Christmas Eve-Christmas Day
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Isaiah 62:6-12
You who remind the Lord, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
-- Isaiah 62:6b-7
One of the great questions that should occur during Advent and find its culmination in the celebration of Christmas is what you expect from God. In some ways, the power of Advent is robbed by low expectations from believers. We approach Christmas like a mystery whose final pages we have already read. Is the reason congregations always want to sing Christmas carols early because they assume they already know the end of the story? When we finally arrive at Christmas Day, we celebrate the birth of Jesus way back in history, we go home for the big meal, and we turn to the real mystery -- what will I get for Christmas?
What if you really believe that God has promised to intervene in the world's affairs in order to bring justice and reconciliation to a broken and hurting world and that this may be the year? Maybe we are too polite to mention it to God, but perhaps that is the problem of our faith journey. Maybe we live with too low a set of expectations for God. The prophet Isaiah spoke to a disappointed people living in exile, but he was not so reticent. Keep nagging God, he said, and don't give God any rest until he has established Jerusalem and made it renowned throughout the earth.
The prophet is able to be so bold because he believes that God has made a promise and he has a right to expect that God will fulfill his promises. "The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies ..." (v. 8). Because the prophet believes in the promises of God, he feels emboldened to cry out to God: "When are you going to fulfill your promise?" Not only that but he is willing to make preparation: "Go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones ..." (v. 10). Now that is Advent preparation. Maybe this year is the year that the Prince of Peace will reign throughout the world. If you believe that this promise is possible, how will you want to live?
Psalm 97
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
-- Psalm 97:1
That is a startling statement. First, if God is king, why is the earth in the state that it's in? But second, how much rejoicing would there be if it were suddenly realized that God is king and "fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side"? (v. 3). The psalmist declares that "righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne" (v. 2). Given the fact that the earth does have huge disparities in wealth, that no one could possibly claim that God approves of the obvious injustices that occur on a daily basis, and that many of us benefit from certain circumstances that are built on conditions resulting in others suffering, how might we have to change our lifestyle if we were to choose to be fully obedient to the God who reigns in our world? Look at Acts 4:32-35 for one example of early Christians that decided to live in radical obedience. Were they foolish or faithful?
When this psalm is read on Christmas Day, we are reminded that the God incarnated in Jesus Christ is our king. The psalmist draws upon the image of Moses on Mount Sinai to describe the awful presence of God on earth. "Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles" (vv. 2-4). When we celebrate the coming of God in Christ, do we tremble? Have we lost a sense of the power of God that is present in this small baby whose birth we celebrate? Consider for a moment how your life might change if you made an absolute commitment to "have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
What would it mean to recognize God as revealed to us as the Christ and our Lord? Like for the psalmist, the vision is in front of us and we are dependent on the grace and mercy of God as we seek to move toward that hope. On this day, however, it might be good for us to pause and tremble a little bit for the cost of our discipleship as seen in the life of Jesus.
Titus 3:4-7
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy.
-- Titus 3:4-5a
At its most basic, the Christmas story is a story of God's overpowering grace. The reason for the birth of Christ was not that God looked on humanity and said, "You know, they have been such good people and have really struggled to be faithful. I think that I will try to do something special for them." In fact, God could have repeated the judgment that was reported in Genesis 6:5: "The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." Despite that reality, God chose to respond to humanity not according to our merits but according to his mercy. The Christmas event that we celebrate is a celebration that God chose not to respond to humanity according to what they deserved but according to the possibilities contained in his redeeming love.
The passage from Titus is considered to be drawn from an early church baptismal liturgy. This unearned merciful love is most clear in the baptism of infants. Before the infants are able to do anything to merit God's love, God reaches out to receive them. The Christmas story and the world's response to the love Jesus offered is a proclamation that God is not defeated by the sins of humanity. What begins at the dawn of Jesus' life with the killing of the infants (Matthew 2:16) and continues to the end of his life at the cross is a demonstration of the depth of sin in humanity and God's power to transform even such sin into a redemptive possibility. We are reminded each year at this time that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20
When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
-- Luke 2:17-18
One of the striking things about the Christmas story is how many people were unaware of what was happening. Of course, the Emperor Augustus and all those who were so busy making the powerful decisions that they assumed shaped the world missed what was happening. They had no idea that anything important was happening in that remote village in a forgotten corner of a third-rate colony of the Roman empire. Perhaps the story of the innkeeper has been romanticized, but clearly if he had known what was happening, would he not have gladly given his own room to make space for the birth of Christ? One does not have to attribute cruelty to his actions but simply a lack of awareness about what was important. Skip the angels for a moment, and think about the other people nearby. The shepherds, Luke tells us, "made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed" (vv. 17-18). We do not know who the all were, but clearly they did not understand the significance of the event before the shepherds spoke. Even the mother of the child, Mary, appeared blissfully unaware: "Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (v. 19). It was only because the shepherds had heard words from beyond their world that they had at least a partial understanding of what had taken place.
The Christmas season is a good time to be reminded that God is often at work in the seemingly ordinary moments of life. When you think of the shepherds, do not think of the romantic picture that we have created for shepherds. In the Jewish community of the time, shepherds were not held in high respect. They were the ones who did what others avoided. They stayed out all night, slept on the cold ground, and smelled badly as a result of associating with all those sheep. A comparable person in our society might be the garbage collector or the street sweeper. They were not the people who you first thought of when you wanted to hold a party. Yet, they were the ones to whom God communicated and they were the ones who brought the message to others who would listen.
Think of the least important person in a congregation or in your own personal life. Or think of the most mundane task in the ministry of the church. Perhaps it is, like the work of the shepherds, a task that we count on being accomplished but not one that we pay much attention to. In what way might God be trying to speak to you through that which you often overlook? Could it be that the person or task that you often overlook might be the very context through which God can speak of heavenly peace on earth? If we are to hear the word of God in our lives, it is important that we learn how and where to listen.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
-- Isaiah 62:6b-7
One of the great questions that should occur during Advent and find its culmination in the celebration of Christmas is what you expect from God. In some ways, the power of Advent is robbed by low expectations from believers. We approach Christmas like a mystery whose final pages we have already read. Is the reason congregations always want to sing Christmas carols early because they assume they already know the end of the story? When we finally arrive at Christmas Day, we celebrate the birth of Jesus way back in history, we go home for the big meal, and we turn to the real mystery -- what will I get for Christmas?
What if you really believe that God has promised to intervene in the world's affairs in order to bring justice and reconciliation to a broken and hurting world and that this may be the year? Maybe we are too polite to mention it to God, but perhaps that is the problem of our faith journey. Maybe we live with too low a set of expectations for God. The prophet Isaiah spoke to a disappointed people living in exile, but he was not so reticent. Keep nagging God, he said, and don't give God any rest until he has established Jerusalem and made it renowned throughout the earth.
The prophet is able to be so bold because he believes that God has made a promise and he has a right to expect that God will fulfill his promises. "The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: I will not again give your grain to be food for your enemies ..." (v. 8). Because the prophet believes in the promises of God, he feels emboldened to cry out to God: "When are you going to fulfill your promise?" Not only that but he is willing to make preparation: "Go through the gates, prepare the way for the people; build up, build up the highway, clear it of stones ..." (v. 10). Now that is Advent preparation. Maybe this year is the year that the Prince of Peace will reign throughout the world. If you believe that this promise is possible, how will you want to live?
Psalm 97
The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
-- Psalm 97:1
That is a startling statement. First, if God is king, why is the earth in the state that it's in? But second, how much rejoicing would there be if it were suddenly realized that God is king and "fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side"? (v. 3). The psalmist declares that "righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne" (v. 2). Given the fact that the earth does have huge disparities in wealth, that no one could possibly claim that God approves of the obvious injustices that occur on a daily basis, and that many of us benefit from certain circumstances that are built on conditions resulting in others suffering, how might we have to change our lifestyle if we were to choose to be fully obedient to the God who reigns in our world? Look at Acts 4:32-35 for one example of early Christians that decided to live in radical obedience. Were they foolish or faithful?
When this psalm is read on Christmas Day, we are reminded that the God incarnated in Jesus Christ is our king. The psalmist draws upon the image of Moses on Mount Sinai to describe the awful presence of God on earth. "Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles" (vv. 2-4). When we celebrate the coming of God in Christ, do we tremble? Have we lost a sense of the power of God that is present in this small baby whose birth we celebrate? Consider for a moment how your life might change if you made an absolute commitment to "have the same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
What would it mean to recognize God as revealed to us as the Christ and our Lord? Like for the psalmist, the vision is in front of us and we are dependent on the grace and mercy of God as we seek to move toward that hope. On this day, however, it might be good for us to pause and tremble a little bit for the cost of our discipleship as seen in the life of Jesus.
Titus 3:4-7
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy.
-- Titus 3:4-5a
At its most basic, the Christmas story is a story of God's overpowering grace. The reason for the birth of Christ was not that God looked on humanity and said, "You know, they have been such good people and have really struggled to be faithful. I think that I will try to do something special for them." In fact, God could have repeated the judgment that was reported in Genesis 6:5: "The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually." Despite that reality, God chose to respond to humanity not according to our merits but according to his mercy. The Christmas event that we celebrate is a celebration that God chose not to respond to humanity according to what they deserved but according to the possibilities contained in his redeeming love.
The passage from Titus is considered to be drawn from an early church baptismal liturgy. This unearned merciful love is most clear in the baptism of infants. Before the infants are able to do anything to merit God's love, God reaches out to receive them. The Christmas story and the world's response to the love Jesus offered is a proclamation that God is not defeated by the sins of humanity. What begins at the dawn of Jesus' life with the killing of the infants (Matthew 2:16) and continues to the end of his life at the cross is a demonstration of the depth of sin in humanity and God's power to transform even such sin into a redemptive possibility. We are reminded each year at this time that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20
When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
-- Luke 2:17-18
One of the striking things about the Christmas story is how many people were unaware of what was happening. Of course, the Emperor Augustus and all those who were so busy making the powerful decisions that they assumed shaped the world missed what was happening. They had no idea that anything important was happening in that remote village in a forgotten corner of a third-rate colony of the Roman empire. Perhaps the story of the innkeeper has been romanticized, but clearly if he had known what was happening, would he not have gladly given his own room to make space for the birth of Christ? One does not have to attribute cruelty to his actions but simply a lack of awareness about what was important. Skip the angels for a moment, and think about the other people nearby. The shepherds, Luke tells us, "made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed" (vv. 17-18). We do not know who the all were, but clearly they did not understand the significance of the event before the shepherds spoke. Even the mother of the child, Mary, appeared blissfully unaware: "Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart" (v. 19). It was only because the shepherds had heard words from beyond their world that they had at least a partial understanding of what had taken place.
The Christmas season is a good time to be reminded that God is often at work in the seemingly ordinary moments of life. When you think of the shepherds, do not think of the romantic picture that we have created for shepherds. In the Jewish community of the time, shepherds were not held in high respect. They were the ones who did what others avoided. They stayed out all night, slept on the cold ground, and smelled badly as a result of associating with all those sheep. A comparable person in our society might be the garbage collector or the street sweeper. They were not the people who you first thought of when you wanted to hold a party. Yet, they were the ones to whom God communicated and they were the ones who brought the message to others who would listen.
Think of the least important person in a congregation or in your own personal life. Or think of the most mundane task in the ministry of the church. Perhaps it is, like the work of the shepherds, a task that we count on being accomplished but not one that we pay much attention to. In what way might God be trying to speak to you through that which you often overlook? Could it be that the person or task that you often overlook might be the very context through which God can speak of heavenly peace on earth? If we are to hear the word of God in our lives, it is important that we learn how and where to listen.
