Christmas devotions: Jan.6, 2018

Saturday January 6

Matthew 4:12-17 Jesus Begins His Ministry

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

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Jesus begins to preach after he was tempted for 40 days and nights and after John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod.  This was the beginning of turning the world upside down and turning humanity around; a change beyond anything anyone had experienced, and a change that was bigger in all history.   Jesus called people to repent (to turn around) because the kingdom of Heaven is near.  Huh?  Many had never heard this talk before.  Jesus quoting the Prophet Isaiah about people living in darkness seeing a great light.  Most had not heard these words before.  This was the new Covenant’s beginning, the pendulum starting to swing. 

We have known the rustle of change in our lives, the pain of it (nobody likes change) and fearfulness for not knowing what’s to come.  Maybe you’ve closed your eyes to it. Yet, there is Jesus, beckoning, calling, longing, desiring; standing on the precipice of change saying, “Follow me. I have picked you.” 

Pray on this.

Lynn Byrnes

Christmas devotions: Jan.5, 2018

Friday January 5

Matthew 4:1-11 The Temptation in the Wilderness

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone,
   but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’

 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you”,
   and “On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’

 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
   and serve only him.” ’
Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

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“… the tempter came and said to Him… but He answered, ‘IT IS WRITTEN…’ the devil said to Him, ‘IT IS WRITTEN…’ Jesus said to him, ‘On the other hand, IT IS WRITTEN…’ the devil said to him … then Jesus said to him, ‘Go Satan, for IT IS WRITTEN… then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.”

As the devil demonstrated in the tempting of Jesus in the wilderness, he is quite good at not only quoting God’s Word out of context, but also twisting It to fit his purposes/plans.  However, to Jesus, Who KNEW the Scripture, the devil’s words meant nothing.  Jesus fired back the TRUE WORD, in context and untwisted!  The devil tried three times and each time, Jesus had THE ANSWER OF TRUTH that cancelled the devil’s misrepresentations.

This Scripture passage is just as apropos today.  The US Treasury doesn’t waste time showing its agents all the ways to make counterfeits, but instead focuses the training on knowing the real thing so well that a fake can immediately be recognized.  We, as Christians, should operate the same way.  WE NEED TO KNOW GOD’S WORD SO WELL THAT “SATAN’S LIES” ARE SPOTTED IMMEDIATELY AND THEN DELETED/CANCELLED BY THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD!  Whatever temptation comes our way, there is an answer in God’s Word.

Prayer: Dear God-Thank You that You are faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond our ability; but with the temptation You will also provide the way of escape, that we may be able to endure it. (1 Cor 10:13)

Thank You for Your Holy Word.  May we, like Jesus, CHOOSE to know It and boldly proclaim It when the devil comes in with his lies.  May we also truly believe what Your precious Word declares about You, about us, about our adversary the devil, and about our circumstances.

“Greater is He Who is in us than he who is in the world!”

In the Precious and Holy Name of Jesus, we pray, AMEN!

Deb Lyon

Christmas devotions: Jan.4, 2018

Thursday January 4

Matthew 3:13-17 Jesus is Baptized

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

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The day is warm and mild. I find myself sitting on this hill with many others listening and watching John the Baptist speaking and baptizing people in the Jordan. I wonder about his message. Then I see a strange man come along, wade into the water and talk with John. I’m surprised when John leans him back to immerse him in the water. But then I stare in disbelief as I see a bright light in the sky and a dove suddenly descending towards this person. But what I will never forget are the words that came from the sky, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Then I knew without a doubt that the words that John spoke were true. My eyes have seen Jesus – I believe!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son, Jesus, to live among us and to die for us. Blessed are not only those who witnessed Jesus and believed but also all who have not been able to witness him but still believe. Amen

Dee Lockshiss

Christmas devotions: Jan.3, 2018

Wednesday January 3

Luke 3:1-18 John the Baptist Preaches

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
   and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
   and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” ’

 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

 And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’

 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

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Brood of vipers?  Wrath to come?  Unquenchable fire? This is how John the Baptist proclaims “good news”? Sometimes we want our life as a follower of Christ to be all fluffy clouds and heavenly choirs. But this world is a tough place. We need to be strong. We need the power of the Holy Spirit and the fervent fire of our love of God to hold our own against the threats that the world presents. But John the Baptist also reminds us that some of the things we need to do to lead good lives seem very straightforward and simple – share what we have with those who do not have, don’t cheat others.

