The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In the golden light of early morning sat these two chairs. They seemed to be inviting someone to come and sit by the lake - so still it reflected the beauty around it. The amazing thing is that each and every morning, whatever the season, Jesus still invites us to come and sit with him. He dwells with us. In this busy season of Christmas, just stop and accept Jesus's invitation to sit with him for he is truly God with us.
Prayer Emmanuel Full of grace and truth we sit in your presence in awe of your love for us. Amen
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When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. I have photographed many amazing things - beautiful sunrises, crashing waves, high mountain overlooks. I am grateful for these times. But I have also photographed along familiar trails with no spectacular scenery. It was one of those trails that I walked last week. It is not a busy trail, especially late in the day this time of year, so it was a quiet time. As I walked on the trail my focus was gradually shifted from worries and cares to the beauty of the woods. With the quietness of the woods came a sense of peace. And after the peace came a quiet joy.
Many times when choirs sing the chorus of the Christmas carol, “How Great Our Joy,” the choir alternates between singing the same phrase loudly and then softly. I think joy is like that. Sometimes joy is crashing waves and amazing sunrises. We just want to sing out loud. There are other times when joy is quiet like a simple walk in the woods. Wherever you walk this day, spectacular vistas or quiet walkways, open your heart to God’s love. Feel the joy only He can bring. Prayer God, Joy-Giver, Make us aware of your presence today. Fill our hearts with your joy. Amen When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” On my morning walk around the campground I came upon an empty campsite, empty except for one thing. There was this jar filled with fresh picked flowers on the picnic table. No one around, just the flowers on the table in the glass jar. This is not something you expect to see. Still it filled me wit joy.
The whole story of Jesus’s birth is unexpected. No one expected the Messiah to be born to an unimportant family, much less to a mother who was pregnant before being married. The shepherds, also unimportant and even looked down on, didn’t expect to see angels telling them, that the Messiah had been born in their town. During this season of advent open your heart to the unexpected. Be like the shepherds and go look for Jesus. And don’t be surprised if you find him in unexpected places. Prayer Lord Jesus Open our hearts to the unexpected to day, to the hope of new life in you. Amen The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: For many years putting up the Christmas tree was a celebration for our family. We had special friends over and prepared a special meal. Each year we bought a special ornament for each child. The other ornaments were gifts from students or friends. So each ornament is a memory. After the children grew up and had their own families in distant cities it was harder to find a time to have the traditional celebration. The artificial tree and ornaments were heavy and too hard for us to bring down from the attic, so we just stopped putting up a tree.
As I thought about Advent again I decided that we need the tree, the celebration. We bought a smaller tree and just got a few of the ornaments down. Even though it was just the two of us and I am glad we did the work to put up the tree. It reminds me that we need to prepare for Advent. It will be work because it will mean taking a long hard look at our hearts. It will remind me each day that Jesus came down to earth to live with us and to open our hearts to his coming. How are you preparing for Advent this year? Prayer Emmanuel, God With Us Prepare our hearts for your coming. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan