A Season of
CLEVELAND LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
2021 Advent Devotions
WE ARE PLEAS ED TO PR E S E NT TH IS Y E A R ’ S A DV EN T D E VOT I O N A L , T HE TH E ME OF WHICH IS TH E A DV E NT WR E ATH A ND T HE S I GN I F I C A N CE O F I TS CANDLES: HOPE , P EACE, LOV E, A N D J OY. LE T U S R E J O I C E D U R I N G TH IS S E A S O N A ND A LWAY S.
2021 CLHSA ADVENT DEVOTIONAL TABLE OF CONTENTS AND READING GUIDE WEEKS OF ADV E NT (A ND TH E O R D E R O F TH E L I GHT I N G O F T HE C A ND LE S O N TH E A DV E NT WR E AT H) WE E K 1 TH EME: H OP E - N I COL E C H ILE S 1 1 /28: ZEC H A R IA H 9:9-1 7 1 1 /29: J E R E MIA H 3 3 1 1 /3 0 : J O H N 1 :1 -1 3 1 2/1 : PS A LM 62 1 2/2: MIC A H 5 1 2/3 : LU KE 1 :1 5-25 1 2/4 : PS A LM 3 3 WE E K 2 TH EME: P EACE - A N D R EW P R U S INS KI 1 2/1 9: LU KE 1 :26 -3 8 1 2/20 : LU KE 1 :3 9-56 1 2/21 : PH ILIPIA NS 2:5-1 1 1 2/22: JO H N 1 6 :25-3 3 1 2/23 : PS A LM 1 6 1 2/24 : LU KE 1 :57 -80 WEEK 3 TH EME: LOV E - MI KE WAU GH 1 2/5: PS A LM 1 3 9 1 2/6 : 1 JO H N 3 1 2/7 : JO H N 3 :1 -21 1 2/8: PS A LM 1 1 9:89-1 1 2 1 2/9: JO H N 1 4 1 2/10 : IS A IA H 53 1 2/1 1 : 1 CO R INTH IA NS 1 3 WEEK 4 TH EME: J OY - BECK Y SL AC K 1 2/1 2: ZEC H A R IA H 2:10 -1 1 1 2/1 3 : ZE PH A NIA H 3 :9-20 1 2/1 4 : IS A IA H 1 2 1 2/1 5: PS A LM 3 0 1 2/1 6 : R O MA NS 1 5:7 -1 3 1 2/1 7 : 2 S A MU E L 6 :1 -1 9 1 2/1 8: PS A LM 2 CHRISTMAS DAY: THE FULFILLMENT OF HOPE, LOVE, JOY AND PEACE A SH L EY KOZ A LU KE 2:1 -20 M AT TH E W 1 :1 8-25 MAT TH E W 2: 1 -1 2
Advent Greetings I can’t speak for anyone else, but it often feels to me that the weeks leading up to Christmas are an unrelenting torrent of commerce being forced upon us. Everywhere we turn, everything we look at, and anything we listen to is packed with suggestions about what we are supposed to spend our money on in order to have a great Christmas season. It was bad enough when we were constantly told what to buy as gifts for those we love. Increasingly though, we are being told to use the holiday to splurge on ourselves as well. Our culture’s focus for those crucial weeks leading up to December 25th is all about consumerism and it can feel tough to break free of that focus. That is one of many reasons why Advent has long been special to me. The season of Advent has served for centuries as a time when Christians focus on the hope, peace, love, and joy that Jesus’ birth brought into our world and continues to bring into our lives. As believers in Christ, we seek to move our focus off of worldly concerns and onto the blessings of the Incarnation. As we spend time in Scripture, the Holy Spirit moves our eyes onto things with eternal significance. In this year’s CLHSA Advent Devotional, you will find meditations on the traditional Advent themes of hope, peace, love, and joy. For years, my favorite hymn has been “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” because it so vividly depicts the yearning for Christ to come and fill our need for everlasting hope, peace with God, unconditional love, and joy that doesn’t end. But one of the true blessings of focusing our sights on Christ during this season is that, regardless of the season of life in which we find ourselves, these traditional Advent themes can ring true to us in ways they never have before. God’s blessings are new each day and we often find unique reasons to hope in Him, different aspects of His peace; we see His love play out in fresh ways, and joy often comes from unexpected locations. As we grow in our walk with Christ, we see these themes expand over time. In this year’s Devotional, you will see that each week of Advent has a meditation on one of these themes. Following that devotion, you will see a daily Scripture reading guide which will allow you to meditate on that theme throughout the week. My prayer is that each of you will be filled with God’s spirit and experience anew the power of Christ as we celebrate His Incarnation while awaiting His return.
Chris Steinmann
C LH S A S U PERI NT ENDENT & C EO
Week One:
BY N I CO LE C HI LES S C H OOL COUNSELOR, LU T H E R AN EAST
The 2020 Advent season was a time when all of us were reminded of the fact that, as people, we can’t control or manage everything in our lives. For all of us, it was a challenge. I missed my family, friends, and loved ones. The time to gather and worship together in person was replaced with live feeds from empty churches and awkward Facetime calls with loved ones. “Grandma, please turn your iPad around; you’re upside down,” was never said more in our world than in 2020. Social interaction held new meaning as fist bumps and handshakes were replaced by elbow bumps and distanced air hugs. A year later, with churches meeting in person again and life appearing to have shifted into a new post-pandemic normal, I cannot help but be greeted with renewed hope. Hope is defined as “a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.” The words “confident expectation” describes this year’s, and every year’s Advent attitude perfectly. We are eager to reclaim Advent as something already here, not a season waiting to arrive. This Advent is especially meaningful as our churches will again be filled in person as we gather and worship with our families and in our church community to celebrate our greatest gift. When we gather, we bring ourselves into an environment that is about the sum of all those present. There is no better place to be during this season but in our places of worship with our church family. No one will have to ask me twice to sing during worship this season—even with
my off-pitched voice! This past year did not come without its challenges. The global pandemic compelled us to navigate through unchartered territory. We were tasked with redefining our daily normal. Personally, it was the disconnection from social interaction that was the hardest challenge. As a working parent, I relied on the relationships I held with others for support and encouragement. My energy for self-care became low as I juggled professional responsibilities, home-schooling, and regular parenting duties while dealing with stress and anxiety about our world. My places of refuge were closed. Even in a house full of people who I love more than anything, I felt a sense of vulnerability. I never felt more alone. At first, I thought it was something I endured alone. In time, I saw others were enduring it, too. The most disappointing part was watching as people’s hopes were shaken. Many of us drifted into darkness in some way or another during these 18 months. Our newfound reality consisted of shutdowns, facemasks, shortages of hand sanitizer and toilet paper, curbside pickup, and online grocery shopping. Even before life with COVID, mental health experts were concerned about the rise of loneliness in our world. Social media, advertised to strengthen personal connections, was actually making people feel even further isolated. Hopelessness became real for so many. It was in these times of uncertainty I found myself gravitating toward what I knew to be certain: God’s word. Throughout the Bible, we read stories of people who experienced hopelessness. There was real comfort in knowing I was not alone. We read stories of those who faced great adversities, experienced hopelessness, and are given renewal. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:2) Those words from the prophet Isaiah told of the coming Prince of Peace, and of the light and life He would bring. This Scripture offers us the hope of God’s kingdom where this is peace… “let us walk in the light of the Lord!” He makes impossible things possible, shines light in the darkness, and brings good out of even the most difficult and heart-wrenching situations. We live in a world that misunderstands hope. Often people see it as a desire for something to happen. One of these examples of this kind of hope is in one of my favorite HGTV shows, Escape to the Chateau. For those who do not share the joy I find in home remodeling, the show follows an intrepid British couple who purchase and reinvigorate life into a dilapidated, 19th-century French chateau. Can you imagine the excitement of taking something old and giving it new life? Each episode shares the challenges and victories of restoring and renovating the estate in the “hope” that the castle recaptures its original prestige. As Christians, we understand that this is not the hope we define. Hope is not something we can manufacture or refurbish like a French chateau. It does not come with the power of positive thinking. Our eternal hope is a desire for someone to happen; not something. 