Advent Devotions (12/7/15)

12/7/2015 Monday

Psalm 27      A Song of Hope & Trust

In Psalm 27, the psalmist is surrounded by his enemies. We are surrounded today with acts of impersonal, senseless violence, and enemies both known and unknown: ISIS; home-grown terrorists; and random shootings. These acts create anxiety, distrust, and hopelessness. I have experienced times of worry and fear–“What if..? What should I do?” Such fears are debilitating and exhausting, but change nothing. Through faith I began to understand the words “In God We Trust.” God’s faithfulness and love for us are steadfast. He is “our refuge and our strength.” We can take action by praying - praying for guidance, security, and for a deeper relationship with God.

        The Lord is my light and my salvation

         whom shall I fear (27:1)

         The Lord is the stronghold of my life

         of whom shall I be afraid?

Joan Bradley

Advent Devotions (12/6/15)

12/6/2015 Sunday

Isaiah 40:1-11      A People Far from Home

“Get you up to a high mountain, Lift up your voice with strength...” How many times have we been on vacation in a mountainous area and we look out, look down and all around. It is a glorious day and we feel like shouting out to anyone who will listen. Praise God for this wonderful experience and I feel like I could stay here forever!

Then we climb down the mountain or drive down in our car and when we reach the bottom we see nothing but tree limbs and grass and road. We slip back into our same routines and go on with our lives. We forget how majestic the view was and how wonderful it made you feel.

Each and every day we are so blessed with those wonderful feelings, but we hardly pay any attention to them. We have our family around us. Our church family as well. We are not far from home anymore. I was raised in Hershey PA and I am now far from home, but I have the memories of family and friends that will never be forgotten.

Lord we ask you to always watch over us, No matter if we are far from home or just down the street. Remember us in your glory and keep us forever mindful of your presence. In your name we pray...Amen.

Ken Mongold

2015 Advent Devotions (12/5/15)

12/5/2015 Saturday

Job 1:1-22      A Man Who Suffers

Job was a family man and very proud of what he was doing. He was a very wealthy man and set in his ways. He never thought he would have to go through the suffering that he did! We all get caught up in our lives and will forget how important our family is to us. We not only need to remember who our Lord and Savior is and how he suffered on the cross, but we need to remember how important God is in our daily lives. We get so caught up in the small things like doing dishes, taking out the trash, putting gas in the car, and so on that we forget how much our Lord means to us in even those small decisions we will make. During the past two years I have gone through some of the things Job did. Loss of family members and friends and forgetting to ask God to help me in my sorrow. It has been a tough two years for me, but now that I truly trust in God in making decisions and living a life full of joy and thanksgiving. It has taken me a long time to get over the losses but if we just trust in God and talk with Him...He will listen and help you through those tough times. We will never suffer alone!

Thank you Lord for giving me the power to listen and I ask you to look over all of us at Trinity Lutheran Church and give us all the power to listen! In His name we pray...Amen!

Ken Mongold

2015 Advent Devotions (12/4/15)

12/4/2015 Friday

Psalm 119      A Psalm About God’s Faithfulness

We are all on the path of spiritual journey. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we stray. Yet God is always with us with his steadfast love; always welcoming us back to the path. Each one of us is beloved and unique: “Your hands have made and fashioned me.” (v. 73). The psalmist asks for understanding and writes that “your teaching is my delight” (v. 77). The word “delight” resonates because God’s word is the light guiding us through the darkness and the perils of the journey. Bible study thus becomes more than a critical reading for meaning. It is the recognition of God’s love for us and his desire for a deepening relationship with us, and a call for our undivided loyalty to him. We desire to follow the path of righteous living.

With my whole heart I seek you;

do not let me stray from your commandments. (v. 10)

Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

and observe it with my whole heart (v. 34)

Joan Bradley

2015 Advent Devotions (12/3/15)

12/3/2015 Thursday

Daniel 6      Daniel’s Life is Threatened

This chapter lifts up the familiar image and story about Daniel in the lion’s den. Yet, while this story is very familiar, it is not often that we read the entire episode and what led up to it. The story’s focus is on Daniel’s disobedience to the law of the land (only paying homage to the Persian king) as he obeyed the law of his faith. Through jealousy and trickery, King Darius is set up so that Daniel is punished, though Darius had great respect for him.

What I found interesting in re-reading this story is actually the role and faith of Darius. Though he is “forced” by the law to punish Daniel, he does all he can to forestall this act. Then when that doesn’t work, he offers words of blessing before the den is sealed, “May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!” After the den is closed, Darius spends a sleepless night fasting. Darius, though a foreign king, prayerfully intercedes for Daniel. He is a different model of faith than one would expect.

So often in scripture, we find that God works in the least likely people and in the most unlikely places. While we may see many of these biblical figures as heroes, they are still less than perfect and very human. Yet God works in wonderful and marvelous ways where we least expect it.

Who have been unexpected examples of faith in your life?

  Where have you seen God at work in unexpected places?

Prayer: O come, though long expected Jesus in unexpected ways. Open our hearts and eyes to see you in new ways. Move our lives in ways beyond the conventions of the day so that Your gracious love may rise unexpectedly through your people. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor Jennifer Boyd

2015 Advent Devotions (12/2/15)

12/2/2015 Wednesday

Daniel 3      A Command to Worship a False God

Our God is amazing and what He teaches us NEVER goes to waste. He wants us to share the “AH HA” moments–when the Holy Spirit reveals something we hadn’t “seen” before–with each other thus encouraging each other as well as helping our faith become “Furnace Ready.”

I say this with full assurance. I had just returned a couple weeks ago from a Women’s Retreat where the Pastor and his wife both spoke re: this particular Bible passage. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego lived a life of “CHOOSING GOD.” Because it was evident in both who they were as well as their actions, they were persecuted (like millions still today). However, they stayed the course. When given the option, they CHOSE GOD, knowing full well the consequences of said choice. They had “FURNACE READY FAITH.”

Now, there’s another part that was especially profound. It’s Daniel 3:17-18, especially verse 18. In verse 17, they extol God saying that He’s able to deliver them. The eye-opener, so to speak, came in 2 words in verse 18, “…even if…”God’s able to deliver them, but “EVEN IF” He didn’t, they still CHOSE GOD!

So, what’s our “EVEN IF”–family, finances, employment, health, etc.? There are many “EVEN Ifs”, but only ONE GOD! Will we, like the friends in Daniel 3, have “FURNACE READY FAITH?” Will we CHOOSE GOD “EVEN IF” (whatever our personal “Even If” might be)?

Dear God, I pray as we study Your Word and read the story of these friends in Daniel 3, that our spirits become encouraged. May we stand firm like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in whatever our “furnace” may be and CHOOSE YOU! May our hearts be at peace as we come to the place of KNOWING You can deliver us, but “EVEN IF” You do not, we STILL CHOOSE YOU! Thank You, O God, for the testimony of these men of faith.

In Jesus’ Holy and Mighty Name, we pray. AMEN!

Deb Lyon

2015 Advent Devotions (12/1/15)

12/1/2015 Tuesday

Daniel 2      A Harsh King’s Dream

Daniel went back to tell his friends that he had been granted time by King Nebuchadnezzar to determine the king’s dream and its interpretation. At once they began to “desire mercies of the God of heaven.” That’s a long way of saying that they began to pray. Daniel’s confidence was in God, so he immediately sought communion with the Lord. God’s special servants are people of prayer. Daniel could have depended on his righteous character and his gift of interpreting dreams and visions, but he depended on God. He didn’t expect to receive what he needed without prayer. He depended on God’s mercy. He didn’t look to men’s wisdom or in dream books; he got on his knees. God’s men and women in a crisis don’t take their troubles to other people; they take them to God. We may ask other people to pray with us as Daniel did, but we know God is the source.

And when God revealed His secret to Daniel in the middle of that night of prayer, Daniel praised God. Daniel thanked God.

Let us pray:

God of heaven, you rule over all creation. You are wise and powerful, and you are the source of all wisdom and understanding. I will praise and honor you forever and ever. Amen

Lynn Byrnes