If turning water into wine (John 2:1-11) was an epiphany revealing Jesus as Lord over Creation (a miracle since water usually requires multiple steps involving also sun, grapes, and time to become wine), this second sign Jesus performed displays His identity as the Lord of life. He didn’t even lay hands on the guy. It was just His Word, just like at Creation in Genesis 1.

John 4:46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. (Jn. 4:46-54 NIV)

Signs and wonders in Jesus’ day were done so that we would believe in our generation based upon the written Word.  Believing, that’s what Jesus suggests in verse 48 and what John concludes at the end of his Gospel. 

“Then Jesus told Thomas, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:29-31)

Today’s prayer thought: Jesus is the Lord of life, as truly in our generation as He was at Creation. Now He gives life to those who believe in His Name.

Father God, thank You that Jesus is the Lord of life and that He gives eternal life to all who believe in His Name.  Thank You, that it’s only through His sacrifice for our sin that makes our salvation possible.  Thank You for deliverance!  Thank You that our troubles of today are momentary but eternal life is–by its definition–everlasting.  Strengthen us for the times ahead.  Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Do not let us be distracted by the evil one. Help us to persevere in listening for Your voice, and to acknowledge You, sharing Your Gospel as a means of loving our neighbor, no matter what comes.  May we display this mark of being a follower of Christ’s: love. Toward that end, be the wind in our sails, Lord, until that day You return or call us home.  Amen.

The early life of Jesus of Nazareth is largely a mystery.  After the return of His family to Nazareth after their flight to Egypt while He was a toddler, and one instance at age 12, pretty much nothing is known about Him until His ministry came of age.  Even then, His hour had not yet come.

John 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. (John 2:1-11)

It’s stories like this one in the Bible that I always find hard…because they prompt a whole lot of questions for me.  Random things like, had Jesus spent His childhood practicing miracles like some kids practice magic tricks or skipping stones?  Or did He never do one until waking up one day at age 30 with the Father telling Him it was time to do them now?  How did Jesus’ mother know to ask Him to help (if His childhood/young adulthood had been completely uneventful)?  Why, in the only command she issues in the entire Bible, does she tell the servants to do what He says?  If He’d been a regular guy, maybe she was thinking He’d send the servants out to buy some and it had nothing to do with the miraculous…but I always wonder.  Are we to believe that throughout His entire childhood, Mary never once told Him the story of the Nativity, as if she kept that from Him like some parents keep the adoption of their children secret?  How is it possible that Jesus could have had an intimate spiritual relationship with the Father from infancy and yet been a completely average child?  How exactly did changing water into wine reveal His glory?  Was this really all it took for His disciples to believe in Him or was it a tipping point?

Come’on, Barb, you say.  Aren’t those questions stupid like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  Not really.  Far from frivolous questions, every one of them points to the hard question of how Jesus could be both fully man and fully God at the same time in the same person.  It’s hard to make sense of these things.

But we’re told “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in Him (John 2: 11). 

Epiphany…manifestation, revelation.  No one said it would be easy to understand. It’s a call to faith and a sign of His glory.

Today’s prayer thought: So much in our modern culture doesn’t make sense and it’s passages like this “first of the signs” that remind us epiphany often produces more questions than answers.  It drives us to prayer for understanding.

Father God, we’re living in confusing times.  I don’t know what to make of it all.  I look for Your working in our world and in our times.  Might each of us pray, Lord, I do trust You! I trust that Your will is being done even in the midst of our confusion. I trust that You work all things together for the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose, just as Your Word proclaims! I trust that Your ways are not my ways and Your thoughts are far higher than my thoughts. I repent, Lord, of any secret sins, of any thoughts I have of knowing more than I really do, of judgments upon my fellow man that I make in ignorance, and I ask Lord that You would redeem the days in my life by way of faithfulness to pursuing the call that You have placed on me for Your purposes.  I pray that I would be patient and hold fast to my faith in You.  Use my faith, Lord, to produce fruit … abundant fruit … for Your glory. Thank You, Father, that Jesus revealed You to us and that His work is and was complete.  We ask Lord that Jesus would return soon to put an end to the questions by His coming and that we might have tears wiped from our eyes as we begin to see the answers that You alone have today.  May we be comforted by our faith, encouraged in our hope, and stand ready to offer the Gospel in these times that “try men’s souls” (Paine).  We praise You, Lord Jesus, in Your Name we pray. Amen.

