Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2008
Overflowing Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
This is a benediction, a blessing. May it be yours as we move into another new year. May you face whatever the new year may bring, not with fear and trembling, but with hope and joy and peace – as you trust in God.
Often, it’s not hope that overflows as the new year gets closer. Sorrows are drowned in forgetfulness. The turning of a calendar is used as an excuse for excess. If only for a brief time we want to forget the problems that plagued us in the year soon coming to an end. We don’t want to think that those problems will be just as real in the coming days, that they will not have gone away.
In contrast, the Christian hope is not dependent upon circumstances. It is the same whether the market is up or down, whether your health is good or bad. There is nothing hopeless about the Christian experience. God, our Father, is both the One who promises the future in which we hope, and its guarantor. Our future does not depend upon Wall Street or Harley Street because our future is all about God. If we grasp this hope, then we can know the joy of the Lord and the peace which passes understanding. Trusting God, having faith in His purpose for our lives, enables us to face tomorrow with confidence and hope. This is His world. We are His people. We need not be afraid.
Grasp that hope as you prepare to begin another year. Don’t leave the baby in the manger. Don’t think that you can put Christ away with the ornaments, neatly packed until Advent comes again. The truth is that Advent never ends, not until Christ returns and the author walks onto the stage and the play is over. Until then, hold on to hope. May joy and peace be yours, this and every year.
Prayer for the Day
Advent God,
coming into our world in power,
making sense of the senseless,
bringing judgment and justice, mercy and love;
keep us awake to Your call, whatever the season.
And keep hope alive in us,
until You walk this earth again.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Day 31 - A Community of Memory and Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A Community of Memory and Hope
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 1:2-3
Paul writes, not to an individual, but to a community. To be a Christian is to be in community. The values of the Christian faith require a social setting; that’s why it is virtually impossible to conceive of a solitary believer. We are made to be together. There can be no love without relationship; mercy is empty unless it is exercised; kindness cannot exist in a vacuum. Therefore, despite the individualism of our age, we need one another. Together, we are a community of memory and hope.
We have a communal memory. As we read the stories of the Bible we not only come across characters and situations that resonate with us, we also discover a history of which we are a part. In the story of the Exodus, we don’t just see a metaphor for our own flight from a cruel, godless world, we also find that we have been joined to the people of God’s choice. Their history is ours. Abraham is our Father, too. We recognize our place within the narrative of salvation. Through creation and the fall, the exile and redemption in Christ, God tells a story and includes us. As a community of faith, we look back in awe. When we read the stories of Jesus, especially when we re-enact His last hours in an upper room, we find ourselves bound by a common memory. The Bible binds us together. It tells us who we are.
We are a community of memory; but the story is not over. We are to be identified as much by God’s promises as by His deeds. We look back and see, in bread and wine, symbols of the story of our salvation; but they are also emblems of our hope. One day, the Church will sit down at the Great Banquet feast of the Lamb. Just like the changing year, our communion looks back in remembrance, and forward in hope.
When the Child returns, as our conquering King, may He find us faithful – living as a community of memory and of hope.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
Just as You guided our spiritual ancestors
through the wilderness to the promised land,
guide us today.
When we face exile, bring us home.
When we rebel, make us restless until we find our rest in You.
When we catch a glimpse of Your glory, as yet unrevealed,
give us patience as we wait for the Day
when our hope will be fulfilled –
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
A Community of Memory and Hope
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 1:2-3
Paul writes, not to an individual, but to a community. To be a Christian is to be in community. The values of the Christian faith require a social setting; that’s why it is virtually impossible to conceive of a solitary believer. We are made to be together. There can be no love without relationship; mercy is empty unless it is exercised; kindness cannot exist in a vacuum. Therefore, despite the individualism of our age, we need one another. Together, we are a community of memory and hope.
We have a communal memory. As we read the stories of the Bible we not only come across characters and situations that resonate with us, we also discover a history of which we are a part. In the story of the Exodus, we don’t just see a metaphor for our own flight from a cruel, godless world, we also find that we have been joined to the people of God’s choice. Their history is ours. Abraham is our Father, too. We recognize our place within the narrative of salvation. Through creation and the fall, the exile and redemption in Christ, God tells a story and includes us. As a community of faith, we look back in awe. When we read the stories of Jesus, especially when we re-enact His last hours in an upper room, we find ourselves bound by a common memory. The Bible binds us together. It tells us who we are.
We are a community of memory; but the story is not over. We are to be identified as much by God’s promises as by His deeds. We look back and see, in bread and wine, symbols of the story of our salvation; but they are also emblems of our hope. One day, the Church will sit down at the Great Banquet feast of the Lamb. Just like the changing year, our communion looks back in remembrance, and forward in hope.
When the Child returns, as our conquering King, may He find us faithful – living as a community of memory and of hope.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
Just as You guided our spiritual ancestors
through the wilderness to the promised land,
guide us today.
When we face exile, bring us home.
When we rebel, make us restless until we find our rest in You.
When we catch a glimpse of Your glory, as yet unrevealed,
give us patience as we wait for the Day
when our hope will be fulfilled –
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Day 30 - Hope Holds On
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 29, 2008
Hope Holds On
Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.
But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.
And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:5-6
God is like a patriarch, looking out over the clan that bears His name, overseeing the construction of a house that they will all call “home.” The clan is a household of faith. We call it “the Church.”
At the time of the Highland Clearance in Scotland, in the mid-eighteenth century, many of the noble Scots families began to disintegrate as emigration to the New World turned into a flood. The crofting system of farming, not far removed from subsistence feudalism, was abolished. Thousands of people were forced to leave the land as it was enclosed to form larger farms. Without a connection to the land, or to the laird to whom they had owed allegiance, many Scots found themselves crowding into cities. Only in their surnames did they retain their clan. Before long, the household to which they had belonged became little more than a memory. Within a few generations the clan system had all but disappeared.
It takes courage and hope to hold on to the household of God. On God’s part it requires His sovereign choice; on our part it requires that we remember to whom we belong. But what a privilege it is to know that we belong. We could almost boast of it, except that we have done nothing to deserve it. Like living stones we are being built into a house fit for a king. Like honored guests we know that we receive a welcome. It is not our surname that entitles us to call this house our home. We have that privilege only because, by grace, we bear the name of Christ. Hold on to this hope; don’t take it for granted; and don’t forget it. Through faith in Christ, we know that we belong to Him.
Prayer for the Day
Gracious God,
thank You for the inestimable privilege
of calling You our Father;
thank You for inviting us to share in Your bounty,
and for preparing a place just for us.
May we live forever within Your house.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Hope Holds On
Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.
But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.
And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Hebrews 3:5-6
God is like a patriarch, looking out over the clan that bears His name, overseeing the construction of a house that they will all call “home.” The clan is a household of faith. We call it “the Church.”
At the time of the Highland Clearance in Scotland, in the mid-eighteenth century, many of the noble Scots families began to disintegrate as emigration to the New World turned into a flood. The crofting system of farming, not far removed from subsistence feudalism, was abolished. Thousands of people were forced to leave the land as it was enclosed to form larger farms. Without a connection to the land, or to the laird to whom they had owed allegiance, many Scots found themselves crowding into cities. Only in their surnames did they retain their clan. Before long, the household to which they had belonged became little more than a memory. Within a few generations the clan system had all but disappeared.
It takes courage and hope to hold on to the household of God. On God’s part it requires His sovereign choice; on our part it requires that we remember to whom we belong. But what a privilege it is to know that we belong. We could almost boast of it, except that we have done nothing to deserve it. Like living stones we are being built into a house fit for a king. Like honored guests we know that we receive a welcome. It is not our surname that entitles us to call this house our home. We have that privilege only because, by grace, we bear the name of Christ. Hold on to this hope; don’t take it for granted; and don’t forget it. Through faith in Christ, we know that we belong to Him.
Prayer for the Day
Gracious God,
thank You for the inestimable privilege
of calling You our Father;
thank You for inviting us to share in Your bounty,
and for preparing a place just for us.
May we live forever within Your house.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Day 29 - Hope of Glory
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Hope of Glory
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:2-4
Many of the Christmas carols we know and love speak not only of Bethlehem, but also of Calvary. The shadow of the cross reaches all the way to the manger. Even as we gaze upon the Christchild we weep, because we know that the shining brow shall one day bear the crown of thorns. The dimpled hands, when grown to manhood, shall be broken by the marks of nails. We know what is to come, and so we grieve for Jesus’ sake. Yet we would do well to remember “the rest of the story.” Christ’s suffering won our peace. We are reconciled to God by the sacrifice of the Son. Just as Jesus had to be born, to leave the courts of heaven and become a man, in the same way Jesus had to die. The punishment we deserve was placed on Him. By His suffering, the stripes He bore, we are healed.
What does suffering do for us? Well, it does not save us, but it can produce perseverance, and perseverance can produce character, and character can produce hope. Paul isn’t writing about any kind of suffering, including the kinds that we bring upon ourselves. The context makes it clear that Paul means that the suffering that leads to hope is suffering for the sake of Christ. As the long shadow of persecution began to stretch over the infant Church, Paul reminded Christians to use their suffering to make themselves cling to Jesus even more. That’s excellent advice. Suffering can make us bitter or it can make us better. Which will it do for you?
If we are refined in the flames of suffering, and if we persevere so that our character is purified, then our hope will only be strengthened, and our lives will come to reflect more and more of the glory of God.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
power and presence of God in my life,
lead me in the paths my Savior would have me tread.
Strengthen me, so that I may endure all things by grace.
Keep hope alive in me, until I see my Savior face to face.
In the name of Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Hope of Glory
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:2-4
Many of the Christmas carols we know and love speak not only of Bethlehem, but also of Calvary. The shadow of the cross reaches all the way to the manger. Even as we gaze upon the Christchild we weep, because we know that the shining brow shall one day bear the crown of thorns. The dimpled hands, when grown to manhood, shall be broken by the marks of nails. We know what is to come, and so we grieve for Jesus’ sake. Yet we would do well to remember “the rest of the story.” Christ’s suffering won our peace. We are reconciled to God by the sacrifice of the Son. Just as Jesus had to be born, to leave the courts of heaven and become a man, in the same way Jesus had to die. The punishment we deserve was placed on Him. By His suffering, the stripes He bore, we are healed.
What does suffering do for us? Well, it does not save us, but it can produce perseverance, and perseverance can produce character, and character can produce hope. Paul isn’t writing about any kind of suffering, including the kinds that we bring upon ourselves. The context makes it clear that Paul means that the suffering that leads to hope is suffering for the sake of Christ. As the long shadow of persecution began to stretch over the infant Church, Paul reminded Christians to use their suffering to make themselves cling to Jesus even more. That’s excellent advice. Suffering can make us bitter or it can make us better. Which will it do for you?
If we are refined in the flames of suffering, and if we persevere so that our character is purified, then our hope will only be strengthened, and our lives will come to reflect more and more of the glory of God.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
power and presence of God in my life,
lead me in the paths my Savior would have me tread.
Strengthen me, so that I may endure all things by grace.
Keep hope alive in me, until I see my Savior face to face.
In the name of Christ Jesus.
Amen.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Day 28 - Hope of Resurrection
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Hope of Resurrection
I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.
Acts 23:6
Standing before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious court of the Jews, Paul defended his belief in the resurrection of the dead. Indeed, he said that it was his hope. Paul saw, in Jesus, the first fruits of the resurrection. Just as Christ was raised to life by the awesome power of God, so shall we, when the trumpet sounds, and those who have slept shall live again.
We have no real idea how this will happen. Our bodies decay, they return to dust, to the earth from which they came. Paul tells us that the bodies with which we shall be raised will be spiritual, quite unlike the bodies of flesh which we now inhabit. We shall, somehow, be able to recognize one another. We shall enjoy sweet fellowship, beyond the cares and concerns of this earthly life. We shall also enjoy the banquet feast of the Lamb. At the table of the Lord we shall celebrate and sing God’s praises without ceasing. It will be a huge table, big enough to accommodate believers of every tribe and tongue. In that New Jerusalem we shall add our voices to the angels as they sing, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”
The hope of resurrection is not that we shall all regain our earthly bodies, and that we will sit around on clouds wearing wings. Some will be raised to judgment and to condemnation. But those who trust in the merits of the Savior shall be raised to life eternal. A hope that is too small, too parochial, is hardly hope at all; but a hope that heralds the consummation of all things is a hope worth singing about.
Prayer for the Day
Holy, holy, holy God,
save us from preoccupation with ourselves.
Teach us to have hope the size of heaven,
and to trust that it will be fulfilled,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Hope of Resurrection
I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.
Acts 23:6
Standing before the Sanhedrin, the highest religious court of the Jews, Paul defended his belief in the resurrection of the dead. Indeed, he said that it was his hope. Paul saw, in Jesus, the first fruits of the resurrection. Just as Christ was raised to life by the awesome power of God, so shall we, when the trumpet sounds, and those who have slept shall live again.
We have no real idea how this will happen. Our bodies decay, they return to dust, to the earth from which they came. Paul tells us that the bodies with which we shall be raised will be spiritual, quite unlike the bodies of flesh which we now inhabit. We shall, somehow, be able to recognize one another. We shall enjoy sweet fellowship, beyond the cares and concerns of this earthly life. We shall also enjoy the banquet feast of the Lamb. At the table of the Lord we shall celebrate and sing God’s praises without ceasing. It will be a huge table, big enough to accommodate believers of every tribe and tongue. In that New Jerusalem we shall add our voices to the angels as they sing, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”
The hope of resurrection is not that we shall all regain our earthly bodies, and that we will sit around on clouds wearing wings. Some will be raised to judgment and to condemnation. But those who trust in the merits of the Savior shall be raised to life eternal. A hope that is too small, too parochial, is hardly hope at all; but a hope that heralds the consummation of all things is a hope worth singing about.
Prayer for the Day
Holy, holy, holy God,
save us from preoccupation with ourselves.
Teach us to have hope the size of heaven,
and to trust that it will be fulfilled,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Day 27 - Hope Not Seen
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Friday, December 26, 2008
Hope Not Seen
For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24,25
One aspect of Christian hope is the redemption of the body. We look forward to the day when our joints will no longer creak, when our backs will no longer ache, when our poor old eyes will rejoice to see the glory of the Lord. At Christ’s appearing there will be no need for corrective eyewear; we won’t need to squint to get Jesus into focus. When He comes, creation will cease its groaning and will be at peace.
What a hope! Those who have lived with chronic pain for years can look forward to a healing that will make them whole again. Those whose limbs have been shattered by accident or disease will move freely. Even the dead shall be raised, and shall rejoice. We look forward in hope to the consummation of all things, to a salvation that is both personal and cosmic. “Oh Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall!”
But we’re not there yet. We have this hope as a gift from God. It’s so real we can almost touch it. Our God is so rich in mercy, so faithful in His love for us, that we are almost there. Almost, but not quite. Despite the nearness of the hope for which we strain, we do not yet have it in all it’s fullness. We have the assurance of salvation, but we will not see the full effect of that salvation until we gather with the redeemed and take our place in the “mansion” that has been prepared for us. Therefore, we must live in hope, looking for the dawning of God’s perfect day, waiting patiently yet expectantly for the promised gift that, one day, shall be fully ours.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
keep us on tiptoe, waiting for the coming of Your Son.
When He comes, may we be found ready.
In the meantime, keep us eager
to work for You and to serve others.
May Your will be done in us.
For the sake of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Hope Not Seen
For in this hope we are saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24,25
One aspect of Christian hope is the redemption of the body. We look forward to the day when our joints will no longer creak, when our backs will no longer ache, when our poor old eyes will rejoice to see the glory of the Lord. At Christ’s appearing there will be no need for corrective eyewear; we won’t need to squint to get Jesus into focus. When He comes, creation will cease its groaning and will be at peace.
What a hope! Those who have lived with chronic pain for years can look forward to a healing that will make them whole again. Those whose limbs have been shattered by accident or disease will move freely. Even the dead shall be raised, and shall rejoice. We look forward in hope to the consummation of all things, to a salvation that is both personal and cosmic. “Oh Lord, what a morning, when the stars begin to fall!”
But we’re not there yet. We have this hope as a gift from God. It’s so real we can almost touch it. Our God is so rich in mercy, so faithful in His love for us, that we are almost there. Almost, but not quite. Despite the nearness of the hope for which we strain, we do not yet have it in all it’s fullness. We have the assurance of salvation, but we will not see the full effect of that salvation until we gather with the redeemed and take our place in the “mansion” that has been prepared for us. Therefore, we must live in hope, looking for the dawning of God’s perfect day, waiting patiently yet expectantly for the promised gift that, one day, shall be fully ours.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
keep us on tiptoe, waiting for the coming of Your Son.
When He comes, may we be found ready.
In the meantime, keep us eager
to work for You and to serve others.
May Your will be done in us.
For the sake of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Day 26 - Hope Made Flesh
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Christmas Day, December 25, 2008
Hope Made Flesh
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord.
Luke 2:11
You don’t always get what you hoped for on Christmas Day. The socks may be sensible, but you wouldn’t be seen dead in them. Grandma’s cardigan may have been made with love, but one sleeve is longer than the other, and you’ve moved beyond sequins and bows. The video game was well-intentioned, but it’s for a game system that you don’t have, indeed that no-one has used for at least five years. Oh well. “Merry Christmas!” There’s always next year.
Meanwhile, up a corner, overshadowed by the tree, the simple creche bears testimony to the greatest gift of all. There, beneath the plastic angel and the lop-sided star, within the rustic stable, amid the Spanish moss, with arms outstretched the Child of wonder lies, the symbol of salvation, and the source of our hope.
The creche is only a symbol. It bears little relation to the reality of a cow byre, or to the poverty that brought His mother to such extremes. It has been sanitized to make it suitable for children; in its retelling for two thousand years the story has lost its raw immediacy. Nevertheless, the coming of the Christmas Child is significant beyond our dreams. In this Child, God broke into our world. By His Advent, Christ identified with our condition. By His teaching, Christ revealed the heart of God. By His sinless life and sacrificial death, Christ opened up a new and living way back to the God for whose embrace we had longed. By His resurrection, Christ proved that His claims were true, and that God had not finished with our world.
So, today, pause and give thanks. You may not have got what you wanted, but God has given you what you really need. Christ is come. Hallelujah.
Prayer for the Day
Child of hope we praise You,
for into a dark and weary world
You came as the bearer of light.
Illumine our hearts today.
Bless us, again, with the warmth of Your presence
and the power of Your saving love.
For Your name’s sake.
Amen.
Christmas Day, December 25, 2008
Hope Made Flesh
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord.
Luke 2:11
You don’t always get what you hoped for on Christmas Day. The socks may be sensible, but you wouldn’t be seen dead in them. Grandma’s cardigan may have been made with love, but one sleeve is longer than the other, and you’ve moved beyond sequins and bows. The video game was well-intentioned, but it’s for a game system that you don’t have, indeed that no-one has used for at least five years. Oh well. “Merry Christmas!” There’s always next year.
Meanwhile, up a corner, overshadowed by the tree, the simple creche bears testimony to the greatest gift of all. There, beneath the plastic angel and the lop-sided star, within the rustic stable, amid the Spanish moss, with arms outstretched the Child of wonder lies, the symbol of salvation, and the source of our hope.
The creche is only a symbol. It bears little relation to the reality of a cow byre, or to the poverty that brought His mother to such extremes. It has been sanitized to make it suitable for children; in its retelling for two thousand years the story has lost its raw immediacy. Nevertheless, the coming of the Christmas Child is significant beyond our dreams. In this Child, God broke into our world. By His Advent, Christ identified with our condition. By His teaching, Christ revealed the heart of God. By His sinless life and sacrificial death, Christ opened up a new and living way back to the God for whose embrace we had longed. By His resurrection, Christ proved that His claims were true, and that God had not finished with our world.
So, today, pause and give thanks. You may not have got what you wanted, but God has given you what you really need. Christ is come. Hallelujah.
Prayer for the Day
Child of hope we praise You,
for into a dark and weary world
You came as the bearer of light.
Illumine our hearts today.
Bless us, again, with the warmth of Your presence
and the power of Your saving love.
For Your name’s sake.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Day 25 - Faith, Hope, Love
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Faith, Hope, Love
We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints –
the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.
Colossians 1:4,5
What do you want for Christmas? How about three virtues – faith, hope, and love! Wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, wherever Christians seek to live out that Gospel, these three virtues should always be found. In I Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that love is the greatest of the three, but in truth they are all important, all interdependent.
Writing to the Colossian Christians, Paul gives thanks for their “faith in Christ Jesus.” He is grateful that they have put their trust in Christ. Trust opens the door of salvation. When we have admitted our need, repented of our sin, and accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is faith that saves us. But we are to take no credit for our faith. All we do is to open our empty hands to receive what God longs to give.
And then there is love. For the Christian, love always has the aroma of sacrifice. I love most perfectly when I give myself to another, without thought for self, or for reward. Love cannot be self-serving. Love gives the best that it has for the sake of another. Who could be a better example of this self-giving love than Jesus? He gave Himself, going as far as the cross for us. He died, an act of love for the unlovely, in order to reconcile us to the Father. As John reminds us (I John 3:11), this is how Christians should love.
Hope, which is laid up for us in heaven, completes the trinity of Christian virtues. According to Paul, hope is not the reward for our faith and love, it is their source. Our settled certainty in the character, purposes, and promises of God enables us to have faith in Christ, and to share with one another the precious gift of love.
Prayer for the Day
Holy God,
this we believe: that when all else fails
these three shall remain – faith, hope, and love.
May our hope be grounded in Your Word;
may our faith be centered on Your Son;
and may our love reach out to all,
this holy night, and always.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Faith, Hope, Love
We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints –
the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.
Colossians 1:4,5
What do you want for Christmas? How about three virtues – faith, hope, and love! Wherever the Gospel is proclaimed, wherever Christians seek to live out that Gospel, these three virtues should always be found. In I Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that love is the greatest of the three, but in truth they are all important, all interdependent.
Writing to the Colossian Christians, Paul gives thanks for their “faith in Christ Jesus.” He is grateful that they have put their trust in Christ. Trust opens the door of salvation. When we have admitted our need, repented of our sin, and accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, then it is faith that saves us. But we are to take no credit for our faith. All we do is to open our empty hands to receive what God longs to give.
And then there is love. For the Christian, love always has the aroma of sacrifice. I love most perfectly when I give myself to another, without thought for self, or for reward. Love cannot be self-serving. Love gives the best that it has for the sake of another. Who could be a better example of this self-giving love than Jesus? He gave Himself, going as far as the cross for us. He died, an act of love for the unlovely, in order to reconcile us to the Father. As John reminds us (I John 3:11), this is how Christians should love.
Hope, which is laid up for us in heaven, completes the trinity of Christian virtues. According to Paul, hope is not the reward for our faith and love, it is their source. Our settled certainty in the character, purposes, and promises of God enables us to have faith in Christ, and to share with one another the precious gift of love.
Prayer for the Day
Holy God,
this we believe: that when all else fails
these three shall remain – faith, hope, and love.
May our hope be grounded in Your Word;
may our faith be centered on Your Son;
and may our love reach out to all,
this holy night, and always.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Day 24 - Purified by Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Purified by Hope
We are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
I John 3:2,3
The oldest trick in the book is to drive a wedge between what we believe and how we behave. Christian history is littered with groups that have tried to twist Scripture in order to justify sin. Often the argument has gone along these lines: I have been saved by grace; my sins have been forgiven; therefore it doesn’t matter what I do. Even Paul has to counter this argument in Romans 5 and 6. Just because grace abounds it doesn’t follow that sin must also abound. If we follow Christ we must do our best to live according to His will, as revealed in Scripture.
John reminds his readers that, one day, we shall see Christ “as He is.” He doesn’t get involved in idle speculation about the where, when, and how of Christ’s appearing. All John tells us is that, when that day dawns, we will reflect His holiness. That’s why it’s important for us to seek holiness today, to strive for moral purity in all things. We won’t achieve it, because we still have feet of clay; but we can look forward to the day when, with unsullied sight, we shall see our Savior’s face. It is because we have confidence in God’s promises that our hope motivates our quest for purity.
Some of the excuses are going to sound pretty hollow when they are made before God’s judgment seat. How much better to have lived in hope, and to have sought to be pure in heart, so that we might see God (Matthew 5:8).
Prayer for the Day
Merciful God,
without Your forgiveness, who could stand?
Without Your Word, who would know how to live?
Without Your Spirit, who could hope to be pure?
Guide us in Your ways; our hope is in You.
In the name of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Purified by Hope
We are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
I John 3:2,3
The oldest trick in the book is to drive a wedge between what we believe and how we behave. Christian history is littered with groups that have tried to twist Scripture in order to justify sin. Often the argument has gone along these lines: I have been saved by grace; my sins have been forgiven; therefore it doesn’t matter what I do. Even Paul has to counter this argument in Romans 5 and 6. Just because grace abounds it doesn’t follow that sin must also abound. If we follow Christ we must do our best to live according to His will, as revealed in Scripture.
John reminds his readers that, one day, we shall see Christ “as He is.” He doesn’t get involved in idle speculation about the where, when, and how of Christ’s appearing. All John tells us is that, when that day dawns, we will reflect His holiness. That’s why it’s important for us to seek holiness today, to strive for moral purity in all things. We won’t achieve it, because we still have feet of clay; but we can look forward to the day when, with unsullied sight, we shall see our Savior’s face. It is because we have confidence in God’s promises that our hope motivates our quest for purity.
Some of the excuses are going to sound pretty hollow when they are made before God’s judgment seat. How much better to have lived in hope, and to have sought to be pure in heart, so that we might see God (Matthew 5:8).
Prayer for the Day
Merciful God,
without Your forgiveness, who could stand?
Without Your Word, who would know how to live?
Without Your Spirit, who could hope to be pure?
Guide us in Your ways; our hope is in You.
In the name of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Day 23 - Hope Bears Testimony
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hope Bears Testimony
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
I Peter 3:15
Everyone knows that a Scout must “Be prepared!” At one time this meant always carrying a pocket knife with which to perform important duties, like removing stones from horses hooves. Nowadays, however, there are not as many horses in need of assistance, and carrying a pocket knife can get you into lots of trouble. Nevertheless, the advice is still good. To be prepared is to have thought ahead, and to have a plan ready for each and every emergency. Everyone would do well to “Be prepared!”
Peter certainly thought that Christians ought to be prepared. He believed that opportunities were bound to arise in which Christians would be asked to testify to what they believed. Some commentators identify the context of Peter’s words as the persecution of the early Church that swept through the Roman world. In this case, Peter was advising his readers to be ready to make a defense, to counter the arguments of those who wanted to accuse Christians of blasphemy or treason. Other commentators think that Peter is simply refering to conversations that might arise at home or at work. It is as if Peter assumes that Christians will be identifiable by their manner of life, and that others will be curious to know what makes Christians different.
