Well, there was the matter of the child, who would be Joseph's heir but not his child by blood. Some men would have a problem with that. Then there was the question of Mary's behavior-would she be a faithful wife in the future, or not? He might also have wondered, "What will the neighbors say?" If they were aware that Joseph was not the father, that would definitely make life difficult. If they did not know this, but only realized the baby was coming at least three months early, that would still cause problems-because Jewish couples were expected to control themselves during their engagement period, and an early pregnancy would bring embarrassment.
No doubt all of these things ran through Joseph's thoughts as he lay there trying to sleep. Similar questions run through our own minds. Am I doing the right thing here? What if I make a mistake? Is her health getting worse? Should I talk to him about that problem? What's going to happen next?
God broke through Joseph's worry with His own strength and comfort: "Do not fear ... for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." In other words, God is in control of this situation. It may not look like it, but that is the truth.
God says the same thing to us today when we worry. "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). That baby whose very existence caused Joseph to fear-that baby Jesus is the reason we don't have to be afraid. He is Immanuel, "God-with-us," and He will not forsake us. Through His death and resurrection He bound us to Him forever, as the forgiven, precious, watched-over people of God.
THE PRAYER: Dear Savior, watch over us and keep us in Your care forever. Help us not to fear, but to trust in You. Amen.
Love Came Down Reflection Questions!
LHM wants to help you reflect on what it means for your life that Love came down at Christmas. Each day you will receive a link to downloadable reflection questions that accompany each devotion.
You can use these questions for personal reflection or to lead small group discussion. They are also great tools to start conversations with friends, family, and those in your community during the Advent season. If you use them as discussion starters, be prepared for people to give personal answers and make sure you’re ready to listen and receive what they have to say.
Download Today's Reflection Questions!
WORRY
Sunday, December 17, 2017
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20)
• What kinds of things do you worry about at night? • When you are afraid, how do you talk to God? What kinds of things do you say?
• Tell the story of a time when you were troubled and God eventually brought a blessing out of it
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 84, 90; Revelation 9
Psalms 84:1 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of the sons of Korach:
2 (1) How deeply loved are your dwelling-places,
Adonai-Tzva’ot!
3 (2) My soul yearns, yes, faints with longing
for the courtyards of Adonai;
my heart and body cry for joy
to the living God.
4 (3) As the sparrow finds herself a home
and the swallow her nest, where she lays her young,
[so my resting-place is] by your altars,
Adonai-Tzva’ot, my king and my God.
5 (4) How happy are those who live in your house;
they never cease to praise you! (Selah)
6 (5) How happy the man whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are [pilgrim] highways.
7 (6) Passing through the [dry] Baka Valley,
they make it a place of springs,
and the early rain clothes it with blessings.
8 (7) They go from strength to strength
and appear before God in Tziyon.
9 (8) Adonai, God of armies, hear my prayer;
listen, God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
10 (9) God, see our shield [the king];
look at the face of your anointed.
11 (10) Better a day in your courtyards
than a thousand [days elsewhere].
Better just standing at the door of my God’s house
than living in the tents of the wicked.
12 (11) For Adonai, God, is a sun and a shield;
Adonai bestows favor and honor;
he will not withhold anything good
from those whose lives are pure.
13 (12) Adonai-Tzva’ot,
how happy is anyone who trusts in you!
90:1 (0) A prayer of Moshe the man of God:
(1) Adonai, you have been our dwelling place
in every generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you had formed the earth and the world,
from eternity past to eternity future
you are God.
3 You bring frail mortals to the point of being crushed,
then say, “People, repent!”
4 For from your viewpoint a thousand years
are merely like yesterday or a night watch.
5 When you sweep them away, they become like sleep;
by morning they are like growing grass,
6 growing and flowering in the morning,
but by evening cut down and dried up.
7 For we are destroyed by your anger,
overwhelmed by your wrath.
8 You have placed our faults before you,
our secret sins in the full light of your presence.
9 All our days ebb away under your wrath;
our years die away like a sigh.
10 The span of our life is seventy years,
or if we are strong, eighty;
yet at best it is toil and sorrow,
over in a moment, and then we are gone.
11 Who grasps the power of your anger and wrath
to the degree that the fear due you should inspire?
12 So teach us to count our days,
so that we will become wise.
13 Return, Adonai! How long must it go on?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Fill us at daybreak with your love,
so that we can sing for joy as long as we live.
15 Let our joy last as long as the time you made us suffer,
for as many years as we experienced trouble.
16 Show your deeds to your servants
and your glory to their children.
17 May the favor of Adonai our God be on us,
prosper for us all the work that we do —
yes, prosper the work that we do.
Revelation 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his shofar; and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven onto the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft leading down to the Abyss. 2 He opened the shaft of the Abyss, and there went up smoke from the shaft like the smoke of a huge furnace; the sun was darkened, and the sky too, by the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then out of the smoke onto the earth came locusts, and they were given power like the power scorpions have on earth. 4 They were instructed not to harm the grass on the earth, any green plant or any tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 The locusts were not allowed to kill them, only to inflict pain on them for five months; and the pain they caused was like the pain of a scorpion sting. 6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 Now these locusts looked like horses outfitted for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. 9 Their chests were like iron breastplates, and the sound their wings made was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails like those of scorpions, with stings; and in their tails was their power to hurt people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is “Abaddon” and in our language, “Destroyer.”
12 The first woe has passed, but there are still two woes to come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his shofar, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the gold altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel, the one with the shofar, “Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 15 And they were released. These four angels had been kept ready for this moment, for this day and month and year, to kill a third of mankind; 16 and the number of cavalry soldiers was two hundred million! — I heard the number.
17 Here is how the horses looked in the vision: the riders had breastplates that were fire-red, iris-blue and sulfur-yellow; the horses’ heads were like lions’ heads; and from their mouths issued fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 It was these three plagues that killed a third of mankind — the fire, smoke and sulfur issuing from the horses’ mouths. 19 For the power of the horses was in their mouths — and also in their tails, for their tails were like snakes with heads, and with them they could cause injury.
20 The rest of mankind, those who were not killed by these plagues, even then did not turn from what they had made with their own hands — they did not stop worshipping demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.[Revelation 9:20 Psalms 115:4–7; 135:15–17; Daniel 5:23] 21 Nor did they turn from their murdering, their involvement with the occult and with drugs, their sexual immorality or their stealing.
---
The Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions written by Dr. Kari Vo from Her devotional, Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries "Justice and Mercy" for Saturday, December 16, 2017
We usually read this verse to mean that because Joseph was a just man, therefore he was unwilling to put Mary to shame. However, the Greek grammar leaves the relationship of the phrases in question. It could just as easily be translated, "although he was a just man ..."
If we read the text this way, it suggests that Joseph was a man who followed the law of Moses-a just man, a law-abiding man. But in this situation, the law was uncompromising-a betrothed woman who had sex with another man would be treated as an adulterous wife and stoned. Joseph was tenderhearted; he could not face doing that to Mary, or even making her shame public. And so he settled on a quiet divorce. It was the best compromise he could think of between justice and mercy.
This kind of conflict happens so often in our world. Justice pulls us one way, but mercy urges us to go the other. God, too, faced a conflict between justice and mercy when He was dealing with us. Long ago humanity rebelled against God. We chose to go our own way instead of listening to Him. As a result we brought down trouble, grief, hatred, sickness, evil, and death upon our whole human race.
It would be simple justice if God decided to leave us in that mess-hurting, ruined, spiritually dead. But God still loves us, and He had compassion on us. He didn't want to see us destroyed.
So God found a way to satisfy both justice and mercy. He came into the world to be one of us, the man Christ Jesus. He took the penalty for our rebellion upon Himself, all the way to death on a cross-so we wouldn't have to pay that price. He broke the power of sin and evil on that day. And when He rose from the dead three days later, He broke the power of death over everyone who is willing to trust in Him.
THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for having mercy on us, and help me to show Your mercy to others. Amen.
Love Came Down Reflection Questions!
LHM wants to help you reflect on what it means for your life that Love came down at Christmas. Each day you will receive a link to downloadable reflection questions that accompany each devotion.
You can use these questions for personal reflection or to lead small group discussion. They are also great tools to start conversations with friends, family, and those in your community during the Advent season. If you use them as discussion starters, be prepared for people to give personal answers and make sure you’re ready to listen and receive what they have to say.
Download Today's Reflection Questions!
JUSTICE AND MERCY
Saturday, December 16, 2017
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:19)
• When have you shown mercy to someone else, even in a small way?
• When has someone shown mercy to you—and what difference did it make in your life?
• Where do you most need God’s mercy right now? Write or say a prayer asking for that mercy now.
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 81-83; Revelation 8Psalms 81:1 (0) For the Leader. On the gittit. By Asaf:
2 (1) Sing for joy to God our strength!
Shout to the God of Ya‘akov!
3 (2) Start the music! Beat the drum!
Play the sweet lyre and the lute!
4 (3) Sound the shofar at Rosh-Hodesh
and at full moon for the pilgrim feast,
5 (4) because this is a law for Isra’el,
a ruling of the God of Ya‘akov.
6 (5) He placed it as a testimony in Y’hosef
when he went out against the land of Egypt.
I heard an unfamiliar voice say,
7 (6) “I lifted the load from his shoulder;
his hands were freed from the [laborer’s] basket.
8 (7) You called out when you were in trouble,
and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud;
I tested you at the M’rivah Spring [by saying,] (Selah)
9 (8) “‘Hear, my people, while I give you warning!
Isra’el, if you would only listen to me!
10 (9) There is not to be with you any foreign god;
you are not to worship an alien god.
11 (10) I am Adonai your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will fill it.’
12 (11) “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Isra’el would have none of me.
13 (12) So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to live by their own plans.
14 (13) How I wish my people would listen to me,
that Isra’el would live by my ways!
15 (14) I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
16 (15) Those who hate Adonai would cringe before him,
while [Isra’el’s] time would last forever.
17 (16) They would be fed with the finest wheat,
and I would satisfy you with honey from the rocks.”
82:1 (0) A psalm of Asaf:
(1) Elohim [God] stands in the divine assembly;
there with the elohim [judges], he judges:
2 “How long will you go on judging unfairly,
favoring the wicked? (Selah)
3 Give justice to the weak and fatherless!
Uphold the rights of the wretched and poor!
4 Rescue the destitute and needy;
deliver them from the power of the wicked!”
5 They don’t know, they don’t understand,
they wander about in darkness;
meanwhile, all the foundations of the earth
are being undermined.
6 “My decree is: ‘You are elohim [gods, judges],
sons of the Most High all of you.
7 Nevertheless, you will die like mortals;
like any prince, you will fall.’”
8 Rise up, Elohim, and judge the earth;
for all the nations are yours.
83:1 (0) A song. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) God, don’t remain silent!
Don’t stay quiet, God, or still;
3 (2) because here are your enemies, causing an uproar;
those who hate you are raising their heads,
4 (3) craftily conspiring against your people,
consulting together against those you treasure.
5 (4) They say, “Come, let’s wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Isra’el be remembered no more!”
6 (5) With one mind they plot their schemes;
the covenant they have made is against you —
7 (6) the tents of Edom and the Yishma‘elim,
Mo’av and the Hagrim,
8 (7) G’val, ‘Amon and ‘Amalek,
P’leshet with those living in Tzor; (Selah)
9 (8) Ashur too is allied with them,
to reinforce the descendants of Lot.
10 (9) Do to them as you did to Midyan,
to Sisra and Yavin at Vadi Kishon —
11 (10) they were destroyed at ‘Ein-Dor
and became manure for the ground.
12 (11) Make their leaders like ‘Orev and Ze’ev,
all their princes like Zevach and Tzalmuna,
13 (12) who said, “Let’s take possession
of God’s meadows for ourselves.”
14 (13) My God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff driven by the wind.
15 (14) Like fire burning up the forest,
like a flame that sets the mountains ablaze,
16 (15) drive them away with your storm,
terrify them with your tempest.
17 (16) Fill their faces with shame,
so that they will seek your name, Adonai.
18 (17) Let them be ashamed and fearful forever;
yes, let them perish in disgrace.
19 (18) Let them know that you alone,
whose name is Adonai,
are the Most High over all the earth.
Revelation 8:1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for what seemed like half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven shofars. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar with a gold incense-bowl, and he was given a large quantity of incense to add to the prayers of all God’s people 4 on the gold altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of God’s people from the hand of the angel before God. 5 Then the angel took the incense-bowl, filled it with fire from the altar and threw it down onto the earth; and there followed peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 Now the seven angels with the seven shofars prepared to sound them.
7 The first one sounded his shofar; and there came hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was thrown down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded his shofar, and what looked like an enormous blazing mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his shofar; and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky onto a third of the rivers and onto the springs of water. 11 The name of the star was “Bitterness,” and a third of the water became bitter, and many people died from the water that had been turned bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded his shofar; and a third of the sun was struck, also a third of the moon and a third of the stars; so that a third of them were darkened, the day had a third less light, and the night likewise.
