Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
TO PONDER:
We all love a good party, a joyful celebration, right?
As an introvert myself, I get the dread associated with crowds, small talk, and forced smiles aimed towards people I hope don’t then want to respond with conversation, but I still enjoy the idea of a good party.
Today’s verse was written, almost aimed towards, people like myself and if I’m being honest, to quite a few Lutheran congregations. Nehemiah says to God’s people “Go and party and share the party with your neighbours”, this, right here, sounds like how church should be, a joyful celebration with joyful people who have a joyful reason to celebrate joyfully (too many joyfuls? Apparently not).
Nehemiah continues with a surprising statement “the joy of the Lord is your strength,” not “the happiness of the Lord” (go back and re-read yesterday’s post) joy based in God and who he is and what he has done, is our strength. The celebration Nehemiah was referencing in the verse is one specifically to remember who God is and what God had already done for his people, how he rescued them from slavery and provided for them on their long journey to the promised land.
Joy is, in effect, our super-natural power, the power which makes us bullet-proof to the shots fired at us in tough times, in a cost-of-living crisis, when a pipe explodes in the bathroom at 5:50am (happened to me yesterday).
Partying is our superpower.
PRAYER: Loving Father, You are not the patriarchal, judgemental, grumpy God with the big stick to be feared but rather you are loving, faithful, forgiving God who is worth celebrating daily. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay WestSide
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! (NLT)
TO PONDER:
"Well, I am not happy!" It is an excuse used to bail ourselves out of, a job, a church, a long term relationship. Once something no longer makes us happy like it did in the beginning, we bail and look for the feeling of happiness somewhere else.
Paul, in today’s verse, is wrapping up his letter to the church in Philippi as he encourages those in the church to “always be full of joy IN THE LORD”. Now he wasn’t encouraging them to always be happy, he was telling the church to always rejoice. This isn’t Paul closing the letter with the latest self-help, personal empowerment advice about finding happiness and turning your frown upside down.
Paul was writing his letter from prison/house arrest, he was in captivity, he couldn’t go down to the local falafel shop to grab something for dinner let alone embark on a journey to find his happiness.
And everyone reading the letter knew about Paul’s challenging habitation issues and were praying seriously for him as they feared of his life. So when Paul says to be full of joy it would have been shocking to the church, a group of people who were full of worry and concern for Paul’s situation and their future (if this could happen to Paul then...)
Paul wrote extensively about “joy” in his letters, at least 16 times in this letter alone and today’s verse is perhaps the most well known, where he, in effect, is commanding the Philippian church to “choose joy and again choose joy!”
Happiness is a fleeting emotion, a reaction to external stimulus, while joy is a state of internal contentment and satisfaction that can exist even in times of hardship, cultivated, in this instance, from within our connection with and trust in “the Lord”, Jesus.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the joy I find in you, for a joy that is beyond understanding. Today I choose joy as I rejoice in who you are. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside.
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. (NLT)
TO PONDER:
Every great relationship has its genesis in that first awkward handshake and uncomfortable conversation. Every great relationship has a beginning followed by time together, hanging out, getting to know each other, having shared experiences, laughing and crying together, you know; "doing life together".
We can’t skip steps in the development of a great relationship, we can’t go from the awkward handshake directly to the joy of a “ride-or-die” friendship that lasts a lifetime.
Today’s verse is talking about that ride-or-die with God, the relationship that takes a lifetime to grow, shared laughter and tears, struggles and contentment, walking with Him through every season of life.
Often our walk with God can be transactional, based on eternity in “heaven”, the afterlife, the future promise. While the Psalmist here does say “living with you forever”, with the implications of eternity, but “the way of life” also includes the here and now, the present, today.
King David, the author of the Psalm, talks about the difficult seasons and the happy seasons of life and realises joy in all seasons can be found in walking with God daily. Joy is not the promise of a future destination called heaven, as heaven is not a place, it’s a kingdom, a way of life with God, in every season, in good times and bad times, in present life as well as in the future afterlife (eternity).
The joy of the “Kingdom of Heaven” (used 32 times in in the Gospel of Matthew) is not only something to look forward to as a future with God, a reward for good works, but is something to be experienced in the here and now as we walk with God in the way of life, in relationship with Him.
PRAYER: Almighty God, I thank you for showing me the way of life and walking with me through every season of life as a get to experience the joy of your presence. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
TO PONDER:
Today, as I am writing this post, my mind drifts to friends who have recently told me they are expecting a baby and the joy that announcement carries. The promise of the future for this hoped for bundle of joy and the dreams of who this child will grow to be, brings excitement and a touch of trepidation.
In today’s verses we see the reunion of relatives, two expectant mothers with a shared story of joy. One of them just starting her adult life and the other, described as, “very old”, two women carrying history within their wombs, two women whose future children would change the world, two women carrying miracles.
Elizabeth had cried out to God year after year, turning into decade after decade, that she would be blessed with a child only to experience heart-wrenching disappointment as those prayers were met with barrenness.
Those countless prayers cried out to a seemingly distant God, prayers filled with tears, prayers delivered from the edge of hope and despair were not wasted, they were not groans aimed towards an empty heaven. In her old age, Elizabeth discovered the purpose hidden behind delay; purpose camouflaged in barrenness, the moment she heard the voice of Mary and her very own miracle baby leaping within her womb, in recognition of the purpose, she knew the why as she was overcome with God’s joy and his perfect timing.
PRAYER:Almighty God, It says in Psalms 30 that our tears lead to the joy of your morning, I praise you that your faithfulness always breaks through the darkness that my hope in you always leads to joy, even when that hope seems to be delayed. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside.
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
TO PONDER:
The joy of Christmases past, the remembered childhood expectations of the gifts under the tree on Christmas morning and the imaginings of what those wrapped boxes could contain can still fill one with joy (even if, for the “one” those memories were a long time ago).
Isaiah 35 was written around 700 years before the first Christmas and was written as a messianic promise in a poetic Hebrew style using parallelism and the “prophetic perfect tense”, as if they had already occurred. The beauty of the prophetic perfect tense literary style is the way it plays with time, writing of the future as a completed action, a certainty, a guaranteed real event.
Today’s verses speak of promises from the past, promises of the first Christmas fulfilled in a manger some 700 years later but also promises for today and promises for all tomorrows, into eternity. Promises that have happened, that will happen today and surely will happen tomorrow.
They speak poetically, in the prophetic perfect tense, of the joy of God’s people as they look forward to the promised gift of the first Christmas, the promise of the longed for Messiah, they speak of the joy of the shepherds whose night was interrupted by a choir of angels announcing the fulfilment of the promise, they speak of the joy we experience in the ongoing bloom of the first Christmas, and the joy of the future.
This language used in Isaiah 53 is now our “mother-tongue”, the prophetic perfect tense is where we inhabit the other-side of the first Christmas, on the other-side of grace as we live in the “now and not yet”, the ongoing joyous bloom of Christmas.
PRAYER: Faithful God, I thank you for your promises of the joy of Christmas, the now and not yet joy I live on the other side of grace as I look forward to what your future holds for me as I live trusting in your promises. Amen.
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside
"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:
Isaiah's prophecy captures the stunning mystery of Christmas: a child is born, yet he is the Mighty God. A son is given, yet he is the Everlasting Father. An infant arrives, yet the government rests on his shoulders. And among his many names, one shines with particular hope for our weary world—Prince of Peace.
This title isn't just poetic; it's a promise.
A prince brings the authority and character of his kingdom wherever he goes. When the Prince of Peace was born in Bethlehem, heaven's peace invaded earth's brokenness. He didn't come merely to teach us about peace or to model peaceful living. He came to be our peace—reconciling us to God, breaking down the walls that divide us, and establishing a kingdom where peace reigns forever.
The world has seen countless leaders promise peace, yet conflict and turmoil persist. We search for peace in relationships, success, comfort, or control, but it eludes us. Our own hearts are battlegrounds of worry, regret, and fear.
But the child born in Bethlehem is different. He is the Prince whose peace isn't negotiated or earned—it's given as a gift. His peace flows from who he is: God Himself, stepping into our chaos to make all things right.
This Christmas, we celebrate that our Prince has come, and one day he will return to establish his peaceable kingdom in fullness. Until then, he offers us his peace—real, lasting, and unshakable.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for entering our broken world to bring us lasting peace. Reign in our hearts this Christmas and fill us with the peace only you can give. We worship you as our Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, and the Prince of Peace. In your holy name, Amen.
Today’s Devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."
To Ponder:
Psalm 29 is a powerful portrait of God's majesty. It describes his voice thundering over the waters, breaking mighty cedars, shaking the wilderness, and stripping forests bare. The psalm pulses with divine power and glory. Yet remarkably, it ends with this tender promise: God gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace.
This is the beauty of Christmas.
The God whose voice commands the universe chose to enter our world as a baby's cry. The One who thunders over the waters lay helpless in a manger. The King of glory arrived in humility. Infinite power wrapped in infant weakness.
Why? To give us what we desperately need: strength for our weakness and peace for our turmoil.
The same God who displayed His might in creation displays His love in the incarnation. He doesn't give us peace by removing life's storms; He gives us peace by entering into them with us. He doesn't offer strength from a distance; He became Emmanuel—God with us—walking through our struggles, bearing our sorrows, and ultimately conquering sin and death on our behalf.
This Christmas, we celebrate that the mighty God who spoke the world into existence speaks peace over his people. The Lord who needs nothing chose to give us everything—his presence, his strength, and his perfect peace.
Prayer:
Mighty God, thank you for blessing us with your peace through the gift of Your Son. Give us strength for every challenge we face this Christmas and help us rest in the peace only you can provide. We praise you for coming near to us. In Jesus' name, Amen
Today's Devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LIfeWay Epping
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
To Ponder:
There is a striking image in this reading: it tells us to let Christ's peace rule in our hearts. The word suggests a referee making the final call, a king sitting on a throne, a governor directing affairs. Christ's peace isn't meant to be an occasional visitor to our hearts—it's meant to reign there.
This is the peace that Christmas ushered into the world.
When Christ was born in Bethlehem, heaven's peace broke into earth's chaos. The Prince of Peace arrived to reconcile us to God and to one another. He came to establish a kingdom where peace doesn't just exist—it governs. It directs our decisions, settles our disputes, calms our anxieties, and shapes how we relate to others.
Notice the connection between Christ's peace to our life together. We were called to peace as members of one body. The peace of Christmas isn't just personal tranquillity; it's the harmony and unity Christ creates among his people. When his peace rules in our hearts, it transforms our relationships, our churches, our families, and our communities.
And there is one more thing: "be thankful." Gratitude and peace are inseparable. When we recognize all that Christ has done for us—coming as a baby, living a perfect life, dying for our sins, rising in victory—thanksgiving naturally flows, and his peace settles deeper in our hearts.
This Christmas, let Christ's peace take its rightful place on the throne of your heart.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing your peace into our world and into our hearts. Help your peace to rule in us this Christmas—guiding our thoughts, calming our worries, and shaping how we love others. Fill us with gratitude for all you've done. In Your name, Amen.
Today’s Devotion is written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
To Ponder:
The Christmas season can be paradoxical. We celebrate the Prince of Peace while often feeling anything but peaceful. Our minds race with to-do lists, our wallets strain with expenses, our calendars overflow with obligations. Anxiety creeps in where peace should dwell.
Our reading today offer us a different way—a way that leads directly back to the heart of Christmas.
"Do not be anxious about anything." Instead, bring everything to God in prayer. Not just the big things, but everything. Our worries about family gatherings. Our concerns about finances. Our fears about the future. Our loneliness. Our grief. Our joy. All of it.
And here's the promise: when we bring our anxious hearts to God with thanksgiving, His peace—a peace that defies logic and transcends our circumstances—will stand guard over our hearts and minds.
This is the peace the angels announced on that first Christmas night. When the shepherds heard "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace," it wasn't a promise of easy lives or perfect circumstances. It was the announcement that God Himself had come near in Christ Jesus. The baby in the manger was Emmanuel—God with us—and his presence changes everything.
This Christmas, we can exchange our anxiety for His peace, not by ignoring our troubles, but by bringing them to the One who was born to carry them for us.
Prayer:
Father, we bring you all our anxieties this Christmas—everything that weighs heavy on our hearts. Thank you for the gift of your Son and the peace he brings. Guard our hearts and minds with your peace that surpasses understanding. Help us rest in your presence today. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Today’s Devotion written by Pr Nich Kitchen, LifeWay Epping