Christian Reflection and Prayer

Verse

 

Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the causes of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:17

 

Voice

 

My view is that to sit back and let fate
play its hand out and never try to
influence it at all is not the way
[humankind] was meant to operate.
John Glenn

 

Prayer

 

Prepare us, God, for the peace that
comes only by sacrifice and discipline.
adapted from Common Prayer

 

(sojo.net)

And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since
I am a virgin?" (Luke 1:34)
Read Luke 1:34-35.

 

Mom and dad made most of the Christmas cookies
in our house. Sure, they let us use cookie cutters
and sprinkles, but for some reason that's all. I always
thought five little boys would have been a really big
help measuring out ingredients and mixing them
together. Did it really hurt if you put in two cups of
salt instead of two cups of sugar? (I couldn't
understand why mom threw out that whole batch of
dough and sent us out to the living room.)

 

When it came to Jesus' conception, the angel told
Mary the Holy Spirit would do all the work. He will
come upon her and use His miraculous power to
bring about Jesus' conception.

 

Just as a cookie recipe requires the correct amount
of sugar and salt, God's recipe for our salvation
required His Son to be conceived and born of a virgin.
Every human born of a human father and mother
inherits the stain of sin our human race has carried
since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the
Garden of Eden. Had Jesus been conceived of
Joseph and Mary He would have been contaminated
with our same sinful nature and could never have
been our Savior.

 

To save us, God's Son had to share our human
nature and flesh, without sharing our sin and guilt.
Being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born free of
our guilt, Jesus was able to be our perfect Substitute, l
iving the perfect life you and I cannot live. He
completed our salvation by suffering and dying in our
place on the cross.

 

THE PRAYER:

Almighty God, thank You for Your perfect plan to save
us through Your spotless Son Jesus Christ. Give us
faith to always trust Him as our one and only Savior.
In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus" (Luke 1:31).
Read Luke 1:30-33.

 

I love studying the ornaments on our Christmas tree. Each
has a history and a meaning all its own; each triggers a
memory. But when I was a kid I never really cared that
much about the ornaments. For me the best thing was the
tree itself -- all lit up and shining in glory.

 

As Mary looks at the angel shining in all his glory, she is
confused and gripped with fear. Gabriel cancels that fear
by revealing God has chosen her to be the mother of a very
special Son. In simple words he spells out the whole story
of Christmas. She will conceive and give birth to a Son, a
special Son; His Name will be Jesus.

 

Sadly, that is all most people see when they pass by a
manger scene: a baby lying there in the hay. But we need
to pause and step closer, so we can study each detail the
angel reveals about Him, just like the ornaments on a tree.
First, He says this Child will be great: the greatest human
to ever live. Next, he calls Him the Son of the Most High,
the mighty Son of God.

 

Now he reveals this Child is born to be King, but He will
not be like any other earthly king. Other kings and leaders
depend upon the might of their military or the assent of
their people to rule. But Jesus' Kingship rests on His
strength alone. He does not need an army of angels to
keep Him on His throne; nor does He need our consent.
In His greatest hour (and ours), He will go to the cross
alone. There He will defeat sin, death, hell and the devil
for us.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

 Heavenly Father, Your Son is our mighty King. Receive
our thanks for His great salvation and help us spread His
reign of grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)