God with Us Reading: Luke 2:25-38 Simeon and Anna were anticipating Messiah, waiting to behold His beauty. God remembered their longing for His righteousness and blessed them by allowing them to not only behold, but to hold the baby Jesus before they died. The result? Both Simeon and Anna still proclaim to...
Alpha and Omega Reading: 2 Samuel 7:13; Revelation 21, 22 The Biblical story does not end with Christmas. There is so much more. May we remember Christ’s gift of forgiveness of sin and newness of Life as we proclaim His goodness. May we remind one another of the things to come as...
Shepherd Reading: Luke 2:1-20; John 10:1-21 I learned Psalm 23 by memory when as a young child I visited my Grandma Burns. She believed that memorizing the Psalm would be a great comfort to me through the years. She was right. Probably more than any gift I have ever received, I cherish...
Beloved of God Reading: Micah 5:1-4; Luke 1:26-80; Matthew 1:19-2:12 In today’s reading, I hope you see the many people that have gone before us recognizing the time is now to worship the King. I vaguely remember days in a little Mennonite Church with Sunday school in the basement when I lived...
The New Covenant Reading: Jeremiah 31:10-34; Hebrews 9:15 If you study the covenants in Scripture, you gain a deep understanding of the long-suffering of the Lord God Almighty and His persistent desire to be one with those He created to bear His image. The New Covenant reveals a gracious God Who has...
Light of the World Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7; John 8:12 I love seeing Christmas lights. I enjoy sharing the lights with loved ones and seeing what others have thought up to celebrate His birth. It is no wonder to me that Christ is called the Light of the World. Light is essential to...
Lord of Hosts Reading: Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:2 In the Hebrew Bible, the name of the Lord frequently is connected with the term for hosts or armies. Some scholars see the term, typically interpreted Lord of Hosts, to more accurately translate as “He brings into existence whatever exists”....
Healer Reading: Isaiah 29:18-21; 53:3 The children that were designing the ornaments for this advent celebration had a lot of fun with this ornament on Healer. How would you depict The Healer? Would you draw a crutch with an “x” over it? Would you draw Christ Jesus in scrubs? Would you...
The Stem of Jesse Reading: Isaiah 11:1-11 Isaiah was the prophet that spoke impending exile to the Israelites due to their rejection of God. Isaiah had the hard task of rebuking several kings for their unbelief. Specifically, Isaiah spoke the virgin birth prophecy of Messiah as a judgment on King Ahaz. In...
Immanuel Reading: Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:31-35 Don’t miss the details regarding Immanuel...
King of Kings Reading: Psalm 72:9-10: Matthew 2:1-12 Deference is humble submission and respect. Kings, as great sacrificial leaders in the land, are worthy of deference. To bestow such honor on a little baby seems ludicrous unless the baby is born to rule. The Christmas story includes accounts of kings bringing gifts...
Messiah Reading: Psalm 16; Daniel 12:2 (Best read out loud) John 4:25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Some scholars say that the Old Testament does not teach resurrection, physical life after physical death....
Anointed One Reading: Psalm 2; Acts 4:1-31 I think Psalm 2 speaks the entire Biblical story in its “mere” twelve verses. Acts 4 gives the account of believers, convicted of the truth in Psalm 2, boldly proclaiming how to take refuge in Christ Jesus despite the opposition of governing leaders. As we...
Son of David Reading: 2 Samuel 7; Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32-33 As I read through 2 Samuel 7, the word “forever” stands out to me. This is a strong word. This is a covenant relationship word. One of the greatest steps of faith you and I take is to believe that the God...
He is King Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 “1 Samuel 16:7 God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” The Israelites wanted a king to lead them, a king like the other nations had. God responded to their prayers by establishing a...
Greater Moses Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-19; John 6:14; Acts 7:37 My children and I loved playing a game with my Grandma Burns based on her ability to give us clues. Grandma Burns would hide a gift in her house and slips of paper containing clues to help locate the gift. The race to...
Our Sin-Bearer Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 Today we pause and acknowledge that the Creator of the Universe orchestrated a great redemptive plan in which He would bear the grotesque sin of mankind so that all who believe in His provision of Life would escape the wrath and judgment of Holy God and receive...
Law-Giver Reading: Exodus 19:1-20:17 I don’t know how you feel about Law-Givers or about the Law, some people really resent Law-Givers and think that no one has the right to “regulate” another, but I greatly value Law-Givers and the Law. I believe they are foundational to order and I greatly appreciate order....
The Passover Lamb Reading: Exodus 12:1-51 In delivering Israel out of Egypt, God provides a Passover Lamb that symbolizes the Israelite’s need of God’s miraculous help. The Blood of the Lamb placed over the door of the home provided refuge from the plague sent to judge the hard-hearted Egyptians. The blood of...
The Greater Exodus Reading: Exodus 2:1-10, 3:1-17 I’ve been watching my new grandson and thinking about babies in the Christmas story. So many miraculous little lives. The survival of a baby is dependent upon adults taking pity on the vulnerable and being trustworthy in caring for the baby. Moses and Christ Jesus...
The Lion of Judah Reading: Genesis 49:8-11 Matthew 2:6 “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.” Timing is so important in many ways. I try not to be a “lemon...
He is Provider Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith in God’s character revealed in His Word, pleases our Maker. As with all convictions, one really cannot know the conviction until the conviction is tested. Our Maker tests our...
He is Covenant Blesser Reading: Genesis 12:1-7, 15:1-6 To identify the real King, we must know something about His character. We must know a bit about Him. God is incomprehensible apart from Him teaching us His ways. The Lord does this through history by telling of His relationship with humankind, in particular...
He is Life-Giver Reading: Genesis 2:4-3:24 Eden! Humankind lived in the perfect place. The place was pleasing to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the garden. The people (man and woman) lived by streams and among the living creatures, naming the creatures of God. Man and...
He is Creator Reading: Genesis 1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Thus, begins the revelation of God to humankind. We are first to recognize God as Creator. God creates the earth, light, goodness, time, waters and land, the heavenlies, plants, animals, and humankind. God sees all that...
I have always loved “advent devotionals”, and the focus it brings to the season. This year I begged Jodie to please write one for us to share on social media and the women’s ministry blog. To me, there’s something extra special about children and Christmas, so as an added bonus,...
Introduction Sometimes it is just plain wrong to anticipate a certain thing. You shouldn’t anticipate a good grade if you haven’t studied. You shouldn’t anticipate financial security if you haven’t saved. You shouldn’t anticipate a great relationship with your sibling if you haven’t stayed in touch. You shouldn’t anticipate weight loss…. One...