November 30, 2009

The Beginning

Scripture Reading

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Devotion

Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning. He was and is God. Before the manger, before the cross, before anything, Jesus was and is. Jesus created the earth before He came to earth!

Then this infinite God-man came to earth where his own people rejected him. He came to make a way for us to know Him— a way for man to know God. John records that they were with Him. They saw Him and He was full of grace and truth!

The “Message” translation of John 1:14 reads: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

I like that: Jesus moved into our neighborhood!

Questions

Is it harder to see Jesus as human or as God?

Why do you think that is?

What do you envision when you see grace and truth?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, Help us to see your truth and receive your grace this Christmas. Amen.

Carol

“O Come, All ye Faithful”

Music and Lyrics

Lyrics

November 29, 2009

The First Sunday of Advent
The Coming
Scripture Reading
Luke 2:8-14 8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: 11 today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” 13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: 14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!

Devotion
Advent literally means “coming.” We celebrate Christmas because it was the (first) coming of Jesus. We celebrate advent in the anticipation of the second coming as well. Why celebrate Christmas? We celebrate because:
Jesus came to bring Joy!
Jesus came to bring Salvation!
And Jesus came to bring Peace!
And Jesus is coming again in order to:
Complete our Joy!
Culminate our Salvation!
And Confirm our Peace!

Questions
How can you celebrate with joy this Christmas?
How can you celebrate your salvation this Christmas?
How can you generate peace this Christmas?

Prayer
Dear Jesus, Help me Celebrate Christmas with everything I have and find joy, salvation and peace in You! Amen.

Carol
“Joy to the World”
click here for lyrics

How to use these Advent Devotions?

The best answer is - any way you wish!
Many people like to use devotions alongside the “Advent Wreath” and candles. Traditionally, an advent wreath has four candles on the outside and one in the middle. Those on the outside are to be lit one each week, adding one each week the four weeks prior to Christmas, the last candle is to be lit on Christmas eve or Christmas day.

This blog has devotions for every day of advent (and more!) You can use them as you wish! There are also many varying traditions regarding advent and the candles. These devotions are one approach, but you could do whatever helps your family best celebrate the advent. The important issue is to do something! Who knows? You might discover the joy of family time with God’s Word and want to do it into the new year. Please feel free to adapt these devotions to meet the needs of your family as you celebrate!

Merry Christmas!

What is Advent?

Advent literally means the “coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important.” Advent on the Christian calendar is a four-week season of preparation and anticipation leading up to Christmas, on December 25. The focus of Advent is two-fold. On the one hand, we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God who came into the world as a human child to give us forgiveness for our sins. On the other hand, we anticipate the day when Jesus will return to Earth and bring an end to this world. We can look forward to the end of the world with hope because through faith in Jesus, the end of this world will mean the beginning of a new life with Jesus for eternity.

Advent then is a time for us to repent and believe. Knowing that Jesus was born to forgive our sins, we repent (admit our failures to God) and believe that we are forgiven because of Jesus. Also, knowing that Jesus is coming back to Earth to take us to a new heaven and earth, we repent and believe that when Jesus returns, He will give us eternal life.

The new Advent Devotions Start on Sunday!

Hello Advent Devotion Fans!
The new Advent Devotions begin on Sunday, but I will probably begin posting them this week!