F I R ST P R E S BY T E R I A N C H U R C H O F AT L A N TA
ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOK
2022
Stay Awake
While we are waiting come; While we are waiting come. Jesus our Lord Emmanuel, While we are waiting come.
With power and glory come; With power and glory come. Jesus our Lord Emmanuel, While we are waiting come.
Come Savior quickly come; Come Savior quickly come. Jesus our Lord Emmanuel, While we are waiting come.
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hat a joy it is to present the 2022 Advent Devotional for First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta! For this year, we’ve chosen the theme, Stay Awake,
for our devotional and Advent sermon series. Based on the gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent, our devotional and sermon series will consider what it means to stay awake, pay attention, and remain focused as we prepare to celebrate Christmas. This year’s authors offer short reflections on Scripture passages related to the theme and to the season of Advent. We have also introduced short readings from Howard Thurman for each of the four Saturdays in Advent. Thurman was a theologian, pastor, and mystic whose thinking influenced Martin Luther King Jr., among many other people. He wrote a number of insightful reflections on Christmas and the Advent season that have been included in our devotional. We are grateful to the estate of Howard Thurman for permission to use portions of his book, Meditations of the Heart, in this devotional. Blessings to you all as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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R e a dy o r N o t ? By David Dantzler Matthew 24:36–44
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he season of Advent is different: special decorations, special music, special cards and correspondence, holiday parties, shopping and gift-giving. So much to do, and so little time! Will we be ready when the big day arrives? Even as we press forward with our annual rituals, our holiday angst is eased by comforting reminders of the manger... and singing angels... and sugar plum fairies... and reindeer. Joy to the world! Peace on earth, and goodwill to all! Today, our holiday preparations are interrupted by Jesus himself and his admonition to “keep awake,” so that we are ready for his coming. His language is jarring, and his warning is clear. His coming was, is, and will be radical and transforming – more like Noah’s flood than the birth of a baby. Our readiness is impeded and our focus is misplaced by the busyness of everyday life. Staying awake is a challenge, requiring continued diligence to prepare us for his coming. In this season, Jesus is asking: What are we getting ready for? Are we ready? Dear God: Forgive our being distracted by things we deem important, but that are of no consequence to you. As we celebrate this season, open our eyes and our hearts so that we might truly be prepared for your coming – not just as a baby, but as the Son of Man. Amen.
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P ay i n g At t e n t i o n to God’s Gifts By Miriam Bratton Psalm 57:7–11
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hat does it mean to be awake? The person who wrote Psalm 57 says that it means having your heart always stay with God, worshiping, and paying attention to God every day. The author is spreading the word of God because the author loves God and wants other people to know and love God, too. To me, it means your heart, mind, and soul are devoted to God. When you are awake, you truly appreciate God. Every day, we can see what God has done for us. God has given us trees, safe water, food, somewhere to live, and family and friends. Those are just a few examples of what we see when we pay attention to God’s gifts. When you are awake, you want to help awaken others, too, so they can see God’s love all over the earth. It means forgetting about all other distractions like presents and decorating the house for Christmas. This year, we should spend time spreading the word and love of God.
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W h o ’ s Wa t c h i n g the Door? By Kalecia Wright Mark 13:32–37
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s children, Christmas was the most highly anticipated holiday of the year in my family. In adolescence, we struggled to center our attention around the birth of Jesus Christ. Rather, our focus was on the gifts we thought we had earned for a year’s worth of “good” behavior. My mother never wrapped our gifts. We typically would wake up and stumble into a living room strategically organized for my siblings and me to readily identify our individual pile of toys. The older we became, the less patient we were in the wait. One year, when we were of an age to stay home alone, my mom staged our gifts and left to attend a Christmas Eve dinner. This was our chance to sneak a peek! My brother and I would scour the room as our oldest sister watched the door for my mom’s return. At some point, my sister, the doorkeeper, became more interested in watching us. Her quick glances became long stares until we were all enthralled by the gifts. At some point, the three of us grew tired and fell fast asleep. The passage from Mark 13 points to a poignant reality: too often our watchfulness is thwarted by distraction. To keep awake, it is necessary to remain alert to our surroundings. The text charges us, not only with the task of faithful work with the gifts we are given, but also with the task of watching the door, rather than focusing on the busyness and activity of others.
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Awa k e n e d by the Bell By Michael Johnson Psalm 119:145–152
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don’t have trouble staying awake. That undesirable talent originated working a third-shift job my last two years of undergrad, getting an MBA a few years later while working full-time, and then working for a 24/7 transportation company. I would love to find rest and peace, but once awake, my mind focuses on what’s pressing at work or whatever the crisis of the day is. While my worries are not of the same dire physical fear that the subject of this passage faces, they are still very real to me. Yours are just as real. My prayer is that I stay awake to celebrate the arrival of our Savior, yet so often my focus in my prayer time with the Lord is asking for help and guidance. I love the entire Christmas season, but the past few years have been difficult getting through. A few years ago, several work, personal, and family issues were culminating as Christmas Day approached. Christmas Eve service has always been so very special to me, but that year, I felt so distant during Christmas Eve service. I asked God to get me through. A moment later, Jens rang a single bell over the pipe organ… it was similar to the one that rang in The Polar Express that got the attention of the child that had also lost hope in the season. That single bell woke me back up. My prayer is that we all hear a bell that reenergizes our faith as we wait for Jesus.
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H u m i l i t y, S e r v i c e , and Love By Sandy Crowder 1 Corinthians 16:13–16
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o you remember when you were a child and you first became aware of the nearness of God and union with him? Perhaps you were a little four-year-old learning to swim and opening your eyes to the glistening light from above and instantly recognizing God? Or, perhaps as a young teen, you were standing in the deep woods and feeling the sacred silence of God within you and around you? Once you sense the nearness of God and union with Him, you do not forget it. In fact, you will continue to find God and feel God’s presence whenever you focus on the mysteries of this beautiful world and the workings of your life. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul cautions us to “be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” Paul’s words remind us to draw close to God and love those around us. Paul highlights the “household of Stephanas” as an example of this way of living. They showed selflessness, humility, kindness, justice, and service to others. They are the opposite of those who are self-centered, arrogant, unkind, and dismissive of others. During this Advent season, may we follow in the way of Stephanas. Let us stay awake, pay attention, and remain focused on the constant presence of God in our lives, our own love and service to others, and the joy of the arrival of the Christ child.
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Arise, Shine, f o r Yo u r L i g h t has Come! By Cheryl Hughes Isaiah 60:1-7
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t is easy to give way to despair when we think about the world around us today. Just listening to the news can be depressing and cause us to lose hope. But we know the whole story. We know that darkness does not prevail. We know that God is Sovereign, and God will have the final word. As I read this passage from Isaiah, I imagine someone who has looked around and become despondent because of the condition of the world. Isaiah says to them, “GET UP! Show God’s love! God is sending Jesus Christ, the Light of the World!” And that brings a smile to my face and hope to my heart. All is not lost. Wrong will not prevail. What a beautiful message of hope! Can we actually see God’s light right now? I believe we can gather glimpses of it as we wait. If we look carefully, we can see God’s light in our family, in church, as we express gratitude, and even as we help others. God is with us and speaks to us even in these mundane events and occurrences. Another part of this passage reminds me that I can be a blessing to others by reflecting God’s light to them. I can be a “light bearer” to point others to God through my attitude, my words, and my actions. May that be so during Advent and all year long.
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Candles for Christmas By Howard Thurman
I will light Candles this Christmas; Candles of joy despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch, Candles of courage for fears ever present,
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens, Candles of love to inspire all my living, Candles that will burn all the year long.
Reprinted with permission from Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart (Boston: Beacon Press, 1953; 1981).
