Saturday's Devotion

Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotion
Saturday, December 6, 2008
by Pastor Scott Keeble

We’re all pretty familiar with the story of Christ’s birth told in the gospel of Matthew and with a few nuances, in the gospel of Luke. It is a beautiful narrative, full of drama and imagery and meaning.

But have you ever thought about John chapter 1 as another telling of Christ’s birth?
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

In the Message, Eugene Peterson retells the first part of that verse this way:
“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

Christmas is the story of Jesus moving into the neighborhood. Imagine if that were true today. Imagine if Jesus moved into your neighborhood. Imagine pulling into your driveway after a long day at work where nothing went right and there’s Jesus walking out to his mailbox. You know he had a long day of miracles and parable telling, but he smiles at you and somehow you know that there’s nothing he’d rather do at that moment than sit down over a cup of (insert favorite drink here) and hear about your day.

Guess what? Jesus still dwells in the neighborhood. Towards the end of his gospel, John records these words of Jesus to his disciples: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” As the Father sent Jesus (to move into the neighborhood,) so Jesus sends us (to move into the neighborhood).

In many ways, the Christmas story is not just the story of Christ’s birth, it’s also our story. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are the presence of Christ to our neighbor, and to one another. We are the body of Christ, who moved into the neighborhood to be with us.

May this Advent season bring to you opportunities to give away the limitless love of Jesus Christ to your neighbor.

Friday's Devotion

Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotion
Friday, December 5, 2008
What Do You Get a Boy Who Gave Everything? by Leslie Barr, Interim Director of Children & Family Ministires

What Do You Get a Boy Who Gave Everything?
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.“
Psalm 95:6-7

Are you making your lists, checking them twice? It’s that time of year again.
The time for lists. So much to do, so little time. Who’s getting what?
If I add that ‘one more thing’ to child #1’s list, will I need to find another
‘something or other’ for child #2?

Soon, the lists keep getting longer and the piles keep growing higher and before I know it, I’ve completely lost control. As parents, we love watching our children open presents, but sometimes our generosity can lead them down a greedy road. So how can we maintain control?

Maybe BEFORE we start figuring out who gets what we should think of at least a few gifts for the Birthday Boy. Remember HIM? The Good Shepherd? Emmanuel? For starters, I think he would love to have our honor, praise and devotion. Let’s offer him our presence through prayer.

Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we joyfully sing your praises. You are our steadfast shepherd; guiding us and watching over us.. We thank you for your love and care and for sending your son, Jesus, to save us from our sin.

Today's Advent Devotion

Advent is the anticipation of love. Love assumes that things are not the way things have to be. Love directs us away from ourselves to the other. It is not self-referenced but loses itself in service to others.
This kind of love is a gift. It comes from outside of us. Yet it finds a place within us. This love has a face. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
This Advent open yourself up to the love we see in the face of Christ. Set aside some time to meditate on John 3:16-17. Such love is inclusive and all embracing. No one is excluded.
-by Chuck Carlson

Wednesday's Devotion

Advent Conspiracy Daily Devotion
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Gifts of the Magi by Rebecca Motley

“On entering the house, (the wise men) saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” Matthew 2:11-12

The Playskool nativity scene in my house includes the three wise men. My two young daughters play with these figures and talk about Jesus’ birthday presents, which is part of the “popular” story we may tell our children.

In the Bible, though, the wise men were not present at the birth, but arrived later, maybe even a year or two. And, the gifts they brought were much more symbolic than fun or practical for a poor carpenter’s family. The gold was traditionally given to kings and frankincense to priests, while myrrh was an ointment used for burial, foreshadowing Jesus’ crucifixion. They give with no expectation of a gift in return and they leave, following a different road, changed by the experience of being in Jesus’ presence.

So, where then, did we get the idea that exchanging gifts with everyone one we’ve ever met should be associated with Christmas?

This year, we are challenged to “Give More”, while spending less. For me, it will mean thinking of ways to give my children and dear friends the gift of my time and presence, which Jesus gave to us selflessly. In this busy, busy life we lead, the memories to be created can be more precious than gold. For some great ideas on how to do this, go to www.rethinkingchristmas.com.

Take some time this morning to consider the gift of Jesus. Pray that you would be aware of that gift

Advent Conspiracy Video

Daily Devotion: Spend Less #1

Spend Less #1: Searching for Home

What is it about stuff? We seem to need it. We think everything will be better if we get it. Sure, very few people would actually say: “Man, if I could just get that one thing, everything would be fine,” but we tend to act that way. We fixate on that one thing that we really want, or even think we need, and if we don’t get it, we feel deprived, and if we do get it, we’re happy for a bit, and then we move on to the next thing to possess.
To a certain extent, this condition is natural, given our current circumstances. Clever advertising convinces us that we need things that we probably do not, and our culture values possessions as a means to increase stature. But I think there is something much deeper going on when we are driven to consume and possess.
When we have things, we feel in control, and ultimately, we hope those things will make us feel more complete. The problem is, that completeness is probably not something we can hope for this side of heaven. Yes, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and yes, it is breaking into our lives and our world at this very moment.

But it’s not done yet.

One day we will live fully in the reality of scripture from the book or Revelation, which tells us:

...“‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’" --Rev 21:3-4 (NIV)

Until then, there is a little bit of waiting. Advent is about waiting for the coming King. When he comes, he is going to work everything out. When we see him face to face, we will be made new; set free from the hindrances that plagued us all our lives. We will be complete, and we will be free of the urge to try and find that completeness elsewhere. Maybe it sounds too good to be true, but there it is.

Maybe if we can remember this, it will help us think differently about the things that we buy. Maybe if we know the things aren’t going to do the trick, we can buy less of them. And Maybe we wont expect the things we give to others to make them feel complete either. Instead, we find fulfillment in doing the work that God has sent us to do, and we love people by giving more of ourselves to them, and maybe a few less things.

Possessions are by no means the only way we try to fill the holes we feel in our lives. The problem is not that we are looking only to possessions, it’s that we’re not looking to Jesus to make us feel complete. We can look any number of countless other places, but they just wont do the trick.


"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. --Matthew 6:19-21

If you’re feeling like your heart is missing, try looking for it in heaven: I couldn’t find it at Wal Mart.

Daily Devotion: Worship Fully, part 1

Scripture: Micah 6:6-8

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

During Advent, this time of preparation for the coming of our Lord, we want to honor God in all that we do and say. We want to offer gifts to the Christ child, as did the magi when they visited the manger. The magi offered symbolic gifts -- gold, the gift for a king, frankincense, the scent used in temple sacrifices which ascended to heaven, and myrrh, used to embalm bodies (expressive of Christ’s crucifixion). But what are the gifts that we should offer Christ?

The prophet Micah give us a hint when he asks, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you what is good . . . To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:6-8).

The gift Christ wants most is . . . us. He wants our worship, which is more than just attending a service on Sunday. Authentic worship means “doing justice,” actively seeking what is right and fair for all concerned. It means “loving mercy,” practicing a spirit of grace, patience and kindness. Authentic worship means “walking humbly with our God,” seeking intimacy with Jesus and walking with Him in the direction He shows. In the coming days, our Advent challenge is to worship – but to worship not only with our lips, but with our lives.

Take some time to pray today. Pray that God would draw near to you as you seek to worship fully this Advent season. Pray for a constant awareness of God's presence and God's love as you go through your day. And pray that God would give you one little idea for how you and your family might give Jesus wonderful gifts by doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.