Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries "Bringing Down and Raising Up" for Thursday, December 15, 2016

Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries 
"Bringing Down and Raising Up" for Thursday, December 15, 2016

(And Mary said) "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate"(Luke 1:52). 
Read Luke 1:51-55. Luke 1:51 “He has performed mighty deeds with his arm,

    routed the secretly proud,

52 brought down rulers from their thrones,

    raised up the humble,

53 filled the hungry with good things,

    but sent the rich away empty.

54 “He has taken the part of his servant Isra’el,

    mindful of the mercy

55 which he promised to our fathers,

    to Avraham and his seed forever.”

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I used to snoop around the house to find the presents from mom and dad. Their solution was to wrap up the presents a few weeks early, then put them under the tree -- without any name tags on them. We examined those packages with magnifying glasses but found no clue as to which present belonged to which of us five boys. My solution was daring and brilliant: I found the biggest package under the tree and claimed it as my own. Whenever we posed for pictures I stood by my beautiful, huge present. Of course, on Christmas morning it always ended up belonging to one of my brothers.
A few days back we discussed the stigma the Jewish culture put upon childless couples like Zechariah and Elizabeth. That proud and arrogant attitude plagued the entire Jewish culture. It was commonly thought that God showed His favor to certain people by giving them wealth, power and prominence. And He showed His displeasure to others through poverty, disease and a low social standing.
Mary's experience shattered that foolish presumption. God passed by all the virgin daughters of the rich, powerful, prominent families in Jerusalem, and instead He chose an unknown girl from an obscure city in the despised north. Jesus would say it best, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).
None of us can stand before our pure and holy God in our own righteousness. Our only hope is through the humble Christ Child, born in a lowly manger, nailed to a despised cross, raised to glory on the third day, and seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
THE PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You humble the proud and raise up the lowly. Turn me from my arrogant, sinful pride that I may cling to Jesus Christ, My Lord and Savior, my pride and joy. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Today's Bible in a Year Reading: Psalms 79-80; Revelation 7
Psalms 79:(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]

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