Friday, December 14
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Philippians 4:4-7 (NRSV)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.
Do not worry about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
“Peace on earth, good will to all.” The angels brought those tidings to the shepherds. We see it on Christmas cards and holiday decor, carols set it to melody. I think the image we conjure up with this phrase is world peace. What if the peace the angels sang of was the peace we read about in Philippians?
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Peace that passes understanding...peace that makes no sense. With Christ comes peace that defies reason. Isn’t that good news?
Pray: Prince of Peace, hold me close and calm my spirit. Amen.
Thursday, December 13
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights
James 1:17-18 (NRSV)
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. If in fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
This passage in James calls God the “Father of Lights.” The name sparks the imagination, evoking visions of a bright glowing presence a shiny, bearded man in the sky, stars surrounding the God who made them. It’s a great name and a fabulous image. Furthermore, James lists the effects of God’s light:
His light creates not a single shadow.
His light gives all good and perfect gifts.
His light gave birth to word and truth (Jesus is called the word made flesh in John 1, and John 14 says that he is the way, the truth and the life).
The father of Lights is the perfect light, and we can be extremely grateful for bringing His light into the world through a baby. All is calm, all is bright …
Pray: Your light brightens all darkness and calms all fears. Thank you for the gift of light. Amen.
Wednesday, December 12
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121(NIV)
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
“He sees you when your sleeping, he knows when you’re awake,” goes the children’s Christmas carol. The song refers to Santa, but Psalm 121 says that God did so long before St. Nicholas!
“He who watches you will not slumber.” God sees us and watches over us when we are sleeping and protects us when we are awake.
The best part about God watching over us is this: He is not watching over us to catch us in an act of wrongdoing, He is watching over us for protection, and out of perfect love.
This is a God to praise and celebrate!
Pray: You love me every moment, night and day.
Thank you. Amen.