Hope is what makes Christians different. We know that our covenant God has a future in store for us, and that because He has promised it, that future is secure. Since we are assured of our salvation we are at liberty to live without fear, trusting God in all things.
We, also, should be “able to give a reason for the hope that is in us.” This does not mean having a fifteen point sermon available for every occasion; it does mean being able to tell, with gentleness and respect, the story of how Christ claimed us, of how we came to be people of hope.
Prayer for the Day
Awesome God,
our relationship is so personal that, at times,
I have made it a private affair.
I have failed to share with others
how much You mean to me.
Take my trembling lips, Lord, and let them work for You.
For Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hope Bears Testimony
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
I Peter 3:15
Everyone knows that a Scout must “Be prepared!” At one time this meant always carrying a pocket knife with which to perform important duties, like removing stones from horses hooves. Nowadays, however, there are not as many horses in need of assistance, and carrying a pocket knife can get you into lots of trouble. Nevertheless, the advice is still good. To be prepared is to have thought ahead, and to have a plan ready for each and every emergency. Everyone would do well to “Be prepared!”
Peter certainly thought that Christians ought to be prepared. He believed that opportunities were bound to arise in which Christians would be asked to testify to what they believed. Some commentators identify the context of Peter’s words as the persecution of the early Church that swept through the Roman world. In this case, Peter was advising his readers to be ready to make a defense, to counter the arguments of those who wanted to accuse Christians of blasphemy or treason. Other commentators think that Peter is simply refering to conversations that might arise at home or at work. It is as if Peter assumes that Christians will be identifiable by their manner of life, and that others will be curious to know what makes Christians different.
Hope is what makes Christians different. We know that our covenant God has a future in store for us, and that because He has promised it, that future is secure. Since we are assured of our salvation we are at liberty to live without fear, trusting God in all things.
We, also, should be “able to give a reason for the hope that is in us.” This does not mean having a fifteen point sermon available for every occasion; it does mean being able to tell, with gentleness and respect, the story of how Christ claimed us, of how we came to be people of hope.
Prayer for the Day
Awesome God,
our relationship is so personal that, at times,
I have made it a private affair.
I have failed to share with others
how much You mean to me.
Take my trembling lips, Lord, and let them work for You.
For Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Day 22 - Hopeless Without God
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Hopeless Without God
Formerly… you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:12
There must be few things worse than being without a land to call home. Displaced by war or famine the refugee can spend years trying to put down roots and still not succeed. Not able to go home, he is often despised in the land of refuge. Without the rights and privileges of citizenship he seems fated to wander forever. He is a foreigner. He is excluded. He is without hope.
That’s what we once were. We may have forgotten the experience, grown used to the benefits we enjoy, but we were not born as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We were not members of the household of Israel. We were spiritual refugees, longing for acceptance and home. We were hopeless; but we also knew that we could do nothing to change our lot. We were also powerless, without hope and without God.
“But then,” continues Paul, “in Christ, you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13). When we were without a prayer, God sent Jesus. That’s the irony of the incarnation. God sent a child, born in a stable far from home, in order to give us the privilege of belonging. Christ left His Father’s side in order to open the gates of paradise for us. He emptied Himself so that we might be filled; He was made poor so that we might be rich in the things of God. Through His blood, Jesus has made us children of the covenants of the promise. Excluded no longer, we are included among the number of His people. By grace, through faith, we now belong; and we have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Merciful God,
always faithful in Your love for us,
thank You that now we have been engrafted
into the vine of Israel, and are inheritors of the promise.
Help us to draw all who will come
into Your welcoming embrace.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Hopeless Without God
Formerly… you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
Ephesians 2:12
There must be few things worse than being without a land to call home. Displaced by war or famine the refugee can spend years trying to put down roots and still not succeed. Not able to go home, he is often despised in the land of refuge. Without the rights and privileges of citizenship he seems fated to wander forever. He is a foreigner. He is excluded. He is without hope.
That’s what we once were. We may have forgotten the experience, grown used to the benefits we enjoy, but we were not born as citizens of the Kingdom of God. We were not members of the household of Israel. We were spiritual refugees, longing for acceptance and home. We were hopeless; but we also knew that we could do nothing to change our lot. We were also powerless, without hope and without God.
“But then,” continues Paul, “in Christ, you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13). When we were without a prayer, God sent Jesus. That’s the irony of the incarnation. God sent a child, born in a stable far from home, in order to give us the privilege of belonging. Christ left His Father’s side in order to open the gates of paradise for us. He emptied Himself so that we might be filled; He was made poor so that we might be rich in the things of God. Through His blood, Jesus has made us children of the covenants of the promise. Excluded no longer, we are included among the number of His people. By grace, through faith, we now belong; and we have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Merciful God,
always faithful in Your love for us,
thank You that now we have been engrafted
into the vine of Israel, and are inheritors of the promise.
Help us to draw all who will come
into Your welcoming embrace.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Day 21 - False Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Saturday, December 20, 2008
False Hope
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
Psalm 10:6
Snake oil still sells well, even though it’s only colored water with no curative powers whatsoever. We still fall for the confidence trickster. In a way, we’re happy to do so. When he promises that his cure-all will get rid of everything from bad breath to bunions we want to believe him. When we are struggling to stop smoking or to lose weight, he gives us hope. It may not last long. In our hearts we recognize that his patent potion is not going to work; but we still buy it.
The trouble with false hope is that it prevents us from dealing with what really needs to be done. If a habit is killing us we don’t need another useless panacea, we need to quit the habit. Self-deception is fairly harmless most of the time, in fact it’s one of the things that helps us to cope; but when self-deception becomes neglect then it can turn deadly. Snake oil won’t cure gangrene. False hope won’t cure sin.
Scripture deals harshly with those who peddle snake oil. Psalm 10 tells us that they are their own worst victims. Not only do they prey upon others, they also end up believing their own nonsense. They look for security where none is to be found. They think they are immune from the cares of the world. Nothing can touch them. They will “always be happy and never have trouble.” Not so, says Proverbs 10:28, “the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” Snake oil has zero value. False hopes are worth about the same.
In contrast, those whose hopes are grounded in God may endure suffering for the moment, but their eternities are secure in Christ. The same verse in Proverbs tells us that “the prospect of the righteous is joy.” We rejoice when we know the security of a right relationship with God, when our sins are forgiven, when we know ourselves to be at peace. Christ is the only cure. Snake oil is no substitute for the Savior.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
keep us from the fear that paralyses;
don’t let us be deceived.
Instead, come with all Your healing powers
to cure our ills and make us whole again.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
False Hope
He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”
Psalm 10:6
Snake oil still sells well, even though it’s only colored water with no curative powers whatsoever. We still fall for the confidence trickster. In a way, we’re happy to do so. When he promises that his cure-all will get rid of everything from bad breath to bunions we want to believe him. When we are struggling to stop smoking or to lose weight, he gives us hope. It may not last long. In our hearts we recognize that his patent potion is not going to work; but we still buy it.
The trouble with false hope is that it prevents us from dealing with what really needs to be done. If a habit is killing us we don’t need another useless panacea, we need to quit the habit. Self-deception is fairly harmless most of the time, in fact it’s one of the things that helps us to cope; but when self-deception becomes neglect then it can turn deadly. Snake oil won’t cure gangrene. False hope won’t cure sin.
Scripture deals harshly with those who peddle snake oil. Psalm 10 tells us that they are their own worst victims. Not only do they prey upon others, they also end up believing their own nonsense. They look for security where none is to be found. They think they are immune from the cares of the world. Nothing can touch them. They will “always be happy and never have trouble.” Not so, says Proverbs 10:28, “the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” Snake oil has zero value. False hopes are worth about the same.
In contrast, those whose hopes are grounded in God may endure suffering for the moment, but their eternities are secure in Christ. The same verse in Proverbs tells us that “the prospect of the righteous is joy.” We rejoice when we know the security of a right relationship with God, when our sins are forgiven, when we know ourselves to be at peace. Christ is the only cure. Snake oil is no substitute for the Savior.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
keep us from the fear that paralyses;
don’t let us be deceived.
Instead, come with all Your healing powers
to cure our ills and make us whole again.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Day 20 - Hope in the Fulness of the Spirit
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hope in the Fulness of the Spirit
Here is my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1
When the prophets looked forward to the coming of God’s Chosen One, the Messiah, they did so in the hope that He would usher in a day when God’s Spirit would fall upon His people in power. They longed for the day when the Spirit would not be limited to the few, but available to all. When He came, the Messiah would not only be the One on whom the fulness of the Spirit rested, He would also be the bearer of the fulness of the Spirit to others. God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This was to be one of the signs of the end of the age, the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Those who had waited so long would know God’s presence by His Spirit in their lives. This was their hope.
In the synagogue, in Nazareth, Jesus applied Isaiah’s words to His ministry (Luke 4), declaring that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, and that He had been appointed to preach good news to the poor. Mary remembered the promise of the Spirit (Luke 1). Paul looked back at the resurrection and declared that it was by the Spirit’s power that Christ had been raised (Romans 1).
Yet Jesus was not only anointed, He was also the bearer of the Spirit. He would give “streams of living water.” And, when He had ascended to be with His Father, He would send the Holy Spirit upon the Church. At Pentecost the promised gift finally fell. In this sense, also, Jesus is the source of our hope. He fulfills prophecy. He is the Anointed One, but He is also the mediator of God’s presence by His Spirit today. God’s plan continues to unfold; His Kingdom advances; hope lives.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
promised gift of the Risen Savior,
come into our hearts today.
Fill us with Your fulness.
Help us to love with a devotion
beyond our ability to give,
and to serve with the hands of Jesus.
In His name.
Amen.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hope in the Fulness of the Spirit
Here is my Servant, whom I uphold, my Chosen One in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.
Isaiah 42:1
When the prophets looked forward to the coming of God’s Chosen One, the Messiah, they did so in the hope that He would usher in a day when God’s Spirit would fall upon His people in power. They longed for the day when the Spirit would not be limited to the few, but available to all. When He came, the Messiah would not only be the One on whom the fulness of the Spirit rested, He would also be the bearer of the fulness of the Spirit to others. God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. This was to be one of the signs of the end of the age, the inauguration of the Kingdom of God. Those who had waited so long would know God’s presence by His Spirit in their lives. This was their hope.
In the synagogue, in Nazareth, Jesus applied Isaiah’s words to His ministry (Luke 4), declaring that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, and that He had been appointed to preach good news to the poor. Mary remembered the promise of the Spirit (Luke 1). Paul looked back at the resurrection and declared that it was by the Spirit’s power that Christ had been raised (Romans 1).
Yet Jesus was not only anointed, He was also the bearer of the Spirit. He would give “streams of living water.” And, when He had ascended to be with His Father, He would send the Holy Spirit upon the Church. At Pentecost the promised gift finally fell. In this sense, also, Jesus is the source of our hope. He fulfills prophecy. He is the Anointed One, but He is also the mediator of God’s presence by His Spirit today. God’s plan continues to unfold; His Kingdom advances; hope lives.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
promised gift of the Risen Savior,
come into our hearts today.
Fill us with Your fulness.
Help us to love with a devotion
beyond our ability to give,
and to serve with the hands of Jesus.
In His name.
Amen.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Day 19 - Hope as an Anchor
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hope as an Anchor
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19,20
Today, no less than in the days of sail, an anchor is a necessity for any sea-going vessel. Without an anchor to secure it, a ship can easily be blown upon rocks or reefs, sandbanks or shoals. Especially when stationery, a ship needs an anchor to secure its position and to prevent it from drifting into danger. Properly secured on a rocky sea bed, an anchor keeps a ship safe.
Hope is an anchor. When secured in the rock-solid promises of God, hope keeps us safe. We may be battered by the winds of change, threatened by the reffs and shoals of destruction, but if we are “fastened to the Rock which cannot move” we are “grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”
The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews sees that hope in the priestly function of Jesus. The imagery is unfamiliar to us, but would have been obvious to the letter’s original recipients. When Jesus enetered “behind the curtain” He entered, figuratively, into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem. Only the High Priest could enter this room, and then only once a year. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies when He offered His life as an atonement for our sins. Unlike the High Priest, Jesus did not leave. Now, Jesus sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3) and remains there as the guardian of our souls. Those souls are anchored within the inner sanctuary, and Jesus stands guard over them. That’s why we can say that we have an anchor that will not fail.
Hope, therefore, for the Christian, is sure and certain because it depends, ultimately, not upon us but upon the finished work of Christ. Without Him, there could be no salvation; with Him, our eternal hope is secure.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
by Your passion and death You overcame
the power of death and death’s domain;
by Your rising again You proved that Yours is the power,
and the glory forever.
We trust in You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Hope as an Anchor
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.
Hebrews 6:19,20
Today, no less than in the days of sail, an anchor is a necessity for any sea-going vessel. Without an anchor to secure it, a ship can easily be blown upon rocks or reefs, sandbanks or shoals. Especially when stationery, a ship needs an anchor to secure its position and to prevent it from drifting into danger. Properly secured on a rocky sea bed, an anchor keeps a ship safe.
Hope is an anchor. When secured in the rock-solid promises of God, hope keeps us safe. We may be battered by the winds of change, threatened by the reffs and shoals of destruction, but if we are “fastened to the Rock which cannot move” we are “grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.”
