Christian Reflection and Prayer

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

Advent devos 2015In a few short brushstrokes, the angel
tells Mary what God is about to do. She will conceive and
bear a Son. She is to name Him Jesus. This is a very
common name in Mary's time. It means "The Lord saves.
" Whenever you met someone named Jesus, their name
was pointing you to the Lord who saves.

But for this Child the Name will mean so much more. The
angel adds, "He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High." Since the Son of God Himself is becoming
human for us, His Name Jesus is different from all the others.
It points out that this is the Lord Himself; He has come to
save us. This is literally the Lord who saves.

That's staggering by itself. But the angel isn't quite finished.
God will give her Son the throne of His father David. David
was Israel's greatest king in the Old Testament. He won
many great victories for Israel over its enemies and, in so
doing, established a strong and peaceful kingdom, secure
from all its enemies.

God told David He would build him a house, raising up for
him a descendant who would reign over an eternal kingdom
forever. And now that famous promise is being kept.

Whereas earthly kings come and go, this King will not.
Though He dies on the cross, within three days He will rise
again and reign over His Kingdom forever. This Christmas
He calls you and me to be subjects of that never-ending
Kingdom--free and safe from all our enemies--Satan, sin,
 fear, death and the gates of hell.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for fulfilling
Your promise to King David through his descendant Jesus
Christ. I praise You that He rules in mercy, faithfulness and
righteousness. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Luke 1:28-30. TEXT: And he (the angel) came to her
and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
But she (Mary) was greatly troubled at the saying, and
tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be"
(Luke 1:28-29).

Advent     Like Zechariah before, Mary is greatly troubled
at this angel's unexpected appearance. She struggles to
understand what kind of message he has come to bring:
will it be good news or bad?

Immediately, the angel assures Mary that she is favored,
and the Lord is with her. In fact, very shortly, the Lord will
be with her in a unique and special way. The Son of God
Himself will become human and dwell within her womb.

But God's favor is not just for Mary, it is for you and me
this Christmas as well. Jesus promised, "If anyone loves
Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our home with him"
(John 14:23b).

But who is worthy of such a favor? Have we done enough,
lived a good enough life to be favored by God? The
answer is no, just as it was for Mary. But notice, the
angel doesn't say, "You have earned favor with God," he
says, "You have found favor with God." Just as God has
shown undeserved kindness and favor to Mary, He shows
it to you and me.

That's what Christmas is all about--God looking on us,
and deciding to send His Son to make everything right
between Him and us. There is absolutely nothing we need
to do--nothing we can do. In His life, death and
resurrection, Jesus has done everything necessary to
remove God's displeasure and win His eternal favor.

THE PRAYER:

Holy Father, it is humbling to think that Your favor rests
upon us in Your Son Jesus. He makes us bold to call upon
You. Help us share His marvelous news with others. In
Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Luke 1:21-23. TEXT: And the people were waiting
for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in
the temple (Luke 1:21).

Advent Each morning and evening a priest offered the
burnt offering on the altar that stood outside the temple
building. Then a second priest entered the temple to burn
incense. Normally, this incense offering was very brief.
After burning the incense upon the altar of incense, the
priest stepped back through the doors to pronounce the
blessing upon the gathered worshippers standing outside.

But this afternoon Zechariah is delayed. Everyone
standing outside begins to wonder why. Of course, we
know it took time for the angel Gabriel to make his
announcement, for Zechariah to voice his doubts, and
for Gabriel to answer them.

Finally, Zechariah steps out through the doors, but he
can't give the benediction. He stands silent, making signs
to them. Soon the people realize something has
happened. From his signs they gather the priest has seen
a vision in the temple.

This is remarkable, for more than 400 years since the
close of the Old Testament writings, God has remained
silent. He has raised no prophet to speak to His people.
Could it be that God is now ready to beginning stirring
things up again?

As Christmas draws nearer, God is ready to start shaking
things up. But first He wants to work in your heart to
prepare you to receive the Messiah who is coming to take
away your sin, doubt, fear and death.

THE PRAYER:

 Heavenly Father, make my heart, mind and spirit ready to
celebrate with joy the birth of Your dear Son Jesus so that
I may boldly and gladly share His joyous salvation wherever
I go. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries)