Christmas day devotional

Scripture: Luke 2:8-14                                                           ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Reflection:  Love, Giving, Worship and all that we have finds its meaning and genesis in Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe.

            That creator of the universe loves you so much that he chose to leave heaven and live among us, leading a perfect life as an example to us.  After all of that, Jesus then demonstrated the limits of love for us by willingly choosing to die, so that you and I may have life – and have it to the full – in relationship to God. 

This Christmas day, take a moment to remember the greatest gift of all – Jesus Christ, and the perfect love of God our creator. 

Amen!

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Friday, December 24th

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10                                                                   ⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Reflection: We sometimes think that following God and doing what God wants is all about following a set of rules.  And that is understandable, God does want us to live a certain way. 

            But Paul, widely known for being a strict rule follower at one point in his life, reminds us that the first rule that we need to follow – and the rule that will lead us to obedience in all of the other areas of our life is the ‘rule of love’ 

            Simply put if we are truly acting out of love for God and love for our neighbor, then we will by default follow the rule of God.  Love is the key to faithfully following God’s call on our lives and love is the key to living into a life that adheres to God’s plan and rule for our lives

Question: Who is it easy for you to show love to?

Who is it hard to show live for? Why?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Thursday, December 23rd

Scripture: Hosea 3:1
The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

Scripture:  In our everyday interaction with others we often give or receive love based on how we have treated the other person. 

            It maybe subconscious, it may simply be practical, but we often base how we treat others based on how they first treated us.  This may be the ‘natural’ or common sense way to view how to share our love with others.  But this is not how God loves us. 

            Through the prophet Hosea’s life God demonstrates the love he has for us – a love that is faithful, not because of our faithfulness but in spite of our infidelity.

            God does not give us love, salvation and blessing only when we are faithful in loving and following him, but rather in spite of our continued unfaithfulness and disobedience, God continues to love us with fidelity and persistence.  God’s love is not a response to our actions of faithfulness, but rather a reaching out into our struggle and faithlessness to call us into a loving, faithful relationship with God

Question: What ‘gods’ do you struggle to leave behind?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Wednesday, December 22nd

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.   ⁸ Love never fails

Reflection: We have spend the past couple of days talking and thinking about who love is - Jesus Christ, and our call to respond to Jesus presence in our lives with love.  And we have thought as well about how love is a verb. 

            God is love, but what is love?  This famous passage from 1Corinthians is full of definitive descriptive statements about what love is. 

            Patience and kindness are the bedrock of a loving attitude towards others, and a good place for us to start.  If we can be patient and kind, we are on our way. 

            There are many other descriptive terms for love as well: not self-seeking, always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres.  And all of these things have another quality in common: just like Jesus, they put others before themselves.  In all of these things love thinks of the other before itself.  This is who Jesus is.  This is who we are called to be.

Question: what quality of love is easiest for you to live into?  Which is hardest?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Tuesday, December 21st

Scripture: 1 John 4:15-17                                                            If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Reflection: Most of the times God is described in the Bible, there is great length taken to explain that all words fall short.  But here, in 1John, there are no such explanations.  Instead, God is simply defined as love. 

            God is love.  Love is so central to who and what God is that it can be considered the defining quality of God’s.  Knowing God is knowing love.  And if we ‘live in love’ then we are living in the will of God. 

            So, if God is love and we are in God then that means we are called to be love as well.  If, as Christians, we are seeking to be followers of and witnesses to Jesus Christ, then the defining quality of our lives as individuals and together as a community should be the same as God’s.  We are called as individual Christians and as a Christian community to be love to the world around us. 

Question:  How can you ‘be love’ to the world around you?  To your family, friends, coworkers, classmates?

What is difficult for you about ‘being love?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Monday, December 20th

Scripture: 1 John 3:16-18  

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Reflection: We have access to love and an understanding of what love is because of God in Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the living demonstration of what love is, a model for us as to how to love. 

            Having Christ as a model, we know then how we are to respond: by sharing and showing that love with those around us. 

            But this call to respond to God’s love with love of our own is not just a suggestion.  It is the only appropriate response.

            This passage also highlights the truth that love is, in fact, a verb.  Love is about action.  As we have received God’s love we are commanded to share that love with others through how we act and interact with the world around us

Question:   How can you act out God’s love to those around you?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Sunday, December 19th

Scripture: John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Reflection: Any real and meaningful description of love, what it is and what it means has to begin with God.

            It is because God loves us that we exist.   It is because God loves us that we have any and all of the things that we have.  And it is because of love, God’s love for us that we have the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and in that relationship to be reconciled to God. 

            Jesus, on the cross gave us the very picture and definition of what love is.  Love is a willingness to sacrifice.  Love is caring more about the other – what you love – more than you care about yourself.  Even to the point that your love may cause you to be reckless in that love for the other person. 

            Jesus has a reckless love for us – a love that led him to willingly lay down his life for ours, that we might have the full life in relationship with God that we were intended for.  Every effort of ours to show or demonstrate love is based on the love that we were first shown in and through Jesus Christ. 

Question: How have you responded to God’s love for you?

Have you ever shown reckless love for someone or thing?  

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Saturday, December 18th

Scripture: Psalm 23:4
 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Reflection: The words above are taken from some of the most well known words in the whole Bible, and certainly the most famous of the Psalms. 

            Psalm 23 is a psalm of comfort, but it doesn’t paint a rosy picture with nothing but happy times.  Instead, the psalm actually gives a fairly grim description of the situation that the author is in.  There seem to be difficulties and enemies all around, and those that oppose him are closing in. 

            But the comfort shines through so clearly in the words, ‘but I will fear no evil’.  In the midst of the darkest valley – or the more familiar ‘valley of death’ the author fears no evil, why?  Because God is with him and God, the Good Shepherd’s rod and staff comfort him. 

            In the midst of difficulty and darkness, we have the capacity to be free of fear.  We are able to be free of fear because Jesus Christ, God himself is present with us.  We do not walk through the dark valley of death – or anywhere for that matter – alone.  God is with us and God’s presence protects us.

Question: Do you tap into the power of God’s presence to free yourself from fear?  How do you feel God’s presence?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Friday, December 17th

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:8
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.

Reflection: I don’t know that I have heard or know of a better description of what it means to give the gift of presence to someone than to ‘share our lives’ with them.

            This is a great image of what it means to give someone presence, to share or make them a part of your life.  As a parent, I know that there are few – if any – things that give me as much fulfillment and joy as when my children are willing to share with me their lives. 

            Whether it is as simple as the favorite part of your day or what they want to be when they grow up or whatever random thoughts they might have at that particular moment.  I treasure each of the opportunities I experience one of my children sharing their life with me. 

            We know these things, but we often forget them.  We have a great power to give joy and love by the act of sharing our lives.  And there is no more effective means of sharing our faith in Jesus Christ than authentically sharing your life and letting your witness to God flow from that. 

Question: When has someone ‘sharing their life with you been particularly meaningful to you?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Thursday, December 16th

Scripture: Luke 5:19
When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

Reflection: The above passage is the fairly famous story of the friends of a crippled man that find a creative way to get their friend into Jesus presence, eventually climbing up on to the roof of the house Jesus was in and cutting a hole in the roof to lower their friend down into Jesus’ presence. 

            These friends demonstrated true friendship to their crippled friend.  They must have been present enough with him – and often enough – to not just know him and know his medical situation, but to actually care about it.  They knew him well enough to care enough to do something about. 

            And his friends did go to great lengths to get him to one that could make a permanent healing difference for him – Jesus Christ.  This choice makes it clear that they were not just present with their friend but that they were present with Jesus as well.  They had somehow, somewhere experienced Jesus Christ and new that a few minutes in his presence could provide the gift of healing.

Question: Do you have any friends that need to experience being in the presence of God?  What have you done to share Jesus with them?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Wednesday, December 15th

Scripture: Matthew 1:23
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Reflection: Jesus Christ is God’s perfect representation of love for us.  And Jesus is also the demonstration of the lengths that God will go to be in relationship with us.

            The message that Jesus’ presence and life have for us is clearly delineated in the name that the Angel tells Mary to give her son – Immanuel.  The first message that Jesus sends, before he spoke the sermon on the mount or performed any miracles is the message of his very presence with us.

            The story of Jesus is so familiar to us that we sometimes miss its uniqueness and importance.  God – the very maker of the universe [God whose power is such that the universe was created simply by God speaking it into existence] 

            Our God is not aloof and far away, but because of the desire for reconciliation and the restoration of relationship God chooses to come near to us, so that we may draw near to him.  God loves us and wants to be close to us.

Question: When have you felt that God was drawing near to you?

Is there a time you felt distant from God?   

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Tuesday, December 14th

Scripture: Psalm 60:12
With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

Reflection: When God gives us the gift of his presence there is simply nothing that is impossible for us.  The Psalm above is just one of many of the passages that highlight this truth.

            In Philippians we read that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  These are not meant to be trite phrases that sound good but are really just empty and hollow words. 

            Instead these words are actual truth.  With God all things – if they are in accordance with God’s will – are not only possible but are a reality for us to live into. 

            What that means is that in order to open up incredible and extraordinary possibilities in our lives all that we have to do is ask God to come into our lives and give us his presence. 

            God doesn’t lose and if we are in Christ and asking for him to be present with us we then are part of an unbeatable majority.  A majority with God is one that is guaranteed victory.

Question:  How can you create space to allow God to be present with you in your daily life?  What might you have to put aside to give the room that is needed?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Monday, December 13th

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:11-13
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. 
   But how can one keep warm alone? 
¹² Though one may be overpowered, 
   two can defend themselves. 
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Reflection: When we make Christmas lists, whether as children or as adults we very rarely if ever put down things like, ‘time spend together’, ‘something homemade or anything like that. 

            But when we think about it the memories that we have that last, and the memories that are the most special and important to us are usually those that start with someone we care about choosing to give the gift of their presence. 

            Simply put it is in relationship with each other that we find our greatest joy, so it follows that the best gift we have to give to those we care about is the gift of our time and our presence.

            When we do this, when we give of ourselves, we create lasting memories, demonstrate our love and care and we also model the way that God chooses to be involved in relationship with us.

Question: What are some ways that you can give the gift of presence with those you care about this Christmas?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Sunday, December 12th

Scripture: Proverbs 11:24
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

Reflection: It is one of the great quirks of the lives we live, that it seems that the more we give of ourselves, the more we seem to get.  But this isn’t some accident or truly just a quirk.  This is the way that God designed and intended it to be.

            God is a God of relationships. He wants a relationship with each and every one of us and God wants us to be in relationship with each other.  It is through relationships that God often chooses to show grace and share blessings with those that need it in the world.   Because God desires us to be in relationship with him and with each other, it is only through these relationships that we experience the fullest measure of God’s grace, blessing and goodness. 

            In God’s economy, it is those that give freely of what they have: time, abilities, resources, that are given the full richness of God’s blessing.  It is only when we try to hold on to what we have for ourselves that we encounter true poverty of blessing. 

Question: How can you share the blessings God has given you with those around you? 

What are some of the blessings that you have to share with others?  

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Saturday, December 11th

Scripture: Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Reflection: What does the love of money and God’s promise to never leave or forsake us have to do with each other? 

            The connection lies in who and what you will choose to trust in.  The love of money develops in many ways, but there are two that common.  First, from the desire to be in control and the (mistaken) believe that we are responsible for providing for and caring for ourselves and our loved ones all by ourselves.  When we believe that we have to do everything ourselves it is easy, even natural to become focused on the money we need to provide for our needs.

            The second is the very common, and dangerous emotion of jealousy.  When we look around at what others have and decide that we want that too, we start focusing on what we need to get what we want – money.  But when we trust in and rely on the promise of God to be with us and provide for us, we can turn from money and trust in God.  When, instead of focusing on what we don’t have, we stop and thank God for what we do have, money is no longer the most important thing.

Question:  What do you have to be content with?  

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Friday, December 10th

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34:11
They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to purchase dressed stone, and timber for joists and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

Reflection: Do we serve money or does the money that we have been made stewards of serve us?  Do the ways we use money point to and glorify God or glorify something else. 

