-Pastor Melissa Fain- 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49 NRSV Did you know Mary sings in the Bible? Well, not exactly sing, but rejoice. The Church has taken her rejoicing and her words became some of the oldest songs sung in Church buildings. This rejoicing is called the Magnificat. It’s called that because in many translations of her song it begins, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Have you ever taken a magnifying glass to something? I have. Bugs, flowers, and so many different objects look completely different when under a microscope or magnifying glass. When we magnify something, we are getting a better picture of what we want to see. What is Mary’s better picture? Well, there’s a difference between better picture, and total picture. Mary’s total picture doesn’t look so good. She’s an unwed, pregnant, teenager in a world that forces unwed pregnant women into poverty and homelessness if they are lucky. If they are not, the community throws stones at these women until they die from it. Wow, that’s bad! Knowing what we know, why is Mary singing praises to God? Why is she happy instead of scared? It’s because her soul magnified what was important: God. Her soul was showing that even a girl like her was special in God’s eyes. Those around her would show the opposite of love to her. Even her fiancé was planning to just walk away from the situation. Meanwhile, God had picked her, chosen her, told her she was important; loved. She magnified that, and it left her with no other option than to sing. Question: What good parts of life can you take a magnifying glass to this Advent season? Prayer: Dear God, thank you for making us part of your story. May our souls magnify you. Amen. Places to connect:
To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts: Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian -Pastor Melissa Fain- 24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, 25 “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.” Luke 1:24-25 NRSV Did you know a book that takes 10 hours to read, probably took 10 months to write or longer! That’s not considering how long the publishing process takes. When you pick up a book, you are looking at the finished product. So much goes into getting to that point. Whenever we tell the Christmas story, we hear about Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. They’re part of the main story. They’re key players. So are the shepherds and the angels. They make it to the birth, which is only the end of the Nativity story. What about Elizabeth? Elizabeth was Mary’s cousin. In her old age she got pregnant. She didn’t think something like that was even possible. So, why are we talking someone other than Mary getting pregnant? Elizabeth would give birth to John, the person who would grow up to baptize Jesus. She is so important to the bigger story, the story that takes place over years, not just months. Even though she isn’t at the birth, she is just as important as Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds. God’s story is big. There are all kinds of people invited to be part of it. Maybe their job isn’t in the final product, but that doesn’t make it any less important. You don’t get to see all the people who make a big project happen, but they are still there. Elizabeth is there, rejoicing. Question: If you could celebrate someone who doesn’t get appreciated for his or her work, who would it be? Why? Prayer: Dear God, be with those I cannot see. May I be given sight to see the bigger picture. Amen. Places to connect:
To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts: Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian -Pastor Melissa Fain- 1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.' Luke 2:1-5 NRSV Did you know countries have been getting counts of their citizens for thousands of years? It is called a census. The United States does their census once every 10 years, and ours was this year! Did you know there was one in the middle of the Christmas story?! When Christmas time comes, we want to push away everything not related to Christmas. Parents don’t want to deal with bills. Kids don’t want to work on homework. We don’t want “surprises” like unexpected loss. Let’s focus only on Christmas! Only, not even the first Christmas was just Christmas. Christ was born during a census. The Roman government wanted to know where everyone called home, so they told everyone to go there. This meant Joseph and a very pregnant Mary was forced to travel to Joseph’s birth city: Bethlehem. If not for the census, Mary could have given birth to Jesus in her home, surrounded by family. Normal life continues, but isn’t that a good thing? We forget that Christmas is added to life; not that life interrupts Christmas. Life continues, and God is joining in. Question: What normal things are you dealing with right now? Prayer: Dear God, when life happens, thanks for being there with us. Amen. Places to connect:
