Advent Devotional - November 30

November 30 Hopes

“The hopes and fears of all the years”

Pray

Heavenly Father, when the world around me gives in to despair, may I find the reason for my hope in You. Amen.

Read _ Matthew 12:20-21

“A bruised reed He will not break, a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope.”

Reflect

What do you hope for? People hope for so many different things – a lottery win, a good test result, a kiss! Often, our hopes are little more than wishful thinking. In our idle moments, waiting for the coffee to percolate or for the traffic signals to turn green, we speculate about what our life would be like – if only our numbers would come up! A contestant in a game show wins big and we think “What would I do with all that money?” And so we fool ourselves into thinking that a fistful of dollars would bring us happiness, or ease the aching in our soul. As those who have “won big” will sometimes tell you, money often creates more problems than it solves.

No doubt the shepherds, waiting out the night in a draughty field, near Bethlehem, had plenty of time to dream. Did any of them dream big enough? Do we? The hopes that God fulfilled on a Judean hillside, two thousand years ago, were for more than a financial windfall, more than the desired attentions of the village’s prettiest girl. The hopes of the ages were satisfied that night. Did a wistful shepherd dream about the coming of the Messiah? Do you?

Advent Devotional - November 29

November 29 Everlasting Light

“Shineth the everlasting light”

Pray

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming into my dark world and illuminating it with Your truth. Amen.

Read – John 1:9

“The true light, that gives light to every man, was coming into the world.”

Reflect

In the very beginning, when the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, the Creator spoke and the earth was blessed with light. Years later, when the Israelites struggled under Pharaoh’s thumb, God sent a plague of darkness upon Egypt. Pharaoh’s false gods could do nothing for they did not exist; but the Israelites had light where they lived. Others worshipped the sun but could not find salvation; only the God of Israel could deliver His people from oppression and set them free.

Then, in the fullness of time, God sent Jesus, the “Light of the World.” Even at His birth the forces of darkness massed against Him. They tried to destroy Him. Herod did his best to eliminate the opposition; the innocent children were massacred. Once again, Judah heard the sound of weeping, but it did not endure. Herod failed. In Bethlehem, the Light stepped onto the stage, and all of the darkness in the world, though it would try, would not be able to put it out.

As in the beginning, so today the Light of the World still comes to those who will lift the shades from their eyes and respond in repentance and faith. No matter how dark your world, the Light still shines. It always will.

Advent Devotional - November 28

November 28 Bethlehem

“O little town of Bethlehem”

Pray

Father, as I begin the journey through Advent, this is my prayer: may I draw nearer and nearer to Your Son. Amen.

Read – Micah 5:2

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Reflect

What comes to mind when you hear the name, ‘Bethlehem’? For many of us, the word conjures up images of snow-covered fields, the crisp-clear air of a December night, an old stone barn and a curious light. For our children the word may mean Christmas carols in a hushed church, Joseph in a bathrobe and Mary blushing in blue.

Whether or not our mental picture bears any relation to the reality of what happened, long ago in Bethlehem, is not really the point. The Christmas we celebrate is about much more than the traditions we have stacked around it. Our celebration is much deeper than legend; beyond the tinseled fripperies and the secular trappings, Christmas tells us of a God who loves us enough to come into our world. From the height of glory, God reached down in the person of His Son, so that He could raise us up to glory.

In many ways, the little town of Bethlehem has become a symbol of hope, despite the simmering tension that remains there. It’s a very ordinary place, a bit of a backwater. Yet, into its dark streets came the Hope of the World. If Christ can come to such a place, surely He can come into the darkened corners of our lives. So, as Advent begins, let us prepare a Bethlehem in our hearts.

Advent Devotional - Introduction

A Song for the Season

This year, our daily devotional readings for Advent focus upon words taken from a familiar carol.

We all know “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” but have you ever really thought about the lyrics? Many of the great themes of Scripture are to be found within a song originally written for children. Let’s explore them together over the coming weeks, as we prepare for the celebration of the coming of Christ.

May the blessings of the season be yours.

Alan Trafford

Advent 2010

The Story of the Carol

There is comfort in familiar things, and there are few Christmas carols more familiar to us than ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem.’ It was written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), an Episcopalian minister, Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, and one of the most famous preachers of his generation.

Three years earlier, Brooks had visited the Holy Land and been profoundly affected by his travels. Writing home, during Christmas week in 1865, Brooks wrote:

“After an early diner, we took our horses and rode to Bethlehem. It was only about two hours when we came to the town, situated on an eastern ridge of a range of hills, surrounded by its terraced gardens. It is a good-looking town, better built than any other we have seen in Palestine… Before dark, we rode out of town to the field where they say the shepherds saw the star. It is a fenced piece of ground with a cave in it (all the Holy Places are caves here), in which, strangely enough, they put the shepherds. The story is absurd, but somewhere in those fields we rode through the shepherds must have been… As we passed, the shepherds were still ‘keeping watch over their flocks’ or leading them home to fold.”

The carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was written for a children’s Christmas concert in Brooks’ congregation. It quickly became a favorite across the denominations. Brooks’ organist, Lewis Redner, added the original tune entitled “St. Louis,” which became the standard in North America. In England, a traditional melody called “Forest Green” was adapted by Ralph Vaughn Williams; it also remains popular.

O little town of Bethlehem,

How still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by.

Yet in the dark streets shineth

The everlasting light;

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary;

And, gathered all above,

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love.

O morning stars, together

Proclaim the holy birth,

And praises sing to God the King,

And peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given;

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven!

No ear may hear His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him, still

The dear Christ enters in.

O Holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, ands enter in;

Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels

The great glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us,

Our Lord Emmanuel.

Interestingly, the two halves of the second verse are sometimes transposed, so that some people begin, “For Christ is born of Mary…” while others begin “O morning stars together…”

In the original manuscript there was also a fourth verse, which is not found in modern hymnals.

Where children pure and happy

Pray to the Blessed Child;

Where misery cries out to Thee,

Son of the Undefiled;

Where Charity stands watching

And Faith holds wide the door,

The dark night wakes the glory hearts

And Christmas comes once more.

Brooks came in for some criticism over this verse. The fourth line, which he had written to refer to God the Father, was taken by some to imply the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a Roman Catholic doctrine. Brooks replaced the words with:

Son of the Mother mild.

But the verse was considered to be weaker than the others, and it was soon dropped from use.

Over the succeeding years, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” has become one of the best-loved Christmas carols. Translated into many languages, set to a variety of tunes, its appeal within the Church is universal. And, as we shall see, contained within its lines are Bible truths that teach us the story and the meaning of Christmas.