The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews sees that hope in the priestly function of Jesus. The imagery is unfamiliar to us, but would have been obvious to the letter’s original recipients. When Jesus enetered “behind the curtain” He entered, figuratively, into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem. Only the High Priest could enter this room, and then only once a year. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies when He offered His life as an atonement for our sins. Unlike the High Priest, Jesus did not leave. Now, Jesus sits “at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3) and remains there as the guardian of our souls. Those souls are anchored within the inner sanctuary, and Jesus stands guard over them. That’s why we can say that we have an anchor that will not fail.
Hope, therefore, for the Christian, is sure and certain because it depends, ultimately, not upon us but upon the finished work of Christ. Without Him, there could be no salvation; with Him, our eternal hope is secure.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
by Your passion and death You overcame
the power of death and death’s domain;
by Your rising again You proved that Yours is the power,
and the glory forever.
We trust in You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Day 18 - Hope Unashamed
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hope Unashamed
Uphold me according to Thy Word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Psalm 119:116 (KJV)
Around the water cooler, when talk turns to the weekend, it can be hard to hide. Suzie went water skiing with her friends; Mike went to see his parents; Becky stayed home and worked in the yard. What did you do? The truth is that on Saturday you took some members of the youth group to a Christian concert, and on Sunday you were in worship, but can you say that? How do you respond? “Oh, I did the usual.” Has it come to this, that in order to maintain a relationship with your co-workers you must be economical with the truth when it comes to speaking of Christ? What matters most? Be careful or, one day, God may be too ashamed to acknowledge you!
When we are ashamed of something it is usually because we feel guilty. We are embarrassed to admit that we have been involved. We want to say that we have moved on from such things, that they no longer have any control over us. That may be how things once were, but now we are different. Is that really how we want to explain away our relationship with Christ? Would we not prefer to say, with Paul, that we are “not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
We need never be ashamed of the hope that is in us – though we may be ashamed of living lives inconsistent with the Gospel. The way to avoid this situation is to ask God to uphold you by His Word. When the Word of God dwells in you richly, permeating every aspect of your character, then the conversations around the water cooler will be markedly different.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
teach me to live gently yet openly with others,
modeling both humility and integrity;
then I will never have occasion to deny what I believe,
and I will never be ashamed of my hope.
Through Christ my Lord.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hope Unashamed
Uphold me according to Thy Word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Psalm 119:116 (KJV)
Around the water cooler, when talk turns to the weekend, it can be hard to hide. Suzie went water skiing with her friends; Mike went to see his parents; Becky stayed home and worked in the yard. What did you do? The truth is that on Saturday you took some members of the youth group to a Christian concert, and on Sunday you were in worship, but can you say that? How do you respond? “Oh, I did the usual.” Has it come to this, that in order to maintain a relationship with your co-workers you must be economical with the truth when it comes to speaking of Christ? What matters most? Be careful or, one day, God may be too ashamed to acknowledge you!
When we are ashamed of something it is usually because we feel guilty. We are embarrassed to admit that we have been involved. We want to say that we have moved on from such things, that they no longer have any control over us. That may be how things once were, but now we are different. Is that really how we want to explain away our relationship with Christ? Would we not prefer to say, with Paul, that we are “not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
We need never be ashamed of the hope that is in us – though we may be ashamed of living lives inconsistent with the Gospel. The way to avoid this situation is to ask God to uphold you by His Word. When the Word of God dwells in you richly, permeating every aspect of your character, then the conversations around the water cooler will be markedly different.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
teach me to live gently yet openly with others,
modeling both humility and integrity;
then I will never have occasion to deny what I believe,
and I will never be ashamed of my hope.
Through Christ my Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Day 17 - Hope in God's Word
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hope in God’s Word
My soul faints with longing for Your salvation, but I have put my hope in Your Word.
Psalm 119:81
One of the things you learn as a child, which can come as quite a shock to the system, is that Daddy doesn’t always keep his word. Daddy may have promised to take you to the zoo on Saturday, but something came up and he couldn’t make it. You complain, but it does you no good. The priorities of children are not always the priorities of their parents. Eventually, you discover that, for many people, “promises and pie crusts are made to be broken.” Few and far between are those whose word is their bond. Friendships and feelings, rules and relationships are cast aside when our priorities change. What I want usually trumps what I promised.
Is God like that? The great sadness, for some people, is the abandonment of child-like faith that begins in adolescence and reaches full-force in adulthood. When we fashion God in our own image we end up projecting our failures onto Him. Since we break our promises, we reason, so must He. And a god who breaks his word is not a god who deserves to be worshipped. A fickle deity promises the earth, then becomes distracted. His priorities are not ours. Like Daddy and the zoo, this god leaves us high and dry. How can we place our hope in such a god?
The truth is, we cannot. How fortunate, then, that the God of the Bible is not the god we have created. We may be made in His image, but the image is defaced by sin. We are not like Him; He is not like us! We may depend upon God because His Word cannot be broken. We need not be afraid that He will forget us, or cease to love us. Our hope is in His Word. And, in Christ, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
constant in Your love for us,
unchanged and unchanging,
we rest content in the knowledge that Your Word
shall not be moved.
Give us assurance of salvation,
and the gift of Your peace.
For Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hope in God’s Word
My soul faints with longing for Your salvation, but I have put my hope in Your Word.
Psalm 119:81
One of the things you learn as a child, which can come as quite a shock to the system, is that Daddy doesn’t always keep his word. Daddy may have promised to take you to the zoo on Saturday, but something came up and he couldn’t make it. You complain, but it does you no good. The priorities of children are not always the priorities of their parents. Eventually, you discover that, for many people, “promises and pie crusts are made to be broken.” Few and far between are those whose word is their bond. Friendships and feelings, rules and relationships are cast aside when our priorities change. What I want usually trumps what I promised.
Is God like that? The great sadness, for some people, is the abandonment of child-like faith that begins in adolescence and reaches full-force in adulthood. When we fashion God in our own image we end up projecting our failures onto Him. Since we break our promises, we reason, so must He. And a god who breaks his word is not a god who deserves to be worshipped. A fickle deity promises the earth, then becomes distracted. His priorities are not ours. Like Daddy and the zoo, this god leaves us high and dry. How can we place our hope in such a god?
The truth is, we cannot. How fortunate, then, that the God of the Bible is not the god we have created. We may be made in His image, but the image is defaced by sin. We are not like Him; He is not like us! We may depend upon God because His Word cannot be broken. We need not be afraid that He will forget us, or cease to love us. Our hope is in His Word. And, in Christ, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
constant in Your love for us,
unchanged and unchanging,
we rest content in the knowledge that Your Word
shall not be moved.
Give us assurance of salvation,
and the gift of Your peace.
For Jesus’ sake.
Amen.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Day 16 - Hope for a Prophet
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 15, 2008
Hope for a Prophet
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
Malachi 4:5
Have you ever set your heart on something, only to discover, much later, that you were hoping for the wrong thing? At the time, you longed for a particular outcome; you were disappointed when it didn’t happen, but not as disappointed as you would have been, later, if your wishes had come true.
There were some who thought that, in Jesus of Nazareth, God was fulfilling the promise made through the last prophet, Malachi. That promise, to which faithful Jews held through exile, war, and the repeated occupation of their homeland, was that God would send Elijah, the prophet. In looking for Elijah they were hoping for vindication from God, who would act in fulfillment of their hopes.
At first some, even among the disciples, believed that Jesus was the great prophet for whom the nation had been waiting (Matthew 21:11). As His popularity grew, some of those who witnessed Jesus’ miracles or listened to Him speak wondered whether He might not be the one (Mark 8:27-28). From Jesus, they heard the themes of the end of the age, just as Malachi had prophecied. Through Him, God seemed to speak, powerfully and personally. Yet, He was not the prophet.
The Old Testament hope was not really for one person, but for two. A prophet would return in “the spirit and power of Elijah,” (Luke 1:17) but this man would be a herald. He would prepare the way for the coming of God’s Anointed One, the Messiah. When the prophet came his name was not Jesus, but John: John the Baptist. For centuries the people of Israel had hoped for a prophet who would break the silence and usher in the Kingdom of God. John fulfilled that hope; but the greater hope would be fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ. Truly, the hopes and fears of all the years were met in Him.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus,
forgive us, when we have been too ready
to force You into a mold of our own making,
when we have failed to listen.
Teach us never to make do with lesser dreams,
never to stop discovering more and more about You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Hope for a Prophet
See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
Malachi 4:5
Have you ever set your heart on something, only to discover, much later, that you were hoping for the wrong thing? At the time, you longed for a particular outcome; you were disappointed when it didn’t happen, but not as disappointed as you would have been, later, if your wishes had come true.
There were some who thought that, in Jesus of Nazareth, God was fulfilling the promise made through the last prophet, Malachi. That promise, to which faithful Jews held through exile, war, and the repeated occupation of their homeland, was that God would send Elijah, the prophet. In looking for Elijah they were hoping for vindication from God, who would act in fulfillment of their hopes.
At first some, even among the disciples, believed that Jesus was the great prophet for whom the nation had been waiting (Matthew 21:11). As His popularity grew, some of those who witnessed Jesus’ miracles or listened to Him speak wondered whether He might not be the one (Mark 8:27-28). From Jesus, they heard the themes of the end of the age, just as Malachi had prophecied. Through Him, God seemed to speak, powerfully and personally. Yet, He was not the prophet.
The Old Testament hope was not really for one person, but for two. A prophet would return in “the spirit and power of Elijah,” (Luke 1:17) but this man would be a herald. He would prepare the way for the coming of God’s Anointed One, the Messiah. When the prophet came his name was not Jesus, but John: John the Baptist. For centuries the people of Israel had hoped for a prophet who would break the silence and usher in the Kingdom of God. John fulfilled that hope; but the greater hope would be fulfilled in Jesus, the Christ. Truly, the hopes and fears of all the years were met in Him.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus,
forgive us, when we have been too ready
to force You into a mold of our own making,
when we have failed to listen.
Teach us never to make do with lesser dreams,
never to stop discovering more and more about You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Day 15 - Hope in Nothing Else
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Hope in Nothing Else
Blessed is he whose help is in the God of Jacob, whose help is in the Lord his God.
Psalm 146:5
People put their hope in the strangest things. One man had an invention, “Not quite finished” that was going to make him a million. A woman played the lottery every day, spending a small fortune, because “That’s going to be my retirement.” From the outside looking in, some of these schemes smell of desperation, but from the inside they apparently seem reasonable.
Does God shake His head (so to speak) in amazement at some of the things for which we hope? From our perspective, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to hope that the stock exchange will work for us, or that the government which our taxes support will protect us. We invest our hope in people, forgetting that people fail, and that all people die. Institutions are not permanent. Banks may look rock solid, but their assets are not infinite. Doctors may have great reputations, but the death rate is still 100%, even among doctors! Armies may seem immense and powerful, but there’s usually somebody with a bigger gun. Ultimately, there is no security – without God.
God’s reserves are without equal, in fact they are limitless. His power exceeds that of any army. His healing extends beyond the grave. We are not foolish when we place our hope in Him. The world may prefer the security of a full wallet or of a loaded gun. We know that such things cannot last. We prefer to place our hope where rust cannot decay and moths cannot destroy. In the end, in whom should we hope, but God? We are blessed, beyond anything the earth can offer, when we have our treasure in heaven. The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, and of Jesus, provides the only sure foundation for our hope.
Prayer for the day
Almighty God,
forever the same,
I praise You for Your goodness to Your people
throughout the generations.
As You have been faithful in the past,
so I believe You will be faithful for all time.
Forever I will praise You.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Hope in Nothing Else
Blessed is he whose help is in the God of Jacob, whose help is in the Lord his God.
Psalm 146:5
People put their hope in the strangest things. One man had an invention, “Not quite finished” that was going to make him a million. A woman played the lottery every day, spending a small fortune, because “That’s going to be my retirement.” From the outside looking in, some of these schemes smell of desperation, but from the inside they apparently seem reasonable.
Does God shake His head (so to speak) in amazement at some of the things for which we hope? From our perspective, it doesn’t seem unreasonable to hope that the stock exchange will work for us, or that the government which our taxes support will protect us. We invest our hope in people, forgetting that people fail, and that all people die. Institutions are not permanent. Banks may look rock solid, but their assets are not infinite. Doctors may have great reputations, but the death rate is still 100%, even among doctors! Armies may seem immense and powerful, but there’s usually somebody with a bigger gun. Ultimately, there is no security – without God.
God’s reserves are without equal, in fact they are limitless. His power exceeds that of any army. His healing extends beyond the grave. We are not foolish when we place our hope in Him. The world may prefer the security of a full wallet or of a loaded gun. We know that such things cannot last. We prefer to place our hope where rust cannot decay and moths cannot destroy. In the end, in whom should we hope, but God? We are blessed, beyond anything the earth can offer, when we have our treasure in heaven. The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, and of Jesus, provides the only sure foundation for our hope.
Prayer for the day
Almighty God,
forever the same,
I praise You for Your goodness to Your people
throughout the generations.
As You have been faithful in the past,
so I believe You will be faithful for all time.
Forever I will praise You.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Day 14 - Joyful Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Joyful Hope
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
One day, the Savior who came as a child shall return as a king. In this, too, we hope: that God will bring history to its consummation. Those who have rejected Christ will be judged; those who have accepted Him will reign with Him forever. Until that day, we must be joyful, patient, and faithful.
Hope is the fuel that maintains our joy, despite whatever afflictions may come our way. As, by prayer, we open the windows of heaven, so we are encouraged as we glimpse the glory in which, one day, we shall share. Without hope our joy would soon evaporate. With hope, we can be joyful in all things.
Of course, “joy” does not mean a fixed, inane grin, or the attitude of a permanent pollyanna. Joy is the deep assurance that God’s will shall prevail, and that it is good. Joy should break out on our faces, but when the trials we bear are too great, the smile of faith remains hidden in our heart. When hope’s settled certainty keeps us focussed on God’s promised new world, then joy can never be far away.
Romans 12:12 is one of the earliest texts in the New Testament to mention affliction with overtones of persecution. The early Church was to suffer greatly at the hands of those who wished to see it destroyed, yet it maintained its joyful hope. In our day, Christians still suffer for the cause of Christ in many lands. That we do not should make us grateful for the liberties we enjoy. It should send us to our knees in faithful intercession for those who suffer. It should also make us agents of joyful hope, bearing witness to the truth in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for the Day
Living God,
deepen our love for our suffering brothers and sisters
around the world.
Make us steadfast in our support.
May they, and we, be found joyful in hope
when our Savior comes again.
We pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Joyful Hope
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12
One day, the Savior who came as a child shall return as a king. In this, too, we hope: that God will bring history to its consummation. Those who have rejected Christ will be judged; those who have accepted Him will reign with Him forever. Until that day, we must be joyful, patient, and faithful.
Hope is the fuel that maintains our joy, despite whatever afflictions may come our way. As, by prayer, we open the windows of heaven, so we are encouraged as we glimpse the glory in which, one day, we shall share. Without hope our joy would soon evaporate. With hope, we can be joyful in all things.
Of course, “joy” does not mean a fixed, inane grin, or the attitude of a permanent pollyanna. Joy is the deep assurance that God’s will shall prevail, and that it is good. Joy should break out on our faces, but when the trials we bear are too great, the smile of faith remains hidden in our heart. When hope’s settled certainty keeps us focussed on God’s promised new world, then joy can never be far away.
Romans 12:12 is one of the earliest texts in the New Testament to mention affliction with overtones of persecution. The early Church was to suffer greatly at the hands of those who wished to see it destroyed, yet it maintained its joyful hope. In our day, Christians still suffer for the cause of Christ in many lands. That we do not should make us grateful for the liberties we enjoy. It should send us to our knees in faithful intercession for those who suffer. It should also make us agents of joyful hope, bearing witness to the truth in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for the Day
Living God,
deepen our love for our suffering brothers and sisters
around the world.
Make us steadfast in our support.
May they, and we, be found joyful in hope
when our Savior comes again.
We pray in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Day 13 - Hope for Eternity
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Friday, December 12, 2008
Hope for Eternity
The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous (has) hope in his death.
Proverbs 14:32 (KJV)
The latest fad in some quarters, particularly among the anti-establishment brigade, is something called “annihilationalism.” Basically, it is the belief that there is nothing after death. Some call it “angry annihilationalism.” We can get angry about the nature of the universe; we can rage, like Dylan Thomas, against the waning of the light; we can rant about anarchy and complain about the corruption of politics; but in the end we all turn back to dust. Of course this is not a new belief. Repackaged, in slightly different forms, it has been around for thousands of years. At its best it is a call to live life to the fullest while you have it; at its worst it is an invitation to do whatever you like, because there are no consequences beyond the grave.
Christians have, on occasion, gone to the other extreme. Visions of heaven (and hell) have been graphic. Sermons have come close to being guided tours to the celestial city (or the other place). We have pretended that we know everything there is to know about the life that is to come. We do not know everything. What we do know is, that if we place our hands , in faith, into the hands of Jesus Christ, then we shall spend an eternity with Him. Repentance and faith are the human responses to the grace of God that enable us to claim the promise of eternal life. So, Christians cannot be annihilationists, angry or otherwise. Instead, we are people of hope.
Those who proclaim, loudly, that we creatures of the dust, and that there is nothing beyond death, are expressing their beliefs. They have faith in their opinions. Fair enough. We also have faith, but ours is fixed on Jesus – who came among us, died for us, and rose again for us. He is the firstfruit of the dead, and the reason for our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus,
we know that we are mortal,
and that our days are numbered here on earth.
Yet we also believe that You have called us
to live with You forever.
Help us to place all of our trust in You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Hope for Eternity
The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous (has) hope in his death.
Proverbs 14:32 (KJV)
The latest fad in some quarters, particularly among the anti-establishment brigade, is something called “annihilationalism.” Basically, it is the belief that there is nothing after death. Some call it “angry annihilationalism.” We can get angry about the nature of the universe; we can rage, like Dylan Thomas, against the waning of the light; we can rant about anarchy and complain about the corruption of politics; but in the end we all turn back to dust. Of course this is not a new belief. Repackaged, in slightly different forms, it has been around for thousands of years. At its best it is a call to live life to the fullest while you have it; at its worst it is an invitation to do whatever you like, because there are no consequences beyond the grave.
Christians have, on occasion, gone to the other extreme. Visions of heaven (and hell) have been graphic. Sermons have come close to being guided tours to the celestial city (or the other place). We have pretended that we know everything there is to know about the life that is to come. We do not know everything. What we do know is, that if we place our hands , in faith, into the hands of Jesus Christ, then we shall spend an eternity with Him. Repentance and faith are the human responses to the grace of God that enable us to claim the promise of eternal life. So, Christians cannot be annihilationists, angry or otherwise. Instead, we are people of hope.
Those who proclaim, loudly, that we creatures of the dust, and that there is nothing beyond death, are expressing their beliefs. They have faith in their opinions. Fair enough. We also have faith, but ours is fixed on Jesus – who came among us, died for us, and rose again for us. He is the firstfruit of the dead, and the reason for our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Jesus,
we know that we are mortal,
and that our days are numbered here on earth.
Yet we also believe that You have called us
to live with You forever.
Help us to place all of our trust in You.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Day 12 - Hope Continually
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Hope Continually
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.
Psalm 71:14
Young Christians are sometimes afraid that they will fall out of love with Jesus. They fear that their faith has begun in a flurry of emotionalism, and that it will not last. “Friends” tell them it will not. Many Christians worry that they will wake up one morning and it will be all over, that the beauty and wonder of their walk with Christ will fade, and that they will drop away.
This kind of fear is not new. The author of Psalm 71 is an old man, now “old and greyheaded” who asks God not to forsake him. He remembers the joy of serving God since youth, and he promises to keep on hoping, and to praise God more and more. His words remind us that there is a link between hope and praise. When we neglect worship, at home or in fellowship with others, then we risk losing our hope. It’s a different matter when we can’t get to worship for some good reason, but when we just get out of the habit, then our inaction undermines our hope.
Like coals on a fire, hope must be stirred, regularly. If we never “stir up the flames” of our relationship with God through praise and prayer, and through the study of His Word, then we shouldn’t be surprised when the fire burns low. God’s promises do not change, He remains the object of our hope, but we change. And a hope that is not invoked soon ceases to matter. Hope is both a noun and a verb. We have hope because of the character and promises of God, revealed in Christ. But we must also exercise hope, continually. If we do not exercise it, hope withers. The way to keep hope alive is to use it, and to “praise Him more and more.”
Prayer for the Day
Eternal God,
when our praise is muted and Your name is seldom on our lips,
love grows cold and hope is not in us,
so, come by Your Holy Spirit.
Set our hearts on fire for You.
We ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Hope Continually
But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more.
Psalm 71:14
Young Christians are sometimes afraid that they will fall out of love with Jesus. They fear that their faith has begun in a flurry of emotionalism, and that it will not last. “Friends” tell them it will not. Many Christians worry that they will wake up one morning and it will be all over, that the beauty and wonder of their walk with Christ will fade, and that they will drop away.
This kind of fear is not new. The author of Psalm 71 is an old man, now “old and greyheaded” who asks God not to forsake him. He remembers the joy of serving God since youth, and he promises to keep on hoping, and to praise God more and more. His words remind us that there is a link between hope and praise. When we neglect worship, at home or in fellowship with others, then we risk losing our hope. It’s a different matter when we can’t get to worship for some good reason, but when we just get out of the habit, then our inaction undermines our hope.
Like coals on a fire, hope must be stirred, regularly. If we never “stir up the flames” of our relationship with God through praise and prayer, and through the study of His Word, then we shouldn’t be surprised when the fire burns low. God’s promises do not change, He remains the object of our hope, but we change. And a hope that is not invoked soon ceases to matter. Hope is both a noun and a verb. We have hope because of the character and promises of God, revealed in Christ. But we must also exercise hope, continually. If we do not exercise it, hope withers. The way to keep hope alive is to use it, and to “praise Him more and more.”
Prayer for the Day
Eternal God,
when our praise is muted and Your name is seldom on our lips,
love grows cold and hope is not in us,
so, come by Your Holy Spirit.
Set our hearts on fire for You.
We ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Day 11 - Faithful Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Faithful Hope
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1,2
Joseph Conrad once commented, in a letter to Bertrand Russell, that he saw nothing in the human condition that suggested we would ever get any better. He felt a terrible sense of fatality. He was without hope. We may wince at Conrad’s pessimism,but we should not be surprised by it. He hit upon an important truth: without God there is no hope.
On the other hand, when God gives us the gift of faith, by which we can grasp the audacity of His love in sending His only Son, then we can know peace, both now and forever. In love, God initiated the rescue plan that saw Christ take the punishment of sin upon Himself. As a result, reconciled by His sacrifice and justified through faith, we may enter into a new relationship with the God who loves us so very much. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
We should take this to mean that, one day, we shall see God in His glory. When the earth has passed away, and when we stand in judgment before the One who made us, in as much as we claim the merits of Christ then we shall be safe, and the glory that is God shall be reflected in us.
Conrad reminds us that hope that is placed in anything other than God is bound to fail. Without God, we are condemned to continue to act according to our flawed natures, to maim and cheat and kill until no-one remains. Where is hope if our only hope is in human nature? That’s why we need God. Faith is the means by which we apprehend His peace; faith enables us to rejoice in hope of the glory that is to come. Faith says to God, “I trust You.” Without faith, we are a people without hope.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
thank You for Your amazing gift in Jesus.
He is the best gift we could ever receive.
His sacrifice is the source of our peace.
May we know the joy that looks forward in hope.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Faithful Hope
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1,2
Joseph Conrad once commented, in a letter to Bertrand Russell, that he saw nothing in the human condition that suggested we would ever get any better. He felt a terrible sense of fatality. He was without hope. We may wince at Conrad’s pessimism,but we should not be surprised by it. He hit upon an important truth: without God there is no hope.
On the other hand, when God gives us the gift of faith, by which we can grasp the audacity of His love in sending His only Son, then we can know peace, both now and forever. In love, God initiated the rescue plan that saw Christ take the punishment of sin upon Himself. As a result, reconciled by His sacrifice and justified through faith, we may enter into a new relationship with the God who loves us so very much. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
We should take this to mean that, one day, we shall see God in His glory. When the earth has passed away, and when we stand in judgment before the One who made us, in as much as we claim the merits of Christ then we shall be safe, and the glory that is God shall be reflected in us.
Conrad reminds us that hope that is placed in anything other than God is bound to fail. Without God, we are condemned to continue to act according to our flawed natures, to maim and cheat and kill until no-one remains. Where is hope if our only hope is in human nature? That’s why we need God. Faith is the means by which we apprehend His peace; faith enables us to rejoice in hope of the glory that is to come. Faith says to God, “I trust You.” Without faith, we are a people without hope.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
thank You for Your amazing gift in Jesus.
He is the best gift we could ever receive.
His sacrifice is the source of our peace.
May we know the joy that looks forward in hope.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Day 10 - Encouraging Hope
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Encouraging Hope
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
If God is not ultimately in charge of our destinies, then we might as well give up now! If it is not true that, despite the arrogance and downright evil that we see displayed, “God is working His purposes out as year succeeds to year,” then we have no reason to hope. But we do have reason to hope. God is sovereign. This is His world. It moves to the beat of His drum.
Humanist writers have made fun of this belief for years. Voltaire, in Candide, wrote mockingly of those who believe that this is the best of all possible worlds. When the evidence of our eyes is so opposed to belief in a benevolent God, why do we continue with what atheists call “the great deception”? The answer lies in the prevalence of sin in our world. Of course this is not the best of all possible worlds, but God did not intend that it should be as it is. Human sin has soiled the perfection God created. But when Christ returns everything will change; this world shall not remain a vale of tears.
We must continue to affirm that God’s purposes will be fulfilled, despite the evil men do. Paul reminds us, in Romans 15, that hope requires endurance – we must persevere, never give up – but it also requires the encouragement that comes from the Bible. How does the Bible encourage us? By recounting the story of salvation history the Bible demonstrates that God has a plan. History has a purpose. Though we may not see that purpose accomplished in our time, one day it shall be. God’s purposes are rooted in His character. He is relentless in His pursuit of a new heaven and a new earth where all who trust in Him shall sit down together in peace. He has been faithful in the past. He will be faithful in the future. Therefore, we have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Almighty God,
Your ways are not our ways,
Your thoughts are not our thoughts,
Your wisdom is unsearchable, yet Your love never ends.
