 -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.
 -Rev. Craig A. McDonald- After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” Matthew 2:1-2 Gifts are precious. Is there a particular gift you received that was especially memorable? More than likely it was a gift that held some special meaning for you. It could be that someone listened to you when you saw something in a store and they went back and got it. It could be that someone knows you so well that they found a gift that speaks to a joy or passion that you hold. It might be the gift of presence as someone makes the time or journey to be with you. Gifts come in all sorts of ways. I can’t help but think of the magi as they made the trek to find Jesus. When they spoke with Herod they knew that they were entering dangerous territory, yet they persisted. They made a dangerous journey that many scholars believe to be a significant amount of time. They brought with them gifts to share with this newborn child and its family, honoring that moment and what is to come. They give one more gift as they choose to leave by another route, not reporting back to Herod and possibly endangering themselves and families to keep that secret. We far too often think of gifts as solely physical things. We prepare ourselves in this season for the arrival of the Christ as if it is a journey. At the end of the journey we receive and respond to the Good News that is the Christ child and do our best to respond. How we respond can be seen as a gift. The season of Advent presents us with an opportunity to be creative with our gift giving as we ask ourselves, ‘what gift to we bring to the Christ child?’ The ways that we interact with the world, how we treat our coworkers, the compassion we show to the stranger, and the work that we do for justice are all responses to this amazing news that comes to us in the form of a vulnerable child. It is our opportunity to journey through this Advent season and present our gifts to the Christ. -- Great One, we give thanks for the opportunity to share in the gift of your son to this world, and we give thanks for the opportunity to share our gifts in response. Amen  Rev. Craig McDonald is an ordained minister with the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), most recently serving First Christian Church of Rome, GA. Rev. Craig served as a Young Adult Pastor at Arch Street UMC in Philadelphia, PA, as Associate Pastor at Mercy Community Church in Atlanta, and as a Youth Pastor at Sandy Springs Christian Church. He earned his MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, and earned his Bachelor’s degree from Columbus State University.
Craig loves mountain biking and all things outdoors. He and his wife, Megan, enjoy cooking, traveling, and hiking with their dog Maxwell.  -Rev. Becki Barrett- A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be vast authority and endless peace for David’s throne and for his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with justice and righteousness now and forever. Isaiah 9:6-7 I came home from school one sunny afternoon to find a gigantic pile of dirt in our front yard. My friends and I stared at it in wonder. Neatly piled in the center, it beckoned to, “Come! Run and jump and roll and play!” Who had given us this gift? It never occurred to any of us. For hours, we ran and played and rolled down the hill. We pushed one another down the soft mound of silken dirt and chased each other until patches of brown stuck to our sweaty faces. In unison, we thrust ourselves into the joy of eight-year-old play. Jumping. Running. Teasing. Laughing. We played until the large mound had blown into the air and left a small bump of dirt on a semi-green lawn in the suburbs. That’s when my mom pulled into the driveway. I was seized by fear from the look on her face. I had no idea why my joyful afternoon was about to turn into chores and restriction. But, I knew it was true. Friends scattered. Peace descended. My heart raced as my mom explained (I mean yelled) that the dirt was there for the sprinkler installation tomorrow. It was an expensive amusement park afternoon. There is an intersection between joy and justice. Deep inside us all is a longing to play without abandon – a deep desire to let go and allow the joy of life to take us over. There may be mistakes made along the way and consequences for our actions but deep down we are created to be at play – with our God – in the Garden. Joy is letting go and allowing God to be God. We are not perfect. And, neither is our neighbor. Joy comes with the gift of letting go of the hand of justice and embracing the love for our world that sent our Prince of Peace. Bryan Stevenson says, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” Seeing ourselves…seeing our neighbors…in this light invites us into the world ready to work and play and mess up and forgive and laugh. Seeing ourselves in this light allows us to live in the joyful forgiveness of God and extend that grace to others – our family, our friends, our enemies. Seeing ourselves in this light allows us to live in the wonder of the joyful birth of our Savior who wipes the dirt from our faces and calls us Beloved. --- Creative God, help us live in the joy of your creative order. Amen.  Rev. Becki Barrett is the Senior Pastor at Overlake Park PC in Bellevue, WA. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Becki attended Whitworth University receiving a degree in Secondary Education and then graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2002. Becki has held pastoral positions leading family ministry, mission, caring ministry, and became an executive pastor before her call to be a senior pastor in Bellevue, WA. She loves all areas of ministry and developed her own leadership development coaching company because of her love for developing strong leaders using Strengths Finder 2.0. Becki served as the chair of the Personnel Committee for the Seattle Presbytery for six years and now loves her work as the Moderator of the Executive Committee. At OPPC, Becki is known for her humor, energy, and love for Jesus, the church and the Bellevue neighborhood. At home, she is known for hiking, reading fiction, and travel.
 -Rev Melissa Fain- Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. Luke 2:8-9 I sat in front of my computer with an online invite on the screen, and physical invites in my hand. It was my son’s 10th birthday party. He wanted to have the party at the park so he could invite more friends. Looking between the screen and my hand I thought out loud, “Who will not get an invite between these two formats?” I realized there were two friends he wouldn’t physically see at school, and who I didn’t have an email address. Changing tabs, I put the invites down and messaged the parents of my son’s friends. It hit me how easy invites had become. Really nice paper invites can be purchased for next to nothing at Party City. They have a theme for any kind of party you can think of. Don’t want to use paper invites? There are sites completely devoted to online invitations. These sites will even tell you when the invite has been read, and whether they have RSVP’d. Like I said, it’s easy. Communication today is generally easy. After all, you are reading this devotional. It was written by writers from all over the United States. I can say, with complete honesty, I have only physically met two of the other seven contributors and none of them while we were working on this project. Yet, with the power of the internet, we collaborated to put this devotional together. That’s amazing. Then there’s you, reading these devotions. There’s a chance we have never met, and never will meet. Isn’t that amazing? I think that’s amazing. It’s not like early Bethlehem had Wi-Fi to spread the news of Christ’s birth. Word of mouth might have spread from person to person, but that would not have travelled very far. God apparently wanted the Shepherds at the birth. It was going to take something more than a hand delivered invitation. I don’t think our immediate news culture can understand the miraculous nature of including the shepherds. Personal messengers of God sent the invite. A format we’d think would be reserved for kings was given to the people who were intimately connected to the Creation: Shepherds. Praise be to God. --- Dear God, As I ask you to hear my prayer, help me hear your message to me. Keep my mind and heart open to your voice in my life. Amen.  Rev. Melissa Fain was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) with duel partnership between First Christian Church of Atlanta, and First Christian Church of Marietta.
She has a BA in Music from Kennesaw State University and a Masters of Divinity from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is currently the senior minister at Fig Tree Christian. Melissa is the mother of two wonderful children, and wife to a great and supportive husband. In her spare time, she loves arts and crafts which includes making costumes from scratch, and knotted bracelets. She has used her continuing education to study new church plants and church redevelopment.  -Tyler Jarvis- Living in the Most High’s shelter, camping in the Almighty’s shade, I say to the Lord, “You are my refuge, my stronghold! You are my God—the one I trust!” Psalm 91:1-2 When I was in high school, I went to a summer camp up in the Mountains of New Mexico. It was (and still is) one of my favorite places on earth. The summer before my Senior year, the oldest boys cabin all decided we wanted to sleep outside, on the deck of our cabin. So we all pulled our mattresses off our bunks and dragged them outside to the large deck. We stayed awake for a few hours telling jokes and stories, and then we all fell asleep. At about 2:00 in the morning, I woke up because it had started to rain on me. By the time I woke up, all the other guys on the deck were already packing up and moving back into the cabin to get out of the rain. Not me. I’m stubborn. I thought my sleeping bag was waterproof and that I would ride out the storm and amaze all my friends in the morning. Soon, I had fallen back asleep, impressed by my own adventurous spirit. But it wasn’t long before I was awake again, the rain crashing down hard, and my supposedly waterproof sleeping bag soaked all the way through. The mattress that I had brought out on the deck with me was also completely saturated with mountain rain. I gave up and went back inside, but I still couldn’t sleep on my soaked mattress or under my drenched sleeping bag. I laid awake, wet and shivering, for several hours before the sun finally came up and I could leave the cabin. In the middle of the storm, shelter was only a few feet away from me, and I hadn’t taken it. My friends had. They recognized what was going to happen and they took refuge. I did not. I stayed behind, intent on proving how daring I could be. But when I rejected shelter, when it was me versus the storm, the storm won. Fortunately, The season of Advent gives us shelter—A Messiah who helps us weather the storms. A God who protects us and holds us in difficult times. The question is, will we trust that shelter? When the storm comes in, and the rains pour down, will we seek refuge from the storm, or will we try to weather it on our own? --- Strong and Mighty Fortress, protect us. Hold us in your embrace. Give us the desire to seek you in our difficult times. Give us the humility to recognize that you are sufficient when we are not. 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- Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” Luke 2:13-14 Flash Mob! All of these angels suddenly appear in the sky to make the announcement of the Christ child’s birth. I wonder if they also had a perfectly choreographed dance number, 4 part harmony, and some amazing threads. It seems like groups of people are gathering together, more and more, on one side or another of the hot button issues to announce their “good news”. From Charlottesville to the Mall on Washington we are seeing flocks of people shouting out their personal beliefs for the world to hear. I wonder what this world might look like if we all took a lesson from the Angels when it comes to WHAT we announce. What if we ALL announced Jesus like the Angels and Heavenly Host did that night? When we have our hearts and minds set on one thing and one thing only, the return of Christ, the words we speak and the way we speak them start to change. We are concerned only with making sure every man, woman, and child, from lowly shepherd to king in his castle knows who Jesus is, that he has indeed come and will come again, and that we have all been adopted into his family, the family of the chosen. --- Creator God, give us the strength to announce Christ! Help us to proclaim boldly not our own personal ideas of what is sin or who is worthy of salvation but the TRUTH of Jesus Christ, 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. |
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