Tag: advent

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1:6

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Welcome. It’s a noun, an exclamation, a verb and an adjective. Just the word itself sounds welcoming! While there are a few variations on “welcome,” the definition that speaks to me this Advent season is “to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of.” 

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I think of that day when I first accepted Jesus into my life and started my personal relationship with Him. God was there all the time, calling me to Him, but it took time for my heart and mind to become open to accept His presence. When it happened, I accepted with pleasure. Pleasure­­—defined as a source of delight and joy­­—has continued throughout these 30 years to bring hope and peace to my life.

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I think of welcoming Jesus into my daily life­­—through the good times, the tough times and the ordinary times. I can’t say this happens every day, but it certainly is my goal. Saying yes to Jesus daily translates into how we treat others and how we live our life as an example of love. When we accept this calling daily with pleasure or joy, it implies that we have a willing spirit. It is so easy to go days or weeks not paying attention to a daily call to accept Jesus; we must stay awake and be intentional so that we do not stray too far. And if we do, we once again accept Him and fall into His waiting arms.

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I think of welcoming the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Accepting the Holy Spirit means we are looking for that still, small voice inside us, nudging us to become more like Jesus. Again, when we do this with a willing spirit, we can experience the joy of a new discovery.

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I think of how I’ve been given examples of welcoming many times in my life. My mom is a great cook and entertainer. Mom prepared for traditional holiday gatherings by cooking for weeks in advance, resulting in a large spread of food and a presentation fit for a magazine. At 80, she still goes all out when the family gathers at her house to celebrate. She plans menus months in advance, cooks weeks in advance, decorates her house beautifully and anticipates the occasion with enthusiasm. Having experienced this all my life, it paints a wonderful picture in my mind about “going all out” to welcome. I think to myself, “What if I approached all opportunities to welcome with this attitude? What if I went ‘all out’ on a daily basis to welcome Jesus into my life?” I imagine that my interactions with others would change in a big way for the better. 

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Jesus, I welcome you today into my life. Thank you for your presence in my life. Help me to seek Your face each day, so that through Your grace and strength, I may be more like Jesus and show His love to others. Amen.

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Kathy King

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. —Psalm 130: 5-6

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Listen!

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God of all that is and is to come, help us to listen for your words. Reveal to our limited minds the thousands of ways you speak to us. Still our hearts so that in the silence we may hear the beauty of your voice. Amen.

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Betty Schroeder

This son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. —Luke 15:24 

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The darkness of night had begun to settle in. I could hardly make out the narrow roadway in front of me now. The rain had stopped, but water drops still fell from the trees that loomed over me. It had been a long time since anyone had cut back the shrubs and grasses bordering the path. They pressed in against me now as if to block my way forward. 

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“Why did I come?” I wondered, “I’ve been away too long. If they remember me at all, will they want to see me? Why would they?”

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There on the gravel pathway, I stopped, stood still, remembered. I remembered stubborn actions, appeals for change, angry words, quarrels stopping just short of blows, a final, grimly silent parting.

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I turned on my heels and began the backward trek. Only a few steps down the road I stopped again. There were other memories. I thought of family laughter by the fire with friends, warm meals, kind words, early acceptance and approval.

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“All that is gone for many years,” I thought, “and yet…”

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I turned again and followed the path to its end. In the faint light of the moon the old house looked unchanged. I heard no sound. The upstairs windows were dark. I came closer. I thought a faint light gleamed in the living room.

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I stepped onto the porch and knocked gently on the door.

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Help me, Lord, in this holiday season, to put aside the past, to mend lost friendships as best I can, to welcome old friends who turn to me. 

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Guy Johnson

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Be still and know that I am God. —Psalm 46:10

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The winter cardinals are back. Every November they begin arriving to settle into the protective comfort of the tall thick shrubs at the back of my yard. They number about 25. I encourage their winter-long visit with two constantly dripping birdbaths and multiple feeders overflowing with sunflower seed. They return the favor simply by being themselves.

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The days are busy with singing and foraging and competition with the red-winged blackbirds that meander through in groups from time to time. But the magic of the winter cardinals happens late in the afternoons, near dusk, when all the other interlopers have given up and flown off to some distant roost. The cardinals in their resplendently red garb flit about the baths and feeders in an unscripted dance, moving in profound silence that is nothing short of sacred.

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This time and place of beauty and silence at the end of each day becomes a holy ground, an introit into prayerful listening and contemplation. God’s presence is palpable in the dimming light as the birds silently wing their way to their resting place and leave my expectant heart waiting in the stillness for the mystery and blessing of the season.

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God of all creation, help us to relinquish our busy-ness in this wondrous season of waiting. Enable us to be attentive to the movement of Spirit and to feel your all-abiding presence in every facet of our lives. Amen.

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Betty Schroeder

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put= my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. —Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)

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What does it mean to “know the LORD”? I confess that I often struggle to know my own self. Following the example of Adam and Eve, I clothe myself with accomplishment, skill or useful service. I have even donned the filthy rags of flawed adherence to a moral code or to correct belief. Ashamed of my naked self, I hide. 

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In Concluding Unscientific Postscript, Kierkegaard asked this question:

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“On which side is there the most truth? The side of the one who seeks the true God objectively and pursues the approximate truth of the God-idea; or on the side of one who, driven by the infinite passion of his need of God, feels infinite concern for his own relationship to God in truth?” 

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Or consider the hymn “Come, Ye Sinners Poor and Needy:”

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“Let not conscience let you linger,
nNor of fitness fondly dream;
nAll the fitness he requireth
nIs to feel your need of him.”

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In this time of Advent preparation, I will find joy in worshiping at St. John’s with you who inspire me with your faith and good works. May this help me look within myself for those places where the LORD is known—where we welcome each other in. 

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Heavenly Father, I pray for grace to be in more honest relationship with self and you. Amen.

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Ray Halliburton

Nothing is impossible with God. Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”—Luke 1:37-38 

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I hear a voice from another generation singing familiar words,

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The words haunt me, even as I read Scripture. They bounce around in my head and pictures begin to form. Once the timing of her child’s birth may have seemed off to Mary—not even married yet, now she senses something more. And the pregnancy of her much older cousin, Elizabeth, which at first seemed only a coincidence, now can be seen differently. The voice and the music go on,

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They were learning one of the deep truths of People of Faith, first taught by Old Testament prophets: You cannot change the past, but you CAN change the MEANING of the past. We walk by faith and not by sight. 

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Faith teaches me I can know more tomorrow than I know today. Let’s return to the words and music dancing around in my head:

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That is why God comes to us in human form in Jesus Christ: to make sure we know that we can trust the One who gives us Life. Let it be.

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O my God,
nTake my life and let it be…
nAmen.

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John Winn

Remember not the former things nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing, now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. —Isaiah 43: 18-19

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When Jesus came on the scene, He rocked the world and humanity with His newness. The former things and old things were done. All the people believed about a relationship with God and the law and how it made them right vanished in the wind. This baby in a smelly stable, born to a teenage virgin, from the wrong side of the tracks is the Savior of the world? No one at the time saw this coming, and we still cannot wrap our minds around the humble, scandalous state in which our Savior was born.

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There is nothing easy about birthing something. If we contemplate our walk with Jesus, we can see how He takes us through the birthing process continually in life. He is birthing us to be what He has in mind. I think that He wants new things for us even though we long for the days of old, people to come back into our lives, and to have things be comfortable and easy. 

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My family is new to St. John’s United Methodist Church, and there were many transitions before we became members. If we will let God take control and help us in this current birthing process of change, we, the community, and world will be blessed beyond compare. This new “baby” will not look like what we think it should look like, act like we think it should or sound like we think, but how beautiful this can be if we allow the changes to happen and open our hearts to God.

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Father, please help us to remember that You are a God of birth and change. You do not allow us to stay the same and are always transforming us into who You want us to be. As St. John’s continues to go through changes, please help us to lean in to what You are doing to grow us into the “Body of Christ” that impacts the community and world for Your glory, honor and praise. We thank You, Jesus, for coming in such a humble way to a broken people in need of redemption. Let us contemplate Your birth, Jesus, and continue to show us how You have turned the world upside down because of Your love for humanity. May we live lives that honor and bear Your image. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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nShay Chauvin

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Home Worship & Advent Wreath Reading*
nWeek 1

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Welcome Divine Promise

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Read: Isaiah 2:1-5

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Light: We offer the following reading as you light the first candle on your Advent wreath. If you do not have an Advent wreath, we invite you to light a candle, reminding you of the coming Christ Child, the Hope of the world.

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This is the first Sunday in Advent, and today we light the candle of Hope. Advent is a time of waiting and hoping. We wait for the day when we celebrate again the birth of Jesus. We hope that everyone will come to know God and to worship God.

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(Light the first candle)

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When we look at the first candle we remember God’s divine promise. God promised to send a Savior to the people. Our scripture from Isaiah reminds us that God fulfills the promises made to care for us. God is loving and just. God brings peace. This gives us hope. We look forward to the time when everything is fair, when the world is at peace and all people are treated justly. 

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Reflect: This Scripture offers us the hope of God’s kingdom where there is peace and has the wonderful sentence, “…let us walk in the light of the Lord!” Who are the people in our world who need hope? What are the hopes you have for our world today? How do we help others know that God gives hope? 

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Pray: Eternal God, Thank you for the words of the Prophet Isaiah that remind us that you are the source of our hope. Help us to remember to walk in the light of the Lord. Amen.

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Respond: Is there someone you know who needs to hear words of hope? Make or select a card for that person and mail it today.

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* Adapted from UMC Discipleship Ministries 2017 Advent Home Worship

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Welcome to the 2017 Advent Devotional from the people of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our theme this year is Welcome Inn. The devotionals focus on preparing to welcome the Christ child yet again and remembering our Christmas traditions with the theme of “welcome.” We invite you to join us on this journey through Advent.

We will have a limited number of hard copies available at church. We are asking a love offering donation to cover the cost of printing.

If you’d like to print your own, you can download a PDF in booklet format. (Be sure to choose “flip on short edge” in your print properties so the pages are all correctly oriented when printing.) To read onscreen in one place you can download a PDF in page format.

You may also sign up to receive a daily email every day of Advent, from November 26 through Christmas, using the form below.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][dfd_blog_posts posts_to_show=”500″ post_content_style=”list” post_categories=”advent-devotionals-2017″ tutorials=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]