To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts: Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian -Pastor Melissa Fain- 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:33 NRSV Did you know that God can meet us any time and any place? God is not limited by a building or schedules. God can meet us in the car on the way to practice, in our school or work, even while cleaning up messes. Isn’t that amazing? God is not limited. But we are. We can’t be at two places at once. We can’t magically snap our fingers and be someplace that’s thousands of miles away. We have limits. That’s why we need to be purposeful about setting aside time and space to meet God. But why? If God can meet us anywhere and anytime, why do we need to set aside our time and space to meet God? God wants us to take action. Think of it this way: Think of a close friend. Imagine that friend always came and visited you and took time for you. That would feel special. It would also be important for you to make time and space for that friend. Yes, it’s great that you are given time by your friend, but you must also give time to your friend in return. The manger, where Jesus was born, was a space made for God. We call it sacred. It wasn’t covered in jewels or gold. It probably didn’t even smell nice. It was just a space that became special because it was a purposeful place set aside for us to meet God. The manger is a reminder we make space to meet God. Question: Where and when do you make time for God? Prayer: Dear God, today we stop and make time to learn about you. Amen. Places to connect:
To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts: Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian -Pastor Melissa Fain- 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. John 1:1-4 NRSV Did you know there is something called a Christian Calendar? It’s been around for centuries! It begins this week with something called Advent. Advent is a word that means “beginning.” It takes place over four Sundays, the four Sundays before Christmas to be exact. Advent is about preparing for that special day, preparing for Christ’s birth. Preparing for Christmas! It has always been prepared for the same way. Every Sunday we are given a new word that helps us get to Christmas: hope – peace – joy – love. Many Christian faith groups celebrate these ideas with something called an Advent Wreath. The wreath itself is a circle, reminding us that God is without beginning or end. God is forever. The wreath is also evergreen. In the winter, evergreens like pines stay green. It reminds us God’s presence is with us even when everything living sleeps. Today we make our advent wreath. Today we also make our first candle: Hope. Godly Hope is like looking at a map. Have you ever seen a map? You can see so many amazing places, while you don’t actually go to those places. A map helps you plan for an adventure. Our map is leading us to Christ, on Christmas. That is our hope. We are going to do more than plan for it- Christmas is the destination! We’re going to be there in 24 more days! First, and always first, we must begin our journey in hope, by setting the destination on Christ. Question: What are your hopes? What are your hopes for Christmas? What are you hoping for in life? Prayer: Dear God, you are always with us. You want us to find your hope, seek your path, and walk your way. May we see and hear your call. Amen. Places to connect:
To see or share pictures of the Advent Adventure Crafts: Twitter: @FigTreeTweet, #AdventAdventure For deeper discussion: Reddit: www.Reddit.com/r/FigTreeChristian -Tyler Jarvis- The light came to his own people, and his own people didn’t welcome him. But those who did welcome him, those who believed in his name, he authorized to become God’s children, born not from blood nor from human desire or passion, but born from God. The Word became flesh and made his home among us. We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:11-14 Some kids just really don’t like Santa Claus. Oh, the presents are nice. The songs about him can be fun. But ask any Mall Santa. Sometimes, when presented with a real-life, flesh-and-blood Claus, some kids want nothing to do with him. Sometimes, after all the joyful anticipation, you get to the mall, and you’re just not ready. And so, in any line of children waiting to sit in Santa’s Lap, amid all the laughter and excitement, there will also be some tears (and maybe even some screaming). Sometimes we like the idea more than we like the execution. And I think this is something that Jesus experienced when he came and dwelt among us. His own people, the people who had been waiting so eagerly for him, didn’t want anything to do with him. They rejected him. Passed him over. But he came anyway. He knew it would happen, and he came anyway because of the great love that God has for God’s creation. The anticipated Messiah came to be rejected, because his love for us was too great not to. He loved us enough to dwell among us, even though he knew most of those around him wanted nothing to do with him. As we move into the season of Christmas, may we be reminded that God’s love was extended to us before we were even interested in God. May we remember that God chose to dwell among us, knowing that many of us would reject him. God’s love wouldn’t let God do otherwise. And, for those of us who follow God, we are being raised to love others with that same kind of reckless indiscrimination. --- Ever-Present, Incarnate Word, help us to love you the way that you have loved us. Help us to love others the way that you have loved us. Help us to love ourselves the way that you have loved us. Amen. Tyler Jarvis enjoys hanging out with his wife, laying in his hammock, reading theology books, and writing. He holds a Master of Divinity from Lubbock Christian University, and has served as the Youth and Family Minister at the Oak Ridge Church of Christ in Willow Park, Tx since 2011. He can be found online at www.tylerjarvis.com or on Twitter (@Tyler Jarvis). -Rev. Ashley Sherard- In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being through the Word was life,[a] and the life was the light for all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. John 1:1-5 Death and Darkness My husband died. It was awful. I didn’t know he was going to die, neither did he. It was dark, oh so dark, when he died. In the days and months after he died I refused to see the light, I had no desire for the light, I wanted darkness but I could not have it. Every moment that passed, every tear that fell, every dream I had to lay to rest, was glimmering with this awful, tormenting, teasing light. I wanted to scream. The light shines in darkness, it cannot be driven out by darkness, it certainly wasn’t for me. Because the light was with me and within me God continued to relentlessly pursue me through the darkness. He reminded me of Jesus in the wilderness and that the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to endure 40 days of hell, it wasn’t darkness that led him to that place it was light. And in that dark wilderness the light continued to shine as Jesus fought Satan with the Word of God - the light. There is light in all things. I have lived in darkness and fought the sparkling edges of my dark feelings until one day my heart, my mind, my soul, was alive with the light and love of God through Jesus Christ. Darkness will never extinguish the light no matter how much you think you want the darkness or fight the light. --- God, help us find the light in our darkness. When there is nothing but blackness for as long as the eye can see be the lighthouse the beckons us to shore. Help us see your light in all things, Amen. Rev. Ashley Sherard is the Pastor of Beechwood Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in French Lick, IN. She has been the Pastor at Beechwood for approximately two months and is loving every minute of getting to know this vibrant faith community. Ashley is the mother of three amazing little girls who have been her greatest strength and driving force. -Pastor Holly Jo Engle- “You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. Matthew 2:6-7 What do you think of when you hear the word, “ruler”? Do you think of a king or queen living in a massive castle? What about jewels and a golden crown filled with precious gems? These images are what we see in our world. The way we view royalty might originate in T.V., books, movies, or documentaries. These pictures and media allow us to create a stereotype in our minds. Words from the prophet had already discussed the coming of a shepherd. This person would rule over the people of Israel. Micah 5:2 says, “…whose origins are from old, from ancient times”. This person would have ties to an ancestry that went back; further than people of the time could fathom. Setting up the stage for a ruler, of ancient origins, the prophet gave words that struck fear in the heart of Herod. The Messiah threatened Herod’s security as ruler of the time. He had to call together the Magi and find out more information about what they had seen. The religious advisors read the words of the prophet as they indicated what was to come. Jesus already had a reputation before his birth. However, his sense of royalty was not what anyone had known or an ideal that anyone could recognize. He was in a manger! Not somewhere the people would relate to royalty! He probably cried from time to time, cooed, and napped in the afternoon. No one would have thought a small baby wrapped in cloths would become a King. Boy, were they in for a surprise! Baby Jesus came into this world with a purpose. He was such an important part of God’s plan and, because of his life, we received salvation. This little baby, who did not “look” like we envision royalty, became a center point that created a movement. How wonderful is the thought of our Lord and Savior, a helpless little baby, creating such a presence, that the Magi would travel, all that way, to pay their respects? This passage reminds me of the great power and massive impact our Jesus holds. This should empower your mission to bring others to Christ. There were no rooms available at the Inn for Jesus, but there is more than enough room in your heart. All hail King Jesus! --- Merciful God, We thank you for Jesus and his less-than-royal birth. His majesty was known from the start, and his glory will be known in the end. Remind us to draw ever closer to his teachings. Amen! Pastor Holly Jo Engle serves the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Blytheville, AR. Her mission has been providing a safe and nurturing environment for children and families to worship freely. She finds hope in the hymns and is heavily involved in choirs and musical ministries. Not only is she involved in religious education, but also in public education. Her public-school experience ranges from grades K-6 with a focus on curriculum and instruction. Her favorite verse is Psalm 47:1 because it is important that everyone find joy in their worship! -Kenneth Myers- After King Herod died, an angel from the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up,” the angel said, “and take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel. Those who were trying to kill the child are dead.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus ruled over Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee Matthew 2:19-22 After Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary fled their homeland and went to Egypt. They likely went to Alexandria which had a huge Jewish community including the famed philosopher and teacher Philo (I wonder, did the young boy Jesus hear Philo teach in synagogue?). But Egypt wasn’t God’s final destination for them. Joseph started out for Judea, but was fearful that Archelaus might continue his father Herod’s threat to the child. “Warned in a dream,” he took his family to Galilee instead. And so, Jesus became “a Galilean.” In our own time, most of us aren’t often directed by angels or supernatural dreams (not that that can’t happen), but God still directs us when we listen, and sometimes where he leads us is not where we thought we were going. Life can have unexpected twists and turns, but God leads us along the way. The key is to trust in God and move forward. He promises to work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose. Disappointments, His appointments Change one letter, then I see That the thwarting of my purpose Is God’s better choice for me. - Edith Lillian Young --- Almighty God, teach me to trust that you are with me in the tossings and turnings of life, and help me to trust that you will guide me. Give me the courage to follow where you lead. Not my will but yours be done. Amen. Kenneth Myers was born in 1959 in Denison, Texas. After 38 years of pastoral ministry (as a pastor, priest, and bishop) he created Graceworks Teaching Minister in 2014 and now spends his time writing books and traveling throughout the U.S. leading seminars based on his writings. His newest book, Look at Us, tells the story of his romance and love affair with his late wife. More details about Ken including contact information can be found at www.kennethmyers.net. -Rev. Amy BeVille- And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel. Matthew 2:6 So the Wise Men follow a star. King Herod learns from them about this child who has been born, a ruler to shepherd his people, but not of Herod’s lineage, not his son. Herod wants to stop this, put an end to it, and he cleverly speaks to the Wise Men about gifts for this infant king. Fear was palpable. Fear kept the Wise Men from returning to the King. Fear led King Herod to kill infants in his search for that special baby. Fear caused the parents of baby Jesus to flee to Egypt where they were safe in another land; fear kept them there until Herod was dead. Fear set into motion a future that Jesus’ parents would never have imagined. Fear changed everything then, and now too. There is a children’s story by Mary Hoffman, “The Three Wise Women,” that tells of women from three different parts of the world who meet on the road following a star. One is a young Anglo woman who brings fresh baked bread, another is a grandmother from India bringing a story, and the third is an African mother with her own baby who simply brings their presence to the baby they find in a manger. They continue their journey together. Sometimes we live in a fear-filled world, and yet in this story three women from three different places, with differently colored skin, languages and traditions come together to remind us that in any time, when anger and fear divide us, it is our common longing for life and light draws us closer than our differences can divide us. --- Creator God, you created each and everyone of us to be different and unique, and somehow we are made in your likeness. May we see our richness through our neighbors and may they draw us closer to each other and you. Amen Rev Amy BeVille, from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); she currently serves as pastor of Community Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Fayetteville, Georgia. She has served churches from Kentucky to Texas and back to Georgia! She has been a popular speaker and the music resource at a number of women’s retreats. As a complement to her ministry, BeVille is a singer/songwriter and currently plays venues from Nashville to Chattanooga to Atlanta. She has several albums to her credit, with her latest, “Second Chances” available on CDBaby.com. She also works as a music therapist focusing on work with seniors who have dementia or Alzheimers. In her free time, BeVille is found restoring her historic home in Acworth, GA. |
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