1 Peter 1:3 reads “Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” We can not just try to be more hopeful or wait for something to happen. Hope is based upon who Christ is and His promise. In its simplest form, hope is Christ’s love in action. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7). No matter what people of our world try to construct or what obstacles we are given, it’s always there—hope is within us. Without Him, there is no hope. Because He was and is and ever will be, there is always hope. Instead of looking back on our recent past in defeat, I argue that the pandemic has given us an invitation to push the reset button, reflect upon who we are as His people, and prioritize what is important and what is just noise. We are reminded we can do more than imagine the excitement of new life; we are promised it! In this promise, I embraced the lifestyle of Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know I am God.” Be still. Wait. Reflect. Invite. I allowed myself an opportunity to strengthen my priorities as a wife, mother, sister, friend, school counselor, and most importantly, as a Christian. The regimented list of appointments, meetings, practices, and athletic games were replaced with family nights and quiet times in reflection and prayer. On a global scale, a significant increase of time and research were spent last year discussing mental health. The adversities brought on by the pandemic brought to light the individual struggles many faced long before 2020. I am happy to share a secret many of us already know―the act of hopefulness leads to increased overall health. Many published studies last year revealed that the more hopeful participants reported higher levels of positive emotions, lower levels of depression, a stronger sense of purpose and meaning, and less loneliness. Hopeful people approach stressful events in healthier ways. We are better physically, mentally, and emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually― simply because we hope. As we begin this season of Advent, I first encourage you to spend time in His word. “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word, I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5. Reading the selected scriptures for the week can be an opportunity for reflection and gratitude in this time of
waiting. We can reflect on our relentless hope in the One who will never fail, will never give up, and will never leave us to walk alone. His faithfulness in the past motivates our hope for the future. We can consider what God has done in the world or in our own lives that encourages our hope in Him now. Second, we must act. Martin Luther best summarized it as: “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” Verbs are action-oriented, and so is hope. Hope is a human response to God’s activity, and in essence, hope can become action. We act because we hope. The most valuable contribution that a Christian can make is to continue, because of our faith, to act hopefully. Finally, we can lead. Someone once told me, “The more you look for something, the more you will find it.” We can be an encouragement to those who are searching. To those who are lost, we already know where to look and have an awesome responsibility in sharing that gift with others. We can be people who make hope happen because we know our hope lies in our someone, Christ Jesus. This is especially true during this season when we comfort those who have experienced loss or are celebrating the holidays for the first time without their loved ones. Because hope is about confidence and expectation of God’s activity, hope is strengthened, not weakened, in the face of adversity and difficulty. We have hope because Jesus will come back again and make everything right. We have hope that the way it is, is not how it is supposed to be. No matter what life throws at us, we know the result. 2021 has given us the invitation to gather again―even stronger than ever. I eagerly await singing the lyrics, “O come, let us adore Him” with my church family. I pray this season of gathering allows all of us to look back in celebration at hope fulfilled in Jesus’s coming, while at the same time looking forward in confident expectation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when He returns for His people. Romans 15:13 reads, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” In our moments of reflection and in our opportunities of action we can be examples of this hope because we have seen a great light. We are the people who are steadfast in His constant and confident love. May this season of hoping and waiting be filled with peace and joy as we are reminded that God is the source of our hope. This Advent season, I pray you are able to accept the precious gift of hope that He is holding out just for you. TH I S WEEK’S R EA D I N G S: 11/ 2 8 : Z ECH A RI A H 9 : 9 -17 11/ 2 9 : JE RE M I A H 3 3 11/ 3 0: JOH N 1: 1-13 12 / 1: P SA L M 6 2 12 / 2 : M I CA H 5 12 / 3 : LUKE 1: 15-2 5 12 /4 : P SA L M 3 3
Week T wo:
BY AN DREW PRUSI NSKI, P R I N C I PAL, LU T H E RAN EAST
Isn’t modern life amazing? Do you want food? DoorDash. Do you need a ride? Uber. Do you have a question? Google. Feel like being entertained? Netflix. The thing about Christmas, though, is that it’s not on-demand. In fact, Advent—a time of preparation and anticipation— stands in contrast to our modern world. Don’t get me wrong, I love the ease of modern life, but I find myself longing for the preparations and the pace of Advent. Now that this season is here, I pray that these devotionals and our reflections on hope, peace, love, and joy bless your preparations, and lead you to experience Christmas anew this year. Definitions often leave me wanting. Sure, Merriam-Webster has strung together a few words that define hope, peace, love, and joy, but these are not words that you define as much as they are words you experience. For me, peace is one of those common words that’s easy to define but difficult to explain and experience. In fact, the clearest understanding of peace comes not from its definition, but from its absence. I know the peace that I’m missing when worry, turmoil, unrest, and discord move in on the places in my heart and mind where peace once resided. We recognize the integral value of peace during those times when it seems like peace is nowhere to be found. What do we do when something is lost? We try to
find it. When there’s strife and war, we must go on a quest to find the peace that passes understanding. Unfortunately, on that quest we often find ourselves looking for peace in all of the wrong places. I remember that when I was in college, my quest for peace and understanding led me to attend a lecture presented by a guest speaker. The event promised to be popular and was therefore held in the gymnasium to accommodate the large crowd. The speaker was interesting, making strong arguments, and spoke in a compelling way. Like most audience members, I was following right along. Then things took a most bizzare turn when, in dramatic fashion, a giant peace dove made from paper-mache was unveiled and paraded around the room as a symbol of hope in this troubled world. The crowd cheered, almost as if to subscribe to the idea that peace could be found in this giant bird puppet. What? Huh? How confusing! I understand the dove as a symbol of peace, but experiencing peace is more than its representations. Like so many of the stops on the journey to peace, that lecture proved to be hollow, just like the paper-mache bird. The search continues, and it might take you to “Peace, Love, & Little Donuts.” Even if your quest for peace doesn’t take you there, your quest for a good donut should. The boutique donut shop originated in Pittsburgh, PA and now has locations in 15 different states—including several in Northeast Ohio. Yes, it’s a donut shop. Yes, it’s just a fun play on words. And yet there’s some truth to humankind’s quest for peace in food, isn’t there? After all, who hasn’t looked for peace in a box of donuts? In junk food or drink? As delicious as a donut or other creature comfort might be, it too is empty. The calories are void of the nutrients our bodies need for day’s tasks. A sugar rush and then a sugar crash—but we must continue our quest, for we have been given a taste of peace and our hearts long for the real thing. There are substitutes that are frivolous—like paper-mache birds and donuts—and then there are substitutes that try to numb the parts of our hearts and heads that were created for the peace of Christ. Beyond those substitutes, in our own ways, we’ve each faced the real struggles of this life. The guilt, shame, and worry that beckon us all to visit the shallow wells of substitutes for peace, instead of the real thing. If we find ourselves numb and unable to know the joy of peace or the anguish of its absence, what will motivate us on the quest to find peace? Does the pursuit of peace stall and come to an end if we feel lost or burdened?
