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Day 19 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 08:37:46 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 19 - Gathering

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Thank you for helping provide relief to the Pasadena Church of God families impacted by the Eaton fire. Donate directly to them using Zelle with the email: info@pasadenachurch.com

Day 18 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025 (Expanded Blog)

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:31:58 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Days 16 & 17 - Justice (Expanded Blog)

Days 16 & 17 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025 (Expanded Blog)

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:13:17 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Days 16 & 17 - Justice (Expanded Blog)

Day 15 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025 (Expanded Blog)

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 22:56:37 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 15 - Learn and Do Good (Expanded Blog)

Day 14 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 21:51:57 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 14 - Local Fires & Justice II Focus

Day 13 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 17:49:39 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 13 - Local Fires & Justice Focus

Day 12 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:28:01 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 12 - Local Fires & Diligence Focus

Day 11 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:27:26 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 11 - Local Fires & Trust Focus

Day 10 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 02:13:31 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 10 - Local Fires & Compassion Focus

Day 9 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:58:00 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 9 - Local Fires & Guidance Focus

Day 8 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:17:36 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 8 - Local Fires & Endurance Focus

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Thank you for helping provide relief to the Pasadena Church of God families impacted by the Eaton fire. Donate directly to them using Zelle with the email: info@pasadenachurch.com
Thank you for your prayers for my mom Sis. Corrie Reed Please keep her and our family in your prayers!

Day 7 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Sun, 12 Jan 2025 22:00:42 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 7 - Local Fires & God's Love Focus

Day 6 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 20:21:24 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 6 - Local Fires & Wisdom Focus

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Wisdom and prayer for those impacted by the fires...
Your thoughts about our need for wisdom?

Day 5 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:37:35 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 5 - Local Fires & Self-Control Focus

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Continuing in lamenting and prayer for those impacted by the fires...
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Day 4 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 20:35:56 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 4 - Local Fires & Lamenting Focus

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Continuing in lamenting and prayer for those impacted by the fires...
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Day 2 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2025

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 10:25:10 +0000

21 Days of Prayer & Fasting: Day 2 - Resources Reminder & Sacrifice Focus

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Mon, 25 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 25

ADVENT DAY 25: Dec. 25 – 12 Days of Christmas to Epiphany

Devotional
After Christmas, the church calendar enters twelve days of Epiphany – from Dec. 26 to Jan. 6.

The dictionary defines an epiphany as “a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something, an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking or an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.” To have an epiphany is to say, “Aha” or “I get it now.” That is what we should experience on the other side of Christmas. For 1500 years, church traditions continued the season for 12 days. Maybe this year you could leave up the decorations for a few days past New Year’s to help remind you of Christ’s birth.

When I was growing up, my mother every year would pull out the old song lyrics and force all of us to sing the “Twelve Days of Christmas” after family dinner, assigning each of us one verse to solo throughout the song. I grew up in a family of 9 people so some of us got assigned two verses and we all chimed in on the “5 golden rings”. Then, as we grew up and got married, the tradition continued and some inlaws decided to get our mom 12 Days of Christmas goblets to put on the table for Christmas Eve family dinner. You have no idea the finagling, fighting, and outright battling that went on to find the 12th day glass! It was painful. My husband figured out early on if he volunteered to wash the dishes he got a pass on singing the Christmas carol.

Then I ran across some teaching on the song that said it had much deeper meaning. A popular story behind the tune goes back to the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth of England really went after the Catholics, persecuting them to the point that admitting you were Catholic or even suspected of being a Catholic meant torture and death. England had shifted to Protestantism over Catholicism in favor of the Anglican church.
Despite the dire consequences they faced, many Catholics still held onto their beliefs, even passing them down to their children. But they couldn’t do it publicly. So, according to a popular story, English Catholics of the 16th century devised coded ways to pass on their teachings. One secret message was “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Another theory is that it is simply a device utilized by Christian teachers to help children understand the key tenets of their faith. The story goes that the twelve days of gifts are symbols for catechetical learning, particularly aimed at children hoping to learn their catechism, but also to serve to remind adults of the realities of the Christian faith.

And still, a third theory is that it’s simply a Christmas game – the lyrics stem from a memory game in which the leader says a verse and each of the other players repeats it. Then, the leader adds another one, requiring the players to recite it with the first one – and so on and so forth.

Or the “Twelve Days of Christmas” might be the days after Christmas up until the Epiphany.

None of these theories can be proven and some have major complications that would date it much later than the 16th century. But that doesn’t really matter. Just thinking the song had deeper meaning made it a whole lot easier to belt out those lyrics each year and I treasure those family traditions. Here are the deeper meanings:

2 Turtle Doves = the Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = faith, hope, and charity, as the principle theological virtues
4 Calling Birds = the four Gospels
5 Golden Rings = the first five books of the Old Testament, the “Pentateuch,” which gives the history of man’s fall from grace (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy)
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation (highlighting life)
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle’s Creed

And the “partridge in a pear tree”? Why, Jesus, of course. Jesus Christ is symbolically represented by a mother partridge protecting her helpless nestlings. Luke 13:34 recounts the words of Christ: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Luke 13:34

Key Verse: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (Luke 13:34)

Pray: Lord, thank you for the creativity of people who come up with songs like “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to help us treasure the key tenets of our faith. May we remember what each gift signifies every time we hear that song – this year and in the years to come.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: What family traditions do you treasure – from your past as a child to those you celebrate with your nuclear family today? Let everyone tell their favorite, then talk about starting a new tradition. Consider listening (or singing along) to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with a new understanding of what each gift means in your faith.

Activity: Consider leaving the family Christmas decorations up until Jan 6, talking each day about each verse, reading the scripture and telling what the symbolic meaning of the day would be. You can consider adding the 12 Days ornaments to your Advent Tree or your Advent Garland (one gift each day). Then have a family time to take the decorations down and store them away until next year.

Advent Tree: select a musical note and put it on the tree Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #25, and attach it to the garland twine Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e.,start an “after Christmas family tradition) Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
If your family is still off of work/school, reach out to community organizations to see if they have any wish lists or special needs after Christmas, then volunteer as a family to help out. You’d be amazed at the drop off of volunteers and attention nonprofits get after the holidays. Consider hosting a special New Year's event at a local ministry.

Sun, 24 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 24

ADVENT DAY 24: Dec. 24 – Jesus, Our Savior God

Devotional
If you are a parent, you no doubt have had times when you wished you could read your child’s mind – to know what they were thinking, to get a glimpse into their heart. We used to play a game where we would ask, “If you could have one wish, what would it be?” I would wish for the ability to read my children’s minds – not only when they were misbehaving (what were you thinking?), but when they would do the most unexpected and sweetest thing (what were you thinking?) It would have been so much easier to parent them.

Now I find myself wondering what that little baby Jesus was thinking when He finally emerged as fully human. Still God, was He able to comprehend what was happening around Him even though he couldn’t yet speak? Did He wonder what was happening when He messed His diaper? Did He know what that pain in his stomach was when He needed food? Did He want to reach out and offer a hug of comfort to His earthly mother and father when things looked bleak, but unable to physically do so because His muscles had not yet fully developed?

When He was a toddler and the most common word he heard was “No,” did He think, “If only you knew who you were talking to, you’d never say no.”

We know in Scripture when Jesus was 12 and the family went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, Jesus stayed behind and was separated from His mom and dad for 4 days. They were frantic when they finally found Him in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Can you imagine losing your child for 4 days? I freaked out when my son would disappear in the clothing racks at a store for a few minutes.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

I can imagine Him thinking, “Good grief, don’t you know me by now? I’ve been with you for 12 years!” Sounds like the hallmark of a rebellious pre-teen, but that would not be Jesus. Luke tells us He went to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. Can we pause for just a minute? Obedient all throughout His teen years? Obedient all throughout His young adult years? Every parent’s dream.

Yet Jesus had just one mission during His time on earth – to save sinners and provide a way to reconcile God’s people with God. Was that always in the back of His mind as He made friends, delighted His parents, grew up in stature with God and man? Would the heaviness of that purpose weigh Him down or would He be able to fully enjoy His time as man?

Take time today to give thanks for Jesus’ sacrifice and wonder at the impact such a small baby boy had on the entire world – an impact still felt today some 2,000 years later. Christmas is so much more than a baby in a manger…it’s the greatest gift of all time.

If you haven’t yet accepted that gift of salvation, today’s the day! Admit you’ve sinned and need a savior, tell Jesus you believe He’s God’s son and He came to save you; surrender to Him. Your life will never be the same!

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Go back and reread the entire Christmas narrative in Luke or Matthew.

Key Verse: “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

Pray: Father God, we cannot begin to fathom what it took for you to send your Son to save us, and what it took for your Son to come and fulfill His mission. But we are so eternally grateful that He did. From the innocent face of an infant wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger to the compassion of the man hanging on the cross, we have been forever changed. And we will never stop telling everyone we know about His amazing love. Thank you Lord.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Which character we talked about during this devotional do you most resonate with and why? Be honest and vulnerable, you’ll be amazed at how close your family will be after such sharing.

Activity:

Advent Tree: select a baby Jesus ornament, or utilize a nail to signify his sacrifice on the cross, and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #24, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., go to Christmas service). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
It’s Christmas Eve! Bring a plate of seasonal treats and drop off at your local fire and police departments. They still have to fully staff on holidays. Let them know they are very much appreciated. Offer to pray with them when you drop them off. Then pray for them during your Christmas service.

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 23

ADVENT DAY 23: Dec. 23 – Lessons from Advent Devotionals

Devotional
So far we've spent the month of December trying to see Christmas through the eyes of the people who actually lived it, and we've learned a lot about God in the process. We see:

It is always better to obey God, even when it doesn’t make sense. We can trust God. Even when we’re skeptical, when we can’t see how God can do what He says He will do, we can and should trust in Him. Just ask Gabriel, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, or Joseph!
He works through ordinary people, not rulers or kings or rich people. He even works through government officials who don’t believe in Him. Zechariah was an ordinary priest, one of many. Elizabeth was an old woman. Mary was just a young girl in a small backwater village. Joseph couldn’t afford the cost of circumcision in the temple. If you think you’re insignificant, remember God knows your name. No matter what you’ve done or who you are, you can be made new in him. Caesar Augustus had no idea he was helping pave the way for Jesus.
When circumstances seem dire, don’t blame God. He may have planned it exactly that way. Remember Mary and Joseph wound up in the stable because there were no rooms at the Inn. Then they had to go hide in Egypt for a few years for safekeeping.
God chooses the humble over the important, proud, and rich. Just ask the shepherds. God didn’t announce the birth of his son to rulers or the religious elite but to the lowly shepherds. The church mostly advances along through the winding paths of the ordinary and the outcasts, the misfits, and mundane. If you feel like a misfit, be encouraged. God can and will use you.
God visits those whose eyes are fixed on Him. Simeon and Anna waited patiently for several years to see God in human form. And because they never wavered in keeping their eyes fixed on God, they had the privilege of meeting Jesus while Temple priests, scribes, and religious officials missed it entirely.
Age is not a requirement for God. He works through the young and old alike and everyone in between. Elizabeth was beyond child-bearing years and Zechariah was almost 100. Anna and Simeon were in their 80s. Mary was barely a teenager.
God often tells us ahead of time what He plans to do. Just check out the prophecies about Jesus. He’s not shy about proving the truth of what He tells us in his Word. Stories are great, and we love the Christmas story, but don’t lose sight of the fact that it can all be proven scientifically and mathematically!
He plans things out far ahead of time – decades and even centuries. Micah prophesied 700 years before Christ that He would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah prophesied almost 800 years before Christ about the traits He would have. And the Wise Men were being trained to look for the star for centuries before they actually saw it. God is always planning and preparing for what He says will come to pass.
God always wins. No matter how bad the bad guys are, they’re no match for God. Just ask Herod.
God can reach anyone whose minds are open and searching for the truth. The Wise Men will forever be known as wise because they were searching for the truth. When it turned out to be completely opposite of what they assumed they would find, it mattered not. They had seen the real God and they worshiped Him.
If we want our prayers to be answered, faith makes the difference. God does reward those who depend on him. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth builds our trust in God. When God proclaims something over our lives or we read something in the Bible, we need to trust Him.
Appearances can be deceiving. Faith grasps the truth. So much of the Christmas story is opposite of what people would have expected – the rulers and authorities were powerless and clueless; the simple, poor and ordinary were the heroes. David, as the youngest in his family, knows better than anyone that God looks at the heart, not the outside trappings. Always look for the truth and trust your faith to help you find it.

Let’s not just be hearers of the Word, but doers (James 1:22), always looking for how we can apply its truths to our lives today. Don’t ever open God’s Word without asking yourself what you learned from it and how your life should change to reflect that knowledge.

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17; James 1:22-25

Key Verse: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Pray: Father God, thank you for your precious Word of Truth. May we always look for what we should do when we hear that word; help us to put it into practice every day.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Which of these lessons learned resonates the most with you and why? Which gives you the most difficulty? Talk about what steps each of you can take to put this knowledge into practice.

Activity:

Advent Tree: select a bible ornament and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #23, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e, invite a neighbor to Christmas services at your church). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Do you know anyone who may be alone this Christmas? Invite them over for dinner and share part of your family’s tradition with them.

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 22

ADVENT DAY 22: Dec. 22 – Isaiah, the Messianic Prophet

Devotional
The story of Jesus saturates the Bible narrative and prophecies of His first Advent are found throughout the Old Testament. One scholar, J. Barton Payne, found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to or describe or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry.

As one of the major prophets, the book of Isaiah has many of those prophecies, perhaps more than any other book of the Old Testament. In fact, Isaiah 53 is the most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament. Maybe that’s why Matthew quotes Isaiah in the story of Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:23). Jesus himself quotes Isaiah when he announces who He is at the start of His ministry (Luke 4:21).

We just can’t look at the birth of Jesus without considering the many prophecies He fulfilled, and Isaiah is the best place to find those predictions. Known as the “Shakespeare of the prophets,” Isaiah has often been called the “evangelical prophet” because of his incredibly clear and detailed messianic prophecies – all written nearly 800 years before Christ.

Someone calculated that the 36 details about the Messiah in chapter 53 alone have a 1 out of 68,719,476,736 chance of fulfillment by one person. Jesus fulfilled all of them in His first coming. Yet, there are many more prophecies by Isaiah, and these are astoundingly accurate. Here are just a few found in Isaiah:

God promised to send a Son who would be "God with us" ("Emmanuel"). (Isa. 7:14, 8:8, 10)
God promised that a virgin would conceive. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. (Isa. 7:14)
God promised a "stone" that people would trip over. Jesus is our cornerstone.( Isa. 8:14-15)
God promised David His Spirit would rest on his offspring. Jesus is that offspring. (Isa. 11:1-2)
God promised a time when the blind would see. Jesus healed the blind. (Isa. 29:18, 35:5)
God promised a time when the deaf would hear. Jesus healed the deaf. (Isa. 35:5)
God promised a time when the lame would be healed. Jesus healed the lame. (Isa. 35:6)
God promised a time when the mute would speak. Jesus healed the mute. (Isa. 35:6)
God is the shepherd who tends His sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. (Isa. 40:10-11)
God will send His servant as a light to the Gentiles. Jesus is a light to the Gentiles. (Isa. 42:6)
He will not be rebellious or turn away. Jesus obeyed God all the way to the cross. (Isa. 50:5)
Isaiah speaks of one who will be beaten and spit upon. Jesus was beaten and spit upon. (Isa. 50:6)
The Suffering Servant will be so abused He will not look human. Jesus was beaten, whipped, crucified, and pierced by a spear. (Isa. 52:14)
He will be despised and rejected by His own people. He will bear the abuse we deserve for our physical and spiritual healing. Jesus’ tormentors rejected Him and spit in His face. (Isa. 53:4-5)
The Suffering Servant will bear our sins. Jesus bore our sins. (Isa. 53:6)
The Suffering Servant is like a lamb that does not defend itself. Although Jesus spoke during His trials, He never offered a defense. (Isa. 53:7)
The Suffering Servant’s people did not protest His death. Only Pilate protested Jesus’ death. (Isa. 53:8)
The Suffering Servant will die with the wicked. Jesus died with the two thieves. (Isa. 53:9)
The Suffering Servant will be buried in the grave of a rich man. Jesus was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. (Isa. 53:9)
God ordained that the Suffering Servant would suffer and die. God sent Jesus to die. (Isa. 53:10)
The Suffering Servant’s sacrifice offers forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ sacrifice offers forgiveness of our sins. (Isa. 53:11)
The Suffering Servant will intercede for His abusers. Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. (Isa. 53:12)
God promises someone to declare good news for the brokenhearted, captives, and prisoners. Jesus is that someone. (Isa. 61:1 – verse Jesus quotes in announcing who he was)

In addition to his prophecies of Christ, Isaiah is where that famous verse we so often quote comes from: “Here am I; send me.” (Isa. 6:8). Are we ready to be sent?

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Take any one (or 2 or 3) of these prophetic verses and talk about how they were fulfilled in Jesus. Discuss the probabilities any one man could fulfill even a small percentage of those prophecies. Marvel at God’s handiwork and wonder why it’s so difficult for people to accept the truth of who Jesus is.

Key Verse: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

Pray: Lord, open our eyes to see, hear, and understand your truth. Thank you for providing such compelling evidence that Jesus is your son. Deepen our faith to believe what you say, always. We are ready to serve you.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Which of the prophecies is most compelling to you? What does that do for your faith?

Activity:

Advent Tree: select a dove or scroll ornament and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #22, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., watch a movie about Jesus). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Bring a plate of Christmas goodies to a neighbor or two, along with an invitation for them to join you at Christmas services at your church.

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 21

ADVENT DAY 21: Dec. 21 – John, a Voice Crying in the Wilderness

Devotional
Why include John the Baptist in the characters of Christmas? Think back to the beginning of the Christmas story in Luke – it starts with the birth of John the Baptist. The two were cousins. No doubt they spent a lot of time together growing up; their mothers were close after all. And the two are intricately tied to Jesus’ ministry on earth. John would, ultimately, prepare the way for Christ, calling people to repentance and baptism. You can’t have one without the other.

Apart from Jesus Christ, John the Baptist is probably the most theologically significant figure in the Gospels. Their lives were divinely similar:

John’s birth was miraculous. He was born of elderly parents who had never been able to have children (Luke 1:7). Jesus’ birth was miraculous, he was born of a virgin who had never been with a man.
The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah, a Levitical priest, that he would have a son. Gabriel announced to Mary that she would have a son.
When Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, he also told her about John.
When Mary was carrying Jesus in her womb, she visited Elizabeth, and John leapt in his mother’s womb for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:39-45). This incident shows that even though they are not yet born, John acknowledges the superiority of Jesus and recognizes that Jesus is God's son.
John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet: "A voice of one calling: 'In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.” (Isaiah 40:3-5). Jesus’ birth was also foretold by Isaiah, among other prophets (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6).

John’s adult life was characterized by devotion and surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. John’s voice was a "lone voice in the wilderness" (John 1:23) as he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to a people who desperately needed a Savior. He was the precursor for the modern-day evangelist as he unashamedly shared the good news of Jesus Christ. He was a man filled with faith and a role model to those of us who wish to share our faith with others.

His message and ministry marked the culmination of the law and the prophets, but heralded the breaking in of the kingdom of God (Matt 11:12 ; Luke 16:16). So John was truly a transitional figure, forming the link between the Old and New Testaments. He spans the ages with one foot firmly planted in the Old Testament and the other squarely placed in the New.
Makes you wonder if these two, as they were growing up, ever had discussions about what they would be when they grew up – and what they would mean to each other and ultimately, the world. “John, what do you want to do today?” I imagine Jesus asking. “Anything you want, cousin, you’re more important than me. But what do you say we go catch some fish or chase down some bugs?”

Next time your kids are interacting with cousins or other close relatives, think about Jesus and John and how you might be raising the next generation of evangelists who will change the world.

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Luke 1:57-80

Key Verse: “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," (Luke 1:76)

“And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.” (Luke 1:80)

Pray: Lord, help us to follow John’s example of faithful and obedient trust in God as we live and proclaim His truth in whatever life circumstances you give us.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Do your children have close relationships with cousins or other family members? Talk about their friendships and what it means to nourish those relationships and carry them through to adulthood.

Activity:

Advent Tree: select a twig or other “nature” ornament, or leather belt and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #21, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., make a card for someone special). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Reach out to a ministry in your community that serves children like Big Brother/Big Sister. Ask if there is anything you can do as a family that would bless their ministry.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 20

ADVENT DAY 20: Dec. 20 – Who Trained the Wise Men?

Devotional
Before we leave this story of the Wise Men, the horror in Bethlehem and the escape to Egypt, I have one question for you – how did the Wise Men know to look for the star and follow it to the Messiah? They were from the East; Scripture tells us, they were not fully trained in the complete Old Testament. Recall they had to ask Herod where the long awaited king would be born.

So, how did they know? How did they know about Christ’s birth from over 500 miles away from the event (as the crow flies) and around 700 miles away traveling route?

Scripture doesn’t tell us specifically, at least not here in the book of Matthew. But the Bible does give us a clue in the writings in the Old Testament. Not prophetically, like so much of what we learn and can decipher, but from the historical records of Daniel in the king’s service in what was then Babylon.

Recall that Daniel was one of several Israelis taken to Babylon and put into service in the king’s court. The book of Daniel records the use of “wise men” to help the kings understand their dreams and visions. It’s not hard to imagine that Daniel, who rose to prominent positions in Babylon – in fact, he was put in charge of teaching the wise men (Daniel 2:48) – had an influence on several generations of eastern intellectuals. Daniel was very outspoken about his faith in the coming Messiah. This meant that Daniel, the Jewish prophet, had leadership over those who would later be termed the magi. It is possible that Daniel taught Hebrew scriptures and messianic prophecies to the other sages, especially to those who were Jewish. A Jewish tradition even claims that Daniel founded an order of magi and instructed them to watch for the Messiah through the generations. This is very likely because of what we see in the knowledge and response of the Magi that appear at the time of Christ – they were wiser and more in tune with what was happening than the religious leaders of the day, something Christ would berate them for later on (Matthew 16:1-4). Jesus even mentions Daniel in Matthew 24:15.

Further back in history, another 1,000 years or so, Balaam prophesied that, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel,” (Numbers 24:17(b). Daniel would have shared that prophecy with his students. But that, by itself, even with the appearance of the star and its placement in the constellations, was hardly enough to cause them to set out on such a long and dangerous expedition. That would take the prophecy of Daniel given to him by the angel Gabriel in Daniel 9 which included the exact timing of when these things would occur.

And then there were the gifts they brought …

Gold: Declaring their understanding of His royal lineage, both earthly and heavenly.
Incense: Declaring their understanding that He was Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”
Myrrh: The bitter herb of death and burial; they knew He was the Sacrifice for the sins of mankind — King, God, and Sacrifice all in one!

These men were obviously followers of the greatest and most powerful Magi of both Babylon and Persia — Daniel, the servant of the Most High God. And what they learned from the sky was only interpretable in an accurate way by their knowledge of Holy Scripture — the book of Daniel. Daniel had left them instructions telling them exactly when they should begin looking for the Messiah!

It blows my mind to think that some 600 years before Jesus’ birth, God planted servants in the East to begin teachings that would ultimately lead them to the newborn King, His son, Jesus Christ. A journey that would take them a year to accomplish. Makes you wonder what he’s planting in your life today that will be “birthed” in coming generations, doesn’t it?

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:10)

Pray: Father God, I thank you for planning so far ahead and always thinking of us as you put the pieces of your divine puzzle in place. We can only glimpse at the master puzzle you’re constantly maneuvering to ensure we find our way back to you. May we never take for granted that precious gift and may we be more attentive to seeing the way you direct our paths to where we are today. We love you Lord.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Looking back over your life, can you identify things God put in place years ago that ultimately led to your salvation? Did you have someone praying over you? Hindsight is always 20/20 and helps us appreciate and see that God is always at work in our lives even when we didn’t know who he was. Discuss this as a family and perhaps start a thank-you journal when you identify those preparations.

Activity:

Advent Tree: select a bag of seed and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #20, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., plant a seedling for your spring garden). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Check out organizations that have community gardens in your area and volunteer to help plant/tend those gardens. Often food banks will have greenhouses to supplement fresh produce in their ministries. Be a part of making that happen.

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 19

ADVENT DAY 19: Dec. 19 – Angel Gabriel, God’s Protection

Devotional
Gabriel, the angel sent by God to be His messenger and coordinator of all His plans, had one more task to complete the Christmas season.

An angel appears to Joseph, again in a dream, letting him know his family was in danger and he needed to get out of town. Gabriel isn’t specifically mentioned, but since this whole story started with Gabriel being the angel in charge, it’s reasonable to assume that God had him complete the task. And given Joseph’s response, it’s equally possible Gabriel was the angel because the history of trust between them would help Joseph to respond quickly.

Joseph’s response was what we’ve come to expect from this humble man of God – he obeyed, immediately. Scripture tells us he took Mary and Jesus in the middle of the night to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died. Don’t read over that passage too quickly – he didn’t wait until the next day; he woke his family up in the middle of the night and left right away.

The Magi story in Matthew 2 is part of a larger sequence that involves danger for the newborn child and his parents. When King Herod hears about the child, “King of the Jews”, as a potential rival for his power, he seeks to have Jesus killed. As a result the family flees to Egypt, while Herod orders the execution of all boys under two years old in the area of Bethlehem. Only after Herod’s death does the family return to the Land of Israel, though to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem. At each point in their itinerary, the family is guided by dreams and texts from the Jewish Scriptures.

Why was all that necessary? Scripture tells us in the rest of the story – don’t skip over these familiar passages, they are rife with meaning and significance. Three times Matthew refers back to prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled in these parts of Jesus’ life:

He would come from Egypt – “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Hosea 11:1)
There would be weeping over the loss of life – “Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
He would be called a Nazarene – a branch from the root of Jesse.

Three times an angel came to warn, protect, and guide Joseph and his family – to get them out of Bethlehem to avoid the mass murder implemented by Herod, to tell them it was safe to return to Israel, and to direct them to Galilee rather than Judea just to guarantee a safe childhood for Jesus.

Isn’t it comforting to know there are angels all around us maneuvering the circumstances and guiding us to the paths God has called us to? May we hear them when they appear to us in whatever form.

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Matthew 2:13-23

Key Verse: “When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”’ (Matthew 2:13)

Pray: Father God, thank you for sending your angels to guide us, teach us, and protect us. Help us to hear them and see them…and most importantly, obey them, when you send them to us. Give us Joseph’s heart to obey immediately.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Looking back over your life either pre or post conversion, can you see any times when there were angels working around you? If not, how do you think God would present an angel if he sends one to you in the future – in a dream, in the words of another person, through scripture? Do you believe angels still come to God’s people here on earth? This should be a lively discussion and give you insights into the hearts of your loved ones.

Activity:

Advent Tree: make or select an angel or bed or sleeping person and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #19, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., cut out paper snowflakes). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Offer to shovel the driveways and sidewalks/porches of elderly neighbors, or perform some other task that helps someone out.

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 18

ADVENT DAY 18: Dec. 18 – Men Wise Beyond Their Years and Culture

Devotional
The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The Gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of Wise Men.

Although the Wise Men are a prominent part of the Christmas story – in nativity scenes, pageants, carols and Christmas cards – we know surprisingly little about them. Scripture doesn’t tell us who they were, only that they came from “the East” and were “Magi” or Wise Men. We don’t know their occupations, why they were so committed to finding the King or even how many of them there were. But that’s OK, we can argue the religious details till we’re blue in the face; it won’t matter. Matthew probably left out the details because they were unimportant to gleaning the spiritual truths that are there.

“Wise” is a good term for these men because they were willing to learn the source of all true wisdom. What is clear to us is that the Magi were earnest in their desire to find the King of the Jews. They may have used their reliance on astrology, but God met them where they were and used his power over the heavenly bodies to lead them to His son. I don’t know about you, but I am eternally grateful that God will reach out to a seeking sinner, with impure motives and uncertain beliefs, and point that soul to His son. It’s how He drew me in.

According to Matthew, a bright star led the Magi from the East until it stopped “over the place where the child was,” and “upon entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother.” No doubt a surprise to the Wise Men – the star from Heaven didn’t point to Herod, but to Jesus.

In his book, The Characters of Christmas, Daniel Darling describes the scene this way:

These were men of the world, wise and cultured and sophisticated in every way. They came expecting a young king on a throne, surrounded by servants and the trappings of royalty. What they found, instead, was a poor family in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. To the average onlooker, unfamiliar with the ancient prophecies and unaware of the guiding star, this was all so pedestrian. But to those who were open to God’s leading, who were only seeking Jesus, they saw what the prophets predicted, what the angels serenaded, and what Mary understood: there toddling in a dirty tunic was the Son of God. In that moment, the real power was not in the wealthy coffers of these rich rulers. It was not in the gilded halls of Herod's palace. It was in the infant God-man standing before them. And so they bowed in reverent, real worship. They had followed the star and now they worshiped the One who hung the stars.

Darling posits that Matthew included the story of the Magi to show us how true worshippers worship the King. He breaks it down into four responses that we should emulate in our own worship:

Seek – they sought the truth by following the star and reading the ancient prophecies.
Obey – they obeyed the voice of the angel who told them not to return to Herod.
Bow – they bowed at the sight of Jesus.
Give – they gave precious gifts as an act of devotion and worship.

We would all be wise to follow their lead and ignite our worship with awe, vigor and passion this Christmas.

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)

Pray: Lord, how often is our worship just a check-the-box and move-on type of experience? Forgive us for that. Instead, ignite a passion in us to see more than a cuddling baby this Christmas but the God He is. Have us fall to our knees in reverent worship and offer you our heart, mind, body and soul. May we always seek and obey as the Wise Men did.

Look In – Family Memories
Discuss: Can you trace your own journey to Jesus? How did God work in the twists and turns of your life to bring you to him? This would be a great opportunity to share your faith testimony with your children.

Activity:

Advent Tree: if you can’t find a Wise Men ornament, try a treasure box (for myrrh), a gold coin or small bottle (for oil), or a camel and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #18, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., make a snowman and have a snowball fight). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Find a local organization offering holiday meals and volunteer as a family to serve. Or ring the bell for the Salvation Army in your community, and sing or play Christmas carols during your shift. Hand out candy canes with a note explaining the spiritual meaning behind the candy to folks who walk by.

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 02:01:00 +0000

Day 17

ADVENT DAY 17: Dec. 17 – King Herod, the Monster of Christmas

Devotional
Every story needs a villain, and the Master storyteller doesn’t hold back in the Christmas story. This one has one doozy of a villain – enter King Herod.

Pretty sure your Nativity set doesn’t include King Herod. But to ignore him is to not only ignore the world into which Jesus was born, but to miss an important thread in God’s grand plan of redemption. For Jesus to be born during the reign of Herod might have been the worst possible time for a new king of Israel to be born. Underneath the warm glow of our Christmas is a dark thread of violence, just a hint of a cosmic war against all that is good.

In his book, The Characters of Christmas, Daniel Darling puts it bluntly:

At the heart of the incarnation, the story of God leaving heaven to become flesh, is the cosmic struggle between God and Satan. Ever since the devil fell from glory, he and his band of demons have had one single mission: to thwart God’s plan.

They still have that mission today.

Herod was worse than the well known bad-guys of Christmas – the Grinch or Scrooge. They are merely fictitious characters. This is a true historical person known as Herod the Great. Herod was a strange mix of a clever and efficient ruler, and a cruel tyrant.

On the one hand, he was distrustful, jealous, and brutal, ruthlessly crushing any potential opposition. The Jews never accepted him as their legitimate king, and this infuriated him. On the other hand, he encouraged the development of the synagogue communities and when times were tough, he canceled taxes and supplied the people with free grain. He was also a master builder – he rebuilt and beautified the temple in Jerusalem and built Greek-style theaters, amphitheaters, and hippodromes (outdoor stadiums for horse and chariot racing). Judea prospered economically during Herod’s reign. He extended Israel’s territory through conquest and built fortifications to defend the Roman frontiers.

He became the governor of Galilee at the age of 25, which was a very high position for such a young man. It was the desire of the Romans to control the Jewish people in the area. So they thought Herod was the man to do it because he was so tough and cruel. And they even voted in 40 BC to give him a title. He was a villain. He was mean. He was a murderer. He constantly feared conspiracy.

He was renowned for his cruelty. He had members of his own family put to death because he saw them as potential threats to his throne. His brother-in-law, his mother-in-law, two of his own sons, and even his wife were killed by Herod. Herod was sort of like Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein or Muammar Kaddafi. He murdered out of spite and killed to stay in power. Life meant nothing to him.

So is it any wonder that he would order the murder of all boys aged two and under to ensure the “future king of the Jews” never made it to adulthood? He was the Roman-appointed king of the Jews and he wasn’t letting anyone take that away from him.

But he didn’t know God and surely couldn’t see how pointless such a move would be. He wasn’t as powerful as he thought. Herod may have seemed powerful. He may have initiated a culture of fear in Israel. But he was no match for the King of Kings. Like every ruler who seeks to challenge God, his attempts to kill the real King of Israel were thwarted by God. More about that when we look at Christmas through the eyes of the Wise Men.

Look Up – Connect with God
Read: Matthew 2:16-18

Key Verse: “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” (Matthew 2:16)

Pray: Father God, thank you for including the story of Herrod within the Christmas story. We may not like what it describes, but we can certainly learn from it and see your hand at work even though evil surrounds us. May we learn to look to you always, especially when we wonder where you are in the midst of trials and war and famine and hate that permeate our world today. The story of Herod reminds us that You give us hope that it will all be overcome one day.

Look In – Family Memories

Discuss: Meditate on the ways in which we are tempted to yield to the “herod” impulses in all of us:

How are we tempted to step on the toes of the “little people” in order to gain power?
How are we tempted to marginalize those who get in our way?
How do we resist the rule of Christ over our lives?

Activity:

Advent Tree: make or select a king's crown and put it on the tree. Download Ornaments or Ornament Ideas
Advent Garland: put the key verse on a paper/card, assign #17, and attach it to the garland twine. Key Verses
Advent Cards: select a card and see what the activity might be (i.e., cut out paper snowflakes). Family Activities

Look Out – Connect with Others
Invite one (or more) of the kids in your neighborhood over for hot chocolate and cookies. Make them feel welcome and special, let them know your home is a safe refuge for them. You never know what God will do with that relationship later on.