Jesus was revealed as Christ the Lord to the lowest among humanity in the Jewish world: shepherds. (Luke 2:8-14)

They didn’t just say, “Cool!” and go on their merry way, watching wayward sheep.  They didn’t keep the news to themselves, a “knowledge is power” idea or even fun fact for Jewish Jeopardy. 

No, they acted upon what had been revealed to them and they did it promptly.

Luke 2:15 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.”   16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.   

20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:8-20)

Epiphany—revelation—comes with a responsibility to use our open eyes, believe with open hearts that which is True, and moreover, a responsibility to act on the Truth that has been revealed to us. 

Today, on this “Three Kings Day” or “Epiphany” we should consider the Magi from the East, pagan astrologers, who also came to worship the Christ who was no longer a newborn but a child.  The Magi were overjoyed.  They worshiped immediately.  They brought gifts of great value for their day on their journey and presented them immediately.  One thing they did not do when they saw His star was to say, “That’s nice” and sit at home doing nothing.

When revelation happens, we ought not ignore the importance of what has been revealed…and the trust we have been given with a responsibility to be faithful. 

1 Corinthians 4: 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. … 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

Today’s prayer thought: What did it mean to the shepherds and the Magi to be “proven faithful” with revelation of the Truth?  What did faithfulness with this trust require of them? What did it cause by way of actions in their lives?  What should it do in yours?

Lord Jesus, we praise You that You revealed the Father to us. We thank You for this high privilege! We ask, Lord, that You would take the light of revelation being given in our lives this day and You would help us to be proven faithful with this trust. May we never take revelation of Your goodness lightly. While we recognize that Your revelation during Your earthly ministry was on a level never seen again after Your ascension, yet we have Your Word. May we never ignore the revelation of Your Truth. May we never yawn with complacency or refuse to give revelation the full weight You intend. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, may we be proven faithful to You and to Your will, and that we would earnestly and immediately seek You in order to worship You, bringing our everything to You–whether it be our material possessions, our allegiance, our time, our voices, or our very lives. We ask that You would use our faithfulness for our good and Your glory. Amen.

Christmas 2020 is over.  But Jesus’ birth wasn’t the beginning or the end.  Jesus existed before all time in the Divine Godhead.  He still exists as the Son of God throughout eternity. 

His birth, however, leads to the pivot point of all human history. 

Sure, there are happy and chipper things about Christmas:  the lights, the gifts, the holiday cookies, and in a normal year for many people, being able to gather with family and friends for something that isn’t the least bit dreary.  For others though, the loneliness at this season is typical and depression an unwelcome but familiar guest. Certainly others know a new kind of pain is new this year as COVID caused us to see what we are now missing. 

In an odd sense, COVID–which sought to steal Christmas–has instead helped to point to the dire need humanity has for rescue.  A Savior.  A Redeemer.  A Leader we can follow without shame or uncertainty. 

In the birth of the Christ Child, the manifestation, the revelation,
the appearance of God in human flesh, this changed everything. 
Jesus prayed to the Father saying,
“I have revealed You to those whom You gave Me out of the world.”
John 17:6

That revelation of Emmanuel (“God with us”) began with Jesus’ birth when the Word was visibly made flesh (John 1:14).  Jesus came to show us who the Father is.  There is His revelation to Jewish shepherds from the hills outside of Bethlehem.  There is revelation to the pagan Magi who came to the house to see the Christ Child (Matthew 2:1-12), commonly commemorated as “Three Kings Day” or Epiphany.  But the revelation didn’t stop there.  Jesus revealed Himself in the Miracle at Cana, at His baptism, and throughout His 3-year ministry.  We’ll look at a few of those moments in the coming days.

Epiphany on the Church calendar is traditionally celebrated as 12 days after Christmas: January 6.

Many people look to 2021 as a ray of hope after a dismal year of COVID and conflict.  In this light of hope there is an enhanced ability to see.  I pray you will see not just a change of calendar month and year, but with this revelation, the Light of the World, and in Him, a Savior who is the Christ the Lord.  I pray you will experience Epiphany and a deeper relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

What difference did the birth of the Christ Child make?  All the difference in the world!  His birth inaugurated a season—33 years as the doorstep to eternity–culminating in the Cross and victory over death, and the empty tomb to prove the Risen Christ was accepted by God as sufficient sacrifice for the sin of all mankind…eternally.

He is the “consolation of Israel” referred to in Luke 2:25.
He is Divine Intervention because only a miracle would do.
Eternally existing as God! The Word made flesh!

Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents (Joseph and Mary) brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

The birth of Christ, the access given by Him for everyone from the lowest shepherds to the greatest among men, was not just for the Jews but for the redemption of an entire world involving many nations.  He is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

Luke 2:33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

It was Scripture being fulfilled in their baby (See Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6).  But even then, Mary and Joseph would have viewed things through the lens of Scripture fulfillment and earthly power, not Divine will which was still a mystery.

Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

On eternity’s Time Magazine, Jesus would be on the cover every single year
as the Man of the Year. 
He upends human power structures,
clarifies what it meant to be an observant Jew,
experiences adoration and worship,
but He’s also a target for world’s hatred of everything God stands for. 

In His last days on earth, after His command to Love each other (John 15:17), Jesus said,

John 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

There’s a reason Jesus is still famous more than 2000 years after His birth.  It’s because of what comes next in that passage.

John 15: 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.  24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.  25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’  26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father– the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father– he will testify about me.  27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Jesus’ birth launched a revolutionary movement called Christianity, the sign spoken against, just as Simeon predicted.  His birth began the testimony about forgiveness of sin—paid in full—not just mercy upon unforgiven sinners.  It inaugurated 33 pivotal years of Divine Intervention, God with us, Emmanuel!  It began the long march to the Cross that makes guilt for sin a reality…because forgiveness has been made available in Christ by Divine Intervention here too!  He is available to anyone.  Anyone.

What about you?  He came for you, too.  For this reason, I hope and pray your Merry Christmas will be rooted and grounded eternally in Christ whether COVID has kept you home, or you have experienced the freedom to worship by congregating with your church family. 

Even COVID can’t stop the Christ from coming.  Even death couldn’t kill Him forever.  Jesus came for You, lived to show You the Father and His love, and died so that You can be forgiven!  He rose from the dead and lives right now… so that in Him, you can live too.  Eternally. Indeed, the best Christmas gift ever!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!  In His love, Barbara

Shepherds and Angels, Heaven and Earth Rejoice!!

In the moment, Mary is giving birth, deep in the throes of labor.  If we had a split screen or Zoom array like Hollywood Squares, we’d also see Joseph helping, the animals watching, perhaps oddly silent, or as the song says, “lowing”.  We’d see shepherds busy at work out in the fields and sheep doing their thing by wandering around, thinking of nothing other than getting lost in search of greener pastures.  Everything on earth would be completely normal. 

If anyone had told them ahead time what was really happening
in heaven and on earth
and that the pivot point of all history that was now happening in their midst,
it’d be cause for calling them crazy.

Luke 2:6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

That’s the earth, but there’s a spiritual realm in which we’d see angels hanging on with great anticipation because they didn’t know the plan either but had been waiting for it.  They’re watching Mary intently to see what happens.  She gives birth to … a baby.  Wait… (the angels are puzzled and pause for God’s explanation and then hearing the Good News, they rejoice!)…

In the spiritual realm, though, we’d also see dark angels, those demons out to destroy the work of God, and they’d be looking on in confusion as to why the hullabaloo in the spiritual realm.  After all, it’s just a baby.  The demons reason to each other, we can derail him with sin or kill him off even into adulthood like Moses or David or Noah, or Adam. But this isn’t an adult.  It’s just a baby.  Easy enough to kill.  No worries, the demons think, millions of babies are ours to kill every year.  It’s just a baby.

The demons would think there’s nothing to worry about. Just a poor baby born to a poor family.  But wait…that’s not how the heavenly angels are reacting!

The angels in heaven are messengers who had been watching and suddenly they see the beauty, even if yet they do not know the full, sheer genius!  They have been given a message from God Himself to proclaim about this birth and Good News of this baby, the Christ Child!! 

Luke 2:8 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.” 13 Suddenly 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.”

No wonder that Heaven and Earth rejoice!!!  No wonder they give glory to God!!!  No wonder they praise Him.  How it all works, they do not question.  God’s plan won’t unfold in earthly time for 33 years.  But for now, the message is enough for Shepherds and Angels, Heaven and Earth to rejoice!

Questions for thought:

• “Conventional wisdom” would have seen just a baby, birthed by a poor woman who had gotten pregnant out of wedlock.  In what way does our culture disregard the divinity of Jesus, make fun of Him or His followers, or treat Him like a joke?
• What does God think of that attitude?
• In what ways was “conventional wisdom” wrong then?  Herod would be among the first of the worldly ones to consider this Child to be a genuine threat.  So much that he’d kill all the innocent males under age 2 (Matthew 2:1-16).  Whose side was Herod on: God’s or those from the dark forces of evil? 
• Do worldly forces of evil consider Christmas and Christians to be a threat?
• What does God think about mere mortals shutting down Christmas like a governmental Grinch?
• Why did it take no time at all for the heavenly host to praise God for the Christ Child, but it took around 2 years for the forces of evil to marshal ways to try to kill Jesus off? 
• What about God’s plan threw evil for a loop?  Read Matthew 1:20-23 for insight.

As we conclude this year’s devotional series on Divine Intervention with this climax, this pivot point of all history, when the Christ Child was born, let’s pray,

Father God our hearts are filled with wonder at the genius of Your plan of salvation, that You Yourself– the Eternal Word–would come to mankind!  God in the flesh, God with us, Emmanuel!  We praise You and thank You for the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph. We thank You that Jesus was born exactly how Scripture outlined. We praise You for the sinless life that He led during His 33 years on this earth.  Thank You that He was faithful all the way to the end on Good Friday’s Cross, in the tomb on Saturday, only to be Risen on Easter Sunday.  We thank You that because He lives, we also can live in Him.  We thank You that He came to save us.  We thank You that Your plan was not to leave us to die in our sins but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  We ask that during this holy season of Advent even as COVID attempts to steal our joy, to steal our peace, to steal our hope, steal our Christmas, yet we would be called to rejoice in the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. Oh, that we would join with the angels and give Glory to God in the Highest because You are good, You are loving, You are merciful, and Your grace abounds where our hope is dimmest. We thank You Lord Jesus for coming to show us the way to the Father and to show us who the Father is. May we never have cause to doubt and always be the kind of faithful people who will bring glory to You at Your return. We praise You on this Christmas Eve.  We thank You for this most amazing Gift.  We pray this to Your eternal glory. Amen.

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born … there was no guest room available for them.” (Luke. 2:6-7)

Couldn’t God have provided a better lodging
for the mother of the Son of God and His only Son, the Christ Child? 
Sure He could have, but it would have ruined the point.

Out of my way, Caesar Augustus, there’s a new ruler in town! 
Off your throne.  It’s Mine!  Comin’ through!
Move over Herod, make room for the King of kings and Lord of lords! 
Messiah on His way!  Once He’s born, you’re history!
Imagine the Christmas images of Mary and Joseph and the Christ Child in the lap of luxury
at the King David Hotel and the shepherds inquiring at the registration desk
about the penthouse suite reserved for dignitaries.

Nah, God is better than all that. 
He chooses poverty in order to display His great riches in Christ. 
A dark manger and an animal’s feeding trough
to display the Light of the World and the Bread of Life. 
He does Divine Intervention to make it possible
for lowly shepherds to enter to worship a Messiah
who comes for anyone who accepts Him and acknowledges Him as Savior.

It’s Good News for all people when Jesus is born. 
Not just for the wealthy or middle-class.  He’s for everyone.
It’s Good News that the power structures of this world
will be displayed to pale in comparison
to the power concentrated and veiled in miniature in baby Jesus,
the eternal Word made flesh.
It’s Good News that the King of kings is also the Good Shepherd
and not just a social climber
who can limit who has access to His throne of power.

Questions for thought:

• Might it have seemed to Mary and Joseph that everything was against them?  Bad timing of the census and now, not even a guest room to give birth in a relatively sanitary environment where midwives could have been called? 
• Instead of the hands of a midwife, whose human hands would have received the Son of God as his own son?
• Would Mary and Joseph have experienced a crucible moment of wondering if God had abandoned them, or was it all a charade?
• Might they have been confused about what it means to submit to God?  The pregnancy was undeniable, but Joseph’s knowledge was only that this child was not from his seed, and then there’s the dream.
• Mary and Joseph each had their angels.  Might it have been just a figment of their imaginations?  But wait. The pregnancy…hard to reconcile any other way for a virgin.
• How might the manger have been a Divine Intervention to steel the faith of two people, Mary and Joseph, for the times that were ahead? Read 1 Peter 1:7 for insight. Times of testing are for whose benefit?

Thank You, Father, for Your divine wisdom, for giving us moments in which Your work makes no sense, that in the moment it seems as though You have no power… in the moment it seems as though Your plan has failed… in the moment we have reasons to abandon hope… in the moment our faith is tested! So we praise You, Lord, that You are faithful to bring us all the way home, to keep our faith strong, and that no one can snatch us out of Your hands. We thank You for the faith of Mary, the faith of Joseph, and the faith proved as genuine that is a gift to Christians worldwide. We ask Lord that You would powerfully intervene in our current world to show us the good news that is available for all people! May the world be watching and know that You alone are God and that You alone deserve to be worshipped!! We ask Lord that all the dark forces of evil will be vanquished, that every opportunity that there has been to steal the joy and peace of Christians, that those evil attempts would –each and all–be vanquished! We ask Lord that You would rise up in vengeance against the evil times that seek to destroy Your Son and His work, to destroy His Church, and to diminish His Cross and Your grace. We ask Lord that You would bring us faithfully to the finish line so that when Jesus Christ returns to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, riding on the clouds, that we would be found faithful. Oh Lord, that in our crucible moments of life we would be found genuine with the kind of faith that brings glory to You forever! Amen

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• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Luke 2:1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Could anything be less convenient than a journey of several days when you’re about to give birth?  Oh, but the good old government mandated it.

Chances are good that Caesar Augustus had absolutely no idea that the Christ Child needed to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill Scripture or that the time was ripe…when he issued that decree.  The Christ Child was probably the farthest thing from his mind and certainly a poor young woman who was pregnant would cause him no concern.  No threat.  No problem.

Oh, Caesar Augustus issued the decree alright, but it was Divine Intervention by the Almighty! In a mysterious way that only God knows, the events of this earth are like a watercourse God directs even as humans exercise their normal behaviors and use their own free will.  Even so, it was Divine Intervention because Scripture needed to be fulfilled and the inconveniences upon Mary and Joseph were necessary in order for Mary to give birth while they were there in the precise place at the exact time.

Questions for further thought:

• Read Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” and Proverbs 21:1 “In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.”  In what way do people’s actions work in concert with God’s will?
• When something is inconvenient, is it automatic evidence that it’s not God’s will? 
• In what ways do Divine Interventions and events requiring patience act to test and to reward our faith?
• Read Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see 2 This is what the ancients were commended for… 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth….the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.  39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• Are you struck by their not receiving the things promised (vs. 13, 39)?  What does this passage tell us about who the promise was ultimately for?

Father God, You are a rewarder of faith. During these times when we feel like we are not receiving what was promised, that we are not receiving the fruit of our faith, that we are not seeing righteousness triumph, and all we see in front of our noses is evil running amok, Lord, help us to understand the promise that You have made for rescue still stands. Salvation, yes for the world, but also for witness so that the world will avail itself of this gift of salvation, a gift of grace, a gift of faith! Help Christians to react wisely in these times so that we may be commended for living by our faith even if we do not personally receive what was promised in our lifetimes. Help us to submit to Your will, to understand that Your plan is perfect, Your timing is perfect, Your return will be absolutely perfect and so we ask, Lord, that we will have confidence in You to hold tightly to Your promises. May every person who is elected to the Kingdom be touched by grace and gifted with faith to hasten Your return. We pray, Lord, that every one of those people will come to faith in You and will experience promptness in doing so. Father God, we can’t bear to see evil triumph. It breaks our hearts and we know that You hate it, too. Give us open eyes, spiritual eyes, to be able to see what it is You’re doing! Help us to have that clear vision of a larger picture, a wider perspective that is not just a nation or a world in 2020 or even 2021, but rather Lord, You have eternity in mind. You have an entire cosmos at Your disposal and in Your frame. You are divinely patient to bring every person You have called to the point of repentance and to the point of salvation. We ask that You would keep us faithful until that final moment at the end. When Jesus asks “Will He find faith on the earth?”, Oh Lord, let Him find it with me! Each of us should commit to this ourselves. Furthermore may each of us pray fervently, to be found faithful when Jesus returns…even if not receiving what we feel You have promised, and moreover what we know Your Word has promised. Help us to take off our human blinders so we can see with Your eyes, have Your heart, and display the patience and faith of a true Christian. We submit our will to Yours, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

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• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

Everyone was happy about a new baby!  All of Elizabeth’s friends, family, and neighbors gathered and shared her joy.  Never mind if they’d perhaps gossiped about her or derided her infertility during less charitable moments…

Luke 1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.  58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.  59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

Human tradition said to name John the Baptist after his father, but “Zechariah the Baptist” just doesn’t have the same ring.  Spiritual recognition says to name him John because that’s the name God gave him through the angel.  Spiritual recognition was a hard lesson for Zechariah.  He’d failed that one once and wouldn’t do it again.

61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” 62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

(Wow, way to support your friend and family, you neighbors and relatives of Elizabeth!).  As if she and Zechariah hadn’t worked that out to obey the angel this time because the last effort when Zechariah was flying solo was such a display of ingratitude and doubt.

63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us– 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1:57-80)

Questions for further thought:

• Imagine Zechariah mulling over the words of the angel, again and again, reliving every moment of his unbelief.  Do you think it made an impression on him, especially as he began to see the fulfillment?  How might his heart have reacted? 
• Even after the heart change, the consequences remained as the angel had outlined.  Then, Divine Intervention! After being silent so long, is it any wonder his voice would be open to praise?
• In what ways might some of this been rehearsed (in a good way to perfectly express what he wished he’d said before) and in other ways completely spontaneous (a pouring of his soul in the moment of total joy)?  Reread Zechariah’s words (above).

Oh Lord, when the circumstances of life rob us of words to speak, when we feel at a loss for anything that we could do, when the world seeks to steal our joy, to steal our peace, and to steal the life from us, remind us, Lord, that You are the way, the truth, and the life.  Remind us that You are sovereign, You are in control, and every opportunity is an opportunity to praise You.  We can praise You in health; we can praise You when we’re sick; we can praise You when we are rich; and we can praise You when You have provided for us in our poverty.  We can thank You for blessings that we have received. We can thank You for patience to wait for blessings that are still headed our way as the ancients are commended for (Hebrews 11).  Thank You for the beautiful fruit of patience and for this Advent season which is one of hopeful expectation as even pregnancy took nine months.  It’s a season to reminds us that both waiting and suffering produce fruit.  When You show up in Your full glory, we can and will continue to offer our voices in praise to You as if we’d been silent our whole lives and had our lips suddenly opened and voices inaugurated to praise anew!  Thank You Lord, that in Your mercy, You continually draw us to Yourself.  Thank You for salvation in Jesus Christ, in whose Name we pray. Amen.

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• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

What’s the right thing to do?  It’s often hard to know.  The Bible admonishes us, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Joseph was a righteous man and wanted to do what was theologically correct to maintain that righteousness.  According to the law, he had two options: “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19)

That’s it: public disgrace (humiliation and even stoning) or divorce.  Two options that make a righteous man’s conscience uneasy.  Two choices he didn’t want to make.  Two alternatives and either one would break his heart.  He loved Mary.

Divine Intervention: A Third Way

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:20-25)

Questions for further thought:

• Sometimes the choices all seem to be bad and the road appears as a dead end.  How did Joseph’s righteousness make him sensitive to hearing wisdom and give him courage for acting upon what the angel instructed?
• What do you do when confronted with only bad choices or when all seems hopeless?
• People sometimes claim there are 3 answers to prayer: Yes, No, and Wait.  Joseph couldn’t wait because eventually pregnancy shows if it progresses.  What other types of things remove the options of Wait or Delay from those available? 
• Is it ever a sin to delay?  When?

Lord Jesus, when we don’t know what to do and all the choices before us seemed to be bad ones, please come to our rescue! When the troubles of this world encroach upon our hearts and our consciences are chronically uneasy, we ask that You would show us the way; that Your Holy Spirit would guide us toward what will bring glory to You; and we will see another way through the troubled waters. We ask, Lord, that righteousness would prevail and that we would be wise and have courage and we would bear fruit for the Kingdom. You are Lord and we celebrate the miracles leading up to Your birth and a way that opens through the fog. We praise You! In Jesus Name and for His glory we pray. Amen.

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• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series Divine Intervention began on November 29, 2020 and explored God’s activity on behalf of a hurting world and nations in tumult– Intervention for you and for me when our status as sinners required nothing short of a miracle.
• God’s Christmas list explored what might be on God’s Christmas list, learning what He wants from us. It began December 1, 2019.
• Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.