Thanks be to God that the journey for peace continues! Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is after all on a quest as well. Through Christ’s journey from Heaven to Earth, from a manger to a cross, and then out of the tomb, Christ brings you His peace—brings you His very self. As Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, says in one of this week’s readings, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to His people and redeemed them.” Jesus, The Prince of Peace, has come to his people and is present with you now. He is present with you in this Advent season whether you read this devotional or not, whether you visit the shallow wells of substitute peace or not, and whether you’re full of joy or a sense of worry. Jesus is present. Peace and presence are intertwined. Think about the people in whose presence you feel at peace. Think about those places where you have felt a sense of peaceful calm wash over you. Peace can be made tangible in the company of a good friend, or a close family member, a quiet moment of reflection, in the mountains for some, or on a beach for others, in a cathedral, or under the stars. Peace and presence are connected. How are you going to be intentionally present with the Prince of Peace this Advent season? One of the most challenging things for me over the last couple of years was how the pandemic twisted the relationship between peace and presence. The peace I was accustomed to experiencing with family and friends was replaced by fear, worry, and concern over whether they would get me sick or worse, that I would get someone else sick. There was a good reason for that trepidation. Those feelings of anxiousness, however, are sometimes hard to leave behind. They tend to stick in our minds and in our hearts beyond their usefulness. You might have felt that same trepidation when reconnecting with God’s Word, spending time in prayer, or attending a church service
after time away. Thankfully, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is there to meet you through Word and Sacrament. If your heart is full of worry and fear, hear the words Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14. These words are now for you: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you … Do not let your hearts be troubled.” The abundance of Jesus’ peace is here for you. In times of trouble, and in times of peace, “It is Well With My Soul” remains one of my favorite hymns. It begins with these words: When peace like a river attendeth my way When sorrows like sea billows roll Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to day It is well, it is well with my soul These lyrics echo with the words of Isaiah the Prophet who also described peace as a river. In Northeast Ohio we have an interesting relationship with our rivers. We’ve abused them for the sake of industry, we’ve watched them burn, we’ve restored them, and used them for recreation and transportation. As hard as it might be, try to put the image of the river in your hometown aside for a moment. Instead, imagine a healthy river, flowing clear, taking away the fear, anxiousness, anger, and pain of recent days or long passed years. As those burdens float away, in the same moment, the river brings hope, peace, love, and joy. Rivers are always moving. They are always flowing. Just as God is always moving to bring you closer through His saving grace. Through the grace of Christ, the war is over. The battle is won! I hope and pray that you take the opportunity this season offers to celebrate the peace you have with God. May you know peace, may you know the Prince of Peace, and may you be confident that the Prince of Peace knows you. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas! TH I S WEEK’S R EA D I N G S: 12 / 19 : LUKE 1: 2 6 -3 8 12 / 2 0: LUKE 1: 3 9 -56 12 / 2 1: P H I L I P I A NS 2 : 5-11 12 / 2 2 : JOH N 16 : 2 5-3 3 12 / 2 3 : P SA L M 16 12 / 24 : LUKE 1: 57 -80
BY M I C H AEL WAUGH, P R I N C I PA L, LU T H E R AN WEST
Have you ever done something you didn’t want to do? Obviously the answer to that question for every human being is a resounding “Yes.” What about this twist, though: have you ever done something you didn’t want to do, and you knew that by doing it, your actions were going to cause you a great deal of pain? For most of us the answer to that question is again, “Yes,” but maybe this time with a bit more reluctance. When we reflect on the life of Christ, we come to realize at some point or another in our Christian walk that Jesus was fully aware of the fact that He was going to have to take on the burden of sin for each human being, and die on our behalf, so that we might have new life in Him. Those reflections may be more appropriate for a Lenten devotional, but what does any of this have to do with this Season of Advent? Advent is the first season of the church calendar and it often elicits images of wise men on camels, stars in the skies, and animals lying on straw surrounded by shepherds.
Among all of those images, we find Jesus at the center of it all. Christ, who willingly took on a mortal body, chose to enter the world in this manner and here is the most confounding part of the whole story—He knew how the story was going to end before it even began. Isaiah 53:5 describes Jesus’ foreknowledge of this decision in this manner, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” He willingly makes this decision, knowing it will eventually cause him a great deal of pain. Still, Jesus is able to see beyond the pain and the sacrifice, because His focus is on you, and on me, and on all the people He dearly loves. But what motivated Jesus’ actions as he entered the world as a mortal for the first time over 2,000 years ago? Was it virtue, or courage, or righteousness? While all of those characteristics describe Christ and His person, the ultimate driver of these decisions is a simple word that is often misused and misunderstood: love. Jesus put it this simple way in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Sacrifice is a virtue, but what makes sacrifice so virtuous is that it is driven by love. Sacrifice is hard, but it’s worth it because we love the people who benefit from our sacrifice. Parents make endless sacrifices for their children daily, but they aren’t keeping score. They sacrifice over and over again because they love their kids—that’s all they know and that’s all that really matters. Extending that same love beyond our families, think about all of the people this past year who have made sacrifices to sustain a healthy community: soldiers who protect our nation, first responders and health care workers who provide safety in the midst of an emergency, grocery store clerks who go to work and provide food despite being on the front lines of a global pandemic—the list goes on and on. You, reader, know exactly what I’m talking about because whoever you are and wherever you are reading this devotion, I know you too made sacrifices throughout this past year. Sacrificial love, in its purest form, might look something like this from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the
truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. That’s a difficult definition to work with for love. Love isn’t easily angered? Because I’ve been angry many times this past year. Love doesn’t envy? Because there are many times I wanted to go back to my old life, the blissfully ignorant time before the pandemic. And love isn’t self-seeking? I wish my heart was able to see beyond my own self and take up the interests of others on a more regular basis. When I read those verses on love, I often feel like I am failing by way of the Bible’s definition of love. Sacrificial love is the answer to my failures. And more importantly, Jesus is the one who has the power to change my heart and allow me to love others in this manner. Sacrificial love enables me to look past myself and past the things I want. It then allows me to genuinely care for another human being in a deeper and more meaningful sense than I ever could on my own. This Advent season, my prayer is that I can view others the way that Jesus did when He chose to come to earth and wipe away all of my failures. I want to view others through the lens of sacrificial love because that is how Jesus views you and me. That lens is patient, and it is kind. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. It never fails. Period. And it is a love that is worth the sacrifice. TH I S WEEK’S RE A D INGS : 12 / 5: P SA L M 1 39 12 /6 : 1 JOHN 3 12 / 7 : JOH N 3 : 1 -2 1 12 / 8 : P SA L M 11 9 : 8 9 -1 1 2 12 / 9 : JOH N 1 4 12 / 10: I SA I A H 5 3 12 / 11: 1 CORI NTHIA N S 1 3
Week Four :
BY B ECK Y SL AC K, S C H OOL COUNSELOR, LU T H E RAN WEST
Joyfully Waiting In the Slack household, we are serious about our roller coasters. Every chance we get, we ride them. This includes even the kiddie coasters at county fairs. However, nothing compares to the long-standing tradition of riding The Blue Streak at Cedar Point as your first roller coaster. As we did our yearly “wall measuring” for my youngest daughter Josie’s birthday this past spring, we were ecstatic when she measured 48 ½ inches. Tall enough for her first real roller coaster! We spent the next few months planning our roller coaster adventure. The day finally arrived and we eagerly went through ticketing and then opened up our Cedar Point app, which tells us how long the line is for each roller coaster. Our hearts sank when we saw that it was a 70-minute wait. I have a fairly high threshold for waiting for a roller coaster, but 70 minutes with a seven-year-old in the hot sun was a stretch. Yet, we had waited for this day for so long that we couldn’t turn back. We got in line and settled in.
Now, I would love to say that the time flew by and before we knew it we were riding the coaster. The reality is that we waited in line for over 80 minutes. That’s almost an hour and a half for a two-minute ride! However, in those 80 minutes my seven year old taught me so much about joyfully waiting. During our time in line, Josie was patient, kind, sang songs, told jokes, made up dances, and just generally kept everyone else in a good mood. Her excitement surrounding her first roller coaster couldn’t be contained. She wanted everyone to know not only how she felt, but also for them to share in the joy with her. There were more than a few moments when I almost suggested we get out of line, but Josie’s commitment and positivity kept me going. Even though there were so many things that she could have complained about (the heat, the long line, the fact that Fast Pass individuals kept getting to skip the line), she focused on the roller coaster ride that was to come. Each time she saw the coaster go up the hill, she was reminded of how much fun she was going to have when she eventually got to ride the roller coaster. Nothing could diminish her anticipatory joy! I was moved by her attitude and reaction to this experience and couldn’t help but think about how we should approach the joyful waiting during Advent in a similar way. As Christians, Advent is our “coaster going up the hill” towards Christmas. We should want to share our excitement and joy about celebrating the birth of Jesus with everyone we meet, just as Josie couldn’t help but express her joy at getting to ride The Blue Streak. Now, Christmas joy is not about a fleeting roller coaster ride type of joy, but the spiritual joy that comes from our faith in our Lord. It is a celebration of the coming of Jesus and His fulfilled promises. Taking time to fully experience joy during Advent can sometimes be difficult. Calendars fill very quickly with get-togethers, school and work events, and long to-do lists. December for most of us is busy and exhausting.
However, I challenge us all to recommit ourselves to experiencing joy the way God intends. A joy that puts our full trust in Him. A joy that recognizes that He is in control. A joy in which we take the time to see the beauty of God’s works in all that is around us. When Christ came and lived among His people, He taught them about God’s love and urged them to remain in Him, saying, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). There were so many ways in which my daughter’s experience could have turned negative. It could have rained and the rides could have closed. The Blue Streak could have broken down. Without her roller coaster experience, she would have been so joyless; all of that waiting would have been for nothing. This type of experience can so quickly be diminished. I am thankful that true, spiritual joy cannot be taken away from us because it is something that comes from within. It is a joy not based on circumstances, but based on our knowledge and love of Christ. Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Just as Josie made it through the long wait by focusing on the joy of the upcoming roller coaster ride, as Christians we gather our strength by turning to God in times of waiting. But joyfully waiting will strengthen our faith and relationship with Christ and we will not grow weary. I remind myself of this during the times that I get frustrated with waiting, even with the small things. Waiting is hard! I always seem to choose the never-ending line at the grocery store checkout. I get frustrated when my two-day shipping actually takes two full days. Construction delays on roads in my community never seem to end. I can’t even remember a time that I waited until someone’s actual birthday to give them their gift. It’s during times like these that I try to wait joyfully. The grocery line is a great opportunity to connect with Him in prayer. Waiting for someone’s birthday is a wonderful chance for me to reflect on my relationship with them and how to grow it in a positive way. Construction delays provide me a chance to give thanks for the road improvements. Waiting for my packages to arrive teaches me patience. The day-to-day waiting is not always easy or productive. However, we Christians are waiting for something greater than we can imagine, and we know it’s waiting that is not done in vain. Advent is a reminder of this, as we approach the coming of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ.
During times of joyful waiting, I focus on Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” The Lord rejoices over us! It reminds me that Christ is our Savior, has a plan for us, and is walking with us always. What I especially love about this verse is that it tells us that God provides us the peace and joy that only He can give. I often turn to this verse as I am waiting for answers to prayers. Even though I might not have an answer yet, I can have joy because God is in control. He longs to make His presence known to me in every area of my life—even while standing in line for a roller coaster. During Advent, we wait in joy, in hope, and in anticipation for the wonderful event we are about to experience. We look forward to celebrating the fact that God loves us so much that he sent his Son into the world to save us. Advent is a reminder that joyfully waiting has a purpose. While our lives should be spent in anticipation of the time when the Lord will finally fulfill His promises to us, we shouldn’t neglect the small moments that pass in the meantime. This Advent, let’s focus on the joy in waiting: for those packages to arrive, the long grocery store lines, the gift giving. I encourage all of us to overflow with a spiritual joy this Advent season like a child waiting for their very first real roller coaster. I pray that we take these opportunities to be joyful for all the ways that Christ works, and will continue to work, in our lives. TH I S WEEK’S RE A D INGS : 12 / 12 : Z ECH A RI A H 2 : 10 -1 1 12 / 13 : Z E P H A NI A H 3: 9 -2 0 12 / 14 : I SA I AH 1 2 12 / 15: P SA L M 30 12 / 16 : ROM A NS 1 5 : 7 -1 3 12 / 17 : 2 SA M UE L 6 : 1 -1 9 12 / 18: P SA L M 2
F OR TO US A CH I L D I S BORN, TO US A SON I S G I V EN; AND T HE GOV ER N MEN T SH A L L BE UP ON H IS S H O U LD E R, A N D H I S N A ME SH A L L BE CA L LE D WON D ER F UL COUN SELOR, MI G H T Y GO D, E VE RL A STI N G FATH ER, P R I N CE O F P E AC E . I SA I A H 9:6
Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy BY AS H LE Y KOZA, D I R EC TO R OF DEV ELOPMENT, C LE V E L AN D LUT HERAN HI GH S C H OOL ASSOC I AT I ON
Christmas Day is here! A celebration of the earthly birth of Jesus and, with it, the culmination of the themes you’ve been reflecting on this Advent season: hope, peace, love, and joy. If you ask me what comes to mind when I think about Christmas Day, these four concepts would certainly be at or near the top of the list. But why is that? What is it about this day, specifically, that reassures us with a reason to hope, provides us with a sense of peace, reminds us of God’s love for us, and fills our hearts with joy? Hope: The symbols and stories surrounding the birth of Jesus remind me not to give up and to keep going. Take a look at the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus. They were guided by the Star of Bethlehem, which signified the birth of the newborn King. Simply put, they had hope. Their journey teaches us to trust our own North
Star—the voice inside us that is guided by the Spirit and directs us to goodness and truth. The story of the Magi inspires hope that if we faithfully follow our guided hearts, we will, like the Wise Men, arrive at the place we were meant to be. Peace: The concept of peace might seem an unattainable goal in today’s world—a world fraught with political strife, a global health pandemic, and a continuous barrage of notifications, on-demand media, and instant access to information at our fingertips. If we take a moment to reflect on the birth of Jesus, however, we might just find some of the peace we seek. Jesus, the Messiah, the one who would later bear our sins on the cross, was brought into this world quietly and humbly under the protection and silence of the night. While the rest of Jesus’ life would be far from quiet and unassuming—and his death an even more sobering event—we can find peace knowing that God’s promise to us was fulfilled on that quiet and starry night in Bethlehem. Jesus later reassures us through his words in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Today, on Christmas Day, let us pray that Jesus’ words would continue to serve as a reminder that it is indeed possible, even in the midst of turmoil, to feel that sacred peace—a peace that silences fear and angst. Joy: Throughout our lives, we all experience many highs and many lows. That’s just the way life works. There will be moments of unbounded happiness and others filled with sorrow. On top of that, people come and go from our lives at different times, for different reasons, and leave behind influences and experiences that mold and shape us. One thing that never changes is Jesus Christ, the one true constant in our lives. We can rejoice in the fact that no matter where we find ourselves, no matter who we find ourselves with, and no matter how good, bad or indifferent we find ourselves feeling, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and goes with us wherever we go for eternity. To know that is to know what true joy is. Love: Unconditional love—love without strings attached. I can’t think of a truer representation of this than the love shared with us through the story of Christmas. That God would send his Son to Earth knowing that He would have to suffer and die so that we might spend eternity with Him is the ultimate manifestation of love. But there’s another side to this story—just as God illustrated his love for us by mak-
ing our needs his top priority, so too we are instructed to carry this love with us and share it with others, putting their needs and priorities above our own. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this season, let us also celebrate all of the hope, peace, joy and love that His birth symbolizes. During this season, I am especially grateful that our collective human experience is anchored in hope, peace, joy, and love. I pray that today and every day, we remember what true love is, and share that love—God’s love—with all. CH R I STMA S DAY REA D I N G S : LUKE 2 : 1-2 0 M AT TH E W 1: 18-2 5 M AT TH E W 2 : 1-12
Merry Christmas Happy New Year
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