The people who gathered to hear John question him as to whether he is the Messiah but John makes it clear that he know that his role is to point us to Jesus as the path to salvation. His words and his actions are all designed, not to promote himself, but to bring awareness to Jesus.

How do our lives reveal God to others? Do we know our strengths (and weaknesses) in how to carry out God’s mission in our own part of the world? Are our words and actions in how we treat others consistent with the message of God’s love that we are called on to share?

Prayer: Father in heaven, help us be good witnesses to your grace and love so that others see our actions as reflections of those gifts. Help us always to lead lives that are not turned inward on ourselves but that reach out and point to you as the one who can fill all needs. Amen

Mary Beth Commisso

Christmas devotions: Jan.2, 2018

Tuesday January 2

Malachi 4:5-6 God Will Send Elijah Beforehand

Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.

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God is CALLING US, SENDING US, to be the Elijah’s of today.  The fact that we are here, AT THIS TIME, IS NO ACCIDENT!  We are here “for such a time as this…” (Esther 4:14).  God has us here to touch those in our “sphere of influence.”  And, that “touch” is as varied as the individual.  It can be something as seemingly inconsequential as a smile or holding the door to helping with food, kids, yard stuff, and anything else.  What matters is that there is a TOUCH!

Now, the devil knows his time is short and he’s working overtime to keep us from “touching others” at least in the way God means.  There is so much pain in peoples’ hearts.   The LOVE of Jesus can help alleviate it, or in the very least, show that someone cares.  However, how can others know of the AMAZING GRACE and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE of Jesus if we don’t share it, IF WE DON’T GO WHERE GOD SENDS US? 

Prayer: Dear God-Thank You for Elijah and the prophets of long ago as well as those of today and those yet to come.  Help us to be as obedient as Elijah and to go where You send us.  Help us follow the Holy Spirit’s prodding, knowing You are right there with us.  May we WILLINGLY share the love of Jesus with ALL OF THOSE You place in our paths.

In Jesus’ Precious and Holy Name we pray, AMEN!

Deb Lyon

Christmas devotions: Jan.1, 2018

Monday January 1

2 Kings 2:7-8 Description of Elijah

Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

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Monday, January 1, Hallelujah!   A New Year. In our reading, Elisha and Elijah come to the Jordan River. Reminiscent of Moses crossing the Red Sea, Elijah strikes the water with his coat parting the waters so the 2 of them can cross. The 50 following were left to wonder what was going to happen. I feel like one of the 50 left on the other side wondering, what’s going to happen as we enter this new year. I even wonder if Trinity is going to be here in another year, considering our finances. “The river Jordan is deep and wide, hallelujah, and I’ve got a home on the other side, hallelujah. The river Jordan is chilly and cold, hallelujah, it chills the body but not the soul, hallelujah.” You probably recall those words from the song Michael Row the Boat Ashore” sung by groups like the Highway Men and Peter Paul & Mary. The song can actually be traced back to an old Negro spiritual. The slaves who sang that song knew that no matter what, Jesus walked with them. So as we cross into another year, Jesus walks with us. It may be that the Holy Spirit is messing with us, bring us to a new place, a new home on the other side.

Prayer: Lord, walk with us as we cross into the new year. Give us the courage to witness to the Gospel in our communities. And when all seems dreary and cold, warm our souls with your everlasting love.  Amen!

Deacon Charlie Germain