Christian daily devotionals

The Misfits

Posted on by Betsy

The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day in the British Commonwealth. It is said to originate from two different sources. One legend says that Boxing Day was a day when the servants of Lords received a box of small gifts and Christmas dinner leftovers. They were given the day off to travel to their homes with said boxes. Another tradition suggests that it is a reference to the Feast of St. Stephen, whose feast day falls on December 26th. Stephen was one of the men selected in the Book of Acts to ensure that the distribution of alms was done equitably, including the Greek widows who were being neglected. On the Feast of St. Stephen, clergymen took the alms that were dropped in boxes at the church on Christmas Day and deliver them to the poor in the village.

In both cases, Boxing Day is a celebration of offering charity to the marginalized.

What a lovely reminder as we bridge Christmas and New Years Day. Those who have received much are invited to give much.

Luke 14 (The Message)

12-14 Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people.”

In this parable, Jesus seems to speak right into the type of Christmas that many of us experienced. We gave to our friends. We supped with our family. We received riches. We offered things to people who are able to offer things back.

But the way to be a blessing on Boxing Day is to box something up and give it to someone who had a scant or non-existent Christmas. Christ instructs us to invite the misfits and those from the wrong side of the tracks. Who would you invite?

Your community has homeless people living in it. Your community has families who rely on assistance to make the most meager ends meet. There is need where you live.

What will you do on this Boxing Day?

God calls us to share what we have. Dig deep. Open up your eyes, your heart, and your wallet. Christmastide has only just begun, and it is always better to give than to receive. And this kind of favor is returned as you are blessed by your giving. You get to be a blessing today, and you will be blessed again at the Resurrection.

Happy Boxing Day!

Christmas Garden

For Unto Us

Posted on by Betsy

It’s here. It’s now. Tonight is the night to lay aside all of your burdens and cares and go into a warm sanctuary and simply worship. Listen to the music. Absorb the message. Take home the most precious gift the world has ever received. All you have to do is simply show up.

Simply be.

Simply adore.

Simply receive.

My prayer for you this Christmas is that you meet your Savior at his mangy manger and give him your heart. For unto us, he was born!

Merry Christmas, dear readers!

Betsy

One More Candle

Posted on by Betsy

One more candle.

During the season of Advent, we mark off the Sundays by lighting candles in our churches that remind us of the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus came to bring. We have only one more to light before Christmas Eve. Are you ready?

Advent is a season of listening to the messengers. What have you heard so far? The prophets of the Old Testament wrote about a much-needed messiah who would come to save their people. Their prophesies set the stage for Jesus. Listen to Malachi’s words about a messenger who would come to announce the arrival of the savior:

Malachi 3:1-4  (Common English Bible)

Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear the path before me; suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you take delight is coming, says the Lord of heavenly forces. 2 Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can withstand his appearance. He is like the refiner’s fire or the cleaner’s soap.
3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. They will belong to the Lord, presenting a righteous offering. 4 The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in ancient days and in former years.

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and was written to address the religious, spiritual, and moral laxity that had overtaken the Israelites. The people had returned from their Babylonian exile seventy years prior, and the temple had been rebuilt. But they had fallen into laziness and cynicism about their relationship with God. Their disaffection led them to bring “polluted offerings” to the temple, breaking the covenant law about first fruits, which required that only the finest and unblemished offerings be presented. (Malachi 1:7). Malachi speaks directly to their powerless worship and warns that judgment is coming.

It was always the mission of the prophets to bring God’s message of God’s covenant relationship to the people and the expectations that came with it. God established a covenant through Abraham, reinforced it through Joseph, and defined it through Moses. The covenant promise continued through the major and minor prophets and always carried both warnings and hope. Their work involved warning against social injustice and the worldly powers that oppressed God’s people, but it also included words of hope about their future deliverance and a peace that would last. The prophetical writings breathed hope into humanity’s present condition, regardless of the century they were written. Malachi warned that in order for a righteous offering to be presented, a cleansing fire will occur first, beginning with the slack priests (the Levites) who should have been leading the people in true worship.

We see Malachi’s prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, who came and will come again to do the final and ultimate refining. Those who repent and believe in him will never perish but will become a righteous and pleasing offering to God through the unblemished First Fruit of the Son. (1 Corinthians 15:20).  Jesus is the final candle, bringing a light that cannot be extinguished by any darkness of the soul.

Only in this way can any of us endure the day of his coming.  Sound scary? Hang on … hope is also coming. John the Baptizer, the messenger chosen to clear the way for Jesus, shows us the way: repent, for the kingdom is at hand.

This call to repent sounds as though we have confused the season and are jumping to Lent. But the call to repentance is seasonless. Malachi reminds us that a refiner’s fire is coming and we need to be ready.

As we make ourselves ready in this last week, let us not neglect to make our hearts ready as well. “Suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking will come to his temple,” says Malachi.

As we light the final candle in our Advent wreath this Sunday, let us make the temples of our souls ready and waiting.

Advent Wreath by Becca Ziegler

Wonderfully Made

Posted on by Betsy

A three-year-old received a beautiful Adidas track suit as a gift. It resembles the track suits of the past, making me think of the old show The Sopranos and the fellows’ affection for track suits. I remember loving track suits in that era and hope they come back in a big way. This particular three-year-old just loves his track suit and feels especially empowered when he wears it. He told his preschool teacher that his “twack soot” made him cool and went on to say that he was so sharp in it, he could cut cake like knife. Now that’s a kid with a healthy self-esteem!

I wonder when we lose that. Somewhere around the awful self-conscious years of middle school we begin to hear the whispers of our mean and insecure classmates, and we question whether we are still cool and sharp enough to cut cake with our looks. Somewhere along the way we lose sight of the fact that we are made in the image of God. Somehow we forget that we are part of God’s wonderful works.

Our psalm today comes from David. It is a beautiful expression of the wonder and awe he had about God, God’s creation, and the intricacy of the human body. He marvels at how God knows everything about him and that his presence is inescapable. There literally is no place we can go to escape from God’s spirit. Our bodies are stunning in their design, all wrought by the very hand of God.

Psalm 139 (New Revised Standard Version)

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.

This is a reminder today that if you are feeling down about yourself, stop it. If your negative thoughts overwhelm you, shout this Scripture back into that darkness. If you feel unworthy, remember that it is by the blood of the Lamb that you are made worthy.

You are a child of God! Precious, holy, and valued. Hold on to that.

May you feel sharp enough to cut cake like a knife today.

Wonderfully Made by Jamie Mathis

Oh Tannenbaum

Posted on by Betsy

Is your Christmas tree up yet? I bet for the majority of us it is. Decorating a Christmas tree is such a time of sweet nostalgia. We decorated our tree with the help of our older grandchildren, hanging each ornament up with the story of where it came from. I almost cried when my granddaughter showed me a little gold teapot with sparkling crystals and said it was her favorite one. I gave that to my tea-loving mother decades ago and inherited it back when she died. To see a fourth generation daughter appreciate it blessed me so much, and we had a long talk about her great-grandmother and what a wonderful woman she was.

Have you ever wondered about the history of the Christmas tree and what it symbolizes? Take a look at the first sentence of today’s lectionary passage from Isaiah.

Isaiah 11 (Common English Bible)

A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse;
    a branch will sprout from his roots.

Isaiah prophesies that a branch from Jesse’s roots will shoot up and receive the Lord’s spirit. Jesse was David’s father’s and of course Jesus was born of David’s lineage. So even back to the Old Testament we see Jesus’ birth associated with trees. We’ve been celebrating Christmas with trees for centuries.

I did some research and discovered that Christmas is a holiday especially suited to trees. Earl W. Count wrote a book called 4000 Years of Christmas (New York: Henry Schuman, 1948). Count reveals that using evergreens at Christmas was a medieval practice from Northern Europe. The green boughs served as devil-proof shields against all the evil forces of the universe, because evergreens refuse to die and never give up their green for the winter.

You probably didn’t realize that your humble Christmas tree is a devil-proof shield, did you? Unless you have a cat, in which case the devil-proofing function is null and void.

Count wrote: “Winter kills most of summer’s train but the greens remain steadfast. Where the greens are, it is not winter. They are the enemies of winter’s white death” (64-66).

According to our United Methodist Website, evergreens are understood as a symbol of the eternal coming to dwell among us as Word made flesh. They are a sign of life and growth overcoming and flourishing in the midst of the dead of winter, and also of the resurrection of Christ.  The symbolism of evergreens points to the unending life of the age to come when Christ returns, the dead are raised, and the righteous enter life in the new creation.

Isaiah goes on to describe the attributes of the impending messiah:

2 The Lord’s spirit will rest upon him,
    a spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    a spirit of planning and strength,
    a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord.
3 He will delight in fearing the Lord.
He won’t judge by appearances,
    nor decide by hearsay.
4 He will judge the needy with righteousness,
    and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land.
He will strike the violent with the rod of his mouth;
    by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
    and faithfulness the belt around his waist.

When you admire your own Christmas tree over the next few weeks, ponder these things. We are called to be like Jesus: wise and understanding, strong in our faith, non-judgmental, impervious to gossip, and generous to the needy. We are the lovely branches of Christ. How can you live that out today?

10 On that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal to the peoples. The nations will seek him out, and his dwelling will be glorious.

May we stand as a signal to the people as well.

How Lovely Are Thy Branches

Self-Inflicted

Posted on by Betsy

Another sleepless night. The 4:00 wakeup call came with blaring regularity, calling me to prayer. This time I couldn’t fall back asleep and so I did what one does: After praying though the immediate issue on my mind, which involves an intercessory petition for a loved one, I began reviewing my life and all of the mistakes, missteps, missed opportunities, misdirected energies, and other untold miseries that I brought upon myself over the years. Replaying my “sin reel” seems to be a favorite middle of the night pastime for me. Do you ever do this?

The irony of this is that I know better. I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my savior has forgiven me. I know I have done due diligence in repentance and remorse and have received the blessing of having those sins washed away forever. So why do they continue to live in my mind?

It is some type of self-inflicted punishment, as it surely does not come from the Lord who forgives and forgets.

Somewhere around 5:45, I had an epiphany. If we believe God’s word to be holy and true, then we have to accept that our sins truly are cast as far away as the east is from the west. They do not exist in the mind of the Lord anymore.

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
    and never forget all his good deeds:
3     how God forgives all your sins,
    heals all your sickness,
4     saves your life from the pit,
    crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5     and satisfies you with plenty of good things
        so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness;
    does justice for all who are oppressed.
7 God made his ways known to Moses;
    made his deeds known to the Israelites.
8 The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
    very patient, and full of faithful love.
9 God won’t always play the judge;
    he won’t be angry forever.
10 He doesn’t deal with us according to our sin
    or repay us according to our wrongdoing,
11     because as high as heaven is above the earth,
    that’s how large God’s faithful love is for those who honor him.

12 As far as east is from west—
    that’s how far God has removed our sin from us.

Do you know who benefits from our imprisonment to our sins? Satan. He revels in reminding us through images and whispers that we once strayed from God and should feel tainted and unworthy. But that, my friends, is his feeble attempt to undo the glory and power of what happened at the cross, and we should never, ever, buy into his lie. Get thee behind me, Satan!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, I am forgiven.

Thanks be to God.

Midnight Moon by Michelle Robertson

Woke

Posted on by Betsy

We have finally landed in Advent, the season of preparation for the birth of our Lord. Preachers all said the same thing yesterday on the first Sunday of Advent: “As you are preparing your homes, presents, baking chores, and social events, be sure to be preparing your hearts and souls this season.” I bet if we took a survey of those of you who went to church yesterday, you heard something similar. I preached on Isaiah and still ended up saying the same thing. People get ready! Jesus is comin’.

Today’s lectionary Scripture offers a different approach to our beginning of Advent readiness plan. Paul focused on waking up from our sleep. What a marvelous twist! Have we, like Scrooge, been sleeping through the year? Is it time to wake up to the salvation that is impending with the birth of Christ? What does that mean?

Romans 13 (Common English Bible)

11 As you do all this, you know what time it is. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your sleep. Now our salvation is nearer than when we first had faith. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near.

Paul goes on to explain what he wanted the church to do. We can co-opt this list as we blink our way into morning’s light and think about what Jesus really wants for Christmas this year. You see, people can do many “religious” things yet still be asleep toward God.

So let’s get rid of the actions that belong to the darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let’s behave appropriately as people who live in the day, not in partying and getting drunk, not in sleeping around and obscene behavior, not in fighting and obsession. 

To be awake means to be active in casting off impure things in order to put on Christ. We are told to cast off drunkenness and inappropriate behavior. We are warned against desiring the “forbidden bed” and especially not to revel in and flaunt our sexual sins, acting as those who are without shame. We should cease our bickering and fighting and end our obsession with worldly things. Instead, Paul invites us to “dress ourselves in Christ.”

14 Instead, dress yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t plan to indulge your selfish desires.

Did you hear that? Make a plan. Make a plan to be a shining example of a follower of Christ this Advent. Make a plan to set aside all selfishness and be generous toward others. Make a plan to be faithful in your behavior and gentle with your words.

Make a plan!

Walking in Light by Kathy Schumacher

Stuffed

Posted on by Betsy

I’m guessing you’re probably stuffed today. I certainly am! Yesterday it was the turkey that was stuffed, today it’s us! Thanksgiving is a day to indulge and over-indulge with the nation’s approval and permission. As you sat down to feast, what was your favorite dish? I bet it was some form of bread. Crescent rolls, yeast rolls, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole with breaded crispy onions on top, pumpkin pie in a lovely crust … bread is the star at many dining room tables at Thanksgiving. Move over, turkey!

Humankind has loved bread from the very beginning. The very first reference of bread in Scripture occurs in Genesis 3:19:

“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.”

Poor Adam and Eve had just been expelled from the garden and learned that the thing they sought, bread, would now require a lot of growing, reaping, threshing, tilling, grinding, kneading, and then baking over an open fire. Sin, indeed, has its consequences.

In our lectionary passage today, John records a time when Jesus’ many followers demanded more bread. They had either been present or had heard about his miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and demanded that he perform his bread miracle again:

John 6 (New Revised Standard Version UE)

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 

This occurred in Capernaum at a Sabbath service. Perhaps it was this setting that spurred Jesus to refocus their attention away from material sustenance to spiritual matters. He wanted them to be more impressed by his spiritual food than last week’s bread. But they were dull and they were hungry and demanded a sign.

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

One of the problems in demanding a particular sign is that we can miss what God is actually doing in our midst. When we pray very specifically for something, we aren’t open to other possibilities of how God is answering. I have been praying without ceasing for a loved one to get a very specific job offer. Finally I realized that I should be praying for God to reveal his way and his will in this matter. It may end up that this opportunity wasn’t quite right, but the contacts made during the interviews will lead to exactly what God had planned all along. So while we are encouraged to pray the concerns of our heart to a Father who wants to hear our deepest needs, we should also add, “Thy will be done” as a way of acknowledging that God knows best. In our Scripture, Jesus is saying exactly that: The father is offering something so much better than a slice of bread that perishes. He is offering eternal life.

31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

I think the invitation is two-fold. We are invited to receive the true Bread of Life that is Jesus Christ our Lord. Then we are invited to go out and offer this bread to others. How will you be the bread of life to someone today?

Still looking for an Advent Devotional book? Take a look.

On A Roll by Becca Ziegler

Love/Hate Relationships

Posted on by Betsy

I hate running. But I love the way running makes me feel when it’s over.

I hated practicing my bassoon. But I loved being able to play the right notes in a concert.

I hate math. OK, that’s where it breaks down. I still hate math.

I think Paul may have had a bit of a love/hate relationship with his church in Corinth. He desperately loved them, but he hated their sin. When they were sinful, he acted like a betrayed father who has just discovered contraband in his favorite son’s bedroom. Disappointment abounds when someone or something you love lets you down. The people in that church often let Paul down.

But he never stopped giving thanks for their faith, their ministry, and their testimony.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (Common English Bible)

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving for the Corinthians

4 I thank my God always for you, because of God’s grace that was given to you in Christ Jesus. 5 That is, you were made rich through him in everything: in all your communication and every kind of knowledge, 6 in the same way that the testimony about Christ was confirmed with you. 

7 The result is that you aren’t missing any spiritual gift while you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also confirm your testimony about Christ until the end so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, and you were called by him to partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Think about your own love/hate relationships. Maybe you hate cleaning but love a clean house. Perhaps you hate cooking but love to sit down to a well-prepared meal. Do you hate the way your in-laws vote, but love the way they feel about your kids? Do you hate your adult child’s reckless behavior but love him with all your heart?

Do you hate the sin, but love the sinner?

Give thanks for it all. Give thanks in spite of the things you don’t like. Focus on the good and be grateful. God is faithful to us in spite of our many failings. May we be that faithful to one another and may love and thanksgiving abound as we gather around the table tomorrow.

I thank my God always for you.

An Alligator, Turtles, and a Bird Get Along

Gentleness Be Known

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever had an argument with someone that took on a life of its own? Has a disagreement fractured your relationship to the point where you don’t know how to repair it? Do conflicts with others cause you to be distant, avoiding any contact? We’ve all been there. Sometimes arguments can last years, even to the point where we don’t remember exactly what it was about.

Our lectionary Scripture for today was written by Paul in response to an argument. You probably recognize the beautiful opening sentence: “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I will say, rejoice!” so you may be startled to think this famous passage was directed to two women in the church of Philippi who had had a falling out. I kid you not. Faithful workers Euodia and Syntche had a big tiff over some unknown issue and were mad at each other. So Paul wrote these beautiful lines in his letter:

Philippians 4 (New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I wonder if they were embarrassed to be called out (which he does by name earlier in the chapter). His antidote to their squabble is to instruct them to let their gentleness be known to everyone … perhaps mostly to each other. He goes on to tell them to set aside their anxiety and replace it with prayer and supplication. I love that he added “with thanksgiving,” reminding them and us not to go to God in prayer with whining and complaining. When we guard our hearts and minds in Christ, annoying disagreements and outright fights can be dealt with by gentle discussion that includes acknowledgment of the other’s position and hopefully forgiveness …or at least a truce.

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

I think this last section speaks to those times when we can’t settle our differences. Is there any merit in the person you are arguing with? Can you name one positive trait, even in your anger? Can you see past your beef to find something honorable and commendable, even if they have not shown you those qualities? And more importantly, are you exhibiting this list of Christ- like qualities in your own life? Can they see these things in you?

Paul reminds us to think and meditate on anything excellent and worthy of praise. When we move from wallowing in our hatred to trying to see the good in everything around us, it is only then that we will know peace. Euodia and Syntche may have never been friends again, but the opportunity to focus on their common ground in Christ would enable them to put down the heavy burden of anger and work together.

How about you? Do you want peace? Rejoice, and let your gentleness be known.

Gentle Path by Kathy Schumacher