2020 Advent Devotional
Friday, December 25, 2020
We Need a Little Christmas
Read Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23
Devotional by Pastor John H. Stanley
Indeed, we live in a most uncertain time and in a broken world. We do not know how much longer our fellow Americans will continue to battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. We remain uncertain as to when a vaccination to counter the Coronavirus will be available. There are fights and violence in the streets. We worry over our health and we worry over our finances.
YES, WE DO NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS.
We need Christmas because we absolutely must be reminded of a word. And, that word is Emmanuel. Emmanuel is the grandest name of all. Emmanuel, a name from which means “God with us.”
Regardless of what is going on in our world, we have promises that God is and will be with us. Jesus made arrangements for us. We are not alone. We are strengthened every day through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit. In the book of John at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the Disciples (and us!), “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16). FOREVER!
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he left us with a Great Commission and a great promise. Jesus’ last words while on the earth, the great promise: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Our God is an awesome God who is present everywhere, especially in those uncertain places of wars and disease where we least expect to find God. And our challenge as Christians is to see God in all those places we least expect to find God.
During Christmas and well into the New Year, let us allow God’s light to shine through us as we love our neighbors. Remember Emmanuel: God is with us.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Prayer Holy Lord and gracious God, you are the giver of all good gifts and of grace. We come to you thanking you that in our strife and in our uncertainty and in our brokenness, you are with us always—even to the end of the age. Whenever the world seems confusing and bleak, you pierce the darkness with light, bringing hope and vision for the way ahead. This has been a difficult and confusing year of pandemic, and so we thank you for lessons learned and changes of heart, for new discoveries and hope restored. O Love Come Down at Christmas, you call us to live in communion with you and one another. You form us into families, circles of friendship, and communities. Today we pray for our family members, whether we’re close or estranged, for our friends, whether near or far away, and for neighbors who share our community, like minded or not. Inspire us to express both our love and concern in gentle words and kind actions. O God, reach out to all of us in Christ, and strengthen our love for you and for one another. AMEN.
Devotional by Pastor John H. Stanley
Indeed, we live in a most uncertain time and in a broken world. We do not know how much longer our fellow Americans will continue to battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. We remain uncertain as to when a vaccination to counter the Coronavirus will be available. There are fights and violence in the streets. We worry over our health and we worry over our finances.
YES, WE DO NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS.
We need Christmas because we absolutely must be reminded of a word. And, that word is Emmanuel. Emmanuel is the grandest name of all. Emmanuel, a name from which means “God with us.”
Regardless of what is going on in our world, we have promises that God is and will be with us. Jesus made arrangements for us. We are not alone. We are strengthened every day through the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit. In the book of John at the Last Supper, Jesus tells the Disciples (and us!), “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16). FOREVER!
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, he left us with a Great Commission and a great promise. Jesus’ last words while on the earth, the great promise: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
Our God is an awesome God who is present everywhere, especially in those uncertain places of wars and disease where we least expect to find God. And our challenge as Christians is to see God in all those places we least expect to find God.
During Christmas and well into the New Year, let us allow God’s light to shine through us as we love our neighbors. Remember Emmanuel: God is with us.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Prayer Holy Lord and gracious God, you are the giver of all good gifts and of grace. We come to you thanking you that in our strife and in our uncertainty and in our brokenness, you are with us always—even to the end of the age. Whenever the world seems confusing and bleak, you pierce the darkness with light, bringing hope and vision for the way ahead. This has been a difficult and confusing year of pandemic, and so we thank you for lessons learned and changes of heart, for new discoveries and hope restored. O Love Come Down at Christmas, you call us to live in communion with you and one another. You form us into families, circles of friendship, and communities. Today we pray for our family members, whether we’re close or estranged, for our friends, whether near or far away, and for neighbors who share our community, like minded or not. Inspire us to express both our love and concern in gentle words and kind actions. O God, reach out to all of us in Christ, and strengthen our love for you and for one another. AMEN.
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