Advent Devotional - 5th Day

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Written by: Peter Lund

Readings: Genesis 12:1-7, 15:1-6

One thing that has always fascinated me is any character who is referenced once in the Bible; these were real people, with dynamic personalities and their own life story, yet all that remains of them is a passing reference. They are not accorded the complete life histories like Abraham, David, or any of the other “big hitters” – they simply get one reference, as if that’s all we ever find out about their lives. This Eliezer of Damascus is one such character.
No matter how Eliezer felt about the situation, the story did not play out in a way in which he was involved. Had Abraham not become a father, the biblical story would have ended right there: Some guy named Eliezer inherits Abraham’s assets, lives out his life, and dies. The end. Instead, God has other plans, and ultimately, through Abraham’s son Isaac, the genealogy plays out the results in David, and ultimately, Jesus. I’m sure Eliezer would not have had any idea what was to transpire; all that he saw was a situation in which the inheritance he thought he would be receiving was ultimately redirected. Sometimes, I think, this is how events transpire in our own lives - we don’t get what we want, we don’t get what we feel is “our due,” but ultimately there may be a larger story playing out - one that we cannot even fathom. How do we respond in these situations? Assuming Eliezer is the unnamed servant in Genesis 24, he appears to be more devoted to Abraham than ever, and helps him find a wife for Isaac. He didn’t get what he wanted, but he rolled with the punches, and served his “master” as faithfully as he always had before; if we are able to do the same in our own lives, and be devoted to our TRUE master no matter what events transpire, I believe the bigger story, in which we are all important players, becomes more clear to us all.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to see beyond my own selfish desires, and help me to keep the big picture in focus, knowing that you have a plan; help me to trust fully in You. Amen.

Family Moments:

Thursday: Week 1, Abraham The Promise, Field of Stars
God tells Abraham he is blessed to be a blessing to others (Gen 12:2). With what has God blessed you that God can use to bless others? Is it a beautiful singing voice, or other artistic talent? Is it plenty of food or toys? Identify a blessing for each family member that could be used to bless someone else. Color the ornament and add it to your Jesse Tree.

Advent Devotional - 4th Day

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Written by: Char Klima

Reading: Genesis 6:11-22, 7:17 - 8:12, 20-9:17

Genesis is a book about relationship. God is Creator-in-Chief and we are His creation. It's when we try to swap positions that we run into trouble. God instructs. God disciplines. God loves and works with His creation as a potter with his most precious clay. In the midst of disaster God always makes sure a remnant of creation in which He has so much invested survives. Noah and his family represent a remnant that showed potential, and the flood story with its rainbow ending is God's continuing story of salvation.

God used a beautiful rainbow to confirm the Divine side of this first in a series of covenant promises revealed throughout the Bible. We as Noah's descendants are part of the salvation story. The rainbow pales in comparison to the glorious light of Christ who brought the ultimate promise of salvation to all creation. Thanks be to God.

Let us pray:
Let our sacrifice of praise rise to you, O Lord. You alone sustain us through the floods of this present journey and bring us safely to your side. Amen

Family Moments:

Wednesday: Week 1, Noah The Flood, Rainbow or Ark
In today’s story, we learned that the rainbow is a reminder that God will never again destroy the earth with a flood. Rainbows point to heaven to remind us that God is faithful. After dark and rainy times, we always see the rainbow as a reminder of God’s love for us. Today, make a card for someone who is having a dark and rainy time in their life to remind them of God’s love. Color the ornament and add it to your Jesse Tree.

Advent Devotional - 3rd Day

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Written by: Barbara Hauck

Reading: Genesis 2:4 - 3:24

This is the familiar story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. We all know how they were tempted by the serpent, gave in to that temptation and disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God confronts them. Adam blames Eve and Eve blames the serpent – and God punishes them all.

This is a vivid and colorful story. We can relate to Adam and Eve, because we know what it is like to make a mistake and our human nature often leads us to try to find some excuse “for what we have done, or for what we have left undone.” And, those of us who are parents can certainly relate to God’s angry response.

But the important point for us to take away from the story of Adam and Eve is that God is faithful to us, no matter what - even when we mess up badly. God did not give up on them, just as He has not and will not give up on us. So, this story points us towards Jesus our Savior, and God’s plan for salvation.

