Wednesday, November 30

Amos 3:12-4:5

Psalms 12, 13, 14, 119:1-24

2 Peter 3:1-10

Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew 21:23-32

Matthew's passage spoke to me immediately as a parent, so I had to choose this one!  The chief priests and elders questioned Jesus' authority while teaching in the temple.  Unaware that Jesus was "God" on earth, they asked him why he was able to teach to the people.  He used John's baptism as his answer - in question form - from where did John's authority come from?  The answer of course was from God, but they could not answer.  So as I read this, it spoke to me as a parent and a mother.  When I would discipline Jackson, my son, as a child I would get the answer most parents get:  WHY? And then what would come out of my mouth was "because I said so."  My child was always questioning my answer and "my authority."  Behind my reasoning was that I knew what was best for him, but since he was young and could not understand the WHY I would say "God gave me you as a gift and so I have the responsibility to take care of you and teach you!"  

Our authority with our children comes directly from God to show them the light and the way of righteousness, just as John the Baptist and Jesus came to light our way and show us the way back to God through their teachings.  We may not always know reasoning behind the WHY but we need to have the faith to accept it and know that it is leading us to the LIGHT at the end of the tunnel for all eternity.

Stephanie Hart

Tuesday, November 29

Amos 3:1-11

Psalms 5, 6, 10, 11

2 Peter 1:12-21

Matthew 21:12-22

   

 Matthew 21:12-22

Communication is the key to good relationships.  Without it, any relationship will weaken and ultimately dissolve, whether between friends, between married couples, or in our relationship with God.  Without good communication, we drift apart from dear ones and don’t recognize the real truth of what’s happened and what we’ve lost. 

Our relationship with God is the key relationship of our life.  Prayer is how we keep our communication lines open, and we need to work daily at this.  God is our port in any storm.  He is the one who will always help us with our problems, and through prayer we find the way to go forward to find the faith, the goodness, the knowledge, and the love we all seek.  We know in Matthew 21:14 that the blind and lame came to Him at the temple and He healed them.  Later in verse 21, He promises, “If you believe, you will receive, whatever you ask for in prayer.”

So we must talk to our heavenly Father – any time is the right time.  God is always listening and always answers, but it’s not our answer, it’s His answer we must be open to. 

Elizabeth and Ian Bremner

Monday, November 28

Amos 2:6-16

Psalms 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

2 Peter 1:1-11

Matthew 21:1-11

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins (2Peter1:5-9 NIV).

I spend a lot of time paging through recipe books and holiday magazines. It’s an annual ritual. I love to see beautifully decorated tables with carefully presented main dishes and desserts that cause me to drool and gain another ten pounds just by opening the book. Yum! I’ll select one or two new recipes for my family to try. Together we will assemble the ingredients, measure, add, mix, fold, sprinkle and bake until golden brown. Then, with a bit of ceremony, the freshly baked creation will be served. Hopefully the new treat will taste as good as it looked on the pages of my cookbook. If it does it will become a part of tradition next year.

2 Peter 1:5-9 reads like a recipe for daily abundant life: to faith add goodness, and then stir in knowledge and self-control. Next, gently fold in perseverance and godliness, and then sprinkle with mutual affection and love. This is a difficult recipe for me to follow and most days I find myself in short supply of the ingredients. Thankfully, God’s daily measure of grace is enough to fill my ever dwindling supplies. His divine power gives me everything I need.

God gives us “His very great and precious promise” (v.4) and invites us into this wonderful season of preparing for the coming of our Lord and Savior.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (2Peter1:2 NIV).

Juli Browning

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Sunday, November 27

Amos 1:1-5, 13-2:8

Psalms 111, 112, 113, 146, 147

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

Luke 21:5-19

Psalm 147 "...3He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

4He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.

5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite...."

Many of you have heard me say that it was definitely God's plan, that a girl from Tasmania married an Indian, moved to Germany and ended up in Texas, because I certainly never predicted it! But as most of you know, at the end of this school year, and after almost sixteen years in the U.S, I will be going home to Australia.

I have to be honest, along with being absolutely overjoyed at the prospect of returning home to my parents, sisters, nieces and nephews, I am very nervous. Not for the fact that I am moving from the fourth largest city in the United States to the third oldest city in Australia, but nervous about continuing my faith journey in a small town. I began questioning myself, am I strong enough that when others don't understand my Christian values will I not give in to theirs? You see, my eyes and heart were only truly opened to God and His Word after moving to the United States and giving birth to my daughter, Ashli.

Then, in preparation for writing this devotional, I opened my Bible and I started reading the many papers and cards tucked between the pages, the underlined scripture and the notes in the margins. There was a card from Chad, a little boy from the very first Sunday School class that I taught, a book mark from the first Christian Women's Health Day that I helped put together in San Antonio, it says "Behold! I stand at the door and knock..." Revelations 3:20. A breast cancer card that simply says, "Courage." A hand-written thank you card from a youth group quoting Matthew 25:45 and John 7:37-38, "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water." A VBS card with Luke 1:37 "For Nothing is impossible with God." A note written by Ashli in 4th grade about what God is to her; "To me God is strong, God is real." And a letter from the late Rev. Alfred C. Acer, welcoming me to church, "When you rejoice, we shall share your joy with you and give thanks for the blessings you have received. When you are in need, we shall be there offering our solace and strength..." And it was then that I saw the finger prints of all the lives that have intertwined with mine, some briefly, some forever. And I realize my journey is moving me home, not away from God, but closer.

So as I begin this next phase of my life, I will be clinging to my God, my Bible and the sweet memories of God's people who have walked this leg of my journey along side me and taught me so much. I will always remember my brothers and sisters in Christ, from Reformation Lutheran Church Long Branch, New Jersey, St Andrew Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas, Memorial Drive Lutheran Church and Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, Houston Texas. From you, I have learned the true meaning of faith, love, forgiveness, kindness, bravery and charity. I will live by the words from the Book of Amos, 5:1-5 when it says; "Seek Me and live..." and "Seek the Lord and live...", and be comforted by the words of Psalm 147:5 "Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." I will "Praise the Lord!" as the hallelujah Psalms tell us too, (Psalms 111-118) and when I read Philippians 1:3-6 I will remember you; "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Julieanne Mani