Jesus’s Birth Announced - Luke 1: 26-49

    When the call of God enters into your life, the world changes and God changes you. Think of some call stories found within Scripture. The call of Jacob resulted in wrestling with an angel. The call of Moses came through a burning bush. And the call of Mary came from an angel. And all of these people had their lives changed because of the call and their response of "yes".

     When Mary was called she was probably fifteen years old or younger. That is hard for many of us to wrap our minds around. But because she was so young, all of our excuses that we may have to put God off or say no, fade away. No, we are not too young or too old. Too rich or too poor. Not known enough. Or not courageous enough. Mary shows us what it means to take a risk for God out of faithfulness.

     What about us? What would lead us to respond as Mary did, with faithfulness and obedience? What is God inviting you to be a part of for the sake of the world?

Simeon and Anna - Luke 2: 21-38

    Sometimes God gives us hearts to perceive what others cannot. In a world that thought that the Messiah was going to come in and be an oppositional political power to Rome, Simeon declares that he has seen God's salvation with his eyes in a baby. In a time when people were looking for liberation from occupation, Anna praised God for a different type of liberation that would come through this child.

    Luke, was a Gentile, yet he understood what Israel was looking for in a Messiah. He also understood the theology of the time, which called for riches and political triumph as a sign of God's salvation and blessing. But then he tells this story of Simeon and Anna at the temple, which completely redefines the idea of salvation to that of spiritual salvation as well as liberation.

    I wonder if we are as reverent in our worship of Christ this day? If we worship with our whole hearts and proclaim who Christ is to the world? I wonder if we have the patience of Simeon and Anna who had been waiting for this day their whole lives long. I wonder if we have the faithfulness and obedience to stick it out, even if we do not understand. I wonder how we can be Simeon and Anna to the world, with hearts open to perceive the grace and truth of our God.

Simeon and Anna Devotional - Luke 2: 21-38

December 27th, 2020

“Simeon and Anna”

Luke 2: 21-38

   

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Eighth Day” - Luke 2: 21-24

There are certain folks we talk about every year with the Christmas story - Mary, Jospeh, the shepherds, the angels, the Wise Man. These are the folks that fit into our nativities and Christmas pageants. They are staples. There are others that we talk about frequently, folks like Elizabeth and Zachariah, those who lead us into the Christmas story. But other folks, well, we don’t talk about them as much. People like Anna and Simeon. People who are a continuation of the story of the Christ child in profound ways. 

Just as John (the Baptist) was presented by his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth in the temple eight days after his birth for his circumcision and naming, so was Jesus taken to the temple eight days after his birth. He was given the name Jesus, just as the angel foretold, when Mary was told that the Holy Spirit would come over her and that she would give birth. 

But several weeks after that time in the temple, forty days after Mary gave birth, the family had to go back again. This time, about a month after the circumcision, it is for Mary to be ritually cleaned. She needed to do so before she would be allowed to worship in the sanctuary or handle sacred things, other than ironically, the holy son of God that she is cradling in her arms. At the same time a sacrifice would have been made for Jesus since he was the first born son - turtle doves if you had money, pigeons if you didn’t. It was here that the family encountered Simeon. 

What rituals do we have in our faith that are meaningful?

Prayer: Lord, we may not understand all of the rituals that we find in the Scriptures, but we do recognize the importance of Jesus going to the temple that day. Thank you, O Lord, for the faithfulness of his parents, and the faithfulness of Simeon and Anna and their declarations over the Christ-child. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Simeon” - Luke 2: 25-26

Outside of this scripture, we don’t hear much about Simeon. We are told that he was righteous and devout, similar to the terms used a chapter earlier for Zechariah and Elizabeth. He was getting on in years, but the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would meet the Messiah, the one that would save him, save his people, save Israel, before he died. For centuries God’s people had been waiting for their salvation to come, and for a Messiah to come and rescue them. Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that the time would come before he died. 

How exactly did the Holy Spirit reveal this to Simeon? We don’t know. We aren’t told in Scripture. But we do know that Simeon so deeply believed this revelation that he staked his life upon it. We also know that he trusted the Spirit’s continually leading in his life, because it was the Spirit that led him to the temple that day. 

How does the Holy Spirit speak to you?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you do not leave us alone. Instead, your spirit speaks to us and guides us throughout our days. Give us a heart of obedience to listen and respond, as your servant Simeon did. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Praised God” - Luke 2: 27-28

Everyone else saw Joseph and Mary coming to present their offering and become clean and didn’t think anything of it. This is just another young family coming to perform their religious duty. But Simeon saw them, through the eyes of the heart of the Holy Spirit, and knew, knew deep within him that the prophecy had been fulfilled. This was the time. Salvation had arrived. 

  Now maybe by this point Mary was just used to odd things happening with her child. It wouldn’t have been too long ago that a whole gang of shepherds came in from the fields to worship her child and said that angels led them there. But here is an old man, a complete stranger, who took her child scooped her child into his arms and started to praise God. And Mary and Jospeh were absolutely amazed. 

What prophecy did Simeon recognize as being fulfilled?

Prayer: God, no one else may have understood Simeon’s words or reaction that day in the temple, but we know that you led him. And as a response, he praised you and you alone. Lord, may we be so bound to your Spirit, that we cannot contain our praise as well. Amen. 

Thursday: “Eyes Have Seen” -Luke 2: 29-35

  A few years ago Todd Agnew released what is to this day still my favorite Christmas album entitled Do You See What I See? It’s a collection of songs written from different perspectives of characters in this growing Christmas narrative. The one based on Simeon has the following lyrics: A young couple walks through the temple door

“Carrying of salvation in their arms, A sight for old eyes, Redemption draws nigh. In the eyes of this little baby boy… You can take these eyes, For I have seen Your salvation Oh, You can take this breath, And bring me at last into Your Peace. Oh and You can take these hands.I have held the light of the nations And the glory of your people Israel.”

It would be shocking, would it not, to hear such words being proclaimed over your child, even if you knew all that Mary and Jospeh knew. Their son, who no one else seemed to notice was deeply seen and recognized by this man. 

  How would you react as Mary and Joseph to Simeon proclaimed? 

Prayer: Lord, we confess that there are times we do not understand. That we do not perceive. That we do not respond. Do not give up on us, O Lord. Keep speaking to our hearts, we pray. 

Friday: “Anna” - Luke 2: 36-38

  But it didn’t stop there. There was also a prophetess, Anna, who lived in the temple, day and night. The moment she saw the child, she also knew that Salvation had come and she started to praise the Lord. She would talk to anyone she could about encountering the redemption of Israel - she could not contain the joy spilling over from her heart. Could Mary have imagined that her encounter with the angel would lead to this? To this day in the temple.

It wasn’t Anna or Simeon’s goodness or piety that allowed them to see the Christ child - it was the Holy Spirit. And it was the Holy Spirit that allowed them to go forth from that place to proclaim that they had see God’s Word in the flesh.

Are we so emboldened and led by the Holy Spirit that we can not help but proclaim this as well?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the things that we do not understand. We marvel at how big and wondrous your ways are. Let us live into the gift of the mystery, we pray. Amen. 

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Luke 2: 21-38

From the Sermon:

The celebration doesn’t end after ____________________.

Mary is now allowed to handle ________ things, yet in her arms she holds the most _________ person in history.

Simeon isn’t described in scripture as a __________________, yet that is how he acted that day as he approached the couple.

Simeon declared that this child would be the ______________ of Israel.

We don’t know if Anna overheard Simeon’s blessing, or if her heart too was tugged on by the Holy Spirit, but either way she began to _______ God for Jesus.

Reflection Questions:

How would you feel if you heard Simeon’s words to Mary and Joseph?

What do you think it means to run to God?

How can we be Simeons and Annas to others?

Prayer:

Lord, raise up Simeons and Annas in our lives. People who speak words of truth and blessing, even if we do not understand them at the time. And send us out to be Simeons and Annas for others, we pray. Amen. 

Jesus's Birth Announced Devo - Luke 1: 26-49

December 20th, 2020

“Jesus’s Birth Announced”

Luke 1: 26-49

   

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Nazareth” - Luke 1: 26-27

     I have a colleague who teaches classes on painting icons. Icons are religious works of art, but they are used to help usher people into an attitude of prayer. He has dozens of them hanging around the Center for Spiritual Formation, but one that always captures my attention is the Virgin Mary. In the icon Mary is holding the Christ child and just looks serene. 

 In the Holy Land there is a placed called the Church of the Annunciation that has all of these different renderings of the Virgin Mary, but there is one that I would still love to see - one that depicts today’s passage where Mary hears for the first time that she has been chosen to carry the Savior of the World.

  We are told that in the sixth month the angel Gabriel, the same angel that had come to Zechariah, went to a town called Nazareth. Later in the Gospels, as Jesus is calling his disciples to come and follow him, one of them named Nathaniel made this powerful statement, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” That’s because at the time, it barely had one-hundred people living there. It wasn’t a place of honor or high-up officials. Mostly labors and shepherds and some tradesmen and farmers lived there. And yet, it was out of this off the path, small place, that God put the plan of Salvation into motion. 

How is the season of Advent one of preparing and waiting for you?

Prayer: God, we often like the idea of preparing when it is for something that we are looking forward to. But it is harder for us to prepare for the unknown. Help us to have hearts of expectation that look to you as we prepare and wait, especially this Advent season. Amen.

Tuesday: “Engaged” - Luke 1: 27-30

We are told that Gabriel was to go to a virgin engaged to be married to Joseph. Engagement was very, very different in Biblical times then how we imagine it now. It involved a written and legally binding oath. The man would bring the woman a gift, and they would publicly engage in this oath, then they would wait about a year between being engaged and being married, so that the man could construct a place for his family to live. 

  Girls were betrothed as soon as they were able to have children. Men were usually a bit older, because they needed to be skilled in a trade well enough to support their family. During the time of engagement, the woman was to not go to social gatherings in order to stay out of compromising situations that could lead to gossip. 

And this particular virgin who was engaged to be married, her name was Mary. Mary was just going about her daily life, when she heard the words from this celestial visitor that would change her life. “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you”. He goes on to tell her not to be afraid, but that her life is going to forever be changed. 

  How do you imagine that Mary’s life changed when she heard the words of the angel Gabriel?

Prayer: Lord, we admit that often we have our own ideas of how life should go. What we expect. What we desire. What we dream of. Yet, as we look at Mary, we see someone who’s entire world was changed in one moment in a way she could never fully imagine. May we have open hearts like Mary’s, so we can respond best to be your servants in this world. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Jesus” - Luke 1: 29-34

But the thing about Gabrielle, is that every time he shows up and tells folks to not be afraid, that is the most natural reaction for them to have! Gabrielle is an angel, who yes, is coming to bring good news, but is also an interruption to life as they know it who asks them to take a risk for the sake of God. Zechariah was to risk believing that God could do the impossible. Mary was to risk the ridicule that she knew that she would face from her community, becoming pregnant, even with the son of God, outside of wedlock. The shepherds were to risk tending their flocks in order to respond to a great invitation, directly from God. 

After Gabriel unwound for Mary all that was to take place she had one question, how is this to be? Why a common girl from a town so small and insignificant that it wasn’t even counted as being part of Galilee by her neighbors. Why her? But despite all of that, she did not ask for proof like Zechariah did earlier in this chapter. Instead, she said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”

When have their been times in you life when you have replied “why me?” What was that experience like? How does it help you relate to Mary in this moment?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we can come up with what seem like a million reasons that you should choose someone else, you should use someone else. Sometimes we let our questions and doubts get in our way to respond to your call. Remove all stumbling blocks, by your grace, we pray. Let us not get in the way of your work in the world. Amen.  

Thursday: “Mary” - Luke 1: 35-38

  When I was little and it came to be Christmas pageant time, there was never a shortage of little girls who wanted to be Mary. But Rev. Adam Hamilton asks a thought-provoking question, would Mary want to be Mary? She had to give up so much and take on a burden that many cannot fathom, but she still clearly answered, “Here I am. A servant of the Lord’s.”

Here is Mary, who is probably still getting used to the idea of being a wife and now she is going to be a mother, but not just any mother, but the mother of the Savior of the World. She took a risk and said yes. Mary knew the consequences. She knew that if she was discovered to be pregnant while being engaged, but not married, to Joseph that the law said she was to be stoned to death. She knew that if she could not wrap her mind around being a pregnant virgin, then her family, Joseph, the town, would not understand it either. But something that this angel had said had caught her attention. The child she was carrying would be the son of God. Not a son of God, the son of God. Wasn’t this what her people had been waiting for? Isn’t this what her very town had been named for. Netzer – a branch or shoot. A new tree would grown from the stump of where another tree had died. Isn’t this what the prophets had predicted? That a shoot shall come up from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of its roots? She would be carrying the promise of hope within her womb, and that hope was greater than any of the consequences.

  How do you think the gift of Gabriels explanation helped Mary to reply as she did?

Prayer: Lord, we often want all of the details worked out before we reply. We want to know exactly what is going to happen before we take the leap to follow you. But in Mary, we see someone who followed you even with all of her questions and all of the unknowns. We see this as an act of faith. Give us such faith, too, Lord, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Elizabeth” - Luke 1: 39-49

If Mary could say yes to such a great risk at such a young age what are we willing to risk for Christ today? Is there room in our hurried schedules to actually prepare the way of the Lord, or is Advent and this holiday season more about preparing our homes for the holidays then preparing our hearts for the Lord? 

What are we willing to risk as we prepare and wait for the Lord this holiday season? Can we make Advent not something that we simply add, but that which we focus our time on the birth of Christ and what that actually means to our lives?  Are you in a place in your life where the Lord could speak to you? Where a messenger of the Lord could meet with you, or are you so busy that you wouldn’t even notice or have the opportunity to respond as Mary did? Can we offer ourselves to God this season, risking everything for an unrealized and unknown hope?  And can we sing Mary’s song even in the midst of the risks that we are taking as we prepare and wait. 

How are waiting, preparing, and sacrifice part of your life? How can you incorporate them into this season?

Prayer: Lord, we don’t want your brith to just be an add-on in our lives. We want it to be the center of our lives. Align our hearts and our priorities with yours, this season and beyond, so your Truth and Love may be made known. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Simeon and Anna” - Luke 2: 21-38

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Luke 1: 26-49

From the Sermon:

When angels show up it is an ____________ to life as they know it who asks them to take a _____ for the sake of God.

Mary asked ‘__________________, since I am a virgin?’

Mary’s life up to this point had been one of ___________.

The angel accepted Mary’s question and responded with an invitation for her as well, an invitation to be part of the ___________.

Despite all of Mary’s questions and her fear, she responded, _______, here I am a servant of the Lord.

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever thought, like Mary, ‘why me’?

Who are the people in your life simply waiting to hear about the Christ child so they can be in a relationship with him?

Prayer:

Lord, give us the courage of Mary to say ‘yes’ to your call on our lives. To say ‘yes’ even when we do not fully understand. To say ‘yes’ even if it involves risk. Let us be a people who boldly follow after you. Amen. 

Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me

   The prophet Isaiah is unique in that his proclamation is not just one of challenge. It does not simply call the people of Israel to repentance, but it ultimately offers a vision of hope. Of what change could look like and mean.

   Isaiah 61: 1-11 shares a vision of God's intentions around justice. It speaks of hope with anticipation of what is to come. But it does so around some of the open wounds of the time. That people are brokenhearted. That people are held captive (especially as being exiles). That people are in prison for debts that they cannot pay. That oppression abounds.

   In order for hope to come, the people needed to be honest about where they found themselves at that moment. In order to anticipate a better future, they had to be realistic about how the world was for them in the moment.

   So it is with us. When we look at the world, we should see both as how it is and how God wants it to be. Then we listen for the invitation to change. To have our hearts changed and to have the world changed - all for the glory of God.

The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me Devo - Isaiah 61: 1-11

December 13th, 2020

Devotional

“The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me”

      Isaiah 61: 1-11

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Good News” - Isaiah 61: 1-2

Christmas is quickly approaching, with all of the preparations that go with it. Bur for Christians, Christmas is also radically different.  In a world that tells us that it is all about us, Christmas reminds us as Christians we are called to model the life of Christ during the holiday season, and year round. To lay down our lives for others. To bring good news to the poor in spirit. To love our brothers and sisters more than material possessions. To give to those in need. To love in our actions, that show that we believe what we say we believe. 

  Those are pretty big things that we are called to model. A way of living that is so contrary to the self-indulgence of the world. In fact, God is using our actions that model the life of Christ to combat evil and despair in this world. You are working on the front lines for the Kingdom of God when you show the love of Christ! Have you ever paused and thought about that. We are not living a way that is radically different because its the nice thing to do or because we are supposed to. But because we are God’s agents of grace in this world communicating the gospel truth. And participation is not optional for those of us who claim to be Christians. You are being sent, empowered by the Holy Spirt, to be the hands and feet of Christ is the world.

  How do you celebrate the Christmas season because of your faith?

Prayer: God, we confess that sometimes we get caught up in the busyness of the season to the point where it is hard for us to remember that it exists to proclaim your Good News. Your Kingdom come in Christ. Lord, help us to reclaim this season, and all that it represents, in our hearts, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Provide” - Isaiah 61:3-4

Isaiah continues on to say that during those days of freedom and deliverance, there will be provision for those who mourn. It doesn’t quite go as far as the popular passage from Revelation read at funerals about how there will be no more crying, no more pain. But Isaiah does say that those who are mourning, perhaps even and especially during this season.

They will find life anew. Their ashes, a sign of mourning, will be replaced of garlands, often associated with joy. There will be an oil of gladness, an anointing similar to that of those stepping into new positions and seasons of life. A mantle passed on to them of praise. 

When we are deep in grief, it is so hard to image the newness that this passage presents. It’s hard to believe that there will ever be joy in our lives again. Or we try to rush to this stage, so quickly trying to burry and move past our grief, that we do not take time to fully mourn that which we have lost. 

How can you minister to someone who is grieving this season?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for promising us that even in times of grief that you will provide for us. Thank you for being with us through the darkest moments of our life and walking with us. Let us share your power and presence with others hurting in this world, we pray. Amen.

Wednesday: “Strangers” - Isaiah 61: 5-7

  Leading up to Christmas is one of my favorite times to live in a community, because we often see strangers reaching out to strangers. Through food collections, blessing boxes, gifts for nursing home residents, mitten trees and so many other ways.

But perhaps one of my favorite ways that we bless strangers is simply by reaching out in kindness. Letting people go ahead of you in line. Smiling at folks. Offering to pay for someone’s cup of coffee or groceries. Kindness abounds during this season. 

But we do not only give to strangers, but we have the opportunity to receive from them. To be humbly blessed by another. For we are truly in community together. 

What is one way that you have been blessed by a stranger?

Prayer: God, we thank you that you do not make us go through this life alone. Instead, we are in community with other people, strangers and family alike. Let us be blessed and be a blessing, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Justice” - Isaiah 61: 8-9

  What do you think of when you hear the word “justice”? Often people think of a court system. Or the checks and balances that we have in society. But is that what God is talking about in this particular passage?

When the Lord says that he loves justice, I think he isn’t just talking about the administration of the law, but also what is fair, what is true, what is honoring to God.  Micah 6:8 weaves together God’s idea of justice with humility and kindness. 

As Christians our ethics, or moral guiding principles, should be noticeably different from the world. Here, the prophet instructs the people they are to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with their God. Do we do these things in our daily lives? Do we do justice? Do we live into it? Do we love kindness? Especially when it means being kind to those who have mistreated us? And do we seek to grow in our relationship with God so that we too are changed?

  What are some things you can do in your daily life to do justice? Love mercy? Walk humbly with God?

Prayer: Lord, free us to live as you would have us live. We know at times it is difficult in this world, Lord, but guide our hands and feet. Change our hearts and minds. And always and forever, let us grow more deeply in love with you. Amen.

Friday: “Rejoice” - Isaiah 61: 10-11

  This week we celebrated the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy. We reflect upon the joy that we have in the coming of the Christ child, but we also hear the call of Isaiah to rejoice. The prophet Isaiah encouraged the people to exalt God!

Today we continue to have that joy in our hearts that spills out of our lives. It leads to rejoicing among God’s people. 

Centuries ago, Mary had her heart fill with joy as well, that burst out of her in the Magnificant - a song of God’s love, mercy, and grace. May our hearts continue to sing that song today, for the whole world to hear.

How do you rejoice in God?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for going so far all for our sake, even when we failed to love you as we should. Thank you for speaking to our hearts again and again and again. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Jesus’ Birth Announced” - Luke 1:26-49

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Isaiah 61: 1-11

From the Sermon:

For Isaiah, the _____________ both offers salvation to come and salvation here and now in ways that transform our lives.

Our ____________ is lived out in a way that matters deeply here and now, my friends, for we embody, as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Our ___________ efforts transform lives and give us an opportunity to talk about the “why” of salvation.

Jesus said in his hometown, “Today this scripture has been ___________ in your hearing.”

Grace ___________ us.

Reflection Questions:

What are we saved from?

What are we saved for?

Where do you see God’s transformation revealed today? How do you see God restoring our broken world today? 

How has God transformed and restored you?

Prayer:

Lord, your Word stands both as one of encouragement and challenge because it offers to change us. To change our lives and our hearts. To change our purpose and mission. Lord, open our spirits to such deep and lasting change, and allow us to go forth to share it with the world. Amen. 

Joel: God’s Promised Spirit - Joel 2:12-13, 28-29

   Growing up, I was in middle school and high school when the Left Behind series started to come out. There were actually even books specifically written for teens, which I shared with my friends. There is a fascination with the end times.
    However, I have realized that part of our fascination may come from a less than holy place. We want to read about what will happen to other people for surely we are okay. Surely we are aligned with the purposes of the Lord.
    The prophet Joel was writing to a people who thought that they were lock-step with God. They did all the right things. They made the right sacrifices. They went to the temple at the correct days and times of the year.
    Yet, God is telling them that while they were doing the right things on the outside, their hearts were in need of a change on the inside.
    We need time to examine our hearts. To ask for God's mercy and forgiveness anew. It is so much easier to pray for other people than to ask God to examine our hearts. To point out any unconfessed sin. To change us.
    Yet that is part of what the season of Advent is about. We celebrate the Messiah who came in an unexpected way to change the world. To change us. Let us give our hearts anew to God this Advent season and pray for transformation.

Joel: God’s Promised Spirit Devo

December 6th, 2020

Devotional

“Joel: God’s Promised Spirit”

      Joel 2:12-13, 28-29

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Return” - Joel 2: 12

If you read chapter 1 and the first half of chapter 2 of the book of Joel, you will notice that a lot is going on. One could even describe it as calamity. Locusts are attacking the land - destroying both food crops and lively hoods. Enter Joel. We aren’t sure where Joel served as a prophet, but we do know what his name means: Joel - Yahweh is God.

The people have forgotten that Yahweh is God. So they need a prophet to remind them. A prophet to give them God’s message - return to Yahweh. Return with repentance and God will redeem you. 

Often we think of salvation as a one time event. You give your heart to Christ, have a conversion experience and then life changes. But the truth is, we all need to repent again and again and again for the sin our lives. Just because we have accepted Christ as our savior, it does not mean that we are perfect in our human flesh. We still struggle. We still need to confess, just as the Israelites did long ago.

  How is the act of repentance part of your life?

