A sign

He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. ~ Isaiah 32:3a (GNT)

This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger. ~ Luke 2:12 (CEB)

KEY IDEA:

Jesus is God present and he gently meets our troubled hearts.

PRAYER:

Father, the thought of coming into your presence can terrify me. Then I remember that you have already come to me -- as a baby in a manger. Let your birth story become a home for my frightened heart, so I may live for the day when everyone will know your great mercy and love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. (Daily Texts, Mount Carmel MInistries edition, 172)

World justice

The Lord is our God, bringing justice everywhere on earth. ~ Psalm 105:7 (CEV)

The light has come into the world, and people who do evil things are judged guilty... ~ John 3:19a (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

There is nowhere that people can go to escape God's justice. And there is nowhere to go where his justice will not look out for you.

PRAYER:

Indeed, Lord, you are our God. I know that I can count on you and your justice. Save me from the feeling that injustice is so powerful that justice will never win out. That is a faithless way of looking at things. But I am going to trust that your light is powerful enough to illumine all that needs to be illumined. Shine your light of justice on all -- even me. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 

God, your God, is not to be trifled with—he’s a consuming fire, a jealous God. ~ Deuteronomy 4:24 (MSG)

This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. ~ 1 John 4:10 (MSG)

KEY IDEA:

God's love for us is so great that he has set aside his anger, and sacrificed his Son in order to restore our relationship with him.

PRAYER:

Gracious Father, thank you for sending your Son into the world to fix our relationship with you. That is the best Christmas present imaginable. Unfortunately, we, including me, have reduced that gift to a nice holiday that doesn't really change the way I am. So, my goal this year is to see that change. With your help, I'm going to let Christmas change the way that I think and live. You are so generous. Amen.

Ignoring?

Christmas Eve -- The 4th Sunday in Advent

Thus says the Lord: But look at you! I have gone to a lot of trouble to get your attention, and you’ve ignored me. ~ Jeremiah 35:14b (MSG)

In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. ~ Hebrews 1:1-2a (CEB)

KEY IDEA:

God keeps speaking to us -- even sending his own Son to speak -- but we keep ignoring him.

PRAYER:

Gracious God, as we again prepare to celebrate the arrival of the Son you sent to live and die among us, we are troubled by how easy it is to ignore him. There are so many distractions -- especially during the holiday season -- that we don't notice the reason for the season. Speak to us again so that we might continue to know Jesus and hear -- really hear -- what he is saying to us. I'm going to focus on listening to what Jesus has to say. Amen.