13 Then I looked, and I heard a lone eagle give a loud cry, as it flew in mid-heaven, “Woe! Woe! Woe to the people living on earth, because of the remaining blasts from the three angels who have yet to sound their shofars!”
---
The Lutheran Hour Ministries of Saint Louis, Missouri, United States - Daily Devotions written by Dr. Kari Vo from Her devotional, "" of
The Lutheran Hour for Friday, 15 December 2017 Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries "Real Problems, Real Savior"
TEXT: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)
I wonder sometimes what those few words are hiding: "she was found to be with child." The word "found" suggests that somebody realized it without Mary telling them. Perhaps it was her mother; perhaps it was Joseph, her fiancé. We don't know the details, but it probably wasn't a pretty scene.
I'm certain this wasn't what Mary dreamed of when she was a little girl, playing house. In those dreams, everything always goes right, doesn't it? First comes a beautiful wedding, then a home and children who are always good and never rebel or argue. And of course nobody ever gets sick or dies.
But the real world is messy, as we all know. And God came into our real world-the one that includes yelling and screaming and tears and unwed mothers, broken engagements and what-will-the-neighbors-say. God came into our world, and that's good for us. Because we desperately need a Savior.
In a way, it's entirely fitting that our Savior was conceived by a young girl in a precarious relationship, in danger of public shaming or worse. It's fitting that He was born in substandard housing and laid in an animal's feed trough. It's fitting that He spent the first few years of His life as a refugee in Egypt, fleeing a dangerous government. It's fitting because all these things are still with us today-broken families, poverty, exile, fear. And they aren't going away soon.
We need a Savior-oh, how we need Him! And so God came to us-came to be one of us, a child raised in the middle of all the human troubles we face. He knows our lives-he has shared them. He has shared our death in all the fullness of suffering. And now He promises to share His own resurrection with us on the day when He makes all things new.
In the meantime, we hold on to Jesus' promise: "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
THE PRAYER: Lord, You know what I need. Overcome my problems in Your mercy, and keep me close to You. Amen.
Love Came Down Reflection Questions!
LHM wants to help you reflect on what it means for your life that Love came down at Christmas. Each day you will receive a link to downloadable reflection questions that accompany each devotion.
You can use these questions for personal reflection or to lead small group discussion. They are also great tools to start conversations with friends, family, and those in your community during the Advent season. If you use them as discussion starters, be prepared for people to give personal answers and make sure you’re ready to listen and receive what they have to say.
Download Today's Reflection Questions!
• How is your life today different from what you imagined as a child?
• Think of an area of life you have trouble with right now. If Christ were visibly, bodily standing in front of you, what words do you think He would have for you?
• If you feel comfortable, share a story about a time when God took a difficult time in your life and used it for good.
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 79-80; Revelation 7
Psalms 79:1 (0) A psalm of Asaf:
(1) God, the pagans have entered your heritage.
They have defiled your holy temple
and turned Yerushalayim into rubble.
2 They have given the corpses of your servants
as food for the birds in the air,
yes, the flesh of those faithful to you
for the wild animals of the earth.
3 All around Yerushalayim
they have shed their blood like water,
and no one is left to bury them.
4 We suffer the taunts of our neighbors,
we are mocked and scorned by those around us.
5 How long, Adonai?
Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call out your name;
7 for they have devoured Ya‘akov
and left his home a waste.
8 Don’t count past iniquities against us,
but let your compassion come quickly to meet us,
for we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, God of our salvation,
for the sake of the glory of your name.
Deliver us, forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”
Let the vengeance taken on your servants’ shed blood
be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groaning of the captives come before you;
by your great strength save those condemned to death.
12 Repay our neighbors sevenfold where they can feel it
for the insults they inflicted on you, Adonai.
13 Then we, your people and the flock in your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
From generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
80:1 (0) For the leader. Set to “Lilies.” A testimony. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) Shepherd of Isra’el, listen!
You who lead Yosef like a flock,
you whose throne is on the k’ruvim,
shine out!
3 (2) Before Efrayim, Binyamin and M’nasheh,
rouse your power; and come to save us.
4 (3) God, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
5 (4) Adonai, God of armies, how long
will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
6 (5) You have fed them tears as their bread
and made them drink tears in abundance.
7 (6) You make our neighbors fight over us,
and our enemies mock us.
8 (7) God of armies, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
9 (8) You brought a vine out of Egypt,
you expelled the nations and planted it,
10 (9) you cleared a space for it;
then it took root firmly and filled the land.
11 (10) The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
12 (11) It put out branches as far as the sea
and shoots to the [Euphrates] River.
13 (12) Why did you break down [the vineyard’s] wall,
so that all passing by can pluck [its fruit]?
14 (13) The boar from the forest tears it apart;
wild creatures from the fields feed on it.
15 (14) God of armies, please come back!
Look from heaven, see, and tend this vine!
16 (15) Protect what your right hand planted,
the son you made strong for yourself.
17 (16) It is burned by fire, it is cut down;
they perish at your frown of rebuke.
18 (17) Help the man at your right hand,
the son of man you made strong for yourself.
19 (18) Then we won’t turn away from you —
if you revive us, we will call on your name.
20 (19) Adonai, God of armies, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
Revelation 7:1 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the land, on the sea or on any tree. 2 I saw another angel coming up from the east with a seal from the living God, and he shouted to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea, 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!” 4 I heard how many were sealed — 144,000 from every tribe of the people of Isra’el:
5 From the tribe of Y’hudah 12,000 were sealed
from the tribe of Re’uven 12,000
from the tribe of Gad, 12,000
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000
from the tribe of Naftali 12,000
from the tribe of M’nasheh 12,000
7 from the tribe of Shim‘on 12,000
from the tribe of Levi 12,000
from the tribe of Yissakhar 12,000
8 from the tribe of Z’vulun 12,000
from the tribe of Yosef 12,000
from the tribe of Binyamin 12,000
9 After this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands; 10 and they shouted,
“Victory to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders and the four living beings; they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, saying,
12 “Amen!
“Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks,
honor and power and strength
belong to our God forever and ever!
“Amen!”
13 One of the elders asked me, “These people dressed in white robes — who are they, and where are they from?” 14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” Then he told me, “These are the people who have come out of the Great Persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. 15 That is why they are before God’s throne.
“Day and night they serve him in his Temple;
and the One who sits on the throne
will put his Sh’khinah upon them.
16 “They will never again be hungry,
they will never again be thirsty,
the sun will not beat down on them,
nor will any burning heat.[Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10]
17 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will shepherd them, will lead them
to springs of living water,[Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10; Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 34:23; Psalm 23:1–2]
and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”[Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8]
---
The Lutheran Hour for Friday, 15 December 2017 Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries "Real Problems, Real Savior"
TEXT: Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)
I wonder sometimes what those few words are hiding: "she was found to be with child." The word "found" suggests that somebody realized it without Mary telling them. Perhaps it was her mother; perhaps it was Joseph, her fiancé. We don't know the details, but it probably wasn't a pretty scene.
I'm certain this wasn't what Mary dreamed of when she was a little girl, playing house. In those dreams, everything always goes right, doesn't it? First comes a beautiful wedding, then a home and children who are always good and never rebel or argue. And of course nobody ever gets sick or dies.
But the real world is messy, as we all know. And God came into our real world-the one that includes yelling and screaming and tears and unwed mothers, broken engagements and what-will-the-neighbors-say. God came into our world, and that's good for us. Because we desperately need a Savior.
In a way, it's entirely fitting that our Savior was conceived by a young girl in a precarious relationship, in danger of public shaming or worse. It's fitting that He was born in substandard housing and laid in an animal's feed trough. It's fitting that He spent the first few years of His life as a refugee in Egypt, fleeing a dangerous government. It's fitting because all these things are still with us today-broken families, poverty, exile, fear. And they aren't going away soon.
We need a Savior-oh, how we need Him! And so God came to us-came to be one of us, a child raised in the middle of all the human troubles we face. He knows our lives-he has shared them. He has shared our death in all the fullness of suffering. And now He promises to share His own resurrection with us on the day when He makes all things new.
In the meantime, we hold on to Jesus' promise: "I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
THE PRAYER: Lord, You know what I need. Overcome my problems in Your mercy, and keep me close to You. Amen.
Love Came Down Reflection Questions!
LHM wants to help you reflect on what it means for your life that Love came down at Christmas. Each day you will receive a link to downloadable reflection questions that accompany each devotion.
You can use these questions for personal reflection or to lead small group discussion. They are also great tools to start conversations with friends, family, and those in your community during the Advent season. If you use them as discussion starters, be prepared for people to give personal answers and make sure you’re ready to listen and receive what they have to say.
Download Today's Reflection Questions!
REAL PROBLEMS, REAL SAVIOR
Friday, December 15, 2017
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)• How is your life today different from what you imagined as a child?
• Think of an area of life you have trouble with right now. If Christ were visibly, bodily standing in front of you, what words do you think He would have for you?
• If you feel comfortable, share a story about a time when God took a difficult time in your life and used it for good.
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 79-80; Revelation 7
Psalms 79:1 (0) A psalm of Asaf:
(1) God, the pagans have entered your heritage.
They have defiled your holy temple
and turned Yerushalayim into rubble.
2 They have given the corpses of your servants
as food for the birds in the air,
yes, the flesh of those faithful to you
for the wild animals of the earth.
3 All around Yerushalayim
they have shed their blood like water,
and no one is left to bury them.
4 We suffer the taunts of our neighbors,
we are mocked and scorned by those around us.
5 How long, Adonai?
Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations that don’t know you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call out your name;
7 for they have devoured Ya‘akov
and left his home a waste.
8 Don’t count past iniquities against us,
but let your compassion come quickly to meet us,
for we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, God of our salvation,
for the sake of the glory of your name.
Deliver us, forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?”
Let the vengeance taken on your servants’ shed blood
be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groaning of the captives come before you;
by your great strength save those condemned to death.
12 Repay our neighbors sevenfold where they can feel it
for the insults they inflicted on you, Adonai.
13 Then we, your people and the flock in your pasture,
will give you thanks forever.
From generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
80:1 (0) For the leader. Set to “Lilies.” A testimony. A psalm of Asaf:
2 (1) Shepherd of Isra’el, listen!
You who lead Yosef like a flock,
you whose throne is on the k’ruvim,
shine out!
3 (2) Before Efrayim, Binyamin and M’nasheh,
rouse your power; and come to save us.
4 (3) God, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
5 (4) Adonai, God of armies, how long
will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
6 (5) You have fed them tears as their bread
and made them drink tears in abundance.
7 (6) You make our neighbors fight over us,
and our enemies mock us.
8 (7) God of armies, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
9 (8) You brought a vine out of Egypt,
you expelled the nations and planted it,
10 (9) you cleared a space for it;
then it took root firmly and filled the land.
11 (10) The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
12 (11) It put out branches as far as the sea
and shoots to the [Euphrates] River.
13 (12) Why did you break down [the vineyard’s] wall,
so that all passing by can pluck [its fruit]?
14 (13) The boar from the forest tears it apart;
wild creatures from the fields feed on it.
15 (14) God of armies, please come back!
Look from heaven, see, and tend this vine!
16 (15) Protect what your right hand planted,
the son you made strong for yourself.
17 (16) It is burned by fire, it is cut down;
they perish at your frown of rebuke.
18 (17) Help the man at your right hand,
the son of man you made strong for yourself.
19 (18) Then we won’t turn away from you —
if you revive us, we will call on your name.
20 (19) Adonai, God of armies, restore us!
Make your face shine, and we will be saved.
Revelation 7:1 After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the land, on the sea or on any tree. 2 I saw another angel coming up from the east with a seal from the living God, and he shouted to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea, 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!” 4 I heard how many were sealed — 144,000 from every tribe of the people of Isra’el:
5 From the tribe of Y’hudah 12,000 were sealed
from the tribe of Re’uven 12,000
from the tribe of Gad, 12,000
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000
from the tribe of Naftali 12,000
from the tribe of M’nasheh 12,000
7 from the tribe of Shim‘on 12,000
from the tribe of Levi 12,000
from the tribe of Yissakhar 12,000
8 from the tribe of Z’vulun 12,000
from the tribe of Yosef 12,000
from the tribe of Binyamin 12,000
9 After this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands; 10 and they shouted,
“Victory to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders and the four living beings; they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, saying,
12 “Amen!
“Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks,
honor and power and strength
belong to our God forever and ever!
“Amen!”
13 One of the elders asked me, “These people dressed in white robes — who are they, and where are they from?” 14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” Then he told me, “These are the people who have come out of the Great Persecution. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb. 15 That is why they are before God’s throne.
“Day and night they serve him in his Temple;
and the One who sits on the throne
will put his Sh’khinah upon them.
16 “They will never again be hungry,
they will never again be thirsty,
the sun will not beat down on them,
nor will any burning heat.[Revelation 7:16 Isaiah 49:10]
17 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will shepherd them, will lead them
to springs of living water,[Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 49:10; Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 34:23; Psalm 23:1–2]
and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”[Revelation 7:17 Isaiah 25:8]
---
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Share this email:
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment