Sunday, December 20, 2015

Genesis 3:8-15

Psalm 24, 29

Revelations 12:1-10

John 3:16-21

John's gospel describes God's commitment to the world with an appeal to our instinct for parental love.  This appeal makes the description immediately relatable, giving it weight and meaning.  The beauty of God's grace is that it is given without regard for merit.  We are meant to accept this gift and allow it to transform the world through our actions.  In each of us, God has a conduit through which to shine His light and banish the darkness.

Mark E Ramey, Jr.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Zechariah 8:9-17

Psalm 55

Revelations 6:1-17

Matthew 25:31-46

…”Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

~ Matthew 25:40

Have you ever wondered if you will go to heaven? Have you wondered what we have to do to be able to enter the Kingdom of God? Do you ever wonder if you’ve been good enough…or done too much bad?

Growing up I believed that if I were a “good person” I would surely go to heaven. Later as an adult, when I started participating in bible studies, taking time to read scripture, I learned differently. I learned that I needed to have a true relationship with Jesus; I needed to accept the love He has for me; to have him in my heart; to proclaim Him as my Lord and Savior. Wanting this relationship more than life itself became my motivation to pursue Him. Little did I know then, that it was He that had been pursuing me all this time. So together, with Christ in my heart, I confidently go forward knowing that heaven is my happily ever after. Sometimes it feels so simple…

But other times, I occasionally find words that make me question my future “ever after”. Matthew 25:31-46 tells us the parable of the separation of the sheep and goats. I struggle with a part of this scripture every time I hear or read it. I wonder if I’ve done enough…will I be a sheep or a goat?

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Similarly, I also struggle internally every time I pass a person on a street corner with a sign asking for help. It seems impossible to give to every single person, every single time. Is this what God expects me to do? How do you choose when to give? I rationalize that I give to Star of Hope or other organizations that are better equipped to help in a more beneficial way. But still, as I drive by, trying not to make eye contact, in my heart, I struggle. But then, with His infinite patience, He reminds me that I can never “do enough”. It is by the grace of God that we are given the gift of eternal life.

All of the selections of scripture for today make reference to what we sometimes refer to as “Judgment Day”. How will I be judged? I prefer to put this at the back of my mind. I don’t want this to be my motivation. I want the love of Christ to be my motivator.

So for me, at this time of anticipation of the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I will continue to pursue ways to glorify our God, to follow His lead, to help those I am called to help, to question and pray for answers when I struggle inside, to read and strive to better understand His Word and try to make it my course to hear Him when He is calling my name.

What I do know without question, is that we have a God who loves us more than we can possibly comprehend, that what he offers us is greater than we can possibly imagine, it is achievable by His grace and love, and it is His greatest desire for us to have eternal life with Him in his Heavenly Kingdom. I believe.

Barbara Novelli

Friday, December 18, 2015

Zechariah 7:8-8:8

Psalm 40, 54

Revelations 5:16-14

Matthew 25: 14-30

Today’s Gospel is Matthew’s account of the servants who are entrusted with money while the master is away. To one is given 5 talents, one is given 2 talents, and one is given one talent. The first two invest their talents and are rewarded by their master on his return. The third buries his in the ground and is turned away by the master. We know that a talent in this context is a unit of money. But to us, a talent is also a skill, something we are good at. Advent is a good time to ask ourselves if we are investing our talents to God’s greater glory, at church, or at work, or at whatever we are doing. I don’t think I am burying mine in the ground, but I’m not getting a hundred-fold return on my investment either. How can any of us increase the value of our talents?

Susan Bowen

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Zechariah 4:1-14

Psalm 50

Revelations 4:9-5:5

Matthew 25:1-13

 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom." 

The season of Advent is all about focusing our attention on the coming of Christ. The Gospel message for today is one of my favorite life lessons which translates for me along the lines of 'be prepared, don't get caught with an empty gas tank, and be sure to have extra goodies in the freezer in case a special guest or family member appears at the door at dinner time'. 

But hopefully that preparation is about more than just material necessities. We learn in the scripture that the wise bridesmaids (aka virgins) had oil in their torches, but also extra oil for when the lamps went out. As with all parables, Jesus' message to us is a warning wrapped in a story. We must be fortified with His light and Word to help us when our lamp has been dimmed by stress, loss, or the other challenges of this life. For me that includes His Word but also our faith community, friends and family. The key is intentionality - just like the bridesmaids who packed extra oil...we need to make the time to do the things that will keep our lamps lit.

Vicki Cravens

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Zechariah 3:1-10

Psalm 119:49-72

Revelations 4:1-8

Matthew 24:45-51


"Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you." --Zech. 3:3-4

Early February is a time of awakening in me that I have to do something with my yard. There is usually a fabulous spring warm snap, and I will spend the day pulling weeds, trimming hedges, mulching, and generally playing in the dirt. At the end of the day I'm sweaty, covered in yard debris and filthy from head to toe. I ache, I'm tired, and all I want is a hot shower and an Advil. Getting clean never feels as wonderful as it does when I'm truly dirty.

Life is like this. We come into the world filthy, a literal filth, and we spend most of the rest of our days figuratively getting dirty. Luckily, from our first day, to our very last, someone is there to help us get cleaned up. Jesus is there to wash us, and not just our feet, although that gets us started. If we were never dirty, if we never knew sin and anguish and pain, we would never know the true joy of being clean. Our savior came into our world covered in the same filth that we come into the world covered in, so that he would understand how getting dirty works. In understanding us, he can clean us.

Have you ever cleaned someone and felt soulfully gratified? When my girls were toddlers and I washed away the layer of dirt that covered them and exposed the beautiful skin beneath the grime, I think I witnessed a tiny bit of how our Savior feels when we come to him to be washed of our sins. He sees us, knows that we have spent the day in the trenches, doing our best to stay clean but ending up dirty nonetheless, and then he gets to work. He cleans us and renews us and we are ready for another day. He does this because he was born to us, filthy, and was cleaned himself by loving hands.

Krystal Weiss