Lead us, though it be through tears,
to the future You have prepared for us,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Encouraging Hope
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Romans 15:4
If God is not ultimately in charge of our destinies, then we might as well give up now! If it is not true that, despite the arrogance and downright evil that we see displayed, “God is working His purposes out as year succeeds to year,” then we have no reason to hope. But we do have reason to hope. God is sovereign. This is His world. It moves to the beat of His drum.
Humanist writers have made fun of this belief for years. Voltaire, in Candide, wrote mockingly of those who believe that this is the best of all possible worlds. When the evidence of our eyes is so opposed to belief in a benevolent God, why do we continue with what atheists call “the great deception”? The answer lies in the prevalence of sin in our world. Of course this is not the best of all possible worlds, but God did not intend that it should be as it is. Human sin has soiled the perfection God created. But when Christ returns everything will change; this world shall not remain a vale of tears.
We must continue to affirm that God’s purposes will be fulfilled, despite the evil men do. Paul reminds us, in Romans 15, that hope requires endurance – we must persevere, never give up – but it also requires the encouragement that comes from the Bible. How does the Bible encourage us? By recounting the story of salvation history the Bible demonstrates that God has a plan. History has a purpose. Though we may not see that purpose accomplished in our time, one day it shall be. God’s purposes are rooted in His character. He is relentless in His pursuit of a new heaven and a new earth where all who trust in Him shall sit down together in peace. He has been faithful in the past. He will be faithful in the future. Therefore, we have hope.
Prayer for the Day
Almighty God,
Your ways are not our ways,
Your thoughts are not our thoughts,
Your wisdom is unsearchable, yet Your love never ends.
Lead us, though it be through tears,
to the future You have prepared for us,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Day 9 - Hope of Christ's Appearing
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 8, 2008
Hope of Christ’s Appearing
[We are to live] self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:12,13
Advent is not just about looking back to the first coming of Christ. It’s also about looking forward to His coming again. So, when we sing, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” we need to remember that our words not only reflect the longing of faithful Jews for the coming of God’s Messiah, they also point to our future hope.
There is another theme, lurking beneath the surface of our Advent celebration. That theme is judgment. When He came as a baby, in Bethlehem, the world judged itself by its response. But when He comes again He shall judge the earth with justice. His “glorious appearing” will be a source of great joy for those who know themselves to be saved by grace; but for those have scorned and rejected His ways, the light of Christ’s presence will come, not as a relief but as a threat. This time, He will not appear as a vulnerable baby, cradled in a manger. He will come as “our great God and Savior.” He will demand an accounting, as is His right as the Maker of heaven and earth. The sword of justice will be in His hand. No-one will be able to escape from the Day of His reckoning.
Yet, for those who believe, who have lived their lives with an eye to His coming, this is a blessed hope. It is a source of blessing today and tomorrow. On that Day, those who have trusted in the Savior shall be vindicated, death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning or crying or pain, for the former things will have passed away. This is our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Advent God,
turn our thoughts from preoccupation
with the gaudy symbols of the season,
to the celebration of Emmanuel, God with us.
We praise You for the gift of Jesus, Your Son,
and we look forward in hope to His coming again.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Hope of Christ’s Appearing
[We are to live] self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:12,13
Advent is not just about looking back to the first coming of Christ. It’s also about looking forward to His coming again. So, when we sing, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” we need to remember that our words not only reflect the longing of faithful Jews for the coming of God’s Messiah, they also point to our future hope.
There is another theme, lurking beneath the surface of our Advent celebration. That theme is judgment. When He came as a baby, in Bethlehem, the world judged itself by its response. But when He comes again He shall judge the earth with justice. His “glorious appearing” will be a source of great joy for those who know themselves to be saved by grace; but for those have scorned and rejected His ways, the light of Christ’s presence will come, not as a relief but as a threat. This time, He will not appear as a vulnerable baby, cradled in a manger. He will come as “our great God and Savior.” He will demand an accounting, as is His right as the Maker of heaven and earth. The sword of justice will be in His hand. No-one will be able to escape from the Day of His reckoning.
Yet, for those who believe, who have lived their lives with an eye to His coming, this is a blessed hope. It is a source of blessing today and tomorrow. On that Day, those who have trusted in the Savior shall be vindicated, death shall be no more, neither shall there be any mourning or crying or pain, for the former things will have passed away. This is our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Advent God,
turn our thoughts from preoccupation
with the gaudy symbols of the season,
to the celebration of Emmanuel, God with us.
We praise You for the gift of Jesus, Your Son,
and we look forward in hope to His coming again.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Day 8 - Hope of Righteousness
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Hope of Righteousness
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
Galatians 5:5
Have you ever looked forward to receiving something, only to discover that it was already yours? In a way, an inheritance is like this. The moment a will is signed, and the intention of the owner made clear, the inheritance is sure, providing that another will is never made! A better example might be a characteristic that you have admired in another person, never realizing that the same trait was developing in your life. And so you ask God to make you patient, not understanding that this is the very thing that others see in you.
Righteousness, as the condition for which we hope, falls into this category. To be righteous is to be in a right relationship with God. It is the result of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Unlike sanctification, the process of holiness, which takes a lifetime, righteousness happens only once. Actually, it would be better to say that it happened once – on Calvary. On the cross our sins were laid upon our Savior; the Innocent One was pronounced guilty and the guilty ones were declared innocent. All this is the gift of Christ, and it is ours by grace, the unmerited love of God.
So why do we hope for righteousness? Because we do not appropriate God’s gift all at once. We have been justified by grace, through faith; but we don’t get our heads around this completely because, secretly, we still think there is something we need to do in order to gain peace with God. Paul looks forward to the Day of Christ’s coming when we shall not only be completely justified, declared righteous by God, but we shall know it, and be at peace.
Prayer of the Day
Merciful God,
teach us to open the gift of the righteousness of Christ,
which You have placed into our hands.
Help us to clothe ourselves with His goodness,
His purity, and His grace.
So may we become what we hope for –
children of the Covenant
judged acceptable through His blood.
For His name’s sake.
Amen.
Hope of Righteousness
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
Galatians 5:5
Have you ever looked forward to receiving something, only to discover that it was already yours? In a way, an inheritance is like this. The moment a will is signed, and the intention of the owner made clear, the inheritance is sure, providing that another will is never made! A better example might be a characteristic that you have admired in another person, never realizing that the same trait was developing in your life. And so you ask God to make you patient, not understanding that this is the very thing that others see in you.
Righteousness, as the condition for which we hope, falls into this category. To be righteous is to be in a right relationship with God. It is the result of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. Unlike sanctification, the process of holiness, which takes a lifetime, righteousness happens only once. Actually, it would be better to say that it happened once – on Calvary. On the cross our sins were laid upon our Savior; the Innocent One was pronounced guilty and the guilty ones were declared innocent. All this is the gift of Christ, and it is ours by grace, the unmerited love of God.
So why do we hope for righteousness? Because we do not appropriate God’s gift all at once. We have been justified by grace, through faith; but we don’t get our heads around this completely because, secretly, we still think there is something we need to do in order to gain peace with God. Paul looks forward to the Day of Christ’s coming when we shall not only be completely justified, declared righteous by God, but we shall know it, and be at peace.
Prayer of the Day
Merciful God,
teach us to open the gift of the righteousness of Christ,
which You have placed into our hands.
Help us to clothe ourselves with His goodness,
His purity, and His grace.
So may we become what we hope for –
children of the Covenant
judged acceptable through His blood.
For His name’s sake.
Amen.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Day 7 - Hope as a Defense
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Hope as a Defense
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and hope of salvation as a helmet.
I Thessalonians 5:8
After the attack, which seriously wounded his only real friend, Michael calmly announced that he had had no say in the matter. There had been a voice inside his head, telling him to take and use the knife. He had heard it repeatedly. He felt that he could not refuse. He didn’t do it – it was the voice in his head.
Although we are, sometimes, rightly skeptical about those who have a convenient voice to blame, we must still acknowledge that, on occasions, we all pay too much attention to the ideas that others put in our heads. Don’t believe me? Try this. Spend time with a group that behaves in a particular manner, and you will be more likely to fall into their way of speaking and thinking. Recently, an Englishman was appointed to an important job in the Netherlands. When he was interviewed on television, just a few months later, he had developed a pronounced Dutch accent! There are other ways in which the opinions of others can get inside our heads. It’s not just our accents that can change. We can, for example, become more cynical, less thoughtful, less careful of our language or our morals.
That’s why Scripture says that we must wear hope as a helmet. We are to put on faith and love as a breastplate: faith in God, which protects us inwardly, and love for others which protects us outwardly. The third element in our defense is the hope of salvation – the settled confidence that God has saved us both now and forever. Hope’s function is to protect our minds. When our hope is fixed upon God, the passing fancies and the evil voices of our day can never hold us.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
protect us by Your Word
from the temptations that assail us.
May our hope be secure and sincere,
since it depends upon Your Word, which will never fail.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Hope as a Defense
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and hope of salvation as a helmet.
I Thessalonians 5:8
After the attack, which seriously wounded his only real friend, Michael calmly announced that he had had no say in the matter. There had been a voice inside his head, telling him to take and use the knife. He had heard it repeatedly. He felt that he could not refuse. He didn’t do it – it was the voice in his head.
Although we are, sometimes, rightly skeptical about those who have a convenient voice to blame, we must still acknowledge that, on occasions, we all pay too much attention to the ideas that others put in our heads. Don’t believe me? Try this. Spend time with a group that behaves in a particular manner, and you will be more likely to fall into their way of speaking and thinking. Recently, an Englishman was appointed to an important job in the Netherlands. When he was interviewed on television, just a few months later, he had developed a pronounced Dutch accent! There are other ways in which the opinions of others can get inside our heads. It’s not just our accents that can change. We can, for example, become more cynical, less thoughtful, less careful of our language or our morals.
That’s why Scripture says that we must wear hope as a helmet. We are to put on faith and love as a breastplate: faith in God, which protects us inwardly, and love for others which protects us outwardly. The third element in our defense is the hope of salvation – the settled confidence that God has saved us both now and forever. Hope’s function is to protect our minds. When our hope is fixed upon God, the passing fancies and the evil voices of our day can never hold us.
Prayer for the Day
Lord God,
protect us by Your Word
from the temptations that assail us.
May our hope be secure and sincere,
since it depends upon Your Word, which will never fail.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Day 6 - Hope Enables Obedience
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Friday, December 5, 2008
Hope Enables Obedience
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18
Have you ever believed anything against all hope? Perhaps your team was down by a large margin and, realistically, there was little hope of a comeback. Despite the odds, you still hoped that something would happen. You were “hoping against all hope.”
Abraham, on a human level, must have thought it unlikely that he would father a nation, or inherit a land that God would give him. Yet, he hoped. And that hope was far more significant than a sports fan’s wishful thinking. Abraham knew that, humanly speaking, he didn’t have a hope. He was too old, and too far from the land of promise. There were too many obstacles along the way. Nevertheless, Abraham chose to hope, because He knew the One in whom to place His trust.
In Romans 4:18, Paul quotes Genesis 15:5 – “so shall your offspring be.” This is no accident. Earlier in the same chapter, Paul uses Genesis 15:6 to explain what it means to be justified by faith. The point is clear. The promise in which Abraham hoped would be fulfilled, not by human agency, but by the hand of God.
It really is all about God. Abraham learned to trust in the God who made promises to him. Despite the circumstances of his life, Abraham believed. Can you do the same? It may be that you are trusting God for something that, deep down, is simply impossible. But all things are possible with God. If your request is in line with His good and perfect will, and if the timing agrees with His providential purposes, then you may hope against hope, and it shall be done.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
thank You for the promises of Your Word,
which cannot fail.
Help us to trust them for our own lives,
and help us to trust You with our lives.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Hope Enables Obedience
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18
Have you ever believed anything against all hope? Perhaps your team was down by a large margin and, realistically, there was little hope of a comeback. Despite the odds, you still hoped that something would happen. You were “hoping against all hope.”
Abraham, on a human level, must have thought it unlikely that he would father a nation, or inherit a land that God would give him. Yet, he hoped. And that hope was far more significant than a sports fan’s wishful thinking. Abraham knew that, humanly speaking, he didn’t have a hope. He was too old, and too far from the land of promise. There were too many obstacles along the way. Nevertheless, Abraham chose to hope, because He knew the One in whom to place His trust.
In Romans 4:18, Paul quotes Genesis 15:5 – “so shall your offspring be.” This is no accident. Earlier in the same chapter, Paul uses Genesis 15:6 to explain what it means to be justified by faith. The point is clear. The promise in which Abraham hoped would be fulfilled, not by human agency, but by the hand of God.
It really is all about God. Abraham learned to trust in the God who made promises to him. Despite the circumstances of his life, Abraham believed. Can you do the same? It may be that you are trusting God for something that, deep down, is simply impossible. But all things are possible with God. If your request is in line with His good and perfect will, and if the timing agrees with His providential purposes, then you may hope against hope, and it shall be done.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
thank You for the promises of Your Word,
which cannot fail.
Help us to trust them for our own lives,
and help us to trust You with our lives.
In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Day 5 - Hope in God's Mercy
Child of Hope: An Advent Devotional
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Hope in God’s Mercy
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His unfailing love.
Psalm 33:18
Did you ever feel that someone was watching you? It’s not a pleasant feeling. You wonder what you did wrong. Why is someone taking such an interest in you? Surely, their intentions cannot be good? No-one wants to live in an Orwellian society where our every move is monitored, our every action held up to scrutiny.
Of course, the whole concept changes when you know who is watching you. A child may take delight in breaking away from her parents, but deep down she is comforted knowing that Mom always has her eye on her, that Dad will not let any harm come to her. It’s the same when we fall in love. Our eyes meet across the room and a connection is made. “He’s looking at me!” We don’t resent a look of love.
When God looks at us, His is a look of love. The Hebrew word for that love is “hesed,” which is often translated as mercy or loving-kindness. When we live with a proper awe for the God who made us, then His eyes are upon us. When we place our hope in His unfailing love, then we should know that He is always watching out for us. Mercy is the aspect of God’s character that responds to our misery. Sin is miserable. Alienation from God, which is caused by sin, makes us want to weep. We feel lost, alone, afraid. But if, in response to His love, we turn back to Him and, like the prodigal, find Him running to greet us, then misery is overcome by mercy. He loves us. He will not take His eyes off us – this is our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
source of all mercy and love,
we confess that we have wandered far from Your ways,
in our pride, we have sought out our own paths;
yet in Your loving-kindness You have brought us home.
May we be content to stay in Your presence;
may our hope in Your mercy never fail.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Hope in God’s Mercy
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His unfailing love.
Psalm 33:18
Did you ever feel that someone was watching you? It’s not a pleasant feeling. You wonder what you did wrong. Why is someone taking such an interest in you? Surely, their intentions cannot be good? No-one wants to live in an Orwellian society where our every move is monitored, our every action held up to scrutiny.
Of course, the whole concept changes when you know who is watching you. A child may take delight in breaking away from her parents, but deep down she is comforted knowing that Mom always has her eye on her, that Dad will not let any harm come to her. It’s the same when we fall in love. Our eyes meet across the room and a connection is made. “He’s looking at me!” We don’t resent a look of love.
When God looks at us, His is a look of love. The Hebrew word for that love is “hesed,” which is often translated as mercy or loving-kindness. When we live with a proper awe for the God who made us, then His eyes are upon us. When we place our hope in His unfailing love, then we should know that He is always watching out for us. Mercy is the aspect of God’s character that responds to our misery. Sin is miserable. Alienation from God, which is caused by sin, makes us want to weep. We feel lost, alone, afraid. But if, in response to His love, we turn back to Him and, like the prodigal, find Him running to greet us, then misery is overcome by mercy. He loves us. He will not take His eyes off us – this is our hope.
Prayer for the Day
Dear Lord,
source of all mercy and love,
we confess that we have wandered far from Your ways,
in our pride, we have sought out our own paths;
yet in Your loving-kindness You have brought us home.
May we be content to stay in Your presence;
may our hope in Your mercy never fail.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Day 4 - Hope in God's Promises
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Hope in God’s Promises
And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today…
Why should any of you consider it incredible
that God raises the dead?
Acts 26:6,8
Standing before Agrippa, defending himself against the charges of blaspheming God and defaming the temple, Paul used Scripture to turn the tables on his accusers. It was his repeated assertion of the resurrection of Christ that made them livid, causing them to bay for his blood. Some of the Jews (the Sadducees) did not believe in resurrection, but the Pharisees did. They just didn’t want to believe that Christ had been raised.
What do we want to believe? Have we adopted the worldview of fallen humanity, or have we lived according to the story of Scripture? To live by the world’s rules is to discount the possibility of miracle. Dead bodies don’t get resuscitated. Virgins don’t give birth. Men can’t walk on water. Such things are impossible. They simply don’t happen. But when you put God into the equation – everything changes.
To live according to the promises of God is to accept that, because He is God, He can do whatever He wills, as long as it is consistent with His character. We cannot simply discount those promises because they don’t fit in with our worldview. To reject the miraculous is, in the end, to reject God. We can have hope for the future because we trust the One who makes the promises. Hope is grounded in the promises of God, and in the character of the promise-maker who does not change.
Prayer for the Day
Heavenly Father,
forgive us when we follow, too closely,
the wisdom and the ways of the world.
Teach us to see things through the prism of Your Word,
and to trust that what You say, You mean,
and that You will do it.
In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Hope in God’s Promises
And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today…
Why should any of you consider it incredible
that God raises the dead?
Acts 26:6,8
Standing before Agrippa, defending himself against the charges of blaspheming God and defaming the temple, Paul used Scripture to turn the tables on his accusers. It was his repeated assertion of the resurrection of Christ that made them livid, causing them to bay for his blood. Some of the Jews (the Sadducees) did not believe in resurrection, but the Pharisees did. They just didn’t want to believe that Christ had been raised.
What do we want to believe? Have we adopted the worldview of fallen humanity, or have we lived according to the story of Scripture? To live by the world’s rules is to discount the possibility of miracle. Dead bodies don’t get resuscitated. Virgins don’t give birth. Men can’t walk on water. Such things are impossible. They simply don’t happen. But when you put God into the equation – everything changes.
To live according to the promises of God is to accept that, because He is God, He can do whatever He wills, as long as it is consistent with His character. We cannot simply discount those promises because they don’t fit in with our worldview. To reject the miraculous is, in the end, to reject God. We can have hope for the future because we trust the One who makes the promises. Hope is grounded in the promises of God, and in the character of the promise-maker who does not change.
Prayer for the Day
Heavenly Father,
forgive us when we follow, too closely,
the wisdom and the ways of the world.
Teach us to see things through the prism of Your Word,
and to trust that what You say, You mean,
and that You will do it.
In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Day 3 - Hope and the Spirit
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Hope and the Spirit
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us.
Romans 5:5
“Don’t talk of love burning inside,” sings Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. “Don’t talk of love, show me!” She has a point. Love, in the abstract, may make a fine subject for a romantic song or a Valentine card, but in the real world it has to be grounded in action. Love does not just croon, it also acts. Love gets up at 2:00 am when the baby is crying. Love holds the hand of an alzheimer’s patient whose memory is gone. Love is so much more than words.
Paul knew this, so, when he spoke of the hope that does not disappoint us, he did not give in evidence the abstract love of which theologians sometimes write. Instead, Paul spoke of the active love of God, worked out in our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is not the objective love of the cross of Calvary, it is the subjective love of the Christian walk. Our hope for the future is bound up in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit. As we see God at work in His people, through the prompting and enabling of the Spirit, so our hope is renewed. We see, before our eyes, that God can change lives, that love works. No wonder we are encouraged.
The coming of the Holy Spirit is also the fulfillment of Old Testament hope, expressed by the prophets, made real at Pentecost. God had promised that He would “pour out His Spirit on all flesh,” and that “sons and daughters would prophesy” (Joel 2). On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit fell, that covenant was fulfilled. It continues to be fulfilled in us.
Whenever we live out the precepts of the Gospel; whenever we refuse to conform to the prejudices of this world; whenever we allow the wind of the Spirit to blow through our lives; then we become a source of hope. In the end, though, it’s not our obedience that encourages, it’s God’s faithfulness. He promised the Spirit, and the Spirit has come. Therefore, we live in hope.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
wind and fire of God,
fan the weak embers of our love into a flame.
Fill up what is lacking in our devotion to Christ.
Make our lives testimonies to the love that can still transform. In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Hope and the Spirit
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us.
Romans 5:5
“Don’t talk of love burning inside,” sings Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. “Don’t talk of love, show me!” She has a point. Love, in the abstract, may make a fine subject for a romantic song or a Valentine card, but in the real world it has to be grounded in action. Love does not just croon, it also acts. Love gets up at 2:00 am when the baby is crying. Love holds the hand of an alzheimer’s patient whose memory is gone. Love is so much more than words.
Paul knew this, so, when he spoke of the hope that does not disappoint us, he did not give in evidence the abstract love of which theologians sometimes write. Instead, Paul spoke of the active love of God, worked out in our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is not the objective love of the cross of Calvary, it is the subjective love of the Christian walk. Our hope for the future is bound up in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit. As we see God at work in His people, through the prompting and enabling of the Spirit, so our hope is renewed. We see, before our eyes, that God can change lives, that love works. No wonder we are encouraged.
The coming of the Holy Spirit is also the fulfillment of Old Testament hope, expressed by the prophets, made real at Pentecost. God had promised that He would “pour out His Spirit on all flesh,” and that “sons and daughters would prophesy” (Joel 2). On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit fell, that covenant was fulfilled. It continues to be fulfilled in us.
Whenever we live out the precepts of the Gospel; whenever we refuse to conform to the prejudices of this world; whenever we allow the wind of the Spirit to blow through our lives; then we become a source of hope. In the end, though, it’s not our obedience that encourages, it’s God’s faithfulness. He promised the Spirit, and the Spirit has come. Therefore, we live in hope.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Spirit,
wind and fire of God,
fan the weak embers of our love into a flame.
Fill up what is lacking in our devotion to Christ.
Make our lives testimonies to the love that can still transform. In the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Day 2 - Hope in Christ
Child of Hope:
An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hope in Christ
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be more pitied than all men.
I Corinthians 15:19
The Israelites hoped for the coming of the Lord’s Messiah. For centuries they looked forward to an end to the oppression under which they lived, and to the shame of being ruled by foreign powers. They longed for the coming of the One who would set them free, the Advent of the Son of Man, God’s Anointed. They hoped for freedom, for a return to David’s Kingdom, when other princes had brought tribute to Zion. During long, dark years, they lived in hope.
When He came, they didn’t notice Him. They expected a conquering hero mounted on a charger. What they got was a baby. Hope was fulfilled, not on the battlefields of Armaggedon, but in a manger, in Bethlehem. The Messiah, the Christ, came to usher in the Kingdom of God; but it was not a kingdom of this world. His enemies were not the enemies of Israel: the Greeks who corrupted or the Romans who raped the land. His enemies were those attitudes of heart that divided the people from the God who had made them. Christ came to reconcile sinners to a holy God, to bring righteousness where, before, there had been only alienation and despair.
Christ still comes, today. Wherever human hearts grow heavy under the oppression of sin, Christ comes to bring healing. The salvation He offers is not from the sword of Caesar, but from the far more deadly evil that threatens to send us to an eternity without God. One day, at His Second Advent, Christ will reign upon the earth; but that is not our only hope. We may be encouraged today because He has given us a hope that is longer than our years – a hope of heaven, which is our home.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
You won, for us,
such a victory over sin and death that,
despite the darkness of the hour,
we can always see the sunshine of Your grace.
Give us hope for today, and for a tomorrow that will never end. For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
An Advent Devotional
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hope in Christ
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be more pitied than all men.
I Corinthians 15:19
The Israelites hoped for the coming of the Lord’s Messiah. For centuries they looked forward to an end to the oppression under which they lived, and to the shame of being ruled by foreign powers. They longed for the coming of the One who would set them free, the Advent of the Son of Man, God’s Anointed. They hoped for freedom, for a return to David’s Kingdom, when other princes had brought tribute to Zion. During long, dark years, they lived in hope.
When He came, they didn’t notice Him. They expected a conquering hero mounted on a charger. What they got was a baby. Hope was fulfilled, not on the battlefields of Armaggedon, but in a manger, in Bethlehem. The Messiah, the Christ, came to usher in the Kingdom of God; but it was not a kingdom of this world. His enemies were not the enemies of Israel: the Greeks who corrupted or the Romans who raped the land. His enemies were those attitudes of heart that divided the people from the God who had made them. Christ came to reconcile sinners to a holy God, to bring righteousness where, before, there had been only alienation and despair.
Christ still comes, today. Wherever human hearts grow heavy under the oppression of sin, Christ comes to bring healing. The salvation He offers is not from the sword of Caesar, but from the far more deadly evil that threatens to send us to an eternity without God. One day, at His Second Advent, Christ will reign upon the earth; but that is not our only hope. We may be encouraged today because He has given us a hope that is longer than our years – a hope of heaven, which is our home.
Prayer for the Day
Lord Christ,
You won, for us,
such a victory over sin and death that,
despite the darkness of the hour,
we can always see the sunshine of Your grace.
Give us hope for today, and for a tomorrow that will never end. For Your love’s sake.
Amen.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Day 1 - Hope in God
Child of Hope:
An Advent Devotional.
An Advent Devotional.
Child of Hope
To us a Child of hope is born,
To us a Son is giv’n,
Him shall the tribes of earth obey,
Him all the hosts of Heav’n.
His Name shall be the Prince of Peace,
Forevermore adored,
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The great and mighty Lord.
His pow’r, increasing, still shall spread,
His reign no end shall know,
Justice shall guard His throne above,
And peace abound below.
To us a Child of hope is born,
To us a Son is giv’n,
The Wonderful, the Counselor,
The mighty Lord of Heav’n.
John Morrison
Hoping for the Messiah
For hundreds of years the people of Israel had been waiting for the Messiah, longing for the Anointed One to come. However, their vision was not uniform. Some expected the Messiah to be the Son of David, a leader who would restore the Kingdom of Israel. Others interpreted the prophecies of the Old Testament in terms of spiritual renewal. Most dreamed of military victory over the hated Romans, liberation for a people long-oppressed. Yet, if they could not agree about the details of His coming, all Jews were united in that they looked, with eager expectation, for “the consolation of Israel” to come(Luke 2:25).
Few people would have looked for Him in a manger, in a cattle shed, in Bethlehem. Fewer still would have expected a Savior who would suffer and die for their sins. Blinded by their hopes for a political leader, they overlooked the clear prophecies of a suffering servant (Isaiah 53). They allowed their circumstances to shape their hope. It took Calvary, and an empty tomb, to convince the fledgling Church that the Kingdom of God is not of this world.
Looking back, the early Christians recognized, in the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Child of Hope. May you know that hope in your life – a settled confidence in the person, promises and purposes of God, revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Advent Sunday,
Hope in God
But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You.
Psalm 39:7
We hope for many things – for love or security, or for the pain to go away. Often our hope is little more than wishful thinking. The Stock Market craters and as we turn on CNN we say, “Let it not be as bad as yesterday!” Have you ever wondered to whom we are speaking when we make these remarks? Most of the time, we’re not really talking to anyone, we’re not even talking to ourselves, we’re just expressing our dreams. Usually, it’s pretty harmless, even if it does make the cat look at us sideways, as if she is asking, “What do you expect me to do about Wall Street?”
At times, though, our half-uttered requests are more than hot air, they are prayers. Entering the hospital bedroom, our “Let her be better” is more than mere words. Whether we admit it or not, our words are a form of intercession. Which begs a question – “To whom do we pray?” Some people address their prayers to their ancestors, others to various saints, still others to the universe, of which they feel a part.
For the Christian, our prayers are always addressed to God. We may name Him Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, but the intention is the same. The God whom we have met in Scripture and in our experience is the One to whom we turn, almost instinctively. We can say, therefore, that He is the One in whom we place our hope. Like King David, in Psalm 39, searching for help in a hard place, we turn to the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. We place our trust in the God revealed through His Son, and we ask for the help that only He can give.
Prayer for the Day
Father God,
Source of all wisdom and all joy,
we bow before Your will.
May all of our deepest hopes
be in line with Your Word.
As we begin our journey through Advent,
may we know the assurance of Your pardon
and the comfort of Your peace.
We ask it in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Advent Devotional
Starting on Sunday, November 30, I'll be posting my daily devotional for the season of Advent entitled "Child of Hope." Actually, it will run through the end of December. I suppose there must be too much hope to squeeze into Advent. You are welcome to use the devotional as you wish, as long as you credit appropriately. I'd appreciate hearing how and where it is used. Hard copies are being distributed for the members and friends of First Presbyterian, Lake Jackson, Texas.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Gods, Temples, and Blood
"Why are we here? (said Camaban). We know that the gods made us, but why? Why do we make things? You make a bow - to kill. You make a pot - to hold things. You make a brooch - to fasten a cloak. So we were made for a purpose, but what was that purpose?" He waited for an answer but neither Haragg nor Saban spoke. "And why are we flawed?" Camaban asked. "Would you make a bow that was weak? Or a pot that was cracked? We were not made flawed! The gods would not have made us flawed any more than a potter would make a bowl that was cracked or a smith would make a knife that was blunt, yet we are sick, we are maimed and we are twisted. The gods made us perfect and, and we are flawed. Why?" He paused before offering the answer: "Because we offended Slaol (the Sun god)."
You don't expect to find a statement of Christian anthropology in a secular novel, least of all in one set in the second millennium BC, but that's exactly what you get in Bernard Cornwell's Stonehenge.
I've read quite a few of Cornwell's novels, particularly from the Sharpe series, dealing with the Napoleonic wars, and the Warlord Chronicles, set in England in the early Middle Ages. I've yet to delve into the Starbuck Chronicles, which tell the story of the American Civil War. An Englishman, now living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with his American wife, Cornwell is a natural storyteller with a fine eye for detail and a flair for the description of battle. There are very few references to Christianity in his novels. Rifleman Richard Sharpe, for example, seems to have been dragged up without any thought of God. Some of the villains, such as Sergeant Hawkswill, use god-fearing language, but their lives belie their words. It's only in Cornwell's later books (ironically, dealing with Sharpe's early career) that one encounters a sympathetic presentation of devout Scottish Highlanders praying the psalms before marching fearlessly into battle. Sharpe's early mentor in India, though a somewhat dour Presbyterian, is at least a man of great personal integrity. Then, out of the blue, in Stonehenge, we find a passage that is almost Calvinist.
Admittedly Camaban, the sorcerer, who speaks the words I have quoted, turns out to be as crazy as a loon, but that doesn't make his assessment false. Camaban, who was almost offered as a human sacrifice as a child, turns out to be flawed himself. He is not averse to murdering his older brother, or to stealing his younger brother's wife. This merely confirms his own hypothesis. For most of the characters in Stonehenge, life is nasty, brutish, and short.
Yet the search for truth remains. God is not to be found in the the cycle of the seasons, or the phases of the moon, or the progression of the sun. Though a blue-stone be brought from farthest Wales, or a cap-stone be set in place, four times the height of a man, these exertions do not bring Camaban closer to God. The construction of Stonehenge merely symbolizes the spritual quest, the striving for the divine that seems so much a part of the human psyche. Perhaps, in his novels, Cornwell also participates in the quest.
On his website, Cornwell confesses that he was raised, in East Anglia, within a Christian sect known as the Peculiar People, (a phrase taken from I Peter 2:9).
At some point he must have rebelled against their strict and regimented way of life. I have no idea what his religious affiliation is today, if any; but his novels still contain echoes of the homesickness of the soul, which is our longing for God.Camaban has the wrong solution. A temple will not bring a god to earth, no matter how grand. Neither will the Ruler of the universe be impressed by the shedding of human blood. But his analysis has the ring of truth. We were made for a purpose; but we are flawed. We have offended against God's desire and design. Recognizing, somehow, that we were made to be worshippers, we have raised our monuments to the sky, but they have not reached to heaven.
The genius of Christianity is not just its anthropology, its understanding of the fallen nature of humanity, it is the unique claim that heaven has come to earth. Christ was not drawn down by our blood-offerings, but by our misery; and it is by His sacrifice that we are healed.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Two Observations
First, a brief caveat: I've always tried very hard to be non-partisan in terms of party politics. I've spoken often about issues, but rarely, if ever, about parties. Just to put it in English terms (which is probably safer), in my congregation in Newcastle we had members who were lifelong supporters of all three major political parties. I was very careful never to take sides. Usually, we agreed about the issues, though we would sometimes disagree about how those issues ought to be faced.
I've tried, in the United States, to keep the same position. Apart from anything else, I don't think that, as a guest enjoying the benefits of American democracy, I need to be telling my hosts how to run their country. Nevertheless, and without being partisan, I want to make a couple of observations about the recent elections.
First, I still find it amazing that the election seems to be dominated by the media. Last night, the pundits waited until five seconds after the polls had closed in the West to declare that the electoral votes would be going to Barack Obama, and that, therefore, they could declare him to be the next President of the United States. This is just odd. Presumably, their numbers are taken from exit polls, because there is no way for votes to have been counted so quickly. This, to me, seems to diminish democracy. It certainly doesn't aid it. In another example, we watched as races were announced as being won or lost in Colorado (where we happened to be at the time) when as little as 15% of the precincts had reported their results. I know that people are anxious to know who has won, but wouldn't it be better to wait until every vote has been counted? The television pundits have no business declaring that candidate X has won. Surely that's the responsibility of the electoral authorities.
Second, I found it odd last night that the pundits kept telling us that race had nothing to do with the presidential election. Even a conservative commentator said that this election proves that voters are not particularly interested in the pigmentation of a person's skin. And yet, at the same time, the networks were waxing lyrical about how this was an historic night because an African-American had been elected to the highest office. You can't have it both ways. It seems obvious to me that race certainly did have an effect on the election. The percentage of African-Americans voting for Obama was huge, and seemed to be based far more on the color of his skin than on the content of his policies. In one interview, for a Denver station, some jubilant African-American kids were asked why they had voted for Obama. Most of them replied, instantly, "Because he's a brother, man!" Which raises an interesting point: if it is racist not to vote for someone because of the color of his skin, isn't it equally repugnant to vote for someone because of the color of his skin? It made me wonder, also, whether some white Americans were voting for him out of some kind of collective guilt for the horrors of slavery. Whatever the motivation, it's simply not true to say that race played no part.
Obama's problem now, of course, is that the expectations have been raised so high, he is unlikely to be able to meet everyone's hopes. The economy still is in dire straights, health care still needs to be fixed, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot be solved by waving a magic wand. Will he regret his decision to stand? Will his election turn out to be just as polarizing as was that of his predecessor. Over 44 million Americans did not vote for Obama. Just over 48 million did. The next four years should be interesting. He needs our prayers.
I've tried, in the United States, to keep the same position. Apart from anything else, I don't think that, as a guest enjoying the benefits of American democracy, I need to be telling my hosts how to run their country. Nevertheless, and without being partisan, I want to make a couple of observations about the recent elections.
First, I still find it amazing that the election seems to be dominated by the media. Last night, the pundits waited until five seconds after the polls had closed in the West to declare that the electoral votes would be going to Barack Obama, and that, therefore, they could declare him to be the next President of the United States. This is just odd. Presumably, their numbers are taken from exit polls, because there is no way for votes to have been counted so quickly. This, to me, seems to diminish democracy. It certainly doesn't aid it. In another example, we watched as races were announced as being won or lost in Colorado (where we happened to be at the time) when as little as 15% of the precincts had reported their results. I know that people are anxious to know who has won, but wouldn't it be better to wait until every vote has been counted? The television pundits have no business declaring that candidate X has won. Surely that's the responsibility of the electoral authorities.
Second, I found it odd last night that the pundits kept telling us that race had nothing to do with the presidential election. Even a conservative commentator said that this election proves that voters are not particularly interested in the pigmentation of a person's skin. And yet, at the same time, the networks were waxing lyrical about how this was an historic night because an African-American had been elected to the highest office. You can't have it both ways. It seems obvious to me that race certainly did have an effect on the election. The percentage of African-Americans voting for Obama was huge, and seemed to be based far more on the color of his skin than on the content of his policies. In one interview, for a Denver station, some jubilant African-American kids were asked why they had voted for Obama. Most of them replied, instantly, "Because he's a brother, man!" Which raises an interesting point: if it is racist not to vote for someone because of the color of his skin, isn't it equally repugnant to vote for someone because of the color of his skin? It made me wonder, also, whether some white Americans were voting for him out of some kind of collective guilt for the horrors of slavery. Whatever the motivation, it's simply not true to say that race played no part.
Obama's problem now, of course, is that the expectations have been raised so high, he is unlikely to be able to meet everyone's hopes. The economy still is in dire straights, health care still needs to be fixed, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot be solved by waving a magic wand. Will he regret his decision to stand? Will his election turn out to be just as polarizing as was that of his predecessor. Over 44 million Americans did not vote for Obama. Just over 48 million did. The next four years should be interesting. He needs our prayers.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Plato and Moral Philosophy
There's an interesting sentence in Robinson and Groves' book on Plato, which I've been reading. Commenting on Euthypro's confidence that he has behaved morally because he has obeyed religious edicts, Plato asserts that true moral knowledge can only be achieved through philosophical thinking and debate. He has a point, in that people sometimes commit immoral acts in the name of religion (blowing up innocent people comes to mind). By the same token, moral acts can be religiously unorthodox. For example, the actions of the Good Samaritan in Jesus' parable (Luke 10) were obviously moral in that he showed compassion to a man who had been "set upon by thieves" and left for dead. Jesus' point was that ritual cleanliness, which made the priest walk by on the other side of the road, is no substitute for compassion. The moral deed was impious. Back to Plato: the authors conclusion is "Only when people turn away from the dogmatism and irrationality of religion can true moral philosophy begin."
Now, that may very well be true when the religion you are talking about is that of the ancient Greeks. At the time of Plato, the pantheon was made up of a bunch of immoral, capricious louts who did, basically, whatever they wanted without much regard for moral law. The gods were to be appeased (and avoided), not emulated. It's probably true to say that more sophisticated Greeks took this religion with a very large dose of salt, even if they didn't say so publically. (After all, Socrates was tried and put to death for blasphemy). However, the context of ancient Greek mythology and folk religion is scarcely the same as that of Christianity. There is a consistency to biblical morality that is not found among the broody mob on Mount Olympus. And if there is a development of interpretation in some areas, even this can be put down to the dawning of the light upon the faithful, rather than change in what God calls "good." You simply cannot label all religious moral teaching as equal. You cannot tar all faiths with the same brush. It's irresponsible to do so, it's deliberately misleading, and it's very poor scholarship.
What's the alternative - secular ethics? Morality that is not informed by religious tenets, such as the Ten Commandments, doesn't have a good track record, either. Some of Plato's own ideas about good government, for example, would be considered immoral today, especially his theories about different classes of people being entitled to different degrees of liberty. Some of his ideas sound like Stalinism, and Stalin certainly was not motivated by religion! It's also worth remembering that Plato had time to think philosophically because the society in which he lived required slavery. Plato seemed to think that there was an objective moral good that could only be discovered by philosophy. That idea would be ridiculed by secularists today. Nowadays, ethics are almost always regarded as situational, except by those who have a reference point beyond specific circumstances.
Christians have such a reference point. It's called the Bible. I don't think we need to apologize for believing in moral absolutes. Christianity may, during its history, have been responsible for some shameful acts (though not as many as some would have you believe). Those acts have, however, been committed in violation of revealed moral law, not as a result of the perversion of morality by religious dogmatism.
What if the conclusion was: Only when people turn away from the dogmatism and irrationality of secular humanism can true moral philosophy begin. Wouldn't that, too, be unnecessarily offensive, given that there are many forms of secularism? So why is it acceptable to make sweeping generalisations about religion? Possibly because when you convince yourself that biblical morality is outmoded and untenable, you are left with no morality really worthy of the name, and that is what you wanted all along?
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