Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer
December 5, 2015


Read Luke 1:13-15. TEXT: "... Your wife Elizabeth will bear
you a son, and you shall call his name John" (Luke 1:13b).

The time has finally come. At long last Zechariah's wife will
conceive and bear him a son--his own son, from his own
body. The angel even passes along the name God has
personally chosen for this child.

The name John means "The Lord is gracious." It reflects
several things. First would be God's personal grace for
Zechariah and Elizabeth. This child will be a daily reminder
of His grace to the aged couple--enlivening their home and
filling their hearts with joy and gladness.

But God won't restrict His grace to just this little family of
three. He wants to extend it far beyond. Through this child,
God will pour out His grace upon the whole people of Israel
and still further beyond. For this child will be the messenger
who prepares the way for God's own Son. Through John's
baptism, Jesus Christ will step forward and reveal God's
amazing grace in His life and ministry, in His suffering,
death and resurrection.

Similarly, God personally showers His grace upon you by
forgiving your sins and promising to be with you always as
He leads you to the eternal pleasures of heaven.

But He doesn't want to restrict His grace to you alone.
Through you, He wants to enrich the lives of your family,
friends, neighbors, fellow students, teachers, co-workers--
even strangers. As you treat the people in your life with
kindness, respect, love, concern and dignity, you show
God's grace to a hurting world. And like John, when you
tell them about Jesus, you prepare the way for Him to
come into their lives.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, as You worked through John to prepare
the way for Jesus, work through my words and actions
so that my friends, family, and even the strangers I meet
may live in Jesus. I pray this in His Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer
December 5, 2015 Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Psalm 113. TEXT: ..."Your prayer has been heard"
 (Luke 1:13b).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, about six percent of married women
between 15 and 44 years of age are unable to get
pregnant. Infertility is extremely frustrating. Your
hopes rise, only to be dashed month after month,
year after year. What happens to a couple's dreams
and prayers when they watch months, years,
sometimes even decades pass with no child, no
pregnancy? Time has a way of silencing those
prayers, but it does not diminish the hurt and grief.

By the time Zechariah stands before the angel in
the temple, his prayers are a distant memory. But
decades before, when Zechariah and Elizabeth were
pouring out their heartfelt prayers, God's answer to
them was "Yes--but not yet." God was waiting until
His time was right. He knew a certain young girl had
yet to be born. Only when she would grow old enough
to become the virgin mother of His Son could this
couple conceive and give birth to their precious son.

Of course, Zechariah and Elizabeth never knew that
answer. All they had were the cold, hard facts that
convinced them God's answer had been "No."
Sometimes reality is so hard, so dark, uncaring, and
cold. Our prayers seem to go unanswered, and we
become disillusioned with God.

God's timing for our lives doesn't always work out the
way we would like. Sometimes our prayers seem to
go unanswered. But we need to remember that our
God is wise and loving, and has plans to prosper our
 lives--not ruin them. For Zechariah and Elizabeth, the
long anticipated wait will definitely prove to have been
worth it. And the incredible honor God will bestow on
their son will be indescribable.

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, forgive me for questioning Your love
when You answer my prayers with "no" or "wait.
" Strengthen my faith that I may so trust Your fatherly l
ove that I pray "not my will, but Yours be done." In
Jesus' Name. Amen.

(By Rev. Wayne Palmer Lutheran Hour Ministries
December 4, 2015)

PRAY, YES, BUT THEN ACT

Yesterday, two people armed in military-style gear
shot and killed 14 people and injured 17 others at
a holiday party in California. You've no doubt been
watching the headlines and reading about people's
"thoughts and prayers," but what is stunning is that
it wasn't even the only mass shooting yesterday.
Four others were shot, one killed, in Savannah, Ga.
Add it to the list of more than 350 mass shootings
this calendar year.

The epidemic of gun violence in America hasbecome
the new normal. We can't just blame it on the
brokenness of the world, pray for peace, and move
on, worried that anything more will be seen as
politicizing tragedy. What is tragic is that those who
have the ability to DO something about this crisis
refuse to offer more than simplistic sentiments on
Twitter before getting caught in a circular argument
about our rights as Americans. It's time for people of
faith to respond out of their faith and work to stop
senseless violence. As Nicholas Kristoff wrote in the
New York Times today: "It's not clear what policy, if
any, could have prevented the killings in San
Bernardino. Not every shooting is preventable. But
we're not even trying." Common sense measures like
universal background checks — which is supported
by 85 percent of Americans — would be a good start.

Tell your elected officials that while the NRA may give
them a positive rating — and bankroll their campaigns
— they're failing the American people by refusing to
offer any semblance of common sense measures that
could save lives.

"Thoughts and prayers" are not solutions for the
30,000 people who will be killed by a gun this year –
we need sensible gun safety legislation NOW.

Join thousands of others calling for action.

(by Jim Wallis)