Let us Pray:
Lord, thank you for accepting us as we are and for giving us the gift of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen

Family Moments:

Tuesday: Week 1, Adam and Eve, The First Sin, Tree with Fruit or Apple
Why did Adam and Eve do something they knew was wrong? What bad choices have you made that you knew you shouldn’t? Isn’t it great that God loves us no matter what choices we make! What was the punishment Eve thought she would receive from eating the fruit?(Death, see Gen 3:3). In reality, the real consequence was much less severe (Gen 3:16-24.)

Advent Devotional - 2nd Day

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Reading: Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Written by: Barbara Reynolds

"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

As I read the headlines and listen to the news I often wonder what is good about today's world. There is so much hate, greed and misuse of the resources God gave man dominion over. And yet, with every new sunrise I sense God moving over the surface of the deep and I feel God's Spirit filling the void. With the birth of Jesus, the light is spread and we are again separated from the darkness and I can clearly see that it was and it is "very good".

Let Us Pray:
Let the light and love of Jesus spread over the trials of daily living and shine for the world to see. Amen


Family Moments:

Monday: Week 1, God, Creation, the Dove
When God created everything, God put human beings to care for the earth and everything in it. How does your family do a good job of caring for the earth? What more could your family do to care for the earth (save electricity, recycle, help animals in need, etc?). Make a plan to be conscious of God’s creation this Advent season. (If available, watch Disney’s “The Lion King “ and note how the pride lands were destroyed when Scar was ruler, compared to the vitality of the pride lands under Mufasa or Simba’s rule. Discuss the difference in caring for the earth and the delicate balance of the circle of life.) Color the ornament and add it to your Jesse Tree.

Advent Devotions: First Day of Advent

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Isaiah 11:1-10

In the 1 Samuel lesson, God has directed Samuel to find the new King of Israel. After looking over Jesse’s seven sons, God finally directs Samuel to find the new King in a young shepherd boy named David. After generations, a new King – Jesus – will be one of David’s descendants. He also is of humble origin and Jesus rises to the greatest of power, power over death. He is the bringer of peace.

God chooses and judges by the heart and spirit rather than as the world would choose or judge. God uses the lowly and humble to lead the world and to show his glory.

Prayer:
Lord, we are thankful that you see past our surface into our hearts and that you can use our weaknesses to show your power. We pray that your peace and glory are shown to the world as we await the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Family Moments:
First Sunday: Introduction of the Jesse Tree, The Tree

The Jesse tree has its base as a stump. The lineage of Christ – the Savior of the world – comes from an ordinary family! Go outside and collect sticks, representing the stump, for all of the members of your family. Share with each other how God is using each member of your family for good in the world. Color the ornament and add it to your Jesse Tree.

Advent Devotional - Theme & Intro: The Jesse Tree

This Advent Season our theme is “Home for the Holidays”. We have many wonderful holiday traditions that we follow. The Jesse Tree is an ancient tradition that we are resurrecting this year. We will base our devotions on the Jesse Tree scriptures readings that come from this tradition. Each weekend our children will place ornaments on a tree that represents symbols used in the ancient days. Ornament packets will be given to the children to color at home and will be available for adults too. Match the ornaments pictured with each devotion to the ornament packet you or your child were given.

The picture above is a replica of a Jesse Tree. Jesse was the father of David, who was blessed by the prophets to establish a royal family. One thousand years later, Jesus was born of this royal line in Bethlehem. The Jesse Tree is the family tree of Jesus. It tells the story of His lineage through symbols and readings from scripture, one for each day of Advent. Over the next 29 days we will post the devotions written by our own members who will inspire you with their thoughts. May you be blessed through these scriptures & devotions as Advent unfolds and the celebration of Christ’s birth becomes a reality.

God’s Peace

There But for the Grace of God…

Driving along any street or highway, it so easy to go from point A to point B and be oblivious to your soundings. Knowing that to your left is a Staples or a Mickey D’s, to your right is a Methodist church or a physician’s complex, is so “every day.” We ignore what we pass, and few of us even give the slightest thought that people – men, women and children – are often living behind the buildings or in the unmowed weeds in the adjacent property. I know I don’t.

How many of us, upon arriving at the Publix, have three doors to select from. The closer we get to our door of choice, what appears to be a homeless man maneuvers between us and that door – and so, another door becomes our choice? I know I’ve done this.

This raises a question. Is that what Jesus would have done? A wiser person than me suggested that I consider what Luke had to say on the subject. It’s obvious, even to someone with a casual relationship with the Bible, that Jesus had a special sense of mission to the poor. Some suggest that he announced his “mission statement” in the synagogue in Nazareth, when he read from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”

Well, due to some prompting by members of our church community (Diane Bechtold and Cyd Law), I agreed to participate in the recent iDignity event at the Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford. The not-for-profit group, iDignity, is dedicated to assisting homeless people and others at risk in obtaining important documents (such as Social Security cards, birth certificates, marriage licenses, and other forms of ID). These documents are sought for a variety of reasons that include: seeking a job, getting a cheap room for a night or two, proving state of birth and age, seeking to dissolve a marriage, obtaining healthcare for themselves and children.

Roughly 50 volunteers from various Christian church groups joined together on September 22 to serve those who showed up at the church. I felt that it was “serving” and it gave me a good feeling to believe one small thing could help another person feel better about themselves. As the day ended for me, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I felt better about myself.

The people I met that day were such a variety of ages, personalities, needs, frustrations, complexities, educational backgrounds, and medical condition. My assignment was to sit and meet individuals as they entered the building and complete an “intake” form that contained lots of personal questions – ones needed in order to locate the ID materials. For me, this was quite an education.

To illustrate what these people live with, the following were things that were shared with me:
• A man in his early 50’s was seeking a birth certificate, simply so he “might” find out what his fathers’ name was. He has never known, and before she died, his mother never told him. When I asked one of the mandatory questions, “Where did you spend last night?” I was told, “Where I’ve spent every night for the past 27 years.” Since that was a surprise answer, I asked for further explanation, and he told me that he lived in a mental facility.
• One woman in her 60’s was seeking a Social Security card, so she might find getting a job easier. In addition, she wanted a birth certificate and a copy of her marriage license from Pennsylvania. Her hope is to get a job, save some money, and “escape” (as she put it) back to Philadelphia (where she had left two children). The reason given for being homeless: no job and abuse at the hand of the man she had left Philly to move to Florida. He, by the way, was in the Seminole County jail for beating her.
• One guy told me that he was homeless primarily because, as he put it, “I don’t get along with people.” When I pointed out that the two of us seemed to be getting along pretty well, he told me, “This is rare.” He was well educated (attempted college in his 20’s), but suffers from mental health issues, and mistrusts everyone. (He wanted to show me that he takes legitimate medication, and pulled a bottle out of his pocket.
• And then there was a woman (in her 40’s), who was there with her fiancée and two children (both over the age of 18). They had come to Orlando about 4 months ago, from Flint, Michigan, to “find work.” There has been no work for any of them. On June 29, they were living in Kissimmee, at the Vacation Lodge motel, when it caught fire and burned to the ground. They lost everything, including all forms of ID. When I met them, they had found a way to come all the way to Sanford in an attempt to get assistance.

The line that wound outside the church and down the street seemed very long, when I first arrived. The stories the people told were endless. The needs were unique and extensive. The people were ALL courteous and appreciative. When I shook hands with each person, as they approached the table, they all seemed surprised. But, when they left the table, most of them reached out “first” to shake hands. It was good for both of us.

Few walked out with all of the paperwork or ID’s they sought that day. Many will have to wait for things to arrive (at a safe location, if there are mail concerns). But, for a few minutes, they weren’t anonymous. They had faces and names, and they were aware that others cared about them.

When one guy in his 50’s told me that he had spent the night with a friend, he smiled as he mentioned it. When I asked where had been prior to his friends’ place, he said, “You know that Walmart (and he pointed in some direction)? There’s a spot that doesn’t get too wet, when it rains. That’s my place most nights.” Well, I saw that Walmart, as I drove back home – and I doubt that I’ll ever ignore that place or look at it in the same way in the future. Someone I “know” lives there. There but for the grace of God….

Jesus commanded us, “Love your neighbor.” My neighbors live in pretty nice homes with property, their kids attend pretty nice schools (some private), they eat. But that’s a limited definition. Jesus defined “neighbor,” as anyone who is need, including social outcasts. He instructed us, “…when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.” IDignity’s event wasn’t a “banquet,” but it was warm and welcoming and fulfilling. For those of us who participated, we were blessed.

“I have compassion on these people,” Jesus said, speaking of the poor. The question can be asked: Is anyone listening? From the way the Christian strangers, who gathered at the iDignity event, worked together and reached out with joyous hands to those who came seeking help, I’d say “YES.” These people were (and are) listening.

Jesus told the disciples, "Ye have the poor with you always." He understood that the poor in society were (and are) a fact of life. And he challenged others (us) to provide for them. One way we can provide, is to extend a hand to those seeking identity and self-respect. So, when the next iDignity event occurs (which will be in January), I really hope that one of you reading this will give us a call and tell us that you are onboard.

Dennis McClellan