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Soul Work By Tootie Lyons Isaiah 26:7–27:1
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his passage is a song of victory and praise expressing the author’s faith that the day is coming when the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous will be saved. I am turned off by the dualistic language and perception, but I wake up and begin to resonate when I come to verse ten. It describes the wicked as those who are blocked in their ability to recognize or respond to God’s grace. Two years ago, my husband and I moved to Presbyterian Village, and since June, Bill has been in the nursing home. Often, I am totally unable to see or feel, much less respond to God’s grace around me. Isaiah 26:20 suggests that one go into one’s own house, shut the door, and wait. For me, this is a metaphor for looking inward to examine my own soul. It’s an invitation to examine the inner complexities and resistances that separate me from feeling and responding to God’s grace. With inner work, we can seek to discover, own, accept, forgive, and let go of our inner blockades. Soul work is a process of “waking up.” It’s also painful and can feel like being destroyed. If we sustain this process and “stay awake,” we may begin to realize that what feels like our destruction is instead our transformation. In this season of Advent, may we seek out and surrender our inner barriers and open ourselves to the eternal flow of awakening joy Christ offers to each and all.
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S t ay i n g Aw a k e … Together By Mary Claire Allvine Matthew 25:1–131
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tay Awake! So simple a command. Even those of us who love to sleep understand what we are being asked to do. Interpreting this direction literally takes my mind to the times I have been able to fight back the desire to sleep. As a student, I stayed up late to study or write. Later in life, I pushed past bedtime to enjoy concerts, fireworks, comets, owls, and eclipses. I’ve waited awake in ERs, airports, and, once, the Port Authority in New York for a 6:00 a.m. bus. I’ve stayed awake for specific persons and events, adrenaline fueling anticipation of something that would be completed or happen or arrive. Then, once the task was completed or an event occurred, I gratefully drifted off to sleep. My life experiences constrain Matthew’s counsel because, of course, he isn’t being literal. Matthew isn’t suggesting there is an actual bridegroom to arrive or that we should never sleep. He warns that there is not a set day or hour that will arrive and then we can settle down into slumber. We are not actually waiting for Christmas morning. So how do we live in perpetual attentiveness? In re-reading, I notice that Matthew does not describe a lone bridesmaid trying to stay awake. The five deemed wise were together. They found friends who also sought to stay awake but who prepared first. They did sleep, but they were ready for the moment. We live always in uncertainty, but in choosing a community of the vigilant, we, too, can be ready.
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Beyo nd An y Boundary By Lorraine Caribbean Psalm 108:1–4
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hat is the first thing you see when you wake up? It is really astounding to me that in the Bible, God gives us a complete format to live our lives, and he has designed living to be divided into days, each one with a new beginning. In the Psalms, God is telling us to be aware. In my pre-retirement years, I attempt to ease into the day, to take time for reflection. I observe that the bird feeders are busy, with bird chatter in the woods surrounding my home. David takes it a step further, however, singing and playing the lute and lyre with awe in the majesty and wonder of his surroundings. The James Webb Space Telescope has amazed me - what a world we live in that we can see (maybe?) what no other has seen. David is telling us that God’s design goes beyond any boundary, and his love of God goes beyond his quiet reflection. We have the most marvelous gift of sound in our sanctuary, and I have been so excited that we are sharing it with our community. David again pushes it further, praising God to all nations. As the song states, “In Christ we have no east nor west,” I pray that each of us are open to the life God has uniquely planned for us and our world.
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S t ay i n g Aw a k e i n Our Service to God By Ann Slaughter Matthew 25:31–45
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dvent offers a special time for contemplation, preparation, and reflection on both the celebration of the birth of Jesus and for the preparation of his second coming. During this time, we are given an opportunity to focus less on the commercialism of our day and spend more time praying, fasting, studying the word, praising God, and thanking Him for sending His darling Son Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. Because we know not the time or hour of His return, we must be diligent in our service to Him and to our fellow human beings as well. Scripture helps us to love God above all else and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Examples include taking care of widows and orphans, going into all the world to preach the gospel, not provoking our children to anger, and seeking first the kingdom of God. The passage from Matthew 25 suggests that at Jesus’s second coming we, too, may hear Him say, “When I was hungry you fed me. When I was naked you clothed me. When I was thirsty you gave me a drink. When I was a stranger you befriended me. And when I was in prison you visited me.” After hearing all of that, in our perplexed states of mind, we, too, might ask, “When did we do all of these things for You?” May God help us stay awake to Jesus’s coming to us through other human beings, and may we remember that what we do to them, we do to Him also. May God commend us all for staying awake in our service to God.
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Focused on the Horizon By Frank Brannon Hosea 6:1-3
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dvent is a season of expectation and hope. It is a time for us to remember in those times long ago that the faithful were preparing for and looking out for the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy. As with any preparation of change coming, one is best prepared if they are sure that they stay awake, or in today’s parlance, stay focused on their environment and look for change coming on the horizon. The passage from Hosea speaks of a country, Israel, that had strayed from the Lord, and the prophet Hosea is beseeching them to return to the Lord so that he might heal the nation of its wounds. To do so, the people must press on to pursue knowledge of God, knowledge that provides the basis for faith and obedience. And if they do this, God will respond and come to them, as surely as the dawn comes in the morning and the spring rains water the earth. Just as the Israelites were awaiting God’s response, as we now go through the Advent season, we should be focused on the horizon, and stay awake so that we can be ready to fully experience his son’s coming and receiving the Messiah who saves us from our sins.
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T h e S a lt By Iris Dodge Colossians 4:2–6
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he sits, her chair moved near the door, lest she miss the knock. Her body is tense with anticipation, her feet ready to spring up. She waits. She prays. She hears a faint tap.
She pulls the door open and sees a young man handing out political pamphlets. Irritated, she says, “I’m busy, and I wouldn’t vote for that party anyway.” She slams the door. Again she hears a knock, louder this time. She sees her neighbor, wanting to borrow something, as usual. “Not now!” She fixes a snack of cold chicken. Again, she takes up her listening post and starts to take a bite. She forgot to salt the chicken. After sprinkling the piece of chicken with salt, she hears another knock. As she opens the door to a stranger, she recalls Paul’s words regarding salt. “Good afternoon,” she surprises herself by saying, “how may I help you?” The stranger is stranded. His car won’t start. “You must be hungry. Here, have this chicken while I call a tow truck.” After the stranger leaves, she continues her vigil, reflecting upon how such a simple, ordinary substance as salt could not only improve the taste but perhaps improve attitudes. She waits. She prays. She reflects, “Did I just entertain an angel without knowing it?” She hears another knock, and she smiles.
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The Season of Affirmation By Howard Thurman Christmas is the season of affirmation. I affirm my faith in the little graces of life: The urgency of growth, the strength of laughter, the vitality of friendship.
I affirm my confidence in the dignity of man: His fortitude in despair, his strength in weakness, his love in hatred.
I affirm my joy in the experience of living: The fragrance of nostalgia, the scattered moments of delight, the exhilaration of danger.
I affirm my need of my fellows: The offerings of faiths, the gifts of variety, the quality of difference.
I affirm my hunger for God: The desire for fulfillment, the ache for understanding, the sense of peace.
Christmas is my season of affirmation.
Reprinted with permission from Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart (Boston: Beacon Press, 1953; 1981).
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God’s Mercy By Morris Green 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11
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once was dead in my trespasses and sins. I lived contrary to God’s call in my life and walked like one who didn’t know the Lord Jesus or who had even heard about him. I truly was one who was not awake and who lived like I was asleep. But God’s mercy and grace bestowed upon me a quickening spirit to hear what the Holy Spirit was saying to me. His love is beyond comprehension to us who believe. The day of Jesus’s coming is approaching, even though we don’t know when. His call in my life is to be steadfast and ready at his return. I’m thankful he’s giving me the ability to do this. The weekend we had at the retreat in Montreat, North Carolina was tremendous for my soul and spirit. It was a time to break free and breathe and relax and just love on the Lord Jesus and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The theme of the retreat, “Being Barnabas,” was timely in my life. It reflects what I hope for in my life: that I am an encourager in my apartment with my roommates and at my job with my coworkers. Tony, Chris, and all the staff who were at the retreat were great encouragers, not just to me, but also to all the members and non-members who were there. What a blessing I received!
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Wa k i n g U p S u n d ay s By Doug Reid Proverbs 4:18–23
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n Christmas morning, we comprehend the concept of life’s joyous springs, awakening to a day of happiness. The light of Christmas dawn, when we were kids, blared bright in an instant, and we were immediately awake, all aware, fully focused, and ready to love miracles! Christmas is a singular gift in our lives. As wise Solomon teaches in Proverbs, over the years we find darkness, stumble sometimes, lose vigilance, and grow to know the wicked. But then there are Sundays—in my case in our chapel, Rev. Tony belting out the songs like Austin Riley at the hymnal plate, our charming chapel full of intimacy and all manner of humanity, even in that small and sacred space—that we’re blessed with communion. There’s our beautiful music. The service helps us come back to preparing our lives for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Every day can’t be Christmas, but our First Presbyterian Sundays, in the chapel for me, can provide dawn’s light, help us awaken, vigilant to the miracles all around, our hearts warm and ready. Thank you, Solomon and First Pres, for helping us to stay awake, and Merry Christmas to all!
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From Dark to Light By Kate Culver Romans 13:11–14
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n this text, there are the themes of light and dark, day and night, and sleep and slumber. This time of year, as the days grow shorter and the sun moves across the horizon rather than straight above, I reflect on the rhythm of these opposing forces. I recently was able to spend some time on the West Coast. When faced with the time change and jet lag, I found myself wide awake early in the darkness of pre-dawn. I tried and tried to go back to sleep but eventually gave up and went for a walk in the early morning darkness. I found myself walking and thinking about all the things I would do if the sun would just come up! I wanted to see what was ahead and rush to the sunrise. I completely ignored the scurrying sound of forest creatures, drips of water in the distance, a hooting owl searching for food. I paid no mind to the leaves brushing against me or the gentle breeze rustling my hair. As it does every day, the sun rose, and I found that the path I walked in the dark completely changed in the light of the day. In rushing towards light and day and being awake, I missed out on the beauty of the fullness of all my senses on that path in the dark. Advent is a season of waiting in the darkness. As we wait for the dawning light of the birth of our Lord, let us sit with the stillness of darkness and notice what our senses can perceive if we just let them.
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Live With Purpose By Ben Fletcher Luke 12:35-40
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any philosophers, poets, and great thinkers throughout history have said that time is the only true currency of life. It is the one coin with an actual limited value, and the only currency that is uniquely up to us on how we spend it. Anyone with a deceased beloved knows this truth all too well and has full understanding that how we spend our one, precious life matters. In Luke 12, we find Jesus teaching his disciples two parables that remind us we will never know the day when this world is over and when we meet Jesus face-to-face. Rather than responding to this truth with apathy or anxiety, Jesus challenges us to stay ready and live a life of devotion, purpose, and intentionality. Too often, our spiritual relationship with God can feel distant and mysterious as we allow our never-ending to-do list to take priority over our spiritual health. Especially in the Christmas season, we get caught up all too easily in the year-end deadlines, holiday expectations, and non-stop events, forgetting the true Christian purpose of this Advent season. But may we heed the words of Christ in Luke 12 and remind ourselves that how we spend our time in this life matters. May we stop going through motions of performative religion, and earnestly and spiritually prepare ourselves for the coming Christ lying in a lowly manger, the light of the world come to redeem us all. What a beautiful purpose to live for with the precious time we have been given!
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A r e W e Aw a k e ? By Joy Fisher Ezekiel 37:1–6
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he theme of this Advent is “Stay awake!” Today’s passage asks, “Are we awake?” God gives Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dry bones, which represents the people of God. Ezekiel prophesies to the bones, and they come together. But the result is an entire army of seemingly-alive humans who are not alive! They look good. They look alive. But they lack breath. They lack spirit. Do you ever feel this way? Like you appear to be alive on the outside, but inside you’re lacking true life? What about our church? Might we look alive and well from the outside, “successful” by human standards, but lack the breath of God, the very Spirit of God that is our life? This vision forces us to ask, are we awake? Are we alive, with the Spirit of God alive in us? The good news of this prophecy is the promise that God’s Spirit comes when called upon! Later in verse 10 Ezekiel declares, “I prophesied as God commanded, and the breath came into them, and they lived!” This vision is God’s invitation to be re-inspired, filled with God’s spirit, and brought to full life! Our prayer today is from an Evanescence song, Bring Me to Life.
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Wake me up inside. Call my name, and save me from the dark. Bid my blood to run… Save me from the nothing I’ve become… Breathe into me, and make me real. Bring me to life.
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A Middle Time By Bland Byrne 1 Peter 5:8-11
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dvent is a middle time, a time of expectation. More than two thousand years ago, Mary and Joseph were expecting. The angel Gabriel had come to Mary, and God had appeared to Joseph in a dream. Jesus the Christ was coming, but he was not yet there. They were waiting expectantly, and the world was waiting. The world waits today as we remember that time and wait in expectation. It is Advent. But Mary and Joseph had a difficult way ahead of them on their path to Bethlehem. Forced by a distant emperor, Augustus, a very pregnant Mary and her husband had to steel themselves to travel to be registered. And they could have no idea about the uproar that would arise when a nearer king, Herod, learned who the baby was. This is a middle time, and the world is waiting. But we are not just remembering two thousand years ago. We are in the middle of our own journey that started in Bethlehem and leads to a place where we have been called. Peter tells us that it is a journey no easier nor more secure than the one that the couple took two thousand years ago, but it leads to eternal glory in Christ. We must discipline ourselves to go where we are called. Keep alert!
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The Sacrament of Christmas By Howard Thurman
I make an act of faith toward all mankind, Where doubts would linger and suspicions brood. I make an act of joy toward all sad hearts, Where laughter pales and tears abound. I make an act of strength toward feeble things, Where life grows dim and death draws near. I make an act of trust toward all of life, Where fears preside and distrust keeps watch. I make an act of love toward friend and foe, Where trust is weak and hate burns bright. I make a deed to God of all my days – And look out on life with quiet eyes.
Reprinted with permission from Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart (Boston: Beacon Press, 1953; 1981).
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Fruit of the Light By Margaret Cobb Ephesians 5:8–20
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n order to intensify the flavor of a cooking ingredient, one must boil it to evaporate some of the water within and leave a residue, or syrup, that can seem twice as sweet. The fruit is thus simplified to its essence. Jesus used simple, everyday terms and images to distill complex and never-changing truths to the Jewish people 2000 years ago. Despite the complexities of modern life, those images still distill for us the essences of truth. God said Let there be light (Gen 1:3) both in the beginning and now. We are urged not to walk in darkness but to live as children of light (Eph 5:8), so that we might be the light of the world (Matt 5:14). Looking through a child’s make-shift, paper-towel-roll telescope, one sees only a limited view. The periphery is blocked. Often adults operate with a blocked view that doesn’t take into account the opinions, feelings, needs, or pain of others. We do this to protect our time or money or emotional well-being. Yet God calls us to look, to really see, with his light focused on the path ahead and act accordingly in love. Only when we choose to see the realities of our lives through the lens of God’s perspective are we awake to the true light that shines in the darkness.
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God’s Light By Marc Bromstad Psalm 97:10–12
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ears ago, we took a sailing trip. When sailing, it is necessary for the crew to rotate, keeping continuous watch, often over a period of two to three hours at a time, throughout the duration of the trip. The purpose of keeping watch is to ensure the boat and crew avoid potential dangers, which might include approaching vessels, unexpected storms, or other obstacles in the water. Keeping watch at night can be particularly challenging as one must stay awake when the body is more accustomed to sleeping. There was one night when we encountered a rough storm that made it nearly impossible to see what was going on around us. We relied upon our navigation system to ensure that we remained properly moored and that the boats moored nearby did not drift towards us as the winds picked up. Our flashlights and beams were of little use given the intensity of the rain. Eventually the storm subsided, the skies cleared, and the new day dawned with a magnificent sunrise. I remember thinking that morning about how there are times in life where we don’t have complete control of the situation. While those situations are hard for many of us, there is great freedom and comfort in knowing that God’s light will endure. Our theme, Stay Awake, serves to remind me that we are saved by grace through faith and our staying awake directs our attention to what God has done for us, for which I am forever thankful.
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W h a t R e a l ly Matters By Allen Collins Luke 21: 34–36
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ften at this time of year, our focus is on all the preparation for the holidays and meeting various expectations. We develop lists of special events that must be attended, proof we have experienced the season as it is meant to be. This is compounded by our added family and personal task list just to keep sane. This all adds up. It adds up to pressures, worries, and anxieties that God never intended for us. In our passage, Jesus recognizes that pressures lead to our measures of coping. It’s not about how we escape from our worries, through alcohol or other modern-day addictions, such as irrepressible shopping, eating, or various forms of social media but by being aware of them. The hard truth is, I believe we can all recognize something of ourselves in this list, myself included. Many times, the pressures overpower us, and we spiral and descend into our coping mechanisms. I’m reminded by this scripture to be alert to what really matters. As the Son of God and Son of Man, the human Jesus knows what it feels like to endure pressures and be physically drained from them. He’s aware that these pressures will come and instructs us to pray for strength to escape them. In this season, let us be aware of the trap that culture has created and be alert to our own unnecessary pace and the pressures we’ve created. Let’s slow down and even stop to remember what really matters: God’s gift to us, Christ’s birth, and his ultimate resurrection for our freedom from this and eternal life with him.
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W i s d o m a n d Wa i t i n g By Robert Balentine Proverbs 8:32–36
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e live in an information society. Our daily lives are constantly interrupted with a ring, ping, or vibration announcing yet another call, another text, or another email. The 24/7 news and social media cycle bombards us with extraneous noise while sparring pundits make it difficult to separate fact from fiction. But information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience, humility, and making mistakes. However, true wisdom comes only from God; his word imparts wisdom, and his Son imparts wisdom. And to gain God’s wisdom, we must stay awake, listen, and obey. Growing up as a child at Christmas, I remember anxiously counting down the days until Santa came, waiting expectantly until Christmas morning when my brother and I bounded into the den to see what presents were awaiting. Waiting requires patience, something in short supply for excited little ones during the holiday season! Yet even as adults, we find it difficult to be patient and slow down during our busy lives. Perhaps especially during the holiday season, our challenge is to slow down and listen to that still small voice of God. Watching is to observe, to be carefully attentive, and to look expectantly. Watching is looking for the good to come. Our scripture today says, “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord.” Stay awake, the Messiah is coming, and he takes away the sins of the world.
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As Our Ancestors Were By Rob Sparks Hebrews 3:7–14
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he author of Hebrews was writing to a Jewish audience who probably didn’t need a footnote to tell them that the bulk of this passage is a quotation from Psalm 95. The writer offers commentary on that Old Testament text, linking it to their current time. The psalmist points back to a time when the Jewish people’s faith faltered. It was the time of the Exodus, when the Chosen People were wandering in the desert for forty years. The quotation in the letter to the Hebrews short-hands it as wilderness, but the psalm identifies the place, the moment in a story that comes from Exodus 17:4-7. In that account, the people are in dire straits; they are without water and are so upset with Moses he fears they will stone him. God tells him to take his staff and strike a rock and water will flow. After their thirst is slaked, Moses named the spot Meribah and Massah the Hebrew words for quarreling and testing. This primarily Jewish audience would have understood this reference to a formative moment in their people’s faith. A remembrance of a time when their ancestors weren’t certain of God’s providence, and yet God provided. The author is making the argument that today is a similar inflection point. The people are awaiting the promised Messiah, yet there is real danger of unbelief. The writer exhorts the faithful to encourage one another daily and reminds them, and us, that we are also now partners with Christ.