Prayer: God, we confess that sometimes we think that it is other people who need to repent - not us. Yet, you call us again and again to rend our hearts before you. To seek your forgiveness for our transgressions. For we have all fallen short and need your grace. Forgive us, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Relents” - Joel 2: 13

God calls the people to repentance and says that things do not need to be this day. For the day of the Lord, the day of judgment is coming. If they come and confess their sins, this could be a day of hope - a day of restoration. But if they continue down the same path, the result will be destruction.

Almost call of the prophets of ancient Israel that we find in our scriptures call the people to change their ways. And they speak of who God is. God is gracious and compassionate. God wants to forgive, but we first must admit that all is not well with how we are living our lives.

For the ancient Israelites, they had confused worship of God in a particular manner with the purpose of God, all the while forgetting to actually represent God in the world. We, too, can fall into the same trap of thinking if we say the right things then it does not matter what state our heart is in. But God is calling us to repent, out of a sense of compassion for us. 

How have you experienced God’s graciousness and compassion in your life?

Prayer: Lord, you are so good to us. We confess that we stand unworthy of your love, yet you show us compassion again and again and again. May we seek to accept and live into your invitation for transformation. 

Wednesday: “Pour Out” - Joel 2: 28

  The tenor of the second part of the book of Joel changes. All of sudden there is an image emerging of hope. Of how things could be different. Today’s scripture verse is found within the larger setting of this picture of a blessed future. 

It is here that God speaks through the prophet about an outpouring of God’s Spirit. A generous outpouring that will cause people to prophesy, see vision and dream dreams. While we often think of this text in conjunction with the day of Pentecost, the birth of the church, where Peter preaches from it, it is still happening here and now today. 

How are to understand both this call to repentance and this vision of how things can be renewed through an outpouring of the Spirit? I think it is a call to what is possible in this blessed future, not because of us, but because of God. 

What do you seen as a word of hope in this section of Joel?

Prayer: God, we thank you that you do not leave us as we are. You create a whole new vision of what can be and of who we can be in you. Thank you, O Lord! Amen!

Thursday: “My Servants” - Joel 2: 29

  In so many ways this verse reminds me of Paul’s writing to the church in Galatia. Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” And Joel writes that the Spirit being poured out on men and women, young and old. 

This is a reminder that all are welcome to be servants of the living God. What matters most is an obedient and willing heart. What is in your heart this day? If the heart is the seat of all that we truly are, how can you give your heart to God?

  What is in your heart this day?

Prayer: Lord, we join Paul and Joel in proclaiming that nothing that this world uses to define us can keep us from you. Let us give our hearts to you Precious Lord. Shape us and mold us, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Ways of God” - Deut. 30: 9-10 and Amos 4:6-11

  In many ways the prophet Amos and the writings in Deuteronomy seem to stand in such contrast to one another. Amos speaks of painful things that came to the people of God, ways that they strayed and ways that God responded to get their attention and to have them repent. But Deuteronomy speaks of prosperity, the blessings of God that can abound when we love God with all our heart and soul.

But in many ways they are two sides of the same coin. It speaks of what happens when we give our hearts to God. Now does that mean that everything goes smoothly all the time? No. But it does speak of how God is trying to reach out to us because our hearts and our love for God and each other matters. 

How has God got your attention in the past?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for going so far all for our sake, even when we failed to love you as we should. Thank you for speaking to our hearts again and again and again. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Spirit of the Lord upon Me” - Isaiah 61:1-11

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Joel 2:12-13, 28-29

From the Sermon:

The prophet Joel is writing at a time when a _________ was desperately needed.

“Truly the _________________ is great; terrible indeed - who can endure it?”

God continues to ______ people back to himself.

God is inviting us like ancient Israelites to examine our _______.

Advent is also a time to prepare our very selves for when ______________________.

Advent is a time of reflection, but is also an invitation to ____________________.

Reflection Questions:

Have you ever asked “how much longer, Lord?”

How has God captured your attention in the past?

How are the prophets connected to the season of Advent? 

Prayer:

Lord, we confess that sometimes we think it is everyone else who needs transformed but not us. Forgive us, O Lord, and examine our hearts anew. May we humbly submit to your way and truth we pray. Amen.