Psalm 85: 1-2, 8-13

This psalm begins with a grateful memory of a time when God was good to Jacob and all of God’s people. There are a few verses (not specifically highlighted for today’s reading, but hard to ignore) that express longing for that holy goodness. Then, beginning with the eighth verse, there is a veritable A-list roll call of all of God’s promises coming to God’s people. In fact, the subsequent verses read like a commentator giving the play-by-play at a gala event. Just listen to this:

Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

It’s so exciting – I wish I were there with that esteemed crowd – but wait! – I am! This happy scene, full of peace, salvation, glory, love, faithfulness, righteousness, and more peace, faithfulness, and righteousness is right here, right in the land that is called God’s at the start of the psalm and ours at the end – one and the same. I am in the midst of this fabulous gathering, and so are you – thanks be to God!

PRAYER: God of Love: In this season of gifts, thank you for your gifts that surround us, support us, and make us whole. Indeed, you give us what is good, now and always. Amen.

Ellen Gadberry

Micah 5:2-5a

There is a pose in Yoga called Virabhadrasana II, or “Proud Warrior.” Our instructor tells us to “stand firmly in the present, reaching out for the best in the past with one hand, but keeping our eyes on the other hand, which is reaching toward the future.” I thought of this pose as a way of connecting to today’s passage from Micah.

Micah was writing to the people of Israel when they were standing in an unsettled present. They were under threat of an invasion by Assyria, the gap between rich and poor was increasing, and everywhere Micah looked he saw greed and corruption, even among the priests and prophets. In this passage Micah is reaching back to the golden age of David, the shepherd turned king, who came from the small town of Bethlehem, but at the same time his eyes are fixed on the future “one of peace”, who will “feed his flock in the strength of the Lord… and they shall live secure.”

We find ourselves in a position similar to that of Micah’s contemporaries. Our present is unsettled. Our country is involved in warfare and the gap between rich and poor is widening at a heartbreaking rate. Every day we read about some new scandal among our elected officials and others we thought we could trust. Perhaps we would do well to imagine ourselves with our feet firmly planted in the knowledge of God’s love, remembering the best from our past, but focusing our attention on God’s promises for the future: those beautiful promises of the peaceable kingdom inaugurated by the coming Christ child.

PRAYER: Gracious, loving God, thank you for loving us enough to get involved with this messy world. Thank you for your promises of peace, security, and your steadfast love. Grant that I may have the faith to reach out to the future in confidence, knowing that you are in my past, my present and my future. Amen.

Anne Topple

Isaiah 11:1-10

“A shoot will come up from the stump or Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” I recall back to a childhood book “The Giving Tree” where the tree gave everything for the boy he loved. And when the tree was cut to nothing but a stump and thought it had nothing more to give, the boy, now an old man, just needed a place to sit. When he thought he couldn’t, the tree once again provided. I often think of stumps being the dead part of a tree. But what a miracle occurs in this passage from Isaiah–the dead suddenly becoming alive again, growing a branch and creating fruit! Advent is a time when we look toward the end of days. Yes, it’s about expectation of Jesus’ birth, but it’s also about his coming again. The days of peace. Enemies no longer enemies but friends. No more fear. No more want or hurt. Hope. This story points toward hope where we believe there to be none.


PRAYER: Loving God, help me to search those parts of my life that seem “life-less” and do not produce fruit. As I joyfully await for your coming again, open me to being transformed from lifelessness to being risen again with you in new life, hope and love. Amen.

Clint Miller

TRIANGLES

It was 8:00 a.m. in equatorial Africa and our parallel ladders made triangles against a roofless wall. As we worked to make the three-sided roof truss upright, my partner, born and reared in nearby Buchanan, Liberia, looked with a quizzical frown at the tool I used. I could tell he was quite interested in my carpenter’s triangle.

The goal of our mission team from First Baptist Church of Decatur was to help finish a church building begun by missionaries. We brought our tools from Georgia and planned to leave them with the 25 native volunteer workers.

My co-worker bore down on learning the use of a triangle. As we worked, the smell of collard greens cooking in hot mustard sauce overtook me. Some volunteers prepared lunch while we measured, sawed and hammered.

I tarried on my ladder when the lunch call sounded. I watched as my partner raced to get his plate and eat in exile 100 feet from the others.

Later, several Africans explained that my partner was a member of a tribe that had helped slave traders capture and deliver Africans to the slave ships. One man allowed that my partner was a good man and, while they permitted him to work with them, he could not dine with them.

On departure day, we, they and he gathered to pray to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and say goodbye. My partner accepted the gift of the triangle and thanked me with a hug and a smile.

PRAYER: Lord, teach us to learn war no more, and to forgive the wars of long ago. Amen.

Wade Medlock

Luke 3:1-6
In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius, … [John] went into all the region … proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins … (v. 1, 3)

We anticipate the coming of peace in order to prepare for the birth of Jesus. Yet there cannot be peace unless there is reconciliation. And there cannot be reconciliation unless there is forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a hard thing to give. It requires that we recall a time and a place where we were done harm. And it requires that the one to be forgiven is aware of that need.

Forgiveness is a hard thing to receive. It requires that we recall a time and a place where we did harm to another. It means to say that what we did was wrong.

Yet without the giving and receiving of forgiveness there cannot be the fullness of peace.

When we participate in forgiveness, we are participating in a moment of being vulnerable to others, to God and to ourselves. It is not simply saying “I’m sorry.” It is part of a new beginning, a new awakening. It is the coming of one who can bring a peace that we cannot produce on our own. Let us prepare to share the peace that Jesus brings.

PRAYER: God of Peace, may we find ways of preparing for your peace. Kindle in us an awareness of who we have been wronged by and who we have wronged. Provide the ways and methods we need to ask for and give forgiveness as we anticipate the birth of Christ. Amen.

Joel Alvis

Psalm 89: 1-4, 19-26

The words which this psalmist uses to describe David and the way God pointed him out could almost be prophetic of the Messiah. “I will treat him as my firstborn son, and make him the mightiest king over all the earth”. This was the beginning of the nation of Israel; David was only the second king. But God had chosen him to lead God’s people. God had made a covenant with him.

Jesus is the living sign of our own covenant with God. We are asked to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to love our neighbors as ourselves. As God asked the Hebrews in the Ten Commandments, we are to place nothing above God, neither worldly goods, nor family, nor anything else which will separate us from giving our attention to God and God’s plan for our lives.

In exchange we are only asked to accept the salvation Jesus came to give us. We are reminded of this great gift every year during Advent and Christmas. Our goal should be to remember it every day in our thoughts and actions.

PRAYER: Oh, God, who can be compared to you? The heavens are yours, and the earth, for you created them all. Your love and kindness are forever! Your truth is as enduring as the heavens! Blessed be the Lord forever. Amen and amen.

Ginny Slack

Mark 13: 24-37

Be on guard! Be alert! Watch! This passage and the preceding verses are filled with ominous messages and warnings including betrayal, deception, hatred, and being caught unprepared for the end of the age. This is not the most uplifting message for one of our most important (and usually joyful) seasons on our Christian calendar. And yet, in reflecting on the passage, a message about our day-to-day reality arose.

Our lives often are like our mailboxes or eMAIL inboxes – bombarded with junk mail and spam. We are distracted by a lot of chatter, numerous ways to spend money and time, and conflicting messages. Think of the many opportunities that are presented, but that we miss because we are not paying attention. We often are so immersed in our responsibilities and to-do lists that we isolate ourselves and miss opportunities see and experience Christ’s love in the world around us.

During this advent season, invest in some early internal spring cleaning. Give yourself quiet time away from distractions. Clean out your spiritual mail box so you are ready to receive the important messages that arrive. Prepare your heart-home and fling open wide the doors and windows to welcome, receive, and share God’s love and peace. Be alert! Watch! You never know what opportunity God will send to your doorstep.

PRAYER: Dear God: Jesus’ birth was a miraculous gift you gave us. May we remember to be prepared, watch and be alert for the many gifts you send us throughout the year. Amen.

Fran Mohr

Psalm 25: 4-7

“For you, I wait all day long.”

I love these days of waiting. In our household, it’s these days of waiting that have more ritual, more introspection, more joy, and more connection with God than the actual “day” for which we are waiting. I love all the potential, all the possibilities, and all the anticipation of the promise. Whereas, when I was younger, I loved The Day. I relished in the promise delivered. As I read this passage, I contemplated that change. And I ask you now – in this season, when do you feel closer to God? The days of waiting before Christmas or on Christmas day – and why?

PRAYER: O gracious God, your mercy and steadfast love are of old, but we feel them still. Help us find you in this joyous season. For you, we wait. Amen.

Pam Joyce

Philippians 1:3-11

Paul begins his letter to the congregation at Philippi with a prayer of thanks. It is such a lovely prayer; it really conveys the affection that exists between Paul and the congregation. Two things stand out for me in this passage in the context of Advent.

First, Paul asserts his confidence that on the “day of Jesus Christ” the Philippians will be a good work brought to completion. The “day of Jesus Christ” that Paul was waiting for has not come yet, some 2000 years later. Theologians argue over the meaning of the day of Christ, and whether the coming kingdom is already here or hasn’t come yet. Personally, living between already and not yet, sometimes I feel that the already is stronger, and sometimes the not yet. Advent raises this question for us again: what exactly are we celebrating? The coming kingdom? Or the kingdom already come? Or can we live in a world where we live with both?

Second, Paul prays that the love of the congregation will overflow even more with knowledge and insight, so that they will know what is best, and be judged blameless in the coming day of judgment. Once again we are faced with Paul’s still immediate expectation of Jesus’ return, now expressed in end terms as a day of judgment. But he expresses hope, not for punishment, but for the abundance of righteousness that has come from the insight of love. As we live into this first week of Advent, in the expectation of the coming Christ, and in the celebration of the Christ already come, let us echo Paul’s hope for the Philippians: that love and righteousness will lead us in this season.

PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, swiftly come. Help us to know your constant presence with us, and your always-ready love and grace. In our own abundance, please give us the love and discernment to work for righteousness. In our love, help us to share your abundance of grace. Amen.

Alice Hickcox

Isaiah 40:1-11

With words of incredible power, the unknown prophet of Israel’s exile in Babylon proclaims the good news God’s people have been waiting long to hear. Deliverance is at hand. God’s people are to be brought home to Jerusalem.

It is God who is doing this, just as a shepherd leads the flock homeward at the end of the day.

These opening words of comfort also contain the promise of deliverance. The long period of incarceration in a foreign land is ending and the prisoners are to be set free. Ahead lies yet another desert trek, but on this road travelers will encounter no wandering as did the Israelites of the Exodus long ago. Rather the high road leads straight home to Jerusalem and traveling will be easy along level ground because this is the highway of Yahweh. This message comes direct from God and is now revealed to everyone.

Is this message of comfort and deliverance trustworthy? Are the Israelites themselves to be trusted? Their loyalty has been as ephemeral as the grass and flowers of the field which today blossom forth and tomorrow vanish. This is the word of the Lord, however, and it stands forever; it can be trusted eternally.

Prayer:
God of new creating, who beckons us to the dance of birthing, and sustains us in our laboring, hear our prayer. Amen.

Cindy Hays