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A Triumphant Return By Rachal Little Isaiah 52:1–6
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he first six verses in Isaiah 52 open with joyful expectation after a long period of devastation. The chapter picks up at the end of the Babylonian exile when the Israelites received permission to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem. They can finally return home! These verses contain seven imperatives: awake, awake, put on, put on, shake, rise up, and loose. The use of these imperatives implies that Israel has become dulled, inattentive, and hopeless, which makes sense. It is hard to overstate the depth of pain the Israelites endured during the exile. The grief, trauma, and hopelessness of their oppression made a deep mark on the community, but the beginning of Isaiah 52 calls the people to different, more hopeful attitude. It’s as if the prophet is telling them, “Awake from your sorrow! Put on your finest – we’re making a triumphant return! Shake off the hopelessness and humiliation you’ve felt in exile! Loose the bonds that have held you captive! Get ready, for God is doing a new thing!” To a community that had experienced extreme loss and pain, these words implore Israel to abandon their status as a nation in exile in favor of embracing their identity as God’s beloved people. This advent season, in the midst of our own experiences of loss and pain, may these verses tune our hearts to the ever-present, redemptive nature of God. Stay awake! Rescue is coming! Amen.
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Merry Christmas By Howard Thurman
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here is a strange irony in the usual salutation, “Merry Christmas,” when most of the people on this planet are thrown back upon themselves for food which they do not possess, for resources that have long since been exhausted, and for vitality which has already run its course. Despite this condition, the inescapable fact remains that Christmas symbolizes hope even at a moment when hope seems utterly fantastic. The raw materials of the Christmas mood are a newborn baby, a family, friendly animals, and labor. An endless process of births is the perpetual answer of life to the fact of death. It says that life keeps coming on, keeps seeking to fulfill itself, keeps affirming the margin of hope in the presence of desolation, pestilence, and despair. It is not an accident that the birth rate seems always to increase during times of war, when the formal processes of man are engaged in the destruction of others. Welling up out of the depths of vast vitality, there is Something at work that is more authentic than the formal, discursive design of the human mind. As long as this is true ultimately, despair about the human race is groundless.
Reprinted with permission from Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart (Boston: Beacon Press, 1953; 1981).
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T h e Daw n from on High By Tony Sundermeier Luke 1:67–79
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he reading set before us on this day – Christmas Day! – reminds us that there is actually a second birth narrative in the opening chapter of Luke’s Gospel. In addition to
the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah and Lord, we read about the birth of John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth and second cousin to Jesus. When John was born, his father (filled with the Holy Spirit) prophesied. In the first section (verses 68–75), Zechariah blesses God, tells of God’s mercy, and speaks of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. In the second section (verses 76–79), Zechariah speaks of his own child’s role in preparing the way for Jesus. One of my favorite theologians is Karl Barth (1886-1968). The great scholar had a painting on a wall in his office by artist Matthias Grunewald. The work depicts the crucifixion with John the Baptist’s index finger extended and pointing to Christ. It’s as if John is saying, “Look to him. He is your salvation. This one bears the forgiveness and mercy of God.” When students, colleagues, and guests visited his office and made a comment about the painting, Barth would say, “I want to be that finger.”
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The ministry of pointing to Christ does not rest solely on the shoulders of John. This is our work, too. The Christ child has come! And our work is to point to Christ with our words and our deeds. We, too, prepare the way of the Lord for Christ is born again this day. He is alive and well by the power of his Holy Spirit. And we are called to tell of the tender mercy of our God, to remind those closest to us and throughout the world that the dawn from on high breaks upon us. It shines upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and guides our feet into the way of peace.
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e want to express our gratitude to each of the authors who took the time to write a reflection for this year’s devotional. We couldn’t do
this without them. Thanks also to Rev. Dr. Chris Holmes for selecting the theme and coordinating submissions; Lynne Wisard, the Administrative Coordinator for Education and Families, for her assistance in collecting, organizing, and editing the reflections; to Lee Barrineau, Director of Publications, for creating such a beautiful illustration for the cover and for all his hard work producing the print version of the devotional; and to church member, Cheryl Hughes, for her editorial assistance. Finally, we are grateful to the estate of Howard Thurman for permission to use portions of his book, Meditations of the Heart, in this devotional.
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