The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 18 December 2016 - "Christmas Through Joseph’s Eyes: The Journey to Bethlehem”-------
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Sunday, 18 December 2016 – Prayer Tip
The Journey to Bethlehem
Daily Scripture
Luke 2:1 Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire. 2 This registration, the first of its kind, took place when Quirinius was governing in Syria. 3 Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 So Yosef, because he was a descendant of David, went up from the town of Natzeret in the Galil to the town of David, called Beit-Lechem, in Y’hudah, 5 to be registered, with Miryam, to whom he was engaged, and who was pregnant.
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Prayer Tip
During the summers of 2004 and 2005, my cousin Kristee and I drove the historic Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. For the most part, we drove all day for seven days straight. We did stop to see some of the notable sites, sleep in iconic motels, and eat at outstanding restaurants, but our goal was to get through the entire route (and return drive) in the short time we had. It wasn’t the beautiful views, the tourist stops, or the cuisine that made these trips so great, though; it was the company. Kristee and I entertained one another, kept one another awake when we’d driven just a little too long, and changed a flat tire together.
In the same way, we’re all on this journey of life together, and those we’re traveling with can significantly impact the quality of the journey. When we look at those people who celebrated with and supported Mary and Joseph, we understand that their journey – from the first visit by the angel to the stable in Bethlehem, from their flight to Egypt to their return to Nazareth – was made what it was in large part because of the people they crossed paths with: Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, the innkeeper or family member who owned the stable where Jesus was born, the shepherds and the kings from the east who paid homage to Jesus, and undoubtedly countless other unnamed persons. Not only do we hope we encounter and journey with those who will help us to have positive experiences, even amidst tough times, but we must also strive to be the kind of people who will help others have positive experiences too.
Lord God, we thank you for walking alongside us and surrounding us with others on this journey through life. Help us to become good traveling companions to others so we can have fun with, cry with, laugh with, struggle with, and overcome the tough times with those you have brought into our lives. We strive to honor you and share your love by loving others.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.[Angela LaVallie Tinsley, Prayer and Funeral Ministries]
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“Miracle mothers meet” *Monday, 19 December 2016
Luke 1:39 Without delay, Miryam set out and hurried to the town in the hill country of Y’hudah 40 where Z’kharyah lived, entered his house and greeted Elisheva. 41 When Elisheva heard Miryam’s greeting, the baby in her womb stirred. Elisheva was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh 42 and spoke up in a loud voice,
“How blessed are you among women!
And how blessed is the child in your womb!
43 “But who am I, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! 45 Indeed you are blessed, because you have trusted that the promise Adonai has made to you will be fulfilled.”
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Elizabeth’s young, unmarried relative, Mary (cf. Luke 1:36), came to her home unexpectedly. Elizabeth’s baby “leaped in her womb,” and she welcomed Mary with God-given insight, offering her affirmation and encouragement. What an amazing atmosphere of support and faith
must have enveloped Elizabeth and Mary as they compared notes about their unexpected pregnancies! Elizabeth summed it all up, saying, “Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.”
• Elizabeth knew God was at work, and that Mary’s child was uniquely wonderful. In fact, Elizabeth was, it seems, the first person to call Jesus “Lord”: “Why do I have this honor, that the mother of MY LORD should come to me?” (The gospels recorded that women were also the first witnesses and proclaimers of Jesus’ resurrection.) In what ways does calling Jesus “Lord” involve surrendering the right to live your life any way you please? In what ways has Jesus’ lordship changed your way of life?
• Notice how fully Elizabeth gave Mary “the spotlight,” despite her joy about her own amazing pregnancy, saying, “Happy is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill the promises he made to her.” How easy or hard is it for you to give the spotlight to someone else, rather than drawing it back to yourself? Who can you affirm and encourage today?
Prayer: O God, what wonderful models Elizabeth and Mary are for me! Keep reminding me that you kept your promises to Elizabeth and Mary—and that you still do that today. Amen.
* This beautiful title is the section heading for Luke 1:39-56 in Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
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"A journey song: God our protector"
Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Psalm 121:(0) A song of ascents:
(1) If I raise my eyes to the hills,
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from Adonai,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip —
your guardian is not asleep.
4 No, the guardian of Isra’el
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand
Adonai provides you with shade —
6 the sun can’t strike you during the day
or even the moon at night.
7 Adonai will guard you against all harm;
he will guard your life.
8 Adonai will guard your coming and going
from now on and forever.
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Psalm 121 was in a collection of psalms closely linked to a journey all devout Hebrews made, or aspired to make, often. “Most likely Psalms 120-134 were collected as a songbook or prayer book for travelers on the journey to and from Jerusalem.” It seems likely that this song promising God’s protection would have been on Mary’s mind (and perhaps her lips) as she went to see Elizabeth.
• Sometimes, when life got difficult, even psalmists were tempted to think that maybe God had dozed off (cf. e.g. Psalm 44:23). But although God does not always prevent situations that we find hard, Psalm 121:3 carried the assurance that “your protector won’t fall asleep on the job.” In what parts of your life has that promise especially mattered for you?
• Typically, people built shrines to Canaanite idols at the top of hills and mountains. Verse 2 said those “gods” couldn’t help people. The God who made the mountains was the only dependable source of help and strength for life. What are some of the “gods” our culture
today tells us to look to for security, strength and safety? What helps you to remember that in the end “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth”?
Prayer: Lord God, in Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan created a vivid picture of your people traveling through dangers and distractions toward the New Jerusalem. Hold me safely in your hands on my journey, as you did Mary and your people Israel long ago. Amen.
* J. Clinton McCann, Jr. Sidebar note on “The Pilgrimage Songs” in The CEB Study Bible (Nashville: Common English Bible, 2013), p. 980 OT.
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"A journey song: God our savior from sin"
Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Psalm 130:(0) A song of ascents. By David:
(1) Adonai, I call to you from the depths;
2 hear my cry, Adonai!
Let your ears pay attention
to the sound of my pleading.
3 Yah, if you kept a record of sins,
who, Adonai, could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that you will be feared.
5 I wait longingly for Adonai;
I put my hope in his word.
6 Everything in me waits for Adonai
more than guards on watch wait for morning,
more than guards on watch wait for morning.
7 Isra’el, put your hope in Adonai!
For grace is found with Adonai,
and with him is unlimited redemption.
8 He will redeem Isra’el
from all their wrongdoings.
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As we saw on Monday, Elizabeth praised Mary for trusting that God would keep God’s promises. One of those promises was that, even when we had strayed from the path, God would forgive and show mercy. Trust and hope in that promise was the central theme of Psalm 130, another of the “journey songs,” or “psalms of ascent.” This resilient, persistent hope is one reason we light the candle of hope every year on the first Sunday of Advent.
• In verse 6, the psalmist repeated for emphasis the image of a watchman in a dark, dark night (there were no electric streetlights!) waiting, hoping, for the morning. Then he said,
“Israel, wait for the Lord!” (verse 7) A spiritually dark world waited for the arrival of a Redeemer. Jesus’ birth made that hope a reality. Where do you see “darkness” in your life, in your world? How can Jesus still bring the light of hope into darkness?
• There was a historical basis for the psalmist’s hope. “[Faithful love] is one of the fundamental qualities of God revealed shortly after God had forgiven Israel for the sin of the gold calf (see Exodus 34:6). This was indeed a great redemption, and serves as the
foundation for the confidence stated in Psalm 130:8.”* In what ways does the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus give you an even stronger historical basis for trusting in God’s forgiveness?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, this world waited centuries for you. Now, too often, I take you for granted. This Advent season remind me that living in hope and trust, even when I have to wait, is one key to the good life you have for me. Amen.
* J. Clinton McCann, Jr. Study note on Psalm 130:7 in The CEB Study Bible (Nashville: Common English Bible, 2013), p. 986 OT.
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"Jesus: a sign that God is with you"
Thursday, 22 December 2016
Isaiah 7:10 Adonai spoke again to Achaz; he said, 11 “Ask Adonai your God to give you a sign. Ask it anywhere, from the depths of Sh’ol to the heights above.” 12 But Achaz answered, “I won’t ask, I won’t test Adonai.”
13 Then [the prophet] said,
“Listen here, house of David!
Is trying people’s patience
such a small thing for you
that you must try the patience
of my God as well?
14 Therefore Adonai himself
will give you people a sign:
the young woman* will become pregnant,
bear a son and name him ‘Immanu El [God is with us].
15 By the time he knows enough
to refuse evil and choose good,
he will [have to] eat
curdled milk and [wild] honey.
16 Yes, before the child knows enough
to refuse evil and choose good,
the land whose two kings you dread
will be left abandoned.
Isaiah 8:3 Then I had sexual relations with my wife; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son; and Adonai said to me, “Name him Maher Shalal Hash Baz; 4 because before the child knows how to cry, ‘Abba!’ and ‘Eema!’, the riches of Dammesek and the spoil of Shomron will be carried off and given to the king of Ashur.”
Matthew 1:20 But while he was thinking about this, an angel of Adonai appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, son of David, do not be afraid to take Miryam home with you as your wife; for what has been conceived in her is from the Ruach HaKodesh. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Yeshua, [which means ‘Adonai saves,’] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,
23 “The virgin will conceive and bear a son,
and they will call him ‘Immanu El.”[Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14]
(The name means, “God is with us.”)
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Three kings were plotting to attack Israel, and King Ahaz was frightened. The prophet Isaiah said to ask for a sign that God was with him. The stubborn king refused, but Isaiah gave him a sign anyway—a young woman would give birth to a son. Before the boy reached age 13, the plotting kingdoms would lose their power (and they did). Pastor Hamilton wrote, “Matthew was not confused nor was he misinterpreting Isaiah…. I think he was saying, ‘Jesus, like that first Immanuel, was a sign sent by God that you might know God is with you, that you might know he will never leave you’…. Jesus, in a way that the first Immanuel could not, incarnated the presence and love of the God who rules over the entire universe.”*
• Matthew, quoting Isaiah, linked Jesus with the name “Immanuel,” which meant “God with us.” Matthew 18:20 quoted Jesus as saying, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I’m there with them.” And in the gospel’s final verse, Matthew 28:20, Jesus pledged that “I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” What settings or practices help to make God’s presence real to you? What makes God’s presence as important for you as it was for King Ahaz?
• Scholar William Barclay summed up Matthew’s message: “Jesus is the one person who can tell us what God is like, and what God means us to be. In him alone we see what God is and what man ought to be.”† In what ways have you made Jesus central to your understanding of what God is like? Has that helped you to avoid some of the negative,
frightening images of God some people have? If so, how?
Prayer: O Lord, on that first Christmas you came into our midst. You were human, but you were also more. Give me insight and humility as I grapple to take in the divine mystery that you were Emmanuel, “God with us.” Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011, p. 48. (Pages 46-50 of the book offer a more complete explanation of Isaiah’s prophecy and the way Matthew applied it.)
† William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 1, Chapters 1-10 in The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 21.
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"Marriage and child—but where?"
Friday, 23 December 2016
Matthew 1:24 When Yosef awoke he did what the angel of Adonai had told him to do — he took Miryam home to be his wife, 25 but he did not have sexual relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Yeshua.
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Whether because he told the story from a man’s point of view, or perhaps simply because his sources gave little information, Matthew wrote almost no details about Jesus’ actual birth. His succinct account didn’t even identify where the birth took place until after the fact (cf. Matthew 2:1). But he reported two key facts: despite his earlier reluctance, Joseph did marry the pregnant Mary, and he named the child she bore “Jesus” (the Greek form of Joshua, which meant “God saves”).
• Luke 1:38 showed Mary saying, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Matthew 1:24 said Joseph “did just as an angel from God commanded.” Neither of them could see it at the time, but today millions, perhaps billions of people worship during
Advent because two humble Hebrew peasants listened, believed and obeyed. What is God calling you to listen to, to believe, and then to do or be this Advent season?
• Take part in Christmas Eve services tonight or tomorrow, at any Resurrection campus or online (go to www.cor.org/christmas for schedule information). On the Leawood campus, this will be our final Christmas Eve in the current Building B sanctuary, a milestone in which you may want to participate.
Prayer: Lord God, give me a spirit like Joseph’s and Mary’s, willing to obey you, not only in the easy times, but all of the time. Amen.
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"The journey to Bethlehem"
Saturday, 24 December 2016
Luke 2:1 Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire. 2 This registration, the first of its kind, took place when Quirinius was governing in Syria. 3 Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 So Yosef, because he was a descendant of David, went up from the town of Natzeret in the Galil to the town of David, called Beit-Lechem, in Y’hudah, 5 to be registered, with Miryam, to whom he was engaged, and who was pregnant.
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Caesar Augustus’ purpose was straight-forward. He wanted to collect more taxes for his far-flung empire. God “bent” Caesar’s decree to divine purposes, using it to bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem (a difficult trip for pregnant Mary). There the baby Jesus was born, as
Micah 5:2 had prophesied. There, only a few miles from where Herod feverishly plotted and schemed as to how he might deserve the title “the Great,” the truly great God-man who would reshape all of human history was born in a humble setting.
• Pastor Hamilton wrote, “This was not a journey Mary wanted to take…. Of course, this was not to be the last of Mary’s unwanted journeys. A short time after Jesus’ birth, Herod would try to kill the child, and she and Joseph would take the infant Jesus and flee to Egypt as refugees. Thirty-three years later, there would be another journey she would take with her son, this time down the Via Dolorosa as she followed him to Calvary…. All of us take unwanted journeys, but God always walks with us on these journeys. God works through them and redeems them, and these difficult journeys will never be the end of our story!”* What unwanted journeys have you faced, or are you facing right now? How can Mary’s story bring you hope that, beyond what we see or imagine, God is at work even during
those unwanted journeys?
Prayer: Be near me, Lord Jesus. I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, The Journey: Walking the Road to Bethlehem. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011, p. 100-101.
Family Activity: Read Luke 2:1-5[Luke 2:1 Around this time, Emperor Augustus issued an order for a census to be taken throughout the Empire. 2 This registration, the first of its kind, took place when Quirinius was governing in Syria. 3 Everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 So Yosef, because he was a descendant of David, went up from the town of Natzeret in the Galil to the town of David, called Beit-Lechem, in Y’hudah, 5 to be registered, with Miryam, to whom he was engaged, and who was pregnant.]. Gather your family and prepare for a journey in your car. Travel to several different nativity set sites in your community. Choose some with flashy lights and some with more of a humble, realistic appearance. At each one, pause to discuss one or two thoughts or feelings Mary and Joseph might have had on their journey to Bethlehem. You could also discuss what you imagine they may have taken with them on their journey. If you are adventurous, end your evening at an empty shelter in a park. Discuss how the shelter might resemble a stable and how amazing it is that Jesus came into the world in that way. Pray and thank God for Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and for Jesus who was born for all people.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Nikki Nollen and family on the death of her husband Craig Morris, 12/12
• Brandi Scafe and family on the death of her mother Maggie Vogel, 12/8
• Carol Edds and family on the death of her mother Hildred Snedegar, 12/8
• Laura Horen and family on the death of her brother-in-law George William “Bill” Steele, Jr.,
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.), 12/8
• Tom Taylor and family on the death of his sister Frieda Troupe, 12/7
• Family and friends of Mae Winters on her death, 12/3
• Jan Kauk and family on the death of her mother Betty P. Bennett, 11/30
• Family and friends of Louis Milberger on his death, 11/29
• Josh Stark and family on the death of his father Jack Stark, 11/19
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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