Advent Devotions: Dec. 6, 2017

Wednesday December 6

Daniel 6:1-19 Daniel thrown in the lion’s den

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three presidents, including Daniel; to these the satraps gave account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Soon Daniel distinguished himself above all the other presidents and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. So the presidents and the satraps tried to find grounds for complaint against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. But they could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption could be found in him. The men said, ‘We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.’

 So the presidents and satraps conspired and came to the king and said to him, ‘O King Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an interdict, that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king, establish the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Therefore King Darius signed the document and interdict.

 Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open towards Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. The conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy before his God. Then they approached the king and said concerning the interdict, ‘O king! Did you not sign an interdict that anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions?’ The king answered, ‘The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.’ Then they responded to the king, ‘Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the interdict you have signed, but he is saying his prayers three times a day.’

 When the king heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save Daniel, and until the sun went down he made every effort to rescue him. Then the conspirators came to the king and said to him, ‘Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.’

 Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, ‘May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!’ A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, so that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

 Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.

****

Daniel, at age 90, kept to his God & believed in his deliverance. He wouldn't pretend to believe in false idols of gold and silver. (Maybe money or high social standing, now.) He willingly went into the lion's den and God protected him for his faith. This miracle positively changed the heart of the king.

Prayer: God, help me to hold fast to You, Your love and forgiveness and see You in the face of another needy, hurting, maybe angry person. Help me be gentle with other's seemingly self- centered focus on their next new device or their fantasy football picks. Keep my heart open to the needs of those I feel called to assist and give me patience to see the fears inside some helpers who create conflict as we come together to serve. In Jesus' name. Amen

Gail Pease

Advent Devotions: Dec. 5, 2017

Tuesday December 5

Daniel 5:13-30 Daniel helps the king

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, ‘So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation, but they were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you are able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third in the kingdom.’

 Then Daniel answered in the presence of the king, ‘Let your gifts be for yourself, or give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and let him know the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar kingship, greatness, glory, and majesty. And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded those he wanted to degrade. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was stripped from him. He was driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of an animal. His dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the Most High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and sets over it whomsoever he will. And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this! You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very breath, and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored.

 ‘So from his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: mene, mene, tekel, and parsin. This is the interpretation of the matter: mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; tekel, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.’

 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made concerning him that he should rank third in the kingdom.

 That very night Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed.

****

What the heck? “Mene, mene, tekel, peres”?! Belshazzar was given a very dramatic message from God but had no clue what it meant, so he called Daniel to explain it. Daniel was an exiled Israelite in Belshazzar’s kingdom whose allegiance was, above all, to the Lord, and he gave the dire interpretation to Belshazzar.

Lots of times in my life I’ve been in situations that were scary or difficult that I just didn’t understand and I wished I had a Daniel to explain my own personal “mene, mene, tekel, peres”. Sometimes we can’t immediately grasp the message God has for us in the moment. That’s when we need to turn to prayer and the support of those around us who also love the Lord to help us find our path. I’ve also learned that we can gain wisdom about ourselves from those we find most difficult to deal with. If we can objectively examine the things that irritate us the most about someone else we can often learn where our own shortcomings, intolerance, and lack of compassion lie so that we can change ourselves and grow more in the path that God would have us take.

Prayer: Lord help us to be receptive to your words every day so that we will know the direction you have set for us. Amen

Mary Beth Commisso

Advent Devotions: Dec. 4, 2017

Monday December 4

Daniel 5:1-12 Daniel called to interpret

King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.

 Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

 Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king’s face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men of Babylon, ‘Whoever can read this writing and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third in the kingdom.’ Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar became greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.

 The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting-hall. The queen said, ‘O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale. There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father he was found to have enlightenment, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.’

In this passage, King Belshazzar had a festival with all his lords, wives and concubines. While they were drinking from the gold and silver cups taken from the temple in Jerusalem, they were praising their gods. Suddenly, King Belshazzar saw hand writing on the wall of the palace. He became very frightened and called for his astrologers and enchanters to interpret the writing. When they were unable to tell the king the meaning, it was suggested that Daniel be called to interpret!

Okay, I wondered, what does this possibly have to do with Advent??? Does this king represent us today when we become so wrapped up in the commercialism of Christmas that we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas…… the birth of our Savior, Jesus??? Do we miss/see “the writing on the wall”?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, open our hearts and minds that we may stay focused on the true meaning of this Advent season, the preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen

Kathie Ruhs

Advent devotional: Dec. 3, 2017

Daniel 3:1,8-30 God’s presence in the fiery furnace

King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter. If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’

 Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.

 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘True, O king.’ He replied, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.’ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

****

Now, here’s my question for us to ponder, “What’s our FIERY FURNACE?”  Is it health issues, employment or lack thereof, family concerns, finances, etc.…?  We all have our own “furnaces” and sometimes they seem “blazing hot.”  How do we respond?  Do we CHOOSE, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to BOLDLY declare, “… EVEN IF God does not deliver us from the furnace, we are not going to serve other gods”?

These three men had no way of knowing their decision’s impact on their world.  Daniel 3:28-30 tells of a king who saw the LIGHT, both literally and figuratively: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego… inasmuch as there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

Our decisions/choices to stand firm in our faith will probably not be as world changing as that of the three aforementioned men of God, but they will be life altering to us as well as those in the circles around us.  As we CHOOSE to believe, our faith muscles strengthen which in turn make it easier to trust God in our next “furnace.”  They also serve as an example/encouragement to those in our circle of God’s faithfulness EVEN IF He doesn’t do what we want/expect Him to do.

Prayer: Dear God-Thank You so much for the example of conviction shown in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They willingly chose to believe/trust You “EVEN IF”!  Thank You for being with each of us as we face our “fiery furnaces.” Because Your Holy Word declares “You are the same, yesterday, today, and forever”, we can KNOW You’ll be with us in our “fiery furnaces” just as You were with them.  And, “EVEN IF” our outcome is not the same as theirs, we still CHOOSE to trust You KNOWING HOW VERY MUCH YOU LOVE US!

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

Deb Lyon

2017 Summer devotions, week of September 3

September 3:  Laboring for Christ    

Share 

Share your highs and lows with each other, or write them here:

Highs

Lows

Read

Read one or more of the following texts:

Luke 6:45-49

James 1:19-25

Labor Day is kind of ironic as many people do have the day off from work.   Federally instituted in 1894, “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” (https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history)

We are invited as Christians to see our “labors” as a gift from God in which we use the talent and time that God has entrusted into our care.  Martin Luther emphasized “the priesthood of all believers” as a way of lifting up each of our callings to live out the gospel no matter what our job.

In this lectures on Genesis, Luther wrote: “thus every person has a calling.  While attending to it, he serves God …when a maid milks a cow or a hired man hoes the field – provided they are believers, namely, that they conclude that this kind of life is pleasing to God and was instituted by God - they serve God more than all the monks and nuns..”

Talk

Questions for conversation or personal reflection:

1)      What kind of work do you or have you done?

2)      How does viewing it as a way to serve God change your perspective on that work?

3)      How does the reading for today connect with your highs and lows?

Pray

Pray about your highs and lows, and any other needs you might have for today.  If you wish, write your prayers here:

My prayers

Bless

Offer a blessing. Use “May God bless you working and your resting,” or make up your own as a reminder of God’s love in your life.  Make the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead as you do this.  If desired, use water to make the cross.

Bonus Activity:

While many get Labor day as a holiday, pray for those who still must work this day – particularly for those who take care of us (medical professionals, law enforcement, emergency services, etc.)  As you meet people who are working, take the opportunity to thank them for whatever job that they do.

2017 Summer devotions, week of August 27

August 27: Luther’s Catechism – Holy Communion

Share 

Share your highs and lows with each other, or write them here:

Highs

Lows

Read

Read one or more of the following texts:

Luke 22:14-23

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

This meal is not one that we eat for our physical nourishment (what are those wafers really made out of?).  It is not going to calm any hunger pains that we have.  Yet, it is the most important meal of the week in our lives of faith.

In this simple meal of bread and wine, we taste the grace of Christ.  We are fed by the promise that God loves us always.  We are connected in community with all those at the same table as well as those who have gathered at other tables in other times and places.  This is a meal that offers us hope, peace and grace.

Talk

Questions for conversation or personal reflection:

1)      Share a favorite meal experience.

a.      What made it special or significant?

2)      What is the most meaningful experience you have had at Holy Communion?

3)      Think about inviting someone to eat with you that you’ve been meaning to invite for awhile (it can be at home or at a restaurant)

4)      How does the reading for today connect with your highs and lows?

Pray

Pray about your highs and lows, and any other needs you might have for today.  If you wish, write your prayers here:

My prayers

Bless

Offer a blessing. Use “May you be nourished by God’s love,” or make up your own as a reminder of God’s love in your life.  Make the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead as you do this.  If desired, use water to make the cross.

Bonus Activity:

Bake a loaf of bread today.  You can even use a baking mix if you like.  As you mix the ingredients, think about how many grains of wheat it took to make the flour you’re baking with.  It takes a lot of wheat to make a loaf of bread—just like it takes a lot of people to make a church!  

2017 Summer Devotions, week of August 20

August 20: Luther’s Catechism – Holy Baptism     

Share 

Share your highs and lows with each other, or write them here:

Highs

Lows

Read

Read the following texts:

Luke 3:21-22

Romans 6:1-4

“Baptism is not simply plain water.  Instead it is water used according to God’s command and connected to God’s Word” (Luther’s explanation of Baptism)

It is plain water – and yet in it, we are reminded of the importance and our need for water every day.  In this, we are pointed to God – of God’s importance and our need for God every day.  It connects us to God as does the Word of God.   As we remember our baptisms, we remember that we are created in the image of God and of God’s faithfulness to us.

Talk

Questions for conversation or personal reflection:

1)      What was the last baptism that you witnessed?  What was it like?

2)      What are different ways that we use water every day?

a.      How does this connect to our lives of faith?

3)      How does the reading for today connect with your highs and lows?

Pray

Pray about your highs and lows, and any other needs you might have for today.  If you wish, write your prayers here:

My prayers

Bless

Offer a blessing. Use “May you walk wet in God’s grace,” or make up your own as a reminder of God’s love in your life.  Make the sign of the cross on each other’s forehead as you do this.  If desired, use water to make the cross.

Bonus Activity:

Keep track of each time you use or are near water this week.  In those moments, remind those around you (and yourself) that “you are baptized” and loved by God.