            When we use the gifts, abilities and resources that we have been given to glorify God and to point to God, so that others may have an encounter with God and enter into a relationship with him, God always blesses that endeavor.

            We are given what we have to use it, but not simply to use it as we see fit.  But, rather to use it to serve and glorify God.  When we do that, we are working according to God’s plan and working within God’s plan for our lives is always the best plan for us and for those around us.  The best gift we can give those we love is not bought with money – but it is simply to use all that we have been given in service to God. 

Question: When, and in what situations, are you tempted to ‘serve the money’?

What are some ways that you can use the resources, gifts and abilities you have been given to bless others and glorify God?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Thursday, December 9th

Scripture: Mark 6:8
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.

Reflection: In our world we need money for just about everything.  But in a life lived seeking to follow God’s call, sometimes you will be called to go without. 

            In this passage Jesus is sending out pairs of disciples to go and prepare the way for him and the gospel of God.  Jesus sends them out by first instructing them to basically go without taking any of the things a normal person would take with them. No money, no change of clothes, no food – not even shoes. 

            The point is that Jesus wants the disciples – and us - to trust in him and to allow God to work through them in clearly miraculous ways.  No matter the subject or topic, even when it comes to money, we are supposed to have faith that God will provide and that God has a plan for us that is good. 

            It is hard for us, but sometimes it is only by trusting in God that we are able to open our lives to experience the full grace and blessing of God.

Question: What is the hardest part for you about trusting God to provide?

Have you ever had a time when God provided unexpected grace and blessing to you?  What happened?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Wednesday, December 8th

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Reflection: We often hear this verse misquoted simply as ‘money is the root of all evil’.  That version doesn’t quite get at the point of what is being said.

            It is the love of money, not money in and of itself, that is a danger to us.  It is when our love of money – and because of that love then a desire to have (more and more of) that money that gets us into trouble. 

            Note that the love of money is dangerous and evil not because God doesn’t want us to have nice stuff or to be happy, but because that a focus on money or a love of money have caused some to wonder from the faith and the love of money has caused some ‘many griefs’. 

            Money is an unfaithful partner and one that will never lead us to fulfillment and satisfaction.  The love of money will always ‘end badly’ and the hurt and wreckage will be in our hearts and lives. 

Question: What is the difference between using the money you have and ‘loving money’?

How can you make sure that you aren’t falling into love with money?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Tuesday, December 7th

Scripture: Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Reflection: Money is often a taboo subject in church, even when many other very sensitive matters are routinely and casually shared over coffee or during the prayer concerns. 

            I think this is because we often think of money and God or our faith as opposing forces somehow.  This isn’t quite true though.  The truth is that God makes it clear that we have to decide what is most important to us and what is going to be our driving and underlying motivation.  Is it going to be God and God’s will for our lives or is it going to be the pursuit of money, wealth and possessions. 

            What Jesus is making clear in Matthew 6 is not that we have to hate money or that we can’t have it or even want it.  But that they can’t be equals in our lives or in our hearts. 
            We are called to love and serve God with all of our heart, mind, strength and spirit.  With all of who we are and what we have – this includes our money, so we can’t be trying to serve it too.

Question: What or who are you serving right now in your life? 

What would it take to really begin to serve God first?

Advent Conspiracy Devotional: Monday, December 6th

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

Reflection: Nelson Rockefeller, when he was one of the wealthiest men in the world, was asked the simple question: ‘How much money is enough?’  His reply was telling: ‘A little more.’ 

            When money or material possessions – or anything other than God’s will and plan for your life is your goal or the driving force behind your life or your actions you will never be satisfied.  There will always be someone with more money.  There will always be someone with something you don’t have yet.  And even when you have it all, there will be new versions of what you already have. 

            In this season, when we so often get consumed with buying the next big thing, it is important to remember that no material gift – no matter how great, new, fancy or expensive – will ever truly satisfy us or anyone else.  The things we can buy, will not ever lead us to happiness. 

Question: What is the thing that you always want ‘a little more’ of?

How can you take the focus off of ‘how much’ this Christmas?