart