2022 CLHSA Advent Devotional

JoyousSeason A ofHope

JoyousSeason A Hope of

WE ARE PLEASED TO PRESENT THIS YEAR’S ADVENT DEVOTIONAL. LET US REJOICE DURING THIS SEASON AND ALWAYS.

On August 15th, my family had a huge milestone: Our youngest daughter became a high school freshman. Both of our girls are now high schoolers attending Lutheran West each day. It seems like just yesterday that we were blinking back tears after dropping them off at kindergarten! I can’t speak for my wife, but it really hit me that day that my daughters are not little girls any longer— they’ve grown into amazing young women. It was incredibly bittersweet: I’m so excited for who God is growing them to be, but sad for how much fun it was to have them when they were little. Our family won’t ever be the same. I’m sure that many of you can relate!

In each of our lives, there are these milestones that mark “before” and “after” on the timeline of our lives. Everyone has different milestones, but some of them are so big that they literally change everything about us. Marriage. The birth of children or grandchildren. Work promotions. The passing of a loved one. These events are so big that it can seem impossible to even imagine a world in which they didn’t happen. We end up seeing everything else in their light and through their shadow.

As we spend time in Scripture, we see that exact same phenomenon happening. There are two events that are so huge in God’s redemption story that they affect how we read everything else in Scripture: The Incarnation and The Resurrection. God’s choice to be born in human flesh and live on earth has huge ramifications for how we read everything from Genesis on. Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem wasn’t contained to just that one moment it colors how we read the Old Testament and it birthed everything we see in the New Testament. It is a “before” and “after” moment.

The devotions that you will see in this year’s CLHSA Advent Devotional have this in mind. We are looking at 1 Peter 1:3-8. It isn’t a traditional Advent passage, but we are trying to look at it through the lens that Christ’s coming would be an “after” moment in the timeline of our word. Knowing that we live in a world in which His Incarnation changes everything, we can see the hope, the inheritance, the joy, and the praise that all come from the Advent of our Lord.

I pray that you are encouraged this Advent season as you read through these devotionals from the staff at our schools. May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas season!

AHopeLiving

WEEK ONE: 1 PETER 1:3

BY JIM FENSKE, LUTHERAN WEST FACULTY

1 Peter 1:3 In his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Our kids began their amusement park careers on the little boats at Memphis Kiddie Park, where they could not only pilot their tiny craft in a circle but also pull on a string that rang a bell.

Of the eleven rides at the park, eight were marked “HL,” which indicated that my kids would be disqualified from riding once they were taller than 50 inches. But before they had outgrown the rides physically, more often than not they outgrew them in terms of interest. In the amusement park universe, Memphis Kiddie Park inevitably gives way to Cedar Point, but even Cedar Point finds itself forced to create new attractions to prevent potentially jaded patrons from moving on to the “next best thing.”

And it’s that way in the rest of our lives as well. A special restaurant loses its specialness; a favorite song or movie gives way to a new favorite; a pleasurable routine becomes boring; relationships and careers get stale; what once satisfied ultimately no longer satisfies. We all keep looking for something that will have the power to deliver excitement and joy and keep on delivering, but our hopes always seem to be disappointed.

Maybe this explains the weirdness of American Christmas. Year after year, we exhaust ourselves and overtax our bank accounts “getting ready” for Christmas, and all the while we’re complaining about how burdensome this effort is. Are we maybe just laboring to recreate some of the sweet childhood memories we have of Christmases long ago?

There’s a whole book in the Bible devoted to this problem: The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon had more possessions, pursuits, and pleasures than anyone else before or since, and after aggressively trying one thing after another, he still expresses, page after page, deep dissatisfaction.

What’s going on here?

What it comes down to, I think, is that there is a hunger in us for more. We want more than the ordinary, more than the routine, more than the natural. Created in the image of a supernatural God, we cannot be satisfied with less than that. Our problem is that the things in this world cannot offer us more than a relatively brief taste of the supernatural meal that we actually crave. We’re left desperately hoping to somehow recreate the initial, fleeting high we once experienced. And this can take us down some pretty dark paths, as anyone who has struggled with addiction can tell you. The effort to recreate that initial high often becomes more and more destructive; our quest to satisfy our frustrated hopes can lead us literally to the grave.

I have found that the problem isn’t just in the inadequacy of what this world can offer. The problem is also in me. Hebrews 2:14-15 points out that Satan uses the power of death, and our fear of death, to make us lifelong slaves. My consciousness of my own mortality robs even the best times I experience of the joy that should be in them because I sense that they just cannot last.

I find myself with two alternatives. The first alternative is the Buddha way: to attempt to extinguish my desires and let my frustrated hopes die, and somehow achieve a kind of indifference to all outcomes. Maybe that way I can somehow be protected from disappointment and pain in this world.

Here’s the better way that I have found: Instead of trying to extinguish my desires, Jesus tells me that I can actually find fulfillment of those yearnings in Him. In John 10, Jesus says, “I have come that you would have life and have it abundantly.” The message of the gospel is that in Jesus I actually can have the more my soul craves, and it also tells me that God wants to transform me into the person who can receive and retain it.

This is what Christmas is really all about! 1 John 3: 8 says this: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Jesus showed up at that first Christmas and went through the whole human experience to deal once and for all with the sin and death problem that makes all the things of this world so disappointing and all our hopes so futile. He promises instead to transform us from slaves of the fear of death to the kind of people who have the living hope that comes from God’s resurrection power dwelling within us.

We’ve all experienced what disappointed hope is like. What would a “living hope” look like? In his classic work, Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard’s narrator imagines what it would be like to run into a “knight of faith,” a true follower of Jesus, a person who, in the words of 1 Peter 1:3, “has been born again into a living hope.” Kierkegaard’s narrator is shocked by the ordinariness of the man, a person who “takes delight in everything.” He’s a guy who can relish sitting on a park bench and watching what’s going on around him, a man who anticipates a great meal for dinner, and when what’s on the menu falls far short of his expectation, still enjoys whatever he is served. As the narrator says, he’s a person who can “absolutely express the sublime in the pedestrian.”

A living hope is one that does not fear death, because it knows that in Christ I have life in the one who robbed the grave, and knowing that I will live forever makes all of life come alive. The living hope is true, lasting satisfaction no matter the circumstances that living in this world lead to, an actual return to the joy we felt the first time riding in the little boats at an amusement park or seeing the lights on the Christmas tree!

My prayer is that you know and live that hope this season, into the new year, and throughout your life.

Inheritance that is Imperishable

WEEK TWO: 1 PETER 1:4

BY REBECCA JABS, LUTHERAN EAST FACULTY

1 Peter 1:4 . . . and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you.

Have you ever wanted to try a new recipe? Maybe it is a new recipe you plan to bring to your family Christmas dinner. You go to the store and buy all the ingredients with the best of intentions. But something comes up and you don’t get to it that night, or that week. Soon, Christmas Day has passed, and those ingredients continue to sit. Pretty soon, those ingredients have passed the “best by” date suggesting when you should use them. Fresh fruits and vegetables have started to spoil. Ingredients have gotten pushed to the back of the fridge or cabinet to make room for new groceries. All of a sudden, that beautiful dish that was going to be perfect ended as only a thought in your mind one that never came to fruition.

We can look around and see a world of things that also perish. Items and relationships, left untended and unkept, will spoil. The garden you planned so thoughtfully is overflowing with weeds and pests. A friendship with no communication, trust, or forgiveness will soon fade.

The back porch with the wood left unsealed will rot. Our lives are filled with so many spoiled expectations and promises.

We are blessed to have a Heavenly Father who Himself never spoils and has done everything to keep us from spoiling. We are reminded during this Christmas season of the extreme love He has for us. He sent us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in the form of the tiny baby we see in the manger. That baby is our eternal and everlasting gift. He grew up and took our place on the cross.

In Genesis 22:17-18, God tells Abraham, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” By His death, we are given an everlasting inheritance.

John 3:16 is often referred to as the gospel in a nutshell. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In His unfathomable love, God the Father sent his Son, born to live a perfect life, to be the perfect sacrifice. God, in the form of Jesus, came down from Heaven to take the place of you, me, and every sinner on the cross. If we believe in Jesus and the great sacrifice He made on the cross, we no longer have the inheritance of our old Adam, but an inheritance of our new Adam.

In reading Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life,” we are again reminded that the gift we are receiving during this Christmas season is the greatest gift of all time. The

gift that is given to us in the form of a small baby will bring us an everlasting gift. A gift that will not spoil or fade. Our gift has no “best by” date. It cannot be put on the back shelf and forgotten about. Might we have some rough spells and times when we feel it is spoiling? Yes, but God has not left us and His promise is not fading. We can reach out to God, and call upon Him in every trial and tribulation and He will restore us. Through Him, we will be living a new life.

During this Christmas season, I hope you realize that while we celebrate a birth, it is a birth that allows us to celebrate our eternity with God forever in Heaven. Because through that baby, we are given the greatest gift, the inheritance kept in heaven, that will not perish. And that is a gift worth celebrating.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending your Son to us in the form of a baby. A baby who grew to take our place on the cross. A Savior who took our place, so that we may share His inheritance, eternal life in heaven with you. Remind us of this gift, not only in the Christmas season, but in our daily lives. Help us to be bold in sharing the message of this incredible gift with others around us, so they too may receive the inheritance that never ends. We thank you for your daily love and forgiveness. Continue to draw us closer to you. Amen.

Joy that Trials Cannot Take Away

WEEK THREE: 1 PETER 1:6

BY LORETTA CHILDS, ALUMNI DIRECTOR, LUTHERAN EAST

1 Peter 1:16 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials.

This is the first time that I have been asked to contribute to the annual CLHSA Advent Devotional. I was astonished, honored, and afraid. I was looking forward to sharing my thoughts and testimony of living out 1 Peter 1:6. Initially, I thought that I would stick with the surface of my thoughts and not the depth of my heart. But as I prayed over this passage, that is not what God wanted me to do.

The beginning of this year was rough. I experienced many losses and heartaches, along with physical and emotional pain. I am sure that many of you have been in a similar position. It felt like the fiery darts were coming from every direction. There were blessings coming as well, but all I could see and focus on were the negative things happening in my life. As I’m walking through this tough time, I receive the invitation to contribute to the Advent Devotional on 1 Peter 1:6.

Of all the people, how could I write about having joy? In my current situation, I was not overjoyed. In all honesty, I laughed like Sarah when the angel told her she was going to bear a child in her old age. Sarah could not believe it. I could not believe that God chose me for this particular passage. God truly has a sense of humor.

It is not easy to think about joy when so much is happening around you. For a long time, I did not believe that one could have joy while going through trials. I used to categorize joy as a feeling, but it isn’t. It is a frame of mind that partners with faith—and comes through faith. It took everything within me to look beyond myself and see God in all that was developing around me.

God sees our shortcomings and loves us anyway. God sees my shortcomings and loves me anyway! He wants to be a part of our lives. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

What an awesome gift! God sent his Son so that we would not perish but have life everlasting a story that begins in this Advent season.

His Son is Jesus Christ, whose life was threatened even before birth. Yet the Christ who was born in trials brought forth love, peace, and joy. Looking at His life on earth, the trials did not stop at His birth. His own people turned their backs on Him; those close to Him betrayed Him; one doubted and one denied Him. The turned backs, betrayal, doubt, and denial these sound a bit like something we may have experienced, right? Even Jesus got weak. He was fully human. However, he did not remain in a weak state. Jesus consulted with the Father, saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42

I remember my mother telling me that when things are going “haywire,” your blessings are nearby. She told me not give up; not to give in to the negative things worldly thing happening around me. Well, I did not do so well at taking heed to what she was saying when I was younger. But as I have grown in my walk with Christ, I get it now. That is why I have made this scripture a part of my daily prayer: Not my will, Lord, but your will be done. When our focus turns to God’s will instead of

our own, the Spirit begins to give us the strength to not only walk through trials, but to rejoice through them.

I am learning to trust God with everything and in everything I do. I see the blessings more than I see the disappointments, heartaches, and pain. I rejoice, instead of giving in to my situation. To do all of those things, I am building a serious and consistent relationship with God.

As I continue to grow toward Him, I see that my situation does not compare to all that He went through for me and for us. The Savior of the world was born into trials, lived through trials, and rose despite those trials to conquer sin and death. His victory is our everlasting joy regardless of our circumstances.

All that we need to maintain our joy is to keep our eyes on Christ Jesus. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “ John 15:10-11

Through this season of Advent and beyond into the year ahead, let us continue in this gift of joy and remain strong through Christ Jesus.

He’s got you.

Revelation Brings Praise

WEEK FOUR: 1 PETER 1:7

BY JOEL BAHR, VICE PRINCIPAL OF ADMISSIONS, LUTHERAN WEST

1 Peter 1:7 . . . so that the tested genuineness of your faith— more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It was a quiet night in Bethlehem some two thousand plus years ago. Shepherds were out in the fields keeping watching over their flock of sheep. A lowly job it was to be a shepherd. You spent your time away from the city, off by youself, protecting the sheep from the elements and from predators. You were not considered to be high class, knowing all the gossip and being in the know. I am sure that much of the time, they were unaware of all that was going on in city life, and that they were not often thought of. But on this one particular night, it was not a low, boring job. It was on this night that the shepherds became the breaking source of the greatest news story of all time.

Revelation, defined in the Oxford dictionary, is “a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.”

What a revelation this was for the shepherds! Out of the dark night, an angel appears and shares with them that the

Savior has been born! Shocked and afraid they must have been, for the angel opens with the words, “fear not.”

Following the news, the multitude of heavenly hosts appear alongside the angel in the dark sky, praising and giving God glory. This event had to be nothing short of extraordinary. Can you imagine this revelation?

This past summer I spent a July night with my two young children watching fireworks and observed them as they sat with amazement. They were pumped and so excited for life in that moment. Imagine the quiet night of shepherds and without notice, a grand finale of fireworks multiplied by thousands is displayed. The night sky is filled with light and life in the revelation of the birth of our Savior. How could they not feel on fire with joy and excitement?

Today, our Christmas season is often filled with such an abundance of gifts, food, and time for family that we overlook the dramatic way that an amazing “previously unknown fact” was revealed that night in Bethlehem. Our world has shifted to wishing others Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. This type of shift can make us lose sight of our faith and the true significance this holiday should hold in our lives. Christmas has become more about giving material gifts than it has about recognizing the greatest gift in the birth of our Savior.

Thinking back to the shepherds, it’s wonderful to see that there is no account of them bringing gifts of gold when they visited Mary and Joseph; rather they had made known what was said to them, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen—the revelation is in itself the greatest gift they could have imagined.

It is my prayer that this Christmas we be more like the shepherds. Let us find awe and appreciation of the great news that the Savior has been born, and let us be bold in sharing that news and giving praise so that the dark world can see the light of hope that has come.

Parting Words

BY JOE GRAY, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT, CLEVELAND LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

As a child, I would often lay on a blanket in the backyard of my parents home. Looking at the night sky, I would try to count stars to see if any of them would become familiar to me. Each time I did this, it became clear that it was too great of an endeavor to accomplish. Then I would wonder: “How did something this vast—the night, the stars and the moon— happen?” I just could not understand.

As Christians, we are taught through lessons from the Bible; we are nurtured with the guidance of pastors, family, teachers, and friends; we are comforted and filled with joy through our faith. Faith makes us believers when we do not understand, even when things are too vast to comprehend. Human nature makes us ask ‘why’ and ‘how,’ but our faith tells us that we don’t have to fully comprehend something in order to believe it, to know it, to experience it.

During this Advent season, we are reminded of how faith in our Lord and Savior leads us. It strengthens us to believe and trust in our Lord and Savior, even when—and especially when—we do not understand. We are reminded that Mary was visited by an angel and told that she would have a son, whom she was to name Jesus. Mary asked how this could be, as she was a virgin. The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and God’s power will rest on you. Mary replied, “I am the Lord’s servant.” I am sure that Mary did not understand how she was going to have a baby, but her belief and faith was enough.

As administrators, teachers, and staff, we are called to nurture, and to devote our time and energy to more than 950 young men and women at our schools each day. It is an honor, but this blessing can also bring apprehension and tension. It can be a bit like looking into the night sky as

a young person to count the stars. It can seem endless and beyond our ability to comprehend, understand, or even believe. But we rely on our faith, teachings of the Bible and of course, the path that has been chosen for us as believers.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The journey we encounter through our walk in faith will include setbacks. Friends, you do not have to fully understand God’s plan for you or all the great things He has created. He does not expect you to understand them…only to believe. Fortunately, we have the capacity to see the glory of God in the things which we do not understand.

As 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

It is this tension of apprehension and not understanding that provokes thought, prayers, and eventually strengthens our faith!

My prayer will be that this year’s Advent Devotions from our staff will give you moments of reflection and encouragement not only during this time that we celebrate the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but throughout the upcoming year.

FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN, TO US A SON IS GIVEN; AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER, AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE.

ISAIAH 9:6

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