Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Enjoying the Ride Together"

Read Romans 13:8-10.
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no
wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the
Law. Romans 13:9B-10

I'm sure my parents would have loved a video or DVD
player in our station wagon when I was a kid. Instead,
they had five boys sitting in the middle and back benches
as we headed down the road to Grandma's. Sometimes
we'd sing songs to pass the time or play little games
along the road, but usually we played the stop-touching-
me or stay-on-your-side-of-the-seat game. Of course, that
was about the time Dad threatened to turn the car around
and head back home.

In our church family, we often act like brothers and sisters
squeezed together in a car. We bicker and fight with each
other; we complain about the most insignificant things; we
insist on our way and pout when we don't get it. Meanwhile,
our unchurched family, friends, and neighbors wonder why
anyone would ever want to be a part of family like that. How
many times do we make our heavenward journey miserable
for everyone, wondering if it would be better to go it alone?

That's where Jesus shows the way. When His disciples
argued about which of them would be the greatest or tried to
get the best seats in heaven, Jesus showed them His humility
and restored their unity. Even when the religious establishment
-- the Jewish leaders -- misjudged Him, plotted His death, and
stood by His cross heaping their scorn on Him, Jesus was
quick to pray, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do" (Luke 23:34b). And through His suffering and death
at their hands, Jesus won our full pardon from His Father in
heaven.

In this week's Epistle reading, Paul shows us another way to
travel together. He calls us to remember Christ's sufferings and
death for us, and to strive to live as our Savior did -- loving our
neighbor as ourselves.

As we make our journey toward the house of the Lord, we are
not traveling alone. We are part of a caravan, a multitude of
wonderful believers traveling along together, each guided by
Christ up to God's house. God has chosen every one of us.
He has gathered us together to use our unique skills and
talents as one body. If we travel together in joy and peace,
learning to appreciate one another, our journey will be so
much more thrilling, and we'll be the kind of caravan other
people will want to join. God grant us this peace and
harmony for Jesus' sake.

THE PRAYER:

Father in heaven, open our hearts to truly love and forgive
each other. Grant us a deep appreciation for each other,
that combining our gifts and talents, we may bring glory to
Your Name, and bring many to join us in heaven. Through
Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Isaiah 2:3-5.

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house
of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that
we may walk in His paths..." Isaiah 2:3B

Several years ago I was scheduled to preach at a church in
central Illinois. I had planned out my path along I-70 and left early
enough to arrive a half-hour early. But after about two hours I
discovered I had missed the I-70 exit sixty miles back and was
driving north toward Chicago on I-55! By the time I realized my
mistake and got turned around I ended up arriving at the church
30 minutes after the service was supposed to have started!
Thankfully, my Christian brothers and sisters had a sense of
humor!

Whenever you are driving, especially on a long and unfamiliar
trip, you want to be sure you are on the right path! When I was
a kid we relied on maps, but again, you could end up on the
wrong road for hours without realizing you were on the wrong
path. But today one of the best ways to travel is to have a GPS,
a Global Positioning System.

The guiding voice from this little box gives you turn-by-turn
instructions and tracks your progress. If you get off the right
path, it patiently tells you the best way to get back on the right
path again. But that's not all a GPS can do for you. If you get
tired and need a rest area or a motel along the way, a GPS can
find one for you. If you get hungry, a GPS will give you a choice
of restaurants and guide you to the one you want.

If we want to complete our Advent journey and reach the heavenly
"house of the Lord," we need a sort of spiritual GPS. At our
 Baptism God washed away our sins, made us His own children,
filled us with His Spirit, and set us on the right path for Jesus' sake.
To keep us on that path He gave us His Word and Sacraments.
Through the Law the Holy Spirit alerts us when we have wandered
off the path into sin, and through the Gospel He guides us back to
the right road by turning us in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ
who saved us from our sins through His death on the cross.

That is why it is so important to read, hear, and study the Word of
God in our home devotions and to gather together at church. For as
Jesus speaks to us through His Word, and feeds us with His body
and blood, He keeps us on our heavenward path. This provides us
spiritual rest and nourishment along our way as we journey up to
the house of the Lord!

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your holy Word to guide
us along our path. Open our ears to hear our Savior's voice and
follow His ways. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"Are You Going?"

Read Isaiah 2:1-3a.
Many peoples shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob.
" Isaiah 2:3a

Holidays are great fun, especially when brothers and sisters
who are scattered across the country gather together for
Christmas. Imagine getting a message from a family member
in Michigan: "I can't wait to spend Christmas with you at Mom's!"
Then you get an e-mail from a brother in California: "Looking
forward to catching up when we get in for Christmas!" And then
there's a text from a third in North Carolina: "3 1/2 wks & counting-
can't wait ..." Our excitement builds when we realize we will be
together again, and everyone is looking forward to celebrating
together.

In this week's Old Testament Lesson our brothers and sisters in
Christ are excited to share a similar message with us: "Let's go
up to the house of God!" But it isn't a once-a-year invitation just
for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. They need us this weekend
and every weekend. (They would even love to see you this
Wednesday night if there's an Advent service at your church.)
Their joy won't be quite as full unless you are there with them!

But if you take a closer look at the verse above you'll notice it
says "many peoples" will come and call you. The members of
your congregation aren't the only ones calling. All your Christian
brothers and sisters around the world are calling you to come on
up with them to God's holy mountain.

One of the best examples of this is the National Youth Gathering
that was held in San Antonio in July 2013. In the days, weeks,
and months before the event you can bet texts and e-mails were
flying across the country among friends who were looking forward
to spending the week together. And in the weeks after the get-
together many more e-mails, texts, tweets, and posts crisscrossed
the nation and the world: "That was so great! Wish we could do it
again!" Now imagine a worldwide gathering that won't end after a few
days but will last forever! That's heaven.

It took a lot of hard work and planning by dozens of dedicated people
to put the National Youth Gathering together. But to put our heavenly
reunion together it took Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. He
suffered and died to take away our sins so we would be fit to come,
and He is now preparing a place for us to stay eternally. No wonder
your brothers and sisters around the world and in heaven are excited
about the journey and are calling you to join them. "Come, let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, the house of our God!"

THE PRAYER:

Lord, open my ears to hear my brothers and sisters calling me to join
them, and let me join my voice with theirs. Especially lead me to call
those who have not yet heard Your invitation. In Jesus' Name. Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries).