The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Unsentimental Christmas" for Wednesday, 14 December 2016 with Scripture: Matthew 2:1-18

The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Unsentimental Christmas" for Wednesday, 14 December 2016 with Scripture: Matthew 2:1 After Yeshua was born in Beit-Lechem in the land of Y’hudah during the time when Herod was king, Magi from the east came to Yerushalayim 2 and asked, “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard of this he became very agitated, and so did everyone else in Yerushalayim. 4 He called together all the head cohanim and Torah-teachers of the people and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?” 5 “In Beit-Lechem of Y’hudah,” they replied, “because the prophet wrote,
6 ‘And you, Beit-Lechem in the land of Y’hudah,
are by no means the least among the rulers of Y’hudah;
for from you will come a Ruler
who will shepherd my people Isra’el.’”[[Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:1(2)]
7 Herod summoned the Magi to meet with him privately and asked them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Beit-Lechem with these instructions: “Search carefully for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had listened to the king, they went away; and the star which they had seen in the east went in front of them until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 Upon entering the house, they saw the child with his mother Miryam; and they prostrated themselves and worshipped him. Then they opened their bags and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 But they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they took another route back to their own country.
13 After they had gone, an angel of Adonai appeared to Yosef in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave. For Herod is going to look for the child in order to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until Herod died. This happened in order to fulfill what Adonai had said through the prophet,
“Out of Egypt I called my son.”[Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1]
16 Meanwhile, when Herod realized that the Magi had tricked him, he was furious and gave orders to kill all the boys in and around Beit-Lechem who were two years old or less, calculating from the time the Magi had told him. 17 In this way were fulfilled the words spoken through the prophet Yirmeyahu,
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and lamenting loudly.
It was Rachel sobbing for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no longer alive.”[Matthew 2:18 Jeremiah 31:14(15)]
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Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.[Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)]
If I could omit one part of the New Testament, it would be the story in Matthew 2:16-18. I wonder why Matthew included it when Mark, Luke, and John were able to tell the good news without including this horrific account. Perhaps Matthew did not want us to confuse sentimentality with hope. Perhaps God inspired Matthew to include this story, knowing that later readers would live in a world where the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, Rwandan genocide, and unrelenting war in Syria are realities. A birth that did not give hope even in the face of such horrendous events would not be powerful enough to redeem this world.
Matthew gives us the unsentimental version of Christmas. It is not a Christmas that pretends that evil does not exist or that promises a small vacation from the evil in this world. The birth of Christ demonstrates to us that while evil is entrenched in this world, it is not in charge. So in the end, however much it disrupts my sentimental view of Christmas, I really am glad this story is in the Bible. It shows me that even at the darkest moment, God gave birth to hope through Jesus Christ.
The Author: Michael A. Macdonald (North Carolina, USA)
Thought for the Day: Rather than ignoring the sorrows of the world, I can look to Christ for hope.
Prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, into our hearts and into the world with the hope that only you can offer. Amen.
Prayer focus: THE PEOPLE OF SYRIA
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The Upper Room Daily Devotionals in Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Choosing the Light" for Tuesday, 13 December 2016 with Scripture: 1 John 2:7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command. On the contrary, it is an old command, which you have had from the beginning; the old command is the message which you have heard before. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, and its reality is seen both in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in this light while hating his brother is still in the dark. 10 The person who keeps loving his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him that could make him trip. 11 But the person who hates his brother is in the dark — yes, he is walking in the dark, and he doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 You children, I am writing you
    because your sins have been forgiven for his sake.
13 You fathers, I am writing you
    because you have known him who has existed from the beginning.
You young people, I am writing you
    because you have overcome the Evil One.
14 You children, I have written you
    because you have known the Father.
You fathers, I have written you
    because you have known him who has existed from the beginning.
You young people, I have written you
    because you are strong —
    the Word of God remains in you,
    and you have overcome the Evil One.
15 Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the world, then love for the Father is not in him; 16 because all the things of the world — the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes, and the pretensions of life — are not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, along with its desires. But whoever does God’s will remains forever.

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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”[John 8:12 (NIV)]
Sometimes when our family is traveling we carry camping equipment with us. We try to find somewhere suitable to set up camp while it is still daylight. That makes it far easier to find somewhere pleasant for us to eat a meal and stay for the night.
It is possible to choose a safe site and set up a tent in the dark, but it is far more difficult without the help of daylight. At one site we chose in the dark, we woke the next morning and were alarmed to find dingo tracks in the dry creek-bed beside where we had camped — not a spot we would have chosen in the light!
Sometimes our lives reflect a struggle similar to finding a good campsite in the dark. At times I try to live in my own limited light. It is possible but difficult, and I eventually realize why my life has become such a struggle. I then choose to stop ignoring Jesus’ presence, love, and strength, and choose to live in Christ’s light once again.
Life is so much easier and richer when we live in the light of Christ. We can see where we are going and know that there is someone beside us, guiding and supporting us.
Read more from the author, here."More from Meg Mangan"
As I write this, it is only a few days since there was an unusual phenomena where the full moon was the brightest it has been in about 50 years. The moon was closer to the earth, appearing to be brighter and larger.
Sometimes it seems to me that God’s light can be seen at its brilliant best in our lives and sometimes it is hidden by “clouds." Those are not clouds formed by God. They are clouds formed by things going on in our own lives and things happening in the world around us.
Many things can cause us to lose focus on God and to see less clearly. Busyness, doubts, fears, anxiety, and distractions can each block God’s light and love from our lives.
If we move away from God’s light, the clouds can become overwhelming. Problems can appear to be bigger than they really are, casting immense shadows across our lives.
Staying close to God and his light can help us to see these issues for what they are – small problems which, with God’s help, can be put into perspective and dealt with.
As a pastoral caretaker within our congregation, I can become overwhelmed by the need to visit people, phone people, and support them. Or I can take my day to God in prayer and ask him to direct my day.
When I remember to do that, it seems that I make the most necessary calls and visits – knowing that God is directing my path and shining light on what needs my attention that day. That frees my heart and mind to focus more fully on the people I am with.
There have been times when people have exclaimed, “How did you know that I needed a phone call or visit right now?” It is comforting to be able to respond that it wasn’t that I knew – God knew, because he knows them and loves them dearly.
Living in God’s light always makes life better – no matter where I am or what I am doing![Meg Mangan]
The Author: Meg Mangan (New South Wales, Australia)
Thought for the Day: Jesus is with me to guide and support me.
Prayer: Loving Jesus, thank you for your light which shows us the way. Help us always to strive to live in your light. Amen.
Prayer focus: PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN TENTS-------