Christian Reflection and Prayer

SHOW US THE WAY

 

 Verse

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer
slave or free, there is no longer male and female;
for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

 

Voice

The smallest indivisible human unit is two people,
not one; one is a fiction. From such nets of souls
societies, the social world, human life springs.
Tony Kushner

 

Prayer

Show us the ways, God, in which we can be
there for the many people affected by HIV/AIDS.
Teach us this, on this World AIDS day, and make
it so that we don't forget your wisdom once today
ends.

 

(sojo.com} 

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zechariah,
for your prayer has been heard. And your wife Elizabeth
will bear you a son" (Luke 1:13)
.
When I was a teenager I desperately wanted to find the
girl I would marry. Over the next 20 years I kept praying
for a wife, but that prayer went unanswered. At times I
was convinced I would be single all my life. Then I
finished seminary and went to my first call. Within a
month I was dating the woman who would become my
wife.

 

For decades Zechariah had prayed for a child. But
when no child came he eventually gave up-but not God.
On the very first day Zechariah prayed God marked that
prayer in His memory. Decades later God vividly
remembers every detail of that prayer, including the
urgency Zechariah felt month after month as he poured
out his plea to God. Now as the clouds of incense are
rising from the altar to symbolize God's acceptance of
His people's prayers, the angel brings Zechariah the
answer to his long-forgotten prayer.

 

Have you been raising heartfelt prayers to God for years
and years, only to find things get worse-finances,
employment, health, family strains? Does it seem God
is against you -- that He just doesn't care? We learn the
truth in this angel visit. The first moment we offer a
prayer in faith to God, He in His great wisdom and care
chooses the best way to answer that prayer as well as
the best time to answer it. Sometimes, like Zechariah,
we just have to wait until God's time is right, and He
has made everything fall into place.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

 Heavenly Father, fill me with confidence that You mark
all my prayers, and will answer them when Your time is
right, and always for my good. I pray in Jesus' Name.
Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"There appeared to him an angel...Zechariah was
troubled when he saw him." (see Luke 1:11-12)

Did your family have a Nativity scene in the front
yard, under your tree, or on a table? I remember
staring at the angel wondering what it will be like
to see one of these beautiful creatures face-to-face.

 

As Luke continues his account of the first
Christmas, Zechariah the priest is in the temple.
He's laying the incense on the altar. Suddenly,
through the clouds of smoke, an angel of the Lord
appears. But for Zechariah it isn't the wonderful,
thrilling scene I imagined-not at all. The aged priest
is struck with terror, shaken to the core.

 

As the Christmas story unfolds, we'll see angels
appear to Mary and to the shepherds, keeping
watch over their flocks by night. And both will have
this same reaction: one of being instantly filled with
terror. You and I would be too.

 

No matter how good a person you are, coming
face-to-face with the holiness of an angel shows
you your failings, and fills you with dread and fear.
How much more terrifying will it be to look into God's
face when He comes with His angels in great power
and glory to judge us on the Last Day?

 

That's one of the truly wonderful things about
Christmas. The promised Savior did not come as a
fearsome, mighty warrior to strike fear and terror into
each of us. Instead, He came as a tiny Baby lying in
a manger. He didn't come to terrify us; He came to
take away our sin and guilt and assure us of God's
love and forgiveness
.
THE PRAYER:

 

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to
live among us and save us by Your perfect life, Your
innocent suffering and death, and Your glorious
resurrection. Calm my heart when I'm gripped with
fear, and fill me with peace and joy. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)