And Saul approved of their killing him. (The Church Persecuted and Scattered)
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
TO PONDER
Mm mm. Where’s the Advent or Christmas message here? I mean, we’re only a day off Christmas Eve, and the text talks about persecution. But it also talks about the church being scattered.
Historically and geographically, it was the best time to spread the word. It was a time of great literacy, especially in the Greek speaking world. They loved their dramas, and were avid readers, so being spread out, was a blessing in disguise. The message was scattered far and wide.
How’s your scattering of the gospel going? Do your neighbours know you are a gospel-centred person? Will you be attending a Christmas Eve service tomorrow night, and maybe exchanging gifts, after hearing the story of the greatest gift?
Let people know what you are doing this Christmas, and why. And it’s ok to remind them it is more than Santa.
PRAYER: Gracious God, give us boldness in this silly season, to be calm, to be ready, and be willing to give an answer to anyone who asks about the Christmas message. Help us to scatter your Word around us. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
TO PONDER
The back story of the verse today is about Zechariah, who didn’t believe the message the angel told him. There’s the first lesson; be careful when angels come close! The angel forced him to be quiet, but once his child (John the Baptist) was born, his voice was back, and he launches forth with the above proclamation. Note how there’s no malice in it, even though he’d been silent for nine months.
I wonder if sometimes people talk too much, and if we need to be silent a little more often. Zechariah the Priest was certainly someone who talked a lot, and talked often, and when he didn’t believe the message from the angel, God said, ’I’ll let my actions, and my blessings do the talking now, and you won’t need to for a while’.
Priests were trained to speak. Our family noticed that when my dad retired from the ministry, he became a little frustrated and annoyed with the world. He’d often say to us, ‘when I’m older I don’t want to turn into a grumpy old man’. We finally figured out it wasn’t just his German stubbornness – it was because he lost his audience. No one to preach to!
It’s just a thought, but how well do we listen? Are we guilty of talking too much? Sometimes, especially at this time of year, we need to shoosh up, and listen to the words of the carols, ‘How silently how silently, the wondrous gift is given…for you, for free, in a couple of days.
PRAYER: Help us Lord, to prepare our hearts and lives for you. Help us to get things ready for the celebration coming up. And when we speak too much, or don’t listen enough, prompt us to listen to you. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
TO PONDER
If Immanuel (or Emmanuel) is my favourite name or title for Jesus, this would be my second favourite. Here's why...
One of the things that most frequently ticks me off as I go about my business each day, is encountering people who act or behave as though they are somehow more important that everyone else and that the rest of the world owes them some kind of favour. I'd be surprised if any of you reading this devotion didn't know the kind of person I'm talking about. They will cut you off in traffic and expect you to thank them for the privilege of nearly having a collision with their European luxury vehicle. They will swing into the park that you have been patiently waiting for while the current occupant of the space loads their groceries and somehow think that you are just here to make sure no one else steals "their" park. You have probably picked up that my pet peeve, especially at this time of year is inconsiderate drivers, but these people can express their superiority complex in various other forms as well.
I love this name of Jesus, because it reminds me that no matter how much other people might want to lord themselves, their position, their wealth, their power over me, there is one who holds ultimate authority and who says, "I am loved. I am treasured. I am fearfully and wonderfully made". And the best thing about that, is that no matter who badly these other people might treat me, there is nothing they can do about my status as a child of God and co-heir with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven.
If I'm completely honest, there is also a part of me that longs for the day when those people will also have to bow the knee and along with every other person on earth confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that brings me some comfort too. Perhaps I shouldn't feel like that. In fact, I'm sure God will be challenging me about that now that I have recognised it, but isn't it great that even my vengeful attitude doesn't stop me from being a child of God because the King of Kings and Lord of Lords says I belong to him, so who can say otherwise!
PRAYER: King of Kings and Lord of Lords, thank you that you have made me one of your own. Please help me to recognise when I am guilty of pushing off the throne in my own life and help me to humbly vacate the drivers seat so that you might be King and Lord of my own heart. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
TO PONDER
This image of shepherds is all throughout the Bible. Abraham started out as a nomadic herder. King David started out taking care of his father's sheep - and the Bible refers to him as 'a man after God's own heart' (1 Sam 13:14). The priests of the Old Testament were often referred to as shepherds of God's people (although often accused of being bad or false shepherds) and of course here we have Jesus the good shepherd, the one who lays down his life for the sheep.
Of course with modern farming techniques and good fencing, people don't keep sheep the same way they did back in Bible times. Not many farmers are going to put their life on the line for a sheep. It got me thinking, what would the equivalent kind of profession be in today's world? I came up with emergency service worker.
Every day these people go to work, they put themselves in dangerous situations in order to bring help and to try and preserve the lives of others and as we approach that time of year in Australia where we are more likely to see both bushfires, floods, and cyclones, many of us will recall the stories of Fire fighters, SES rescue workers, Ambulance officers, and Police officers who have been seriously injured or lost their lives in an effort to protect or preserve the lives and property of others.
That's the kind of thing Jesus was explaining that he would do (and did do) for us. He gave his life on the cross so that we might be delivered from an eternity without him.
But it didn't end there. Jesus also told his disciples to, 'Take up you cross and follow me', and also 'As the Father has sent me, now I am sending you'. Jesus calls his sheep to follow him, that means that there are times we may be asked to lay our own needs and desires aside in order to meet the needs of others, and to trust that in the mean time, Jesus, our good shepherd, will take care of all our needs also.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd. Thank you that you have called me into your flock and that as one of your sheep, I am able to know you and hear your voice and to be known and loved by you. Help me also to be prepared to lay aside my own agendas, desires and plans, in order to serve and guard those who are not yet part of your flock and to help lead them into the safety of your sheep pen. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
TO PONDER
I'm not a great student of History. I mean I always found the stories of the events of the past interesting, and the lessons that we can learn from the past to be profound and inestimably helpful, but when it came to memorising the dates and names of people and events, I really couldn't see the point. The famous names from history, those people who for a time shaped the world around them and influenced the thinking and understanding of the next few generations, ultimately passed away and the world inevitably moved on. So did my brain/memory.
The one exception to that is Jesus. No other figure in human history has had the enduring and lasting impact on humanity as he has, and part of the reason for that is who he is. One of his names or titles is, 'Alpha and Omega', in other words the beginning and the end. As we hear in the text for today, he is the one who is, who was and who is to come. Jesus may not be physically present in the body here on earth like he was in the time of the gospels, and yet, Jesus death was not like any other human death, because it was not the end for him. The world cannot really 'move on' from Jesus in the same way it might from other figures of history because Jesus is still here with us.
In fact, Jesus promised that he would be with his disciples, "even to the very end of the age" (Matt 28:20). As long as Jesus lives, then he will continue to have authority and influence in the world. Since Jesus has been raised from death to life and now life's forever, his power and authority over all things is also eternal. As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever more. Amen
PRAYER: Lord Jesus. it is too easy to simply think of you as someone who lived some two thousand years ago, and not as someone who is alive and working through and among your people still today. Please help me to notice and see where you are at work in my life and in the lives of those around me so that I can confidently go where you are sending me and know that you are with me, even to the end of the age. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
TO PONDER
I have a wonderful wife! Let me explain.
Our children have only been on Summer holidays for less than a week and already my darling wife has borrowed the words of Jesus to help guard me and help me to get my work done while the children are at home. "I am the way", she says, "No one goes to your father except through me!" and for this I am extremely grateful.
Jesus wasn't using the phrase in quite the same way though. While my wife, Elise, is trying to deliberately keep my children out of my hair when I am trying to do important work in the evenings, Jesus was opening a way to the Father that had not been open previously. In fact, he was saying that those who had never had access to the Father before, could now know and access the Father through him.
No longer did you have to be Jewish, no longer did you have to offer sacrifices at the temple, no longer did you have to make sure you followed the Law of Moses to the letter. All you had to do was trust the man who said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" Trust that the words he spoke were true and you had access to God the Father. That hasn't changed. Those are still the terms of the agreement between God and humanity because of this child who was born to us at Christmas, and until He comes again in glory, all we need to do is trust that he is the way and know that he will bring us to the Father's kingdom.
That doesn't mean though that there is no work to be done. Plenty of people still do not know or trust that Jesus is the way. Some think he is one of many ways, others think that there is no way at all. Jesus said he had come so that we might have life in all it's fulness, and he also says to his disciples "as the Father sent me, so I am sending you." Since we now know the way, shouldn't we be telling others so that they too may have life in all it's fulness?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you that you have made a way for all people to reconciled to God through your life, death, and resurrection. Please help me to also be sent as the Father sent you, so that others might come to know you and your love through me and come to know you as the way to the Father. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"
TO PONDER
'The Lamb of God' it is another title or name given to Jesus. For it to make proper sense we have to understand the Old Testament sacrificial system which was the way in which the sins of the people were dealt with.
Once a year, on the day of atonement, the high priest of Israel would enter the most holy part of the temple (or tabernacle before the temple was built). This was where the presence of God was said to dwell among his people. After going through a whole bunch of ritual cleansing ceremonies, the High priest would enter this sacred space, the 'holy of holies' and offer a sacrifice of a spotless lamb, a young sheep without defect or marking, a perfect specimen as a sacrifice for the sins of all the people of Israel. This was a repeated yearly sacrifice.
What's great about this story of John recognising Jesus is that John clearly has an understanding, at least on some level, of what Jesus is here to do. Jesus, the perfect and unblemished human specimen and also God himself, was going to offer his own life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. not a repeated yearly sacrifice, but a once and for all sacrifice for all of humanity.
We might not be best served these days by shouting out to all who hear, "behold Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Most people today do not consider themselves to be 'sinners' and so in their minds they don't need a sin removing sheep. And yet to those of us who have come to know Jesus as the one who removes our guilt and shame, there is perhaps no greater comfort than knowing Jesus as the Lamb of God. Perhaps in sacrificing some of our life, our time, our resources for the sake of others, they might come to know something of Jesus' loving sacrifice for them?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you ask me to follow you as your disciple and that also means taking up my cross and living my life for the sake of others. Help me to be someone who can bear witness to your love and sacrifice on the cross, by taking up my cross daily to walk with and follow you wherever you call me to follow. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
TO PONDER
At various points in my life I have been called by various nicknames. With a surname like 'von Stanke' you might imagine what some of them were.
We seem to have a thing for assigning nicknames to people in Australia. The few international people I have met who have spent time living in Australia have found it a fascinating phenomenon. Sometimes an Aussie nickname is simple and easy to understand its origins. But the better you know a person, the more likely the nickname you use will be attached to some unique story or heroic (or foolish) deed that has somehow become almost folklore among your group of friends, so that no one knows how you got that name unless they were there when that thing happened.
Jesus has been given many names and titles in the Bible. Some are easy to understand, others come to make more sense the longer we walk with Jesus. All of them describe something of his character, his mission, purpose, or identity. It's not uncommon for you to feel particularly drawn to one as the primary way you relate to him. If your life feels particularly chaotic, you might really appreciate access to the 'Prince of Peace'. Likewise, if you're really struggling with an important life decision, then taking to the 'Wonderful Counsellor' for some advice and counsel could be just what you need.
The great thing about Jesus having so many names is that it reminds us that Jesus can be the solution to so many of our problems and that he can help us in every circumstance, and if you can't thing of a specific name to fit, 'Might God' probably covers it don't you think?
PRAYER: Everlasting Father, thank you for revealing so much of yourself to us through Jesus and all the names and titles you have used to describe yourself to us. Help me to remember that you are so much more than just 'God' and that you are ready to meet me with exactly what I need in every situation and circumstance. Thank you for everything that you are and all that you have done. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
TO PONDER
Immanuel, is one of my favourite names/titles for Jesus. I think I really love the idea of 'God with us'.
So often people these days imagine or think of a God that is somewhere far off. A distant God who sits on a cloud somewhere in Heaven, looking down on His creation perhaps tweaking an outcome here or there, but largely keeping his hands off the world and watching humanity muddle their way through.
That is not the God of Christianity. Ours is a God who has come to live among us. Not only that, but a God who has become one of us and now makes his dwelling among us. It is easy for us to think that God came, Jesus lived, died and rose, and then God left... but that's not true either.
God now lives in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God has not left humanity or forsaken us. He has gone back to Heaven and left us to sort things out on our own. He is still with us. He live in us and is among us in every person whose faith and trust is in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
If that describes you, then you are the presence of Jesus in the world. You are how 'God is with us' to the rest of the world. What an amazing thought.
PRAYER: Jesus Immanuel, God with us. Thank you that you have promised to be with me even to the end of the age. Please help me to live more aware of the fact that you are with me and that I am to take you with me into all the world. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle