Category: Media

Scripture Reading:  If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil work; if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon. (Isaiah 58:10)

God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus He has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Meditation:  Among my fondest Christmas memories are the Christmas Eve services at Fredericksburg Baptist Church –the traditional hymns, the candles, the sense of family, big and small.  It is a time of great joy when we allow ourselves to think about new beginnings and hope for a better world.

In many ways that is the essence of Christmas.  It is a journey toward hope.  But God’s call to each of us is to put hope into action.  It would be a mistake to only see the joy and hope that the baby Jesus represents and not listen to the rest of the story, the story of God’s call to reconciliation for each of us and for those whose lives we touch every day.  Our response to the journey after Christmas must be, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Thus, as we celebrate this holy day, we must recognize that the journey to Christmas was to prepare us for the hard work of the journey from Christmas.  The road is long and filled with trials but the Jesus we meet on Christmas Day travels with us, if we choose to let Him.  And He transforms us on the journey. 

 These words from John Westerhoff, III say it well:

We have been called into a visionary community to risky, laughable lives of tomorrow’s people, to live in and for God’s dream, to witness to a world of peace and unity, freedom and equality, of justice and well being for all people.  We are called to accept the cost and the joy of discipleship, to proclaim the word and deed of the good news of God’s dream come true.  God promises us courage and strength in the struggle for peace and justice; God forgives us our failures and lifts us up to new possibilities; God is present in our trials and rejoicing and hopes from this day forward.

Prayer:  Oh Lord, thank You for the joy of Christmas and Your gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes.  Please travel with us on the journey ahead and continually remind us that if we are faithful to the trek, not only will we find friends along the way, not only will we find the beautiful and the true and the good and the lovely and the delicious tastes and sounds and smells and sights given to us by the Creator of the journey …but we will also catch a vision of what is at the end of the road.  Amen.

      (paraphrase from Ken Medema)

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  Tears may flow in the night, but joy comes in the morning.  (Psalm 30:5b)

 I have come that you might have life — life in all its fullness. (John 10:10)

Meditation:  Michael was nearly dead when he came to the Christ House medical recovery facility for the homeless.  Years of poor choices had all but destroyed his body, and he languished in bed for days.  Gradually, with rest, proper nutrition and hydration, and the introduction of appropriate medications, his body began to respond.  His vital signs improved, and he was finally able to take his meals in the dining room with the other patients.  He began spending more time out of bed, helping with daily chores and getting to know the staff and other patients.  A ready smile and laugh and a sense of humor began to be revealed.  Michael was rising from near death in more than just a physical way.  He completed the facility’s drug rehab program and was then able to move into Kairos, the long-term housing program of Christ House for former patients committed to recovery.

When Michael put on more strength-giving weight and muscle he could often be seen on weekends helping to strip and re-wax the floors, giving other patients haircuts, or giving a hand in any number of jobs that needed doing.  He became a regular in the Christ House worship service, too, serving communion, reading scripture, or sharing from his heart when called upon.  He seemed to have opened some previously-shut doors of his life to God, and God, in turn, seemed to be filling him with abundant life.  The addiction to drugs was displaced by the much more powerful high of God’s abundant blessings.

When Michael heard that a group of Christ House staff persons and Kairos residents were going to the Christian community of prayer, scripture, and singing in Taize, France, he jumped at the opportunity.  Taize draws thousands of persons, mostly young people, from all over the world at a time.  Three times a day the bells of Taize ring out to summon the pilgrims to worship.  During one evening worship time in Taize, Michael found himself standing before this group of several thousand pilgrim worshippers telling them how God had saved and was still working in his life to give him an abundance of blessings he never dreamed possible.  Afterwards, scores of young people crowded around him to get to know him better and hear more about his changed life.

One of the saints of old has written that “we have not because we ask not.”  Michael did ask.  He was asking of God by opening his life to God’s seemingly impossible possibilities.  And who could have imagined the abundant, mega-joyous results?

Prayer:  Gracious God, on this Christmas Eve ripe with joy and promise as we await the celebration of Christ’s birth, let us not forget that You are the great Dreamer of joyful dreams, the supreme Lord of joyful imagination, and that with You, nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid!  I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people.  This very day in David’s town your Savior was born – Christ the Lord!  (Luke 2:10-11)

You will leave Babylon with joy: you will be led out of the city in peace.  The mountains and hills will burst into singing, and the trees will shout for joy. (Isaiah 55:12)

Meditation:   C. S. Lewis once wrote that “joy is the serious business of heaven.”  My understanding of that “serious business” grew substantially as I served on Fredericksburg Baptist’s 1995 mission team to Prague.

When the first request for team members came out in the church newsletter I felt a tug at my heart.  But I quickly talked myself out of it.  “I probably don’t have enough vacation days at work,” I thought, “and Dad is really sick, and it probably costs too much.”  A day or two later a good friend and member of the congregation, called and said, “I think you should apply for the Prague mission team.”  Her calling “out of the blue” caused me to open my heart and mind again to that possibility, and the result was great, great joy for me.

The joys were almost too many to count—seeing the beautiful, old, and historic city of Prague; helping to renovate the site for the International Baptist Theological Seminary; bonding with church members I hadn’t known well before; and meeting Christian people from many countries. Then there were the joys of opening my suitcase to find a note for each day from my husband and daughters; receiving notes from church members; and “running into” an old friend from our former church in Phoenix who was also working at the seminary.  I think the very apex of my joy there came one evening as we all sat on the patio and sang familiar hymns in our varied languages.  “Amazing Grace” is even more beautiful when the English is sung together with Czech, German, Russian, and Italian.  I thought to myself that this must be part of what heaven will be like.  I didn’t want the evening to end.

Not long after the team returned to Fredericksburg, my friend and I had lunch together and I said to her, “What if you hadn’t obeyed the prompting of God’s Spirit to call and encourage me to go to Prague?  I would have missed out on all that joy.”  She offered that she thought that we all probably miss out on lots of joy because we fail to listen and respond to many of the Spirit’s callings in our lives.  Think of what we miss.

So as you stand on the brink of Christmas 2019, give yourself  the gift of deep and lasting joy by inviting Christ into your life if you’ve never done that before, and  by listening for God’s intimate dialogue with you through scripture, prayer and meditation, sermons, books, music, the words of fellow Christians, etc., etc.  Then make a New Year’s resolution to respond to those tugs at your heart, perhaps to become involved in one of the new ministries of the church, or perhaps in one of longstanding.  Either way, God is eagerly waiting to bless you with joy!  

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we thank You that the serious business of heaven and of heaven on earth is joy.  Now help us to get serious about this serious business, for Your glory and our sakes.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  Then [Jesus] poured some water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist . . .  “I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet.  You, then, should wash one another’s feet… Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!”   (John 13: 5, 14, & 17)

Meditation:  A life-sized bronze statue of Christ stands outside the Christ House building on Columbia Road in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood of northwest Washington, DC.  It is a statue of the “Servant Christ” kneeling with a bowl of water to symbolically wash the feet of whoever passes by.  

Marie worked as a cook at Christ House, and she learned the truth Jesus was teaching when He washed His disciples’ feet.  She acquired the servanthood of love.  Her smile lit up any room, and her cheerful willingness to alter or add to her already-busy schedule bore witness to her inner light of love.  For instance, there were occasions when a Christ House patient would develop a need for a special dish or diet such as chicken soup or clear liquids.  Marie wouldn’t just open up a can of soup; she would make some from scratch!  She lived out Christ’s command to be a willing, loving servant to others.

Marie was born in Kenya, and over the years she saved up enough from her modest pay to obtain a better home for her father who still lives in that African country.  When others needing homes moved in with him, she saved again to enlarge the dwelling.

The salt and light of Marie’s life made me want to give my best to the work at Christ House.  Thus, she became a leader for me through her servanthood.  Often on my way into work at 7:00 a.m. I would see Marie walking to early Mass, knowing she had a full day of hard work in the Christ House kitchen ahead of her after worship.  I had to admit to myself that I probably would have slept later most of the time instead of going to early church on a workday.

As God’s glory was shown 2,000 years ago in the lives of the humble Mary and Joseph who were willing servants of God, so the glorious love of the Savior was shown in the life of the humble cook, Marie.

Prayer:  As this holy season approaches, may we learn better to tread the journey of humility and servanthood which You, dear Lord, have journeyed before us.  May we learn in the doing of it, that loving servanthood is, paradoxically, the road to joy.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  Jesus told them still another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this.  A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”  (Matthew 13:33)

Meditation:  I was not a very good steward of my piano-lesson days.  I didn’t practice enough!  (Great thanks to Judy Fiske and Ryan Corbitt and others who were and did!  You bless us so much.)  But God didn’t get angry and give up on that part of me.  One day the Spirit encouraged me to offer up what little bit of ability I did have to be used for God’s Kingdom.  The young boy in the Bible with the little lunch of loaves and fishes came to mind:  with Christ’s blessing the boy’s meager gift ended up feeding several thousand people, with baskets-full left over.  This story encouraged me, even though I knew in my heart that my musical ability was about the size of a minnow!

Several weeks later I saw a longtime member of Fredericksburg Baptist Church who, for many years, had been involved with the church’s Special Friends class for adults with cognitive disabilities.  He asked if I played piano.  I told him I wasn’t very good, but that I played a little.  The class needed someone to play, and I agreed to give it a try.

Well, God took my little “musical minnow” and somehow made it grow like a batch of rising bread dough.  With many wrong notes and all, God turned the music into a thing of great joy for the Special Friends and for me.  Sunday after Sunday we would “raise the roof” with praise for Jesus, singing, “Jesus in the Morning,”  “Do Lord, Oh Do Lord, Oh Do Remember Me, “  “Jesus Loves Me,” and “I’ve Got the Joy,  Joy,  Joy,  Joy Down in My Heart,”  to name just a few selections.

No matter when I would arrive in the class, early or late, the Special Friends always greeted me with joyful enthusiasm.  Other teachers, friends, and guests enjoyed the same heartwarming reception.

George Will, the well-known political commentator and columnist, has a special son about whom he once wrote a column in Newsweek magazine.  He wrote that his son and others like him have a special, outstanding ability for joy!  Like George Will’s son, the members of the Special Friends class have a special ability for joy, and surely they have been teachers in this gift of the Spirit on many occasions.  

Prayer:  Lord, help us to give more of both our very small and our larger talents and gifts to You.  Thank You for the joy in our lives.  Forgive us, Lord, when we forget all that You have done and are doing for us daily.  Forgive us for becoming complacent about the greatest gift of joy — Your Son.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  Do not be deceived my dear brothers!  Every good gift and every present comes from heaven; it comes from God….” (James 1:17)

Meditation:   For much of my life I have not been very good at accepting gifts.  I guess I could blame it on an upbringing that etched on my brain the old adage, “‘Tis better to give than receive.” 

I suppose that this saying is a useful tool for providing a perspective for children overwhelmed by the desire to receive, but as guidance for building relationships it is not very helpful.  

I have no specific memory of who helped me understand the subtle message of a reluctance to receive, but the value of that lesson has come home to me on many occasions as homeless friends, children, and others have sought to say “thank you” or “happy holidays,” or “I love you” with a simple gift. I have come to understand my acceptance of that gift is an acknowledgment of their humanity, that we are equals in the eyes of God, and that I have a need that they can fill.  I now believe that accepting a gift can be as much of an act of love as giving one.

On Christmas Day in 1986 an op ed piece entitled, “Gifts from the Homeless “appeared in the New York Times.  Written by author Jonathan Kozol, the short piece reminded us of the gifts we receive daily even from those who live on our city streets.

A homeless father of two children whom I met the other day in San Antonio told me that he sells blood twice a week to buy the food to feed his sons.  They sleep with him at night along a railroad track… Those of us who can afford to go to hospitals when we are sick should give thanks to those who offer us their blood – perhaps the one thing we might have supposed that they could call their own.

A woman who sleeps beneath the asphalt roadway of the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon, donates her body for medical experimentation at a local hospital and earns thereby enough to buy the heavy padded clothes she needs to make it through the winter.  Let us thank her for the health she gives us.

An important lesson on the journey to Christmas is that each one of us is created in the image of God and that our relationships to one another, to be honest and healthy, must recognize the contributions we all make.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for all the gifts we receive this season.  Help us to understand that receiving can be an important and loving act as we build relationships with those whom we encounter each and every day.  Amen. 

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture:  You were baptized into union with Christ, and now you are clothed, so to speak with the life of Christ himself.  So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:27-28)

Meditation:  Simeon and Anna, the shepherds, the Magi….an eclectic collection of visitors to the young Jesus, but in their differences of class, gender and maybe even race, they shared a single purpose …they sought to be closer to God’s love, to understand His ways and His plan for their lives.  As we journey to Christmas, we should celebrate all those who journey with us, especially those who are different from us, and through those differences help us to see the face of God.

It was another steamy summer morning in inner-city Norfolk, Virginia when Steve opened the doors of the small Methodist church and welcomed the children of this vibrant, yet struggling, African American neighborhood to the daily recreation program.  As the children shuffled, bumped and sped their way in, I stood there watching with my five summer mission teammates.  I was just shy of my 21^st birthday and yet I marveled at the exuberance of the youngsters.  That morning would proceed like most of the others that summer, a cacophony of laughs and cries mixed with the stickiness of lemonade spills and Elmer’s glue excesses.  Just before lunchtime, as I sat outside watching a game of kickball, the littlest of all the children, Joellyn, climbed into my lap and began to run her fingers through my hair.  After a couple of minutes of research, the four-year old exclaimed, “You have baby hair.”  

In a moment she was off and running once again and I was left to ponder the meaning of the differences God created in each of us.  I suppose Joellyn was referring to the way my hair felt compared to the hair texture of the African American adults with whom she spent most of her time.  In the many years that have ensued since that moment I have come to see beauty in our differences as they teach each of us a little more about what it means to be made in the image of God, and give us a greater understanding of the breadth of His love.  I am reminded of the beautiful Christmas song which helps us understand how the baby Jesus is seen through the eyes of children around the world.

Some children see Him lily white,

 the baby Jesus born this night.

Some children see Him lily white

 with tresses soft and fair.

Some children see him bronzed and brown,

 the Lord of heaven to earth come down.

Some children see Him bronzed and brown

 with dark and heavy hair.

Some children see Him almond eyed,

 the Baby whom we kneel beside. 

Some children see Him almond eyed

 with skin of yellow hue.

Some children see Him dark as they, 

 sweet Mary’s Son to whom we pray.

Some children see Him dark as they, 

 and ah they love Him too.

The children in each different place 

 will see the baby Jesus’ face

 like theirs, but bright with heavenly grace

 and filled with holy light.

Prayer:    Lord, this Christmas season help us to celebrate Your Kingdom.  Help us to recognize that in our differences we can learn a little more about Your love and Your plan for all of us.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here. 

Scripture: … the Lord Jesus himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”  (Acts 20:35b)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.   (Luke 10:27)

Meditation:  Lupe was a school crossing guard who lived with her husband and four school-aged children in a very small tarpaper dwelling in southside Phoenix, Arizona.  Her neighborhood of poor Hispanics, Native Americans, and elderly and mentally ill boarding home residents was not the pictorial stuff of travel brochures about sunny Phoenix.  As a neighborhood in the flight path of Sky Harbor International Airport, it was noisy, but most residents paid little attention to that until they were forced to move due to airport expansion in the mid-seventies.

Lupe enjoyed little of the world’s riches, but her soul was rich in faith which produced the gifts of God’s Spirit.  I can still see the light of her smile in my mind’s eye.  Because of her deep love for God, Lupe named her sons Moses and Solomon.  She made sure her children were in Sunday School and church every week and at every activity offered for their age groups at the Phoenix Baptist Center where we led Bible studies, sewing, crafts, recreation, and other activities.

Though she had very little in the way of material goods, Lupe was always finding a way to give – a shared meal, babysitting time, a hanging flower pot with a macramé holder she had made, and a small stuffed animal which our daughter, then a toddler, still cherishes to this day.

Lupe had learned the Christmas lesson that the widow in the Bible who gave her famous mite had learned centuries earlier – that it is more joyful to give than to receive.  They learned this truth and lived it out because they loved God with a passion that came close to total devotion – heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, may we who have most of what we want and much more than we need become more like the widow and Lupe who gave from their little.  As we journey toward Christmas, may we give passionately to You of heart, soul, mind, and strength, so that we may know You more deeply as the Ultimate Giver.  Amen.

For additional information about our Advent devotions and their authors, click here.