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 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” When a photographer takes a picture of a waterfall, she has a choice. If she uses a slow shutter speed then the water will appear smooth and silky. If she wants to capture the power and speed of the water then she will use a fast shutter speed to see the individual water droplets. I don’t remember which one I chose when I took this image of two tiers of Multnomah Falls. It was only after I looked at the image when I got home that I realized somehow I had managed to do both in the same image. The water from the upper falls is smooth and silky while you see more of the power of the water and individual drops in the lower tier. It is a mystery that I really can’t explain.
When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was about to bear the Son of God she faced a mystery. Her question, “How can this be?”Gabriel’s answer was “by the power of the Most High” and a promise that “no word from God will ever fail.” This was probably the first of many mysteries that she would face as she watched Jesus grow and begin his ministry. What we do know is that even in the face of mystery, of not having all the answers, of not knowing why, she remained faithful to her word, “I am the Lord’s servant.” Prayer Most High Help me trust you even when I don’t understand why. May I answer like Mary, “I are the Lord’s servant.” Amen Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” We had arrived at Ruby Beach just as the sun was rising. Some parts of the beach were already bathed in the golden glow of the morning sun while some were still in the shadows. After walking on the beach and watching the crashing waves we turned around to hike back to the car. As we walked below the rocky hill side at the water’s edge I looked up and saw the sun rising over the hill. Rays of sunlight streamed through the morning fog. The light had come and it was beautiful.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had lived through many dark years of Roman oppression and childlessness when the angel Gabriel came with astonishing news. They would have a son who would be the one to prepare the way for God’s salvation. We read these words of Zechariah, words of hope not just for a child but for the world. God was sending his light to those living in the darkness. No longer would the darkness win for the light was coming. There would still be dark days as there are now but there is hope. Jesus will guide us into his light and it will be even more glorious than the light was that morning. Prayer Father of Light Break into our hearts with your light when our days are dark. Fill us with hope and guide us into the path of peace. Amen But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” This Christmas season I have been drawn to the carol “I Wonder as I Wander” over and over again. Every time I hear it I am reminded of an experience from our trip to the Badlands. The night was clear and the moon was new, a perfect night for seeing the Milky Way. So we went to the Notch trail where there is a boardwalk and even a bench to sit and watch night come. My feelings of wonder grew as I sat there. The dictionary definition captures a little of my experience that night:
Wonder: (noun) “a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.” It was truly a night of wonder for me, one of those special times when you feel God’s presence. There are many times and places that you can see a sky full of stars and even the Milky Way but this time was different. An interesting thing about the word ‘wonder’ is that is also can be used as a verb. Wonder: (verb) “desire or be curious to know something.” I think of Mary’s response to the angel’s announcement. She wondered at the wonder of the announcement. She didn’t understand, she wondered, yet she trusted. I am sure that there were many more times during her life that she must have wondered again, but yet we know she was there when Jesus died on the cross. Familiar things, like a starry night, can often loose their wonder. And so it can be with the story of Mary and the birth of Jesus; it can become so familiar that we loose its wonder. Read, or better yet, listen to the story again as you wonder and wander. What do you wonder? Prayer Lord Jesus, Fill us with wonder again at your love for us. Amen He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: The Appalachian Mountains are my home. I love seeing mountain peaks in the distance, walking on mountain trails, watching water flow over rocks in mountain streams, finding wildflowers in the spring, and seeing the beautiful colors of autumn. The mountains represent a sense of security for me. So traveling to the prairies of North and South Dakota was a very different experience. The land was flat and I could see for miles. I was surprised at how much color I could see. The sky seemed so big and there was almost a constant wind, strong enough at times to blow you down.
As the mountains represent a sense of security and home for me, the wide open spaces of the prairies came to represent a time to open wide my heart. It was hard sometimes to walk against the wind and to feel small underneath a big sky filled with clouds. The prairie reminded me of the words and mission of John the Baptist. He was preparing the way for Jesus by asking people to open wide their hearts, to repent. As we prepare for Advent we need to open wide our hearts. It isn’t easy but this is the way to see God’s salvation. How can you open wide your heart today? Prayer Messiah Jesus Blow in our hearts this day and open them wide. Forgive us the sin we see in our lives and fill our wide open hearts with your love. 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