Advent Devotional • December 17

Tuesday, December 17
Written by Rev. David Klingensmith
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Luke 1:46b-55

We often think of Mary as just a humble young girl from a poor class of folks who, when told by the angel that she was to bear God’s Son, said very humbly, “May it be to me according to your word.”

But there is also something else about her. According to Luke’s account, she was strong enough to question how this could happen when she had not been with a man. And in these words that are usually referred to as the Song of Mary or the Magnificat, she virtually becomes a prophet.

Rev. Judith Jones says, “Mary sings about the God who saves not just souls, but embodied people. The God she celebrates is not content merely to point people toward heaven; God’s redemptive work begins here on earth. God fills the hungry not only with hope, but with food. Rather than being satisfied with comforting the lowly, Mary’s Lord lifts them up, granting them dignity and honor, a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation. At the same time, God shows strength by disrupting the world’s power structures, dethroning rulers, and humbling the mighty.”

During this Advent season, may we reflect on how we can be signs of God’s inbreaking presence, and how we can be part of God’s redemptive work in our community and the world.

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 16

Monday, December 16
Written by Rev. Raygan Baker
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Isaiah 35:1-10

One of our most potent metaphors for the life of faith is that of a journey, or path; a metaphor that Isaiah squeezes everything he/they can draw from it. This journey is no easy one day family hike along a well-maintained trail, nor is it paved, yet. In our spiritual seeking, searching, and direction-discerning, there is much more at stake. This is a fraught and dangerous journey through unmapped territory, a journey that we really can’t prepare for, and demands our vulnerability as we confront the most dangerous
realities of our lives.

The good news is that we are not left to find our way alone. If we understand that this journey is a path we take, I think that rather than leading us toward an unknown destination, this vision of the journey is more of an orbit around one central claim: that it is God who saves. The path in this passage starts in the desert; which is not an ideal place to start. Except, unexpectedly, the desert around us blooms, transforms, and bursts with flourishing life. Then our very own tired, oppressed, pain-inducing bodies
will be restored and open our eyes to God’s saving action. Then our bodies are transformed and made whole, and the journey itself has been expunged of every barrier toward embracing the Divine. The prophet moves from creation to our bodies, to the central claim that God saves, back to our corporeal transformation, and finally back out to all of creation. The road will no longer be dangerous, and none of us will be lost. This is God’s action, not our own. Where do you need to admit you are lost, and
not in control?

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 15

Sunday, December 15
Journal
Matthew 11:2-11

Messengers from John the Baptist
When John heard in prison what the
Messiah was doing, he sent word by
his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you
the one who is to come, or are we to
wait for another?’ Jesus answered them,
‘Go and tell John what you hear and
see: the blind receive their sight, the
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the
poor have good news brought to
them. And blessed is anyone who takes
no offence at me.’

Jesus Praises John the Baptist
As they went away, Jesus began to
speak to the crowds about John: ‘What
did you go out into the wilderness to
look at? A reed shaken by the wind?
What then did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in soft robes? Look,
those who wear soft robes are in royal
palaces. What then did you go out to
see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more
than a prophet. This is the one about
whom it is written, “See, I am sending my
messenger ahead of you, who will
prepare your way before you.” Truly I tell
you, among those born of women no
one has arisen greater than John the
Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he.

Journal Prompt:

On December 8th we journaled about John the Baptist’s proclamation of the coming of Jesus. Today we witness an interaction between Jesus and the messengers of John the Baptist, and then Jesus addresses the crowd about John. Compare the two readings, what through-lines can you draw? How does the first reading help you understand the reading today. What questions are left? The theme of this section is “Waiting for Joy.” Do you draw any connections with this text and the theme? Why or why not?

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 14

Written by Kim Williams
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Psalm 27:1-4

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his temple.

My daughter Dorothy is five years old, and she has some very stereotypical five-year old habits. One of those habits is being absolutely terrified of the dark. There’s something very unsettling about bedtime, and we have to ritualize our routine in order to get her down for the night. Neon roller skate light turned on, her door left ajar so she feels connected to us, our door left ajar so she doesn’t feel shut out, the blankets arranged around her tiny frame like a hug, and our goodnight prayer which we sing.

When we skip steps, we end up with her in our room before 10:00. I think the psalmist must have known a kindergartner, because this verse speaks to that uneasy relationship with the unknown that her fear of the dark seems to stem from. Even in our times of deep fear and uncertainty when we don’t know the next step, God is there to tuck us in tightly and keep our nightlight lit throughout the night.

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 13

 

Written by Rev. Dr. Norman Broadbent
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Luke 2:25-33

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

The narrative begins eight days after the birth of Jesus and the visit from the shepherds. The baby is named and circumcised — a rite that marks Jesus as Jewish, as part of the people that God has called. Jesus is firmly located within the people with whom God has kept covenant for hundreds of years. In Luke 2:21 we also have the fulfillment of the angel’s instruction in 1:31 to name the baby “Jesus,” a name that means “God saves.”

Simeon is a man under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and it is the Holy Spirit who brings Simeon to the temple at the right time. This continues an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit that began in Luke 1 and continues throughout. It will be the Holy Spirit that rests on Jesus and enables his ministry (4:1-18) and who will give power for witness and growth to the church (Acts 1:8). When Simeon lifts up Jesus, he makes an amazing declaration about this baby.

This baby is the one who will be the salvation of the whole world — not just Jews but also Gentiles. But immediately after this declaration of salvation, Simeon turns to Mary and tells her that this salvation will not come easy. Jesus will be the source of rising and falling for people in Israel. Joel Green notes that “we gain sight of an ominous cloud, the first explicit manifestation of the reality that God’s purpose will not be universally supported, and the first candid portent that the narrative to follow will be a story of conflict.”

Yet this segment offers a startling sense of peace- perhaps in the hope of an old man cradling an infant, each now in the capture of the Holy Spirit.

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 12

Written by Rev. Dr. Garner Scott Odell
First Congregational Church of Fresno
Psalm 122

Devotional: Images flood our minds of the sorrows of this world: tent cities hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees; children so undernourished that eight-month-olds are mistaken for newborns; young black sons found dead in the streets; a political process so deceptive that a “Pinocchio Scale” is devised to see who tells the biggest lies.Where is peace? Where is true shalom—peace that is not just absence from violence but holistic rest—encompassing internal and external peace with God and neighbor and earth and self? Advent, the season of waiting for Christ to come, is a time to remember how very good it is to go to the house of the Lord. We go to the house of the Lord not to forget the troubles of the world, not to hide our eyes from the suffering, but to acknowledge them. For we remember that God does not stand far off, does not ignore suffering and sin, but God enters in. God took on human flesh, felt hunger and thirst and pain. Our Lord Jesus Christ defeated sin and death. So we await Christ’s coming again when True Shalom will reign. We do not hide from sorrow, but we confess our sins, what we have done and what we have left undone, our individual sins and our collective sins. And we pray for peace while believing in the one who was and is and is to come, our Prince of Peace.

Prayer: Almighty God, it is truly good to spend time in your house praising your name. We give you thanks that you do not stand far off, but that you enter into our suffering. Teach us to be advocates for peace in this restless world, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 11

Wednesday, December 11
Journal
Isaiah 40: 1-11

A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of
the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for
our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

Journal Prpmpt:

Read the above excerpt from Isaiah 40:1-11. In what ways are you preparing the way of the Lord? Do these ways extend into your family life? Into the community? Keeping the theme of this section, “Waiting for Peace” in mind, how does that inform your understanding of what the work of preparation entails?

 

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 10

Tuesday, December 10
Written by Lisa Boyles
Community United Church of Christ
1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind — just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you — so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We are all struggling with something, all the time — anger, deadlines, anxiety, pain, illness, grief. These things roil our insides, wake us in the dead of night, disrupt our peace. It is hard to move past them. But maybe we don’t have to. It is all part of who we are; every part adds up to the sum of the whole that is our life.

Our faith can bring us peace, if we let it, if we are open to the calming force of our Lord’s presence in our life. It is all part of who we are — we can allow balance between the difficult shards and the soothing grace of God.

Both are real and valid.

Don’t try to bury the hurt. Sit with the pain. Breathe deeply. As you inhale, feel the peace from our Father, our Mother. Let gratitude fill you, for feeling this, for the gift of life, in all its grief and joy.

Every day can hold ugliness and hurt. But each day is also sacred. Don’t block out the pain, for in doing so, you will also obliterate what is good.

As you wait for peace, cultivate the soil of your spirit to allow it in. And when it fills you up, take it back into the world to help lift those around you out of their despair.

Grace to you.

 

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 9

Monday, December 9
Written by Rev. Ara Guekguezian
Community United Church of Christ
Isaiah 11:1-10

Hearing that the wolf shall live with the lamb…and the lion shall eat straw like the ox is a bit unnerving. These few words reflect a complete transformation of the created order. How will we be able to function or dwell in a completely different universe? The passage concludes with ‘and his dwelling shall be glorious.’ But you and I are normal (ish) human beings.

The restoration, the wholeness, the shalom of this eleventh chapter of Isaiah begins with the very usual way: the salvific act and person comes naturally. New life comes directly from a healthy root. The Messiah is not a superhero alien coming from another part of the universe, but from our forebears. And we follow directly from that stump, that root. The one who is the fulfillment of these words, uttered a few of his own: I am the vine and you are the branches.

As we wait, we also prepare to participate in the transformational acts that make peace and establish justice.

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.

Advent Devotional • December 8

Sunday, December 8
Journal
Matthew 3:1-12

The Proclamation of John the Baptist
In those days John the Baptist
appeared in the wilderness of Judea,
proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven has come near.’ This is the one of
whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.” ’
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a
leather belt around his waist, and his food was
locusts and wild honey. Then the people of
Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to
him, and all the region along the Jordan, and
they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and
Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to
them, ‘You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the wrath
to come? Bear fruit worthy of
repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves,
“We have Abraham as our ancestor”;
for I tell you, God is able from these stones to
raise up children to Abraham. Even now the
ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree
therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut
down and thrown into the fire.
‘I baptize you with water for
repentance, but one who is more
powerful than I is coming after me; I am not
worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His
winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear
his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat
into the
granary; but the chaff he will burn with
unquenchable fire.’

Journal Prompt:

Read the above text from Matthew 3:1-12. There is strong, graphic imagery in this passage. What is your initial reaction to it? Write down your gut reaction. Read it again. Did anything change upon a second reading? Were your initial feelings strengthened? Read it one more time, and journal any insights that this story about John the Baptist might have revealed.

 

***

You can download a PDF of the devotional here.