December 31: John 5:8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat, and walk.”

The man had been lying by the Pool of Bethesda for years, hoping for a magic cure from the water. This was no magic—it was the power of the living God. The place of that kind of power and healing led to the naming of Bethesda, Maryland—and a great institution of modern medicine, of healing and power.

December 30: John 4:49-50 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go—your son will live.” The ...

... man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.

Do we imagine that he ran all the way home? Maybe he was jumping and skipping for joy or maybe he just wanted to hold his little son very tightly. We know that good news was waiting for him when he got there. The Good News himself had acted on that day.

December 29: Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I ..

... will not forget you.

God speaks through the prophet, and tries to tell us that he will never forget us. The best comparison he can make is to a nursing mother, but even THAT isn’t a strong enough bond. Beyond all relationships that we can know or imagine, there is God.

December 28: Psalm 98:4 Let the floods clap their hands, and the hills sing together for joy.

We know that floods don’t really clap and hills don’t really sing, but sometimes these awesome images of poetry and metaphor are the only way we can respond to our awesome God. We clap and sing, and all of the vast created responds to its maker in one way or another!

December 27: Luke 2:28-29 Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, ...

... according to your Word.”

The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Savior. Then the big moment came—Mary and Joseph presented their little boy in the Temple, where Simeon was praying. He knew that God had been faithful—to him and to his nation and to all the human family.

December 26: Acts 6:5 They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Phillip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, ...

... and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

A list of names sometimes tells you a lot. These are nearly all Greek names, and we recall that these were the first Deacons—chosen to help with the food distribution to widows. The Greek widows were feeling left out, and the Apostles knew that the choice of these six would be a powerful statement about the worth of all.

December 25: John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

The Son of God started out his earthly life as the son of Mary and Joseph. They were poor, and he came into the world in a humble and primitive place. He would eventually be raised to a place of Glory and Eternity, and he would open that way to all who believe in him. No less than paradise is his home, and no less than paradise is the home he prepares for those who love him.

December 24: Matthew 1:20 An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take ...

... Mary as your wife."

Many generations past, Joseph the son of Jacob rose to prominence in the court of Pharaoh because he interpreted dreams. No coincidence that this Joseph—the earthly father of our Lord—was also gifted in the dream world. He obeyed the dream, and the rest is history! He was willing to provide for his precious and holy family because he believed what the angel had spoken to him. Thank God.

December 23: Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.

The grace of God took the form of a human man, coming among us as God and Lord and Savior and Brother. His offer of salvation, of eternal life, is open to all who will receive him. Pray for those who will hear the story of his birth for the first time in these next few days, and who will come to believe.

December 22: Psalm 66:10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

We hate to imagine that our hardships have come to us from God, or that he deliberately sets out to test and purify us. The ancient people didn’t mind thinking that way at all! It all came from God: good and bad, hard and easy, loss and gain, long and short. Through it all, we are refined and strengthened into the followers he would have us become.

December 21: Luke 1:3 I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you.

With these words, the great physician and evangelist Luke tells us what he was thinking about when he set out to write the Gospel—the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thank God for the ordered mind of this scientist and historian, and for his very unique witness to the life and teachings of Jesus. Thank God for that careful investigation, and for the many voices that Luke alone uncovered and quoted.

December 20: Genesis 3:13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?”

The first woman, who had the amazing privilege of living in the Garden and having fellowship with God the Father, succumbs to sin. She caves in to the temptation of having it her way, of going after the one thing God had forbidden. Sin has long-reaching consequences for all the whole human family from that day forward. Thanks be to God for our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, who carries away the burden of all that sin.

December 19: Zechariah 8:12 For there shall be a sowing of peace; the vine shall yield its fruit, the ground shall give its produce and the ...

... skies shall give their dew.

Can we imagine a sowing of peace? The prophet was talking about the time to come when the Messiah would bring that crop of peace and justice and righteousness. As followers of the Messiah, I wonder what seeds we might need to be sowing in His name? Surely seeds of peace are the plantings that are the very dearest to him.

December 18: Psalm 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

Each one of us has a song to sing, a Word of praise to the Living God that only we can articulate. Who knows how many will “see and fear” because of our witness. Who knows how many will put their trust in the Lord!

December 17: Psalm 50:14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.

We make offerings to God, and we sacrifice out of our gratitude for all he has given us. We make vows to him all the time—various promises and bargains! But the vows of our Baptism are the promises/vows we strive to “pay” for the rest of our lives. And the reward is very great, no less than life everlasting.

December 16: Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and ...

... night without ceasing they sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.”

All over the world in every language and tradition the followers of Jesus celebrate Communion, as we have for 20 centuries. “Holy, Holy, Holy,” we say or sing, all together in the Great Thanksgiving. For that moment we join our voices with the living creatures in heaven. Holy is the Lord.

December 15: Matthew 24:40-41 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding ...

... meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

Men and women alike—one will be taken and one will be left. Laborers, homemakers, professionals, adults, children, rich, poor, all races and tribes will be the same on that day. From among them some will be taken and some will be left. Show us the way of you salvation, Lord God of all.

December 14: Zechariah 1:17 Proclaim further: “Thus says the LORD of Hosts: ‘My cities shall again overflow with prosperity; the LORD will ...

... again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.’ “

As foreign powers rule and crush God’s people, he will have the last word. Scripture tells us that he didn’t choose them in the first place because of any outstanding qualities of their own, but simply because he loved them and longed for a holy people, for a nation of priests to serve him. That divine longing will be fulfilled once again.

December 13: John 5:35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

This is Jesus’s description of John the Baptist. The crowds had been attracted to his shining warmth, his beacon of light in a dark place. They rejoiced to hear him preach and teach and baptize, for a while. Jesus calls us for longer than a while—he calls us for the long haul.

December 12: Psalm 42:1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

What goes on in the mind of a really thirsty deer during a really long draught? We can’t really know, can we? I think we are meant to understand that longing for a stream as all-consuming and powerful and blinding. So my soul longs for you, O God.

December 11: Revelation 2:29 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The Book of Revelation centers around seven scrolls, each one addressed to one of the seven churches in ancient Asia. Each one ends with this same sentence—Listen to what the Spirit is saying… May we also have an ear to listen. May we hear the Spirit speaking to our churches.

December 10: Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it only leads to evil.

The psalmist seems to think that ‘fretting” is something we freely choose to do or not to do. ‘Fret” is not what some external circumstance does to us, it’s what we do to ourselves. Don’t do it—it only leads to evil.

December 9: Matthew 23:12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

The disciples of Jesus wanted to be important, out front, and flashy in their discipleship. He told them that their plan wouldn’t work—they needed to be in the background, quietly serving, taking the least prestigious place. He showed them ‘humble” in his death on the cross. And God showed them “exalted” in heaven.

December 8: Amos 7:14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore tree.”

Amos tried to explain to the King and to everybody else that God had called him and not the other way around. He wasn’t from any kind of “priestly” or “prophety” family. God called Amos out of a pasture full of animals and trees, and gave him his life’s work.

December 7: Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophesy, and blessed are those who hear and keep what is ...

... written in it; for the time is near.

Every time a lector reads out of Revelation in a church service I quote this passage—I can’t help it. Whether we’re at a wedding, a funeral, or a regular Sunday morning service, I love to imagine the particular Blessedness of the one who just read, and the Blessedness of all who listen.

December 6: Luke 1:63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed.

The father and mother of John the Baptist had been on one heck of a journey for the nine months leading up to his birth, and his “naming.” Their fun was just beginning, and their life in the Lord Jesus, and their sorrow, and their profound joy.

December 5: Jude 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Nobody really knows what the end will look like—the Big End. However it comes to us, whatever it looks like, we know it will feel like mercy. The End will be the mercy of Christ Jesus, underneath us all the time like a giant safety net.

December 4: Psalm 16:2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

We have many, many joys in our life, many causes to celebrate, many great adventures, many “goods.” The psalmist reminds us that apart from God, the goods are empty.

December 3: Amos 4:13 For lo, the one who forms the mountains, creates the wind, reveals his thoughts to mortals, makes the morning darkness, ...

... and treads on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of hosts is his name.

The ancient peoples had no trouble visualizing a living God who could form mountains and light up the sky, AND communicate his thoughts to us. Have we lost that easy ability to imagine him?

December 2: Matthew 21:33 There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower.

From the earliest days of the Jewish faith, the vineyard was a metaphor for God’s people—God was the owner who patiently cared for the vines and tended them, pruned and protected them, and looked for a harvest of good grapes. In this parable, Jesus carries the metaphor a step further—the owner of the vineyard sent his son to gather the harvest, but the tenants killed him. God has always longed for a harvest of righteousness, as he does whatever it takes to raise up his vineyard.

December 1: 2 Peter 1:19 You will do well to be attentive to this, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning ...

... star rises in your hearts.

Peter describes for his readers what it was like to be there on the mountain top, as Jesus was shining white. Moses and Elijah were there. As his own life was coming to a close, Peter wanted them all, and us all, to hang on to his words as if the very words were shining white. He knew the reality of life-giving, star-shining, earth-changing words. We should be attentive the his words.

November 30: Psalm 1:3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.

In this case, “they” refers to those happy ones who delight in the ways of the Lord, and constantly meditate on his word. That word is the stream of water that keeps them vibrant and strong, even when the times are dry and the sun is hot. Their roots run deep, and their source of nourishment does not fail, season by season.

November 29: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

When the Apostle Paul sat down to write this church, in about 51 AD, he could not have imagined that his words would become the first ever written in what would become the New Testament. These sentences are the closest thing we have to the life of Jesus and the earliest disciples. They were anxiously waiting for his return, and didn’t know when it would be. So are we, and Paul’s words are for us all—it will be when we least expect it, so stay alert and don’t lose hope. The day will come.

November 28: Matthew 20:33 They said to him, “Lord let our eyes be opened.”

As Jesus went about the country, into villages and towns, people in desperate need were drawn to him, especially the blind and lame. When the blind ones heard he was close by, a new hope came to life within them—maybe they could see? Somehow they had already seen with the eyes of the heart, and realized what many could not see, though their eyes were in perfect shape: the savior was close at hand.

November 27: Isaiah 24:16 From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the righteous one.

It fell to the prophet Isaiah to talk to his people about times of harvest, celebration, and praise. It also fell to him to warn about times of desolation, judgment, and tears. In every circumstance, the prophet sees with God’s eyes, and speaks with his voice. Sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy.

November 26: Psalm 135:15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands.

The psalmists don’t think too highly of man-made idols, or of the nations that worship them. They have eyes and ears, but they certainly can’t see or hear, and they are not worthy of our gratitude and praise. On this national day of Thanksgiving, we return thanks to the one living God, our creator and sustainer.

November 25: 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…

The Apostle was writing an amazing description of the early Christian community—amazing because they were from all races and tribes, and many were anything but royalty. God’s chosen people, his nation of priests, had wildly expanded to include all who call upon the name of his son, Jesus. It was he who made them holy, not the circumstances of their birth or tribe.

November 24: Matthew 19:16 Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?

If only it were as simple as a good deed!! The man who asks Jesus this question already follows the 10 commandments closely, but is unable to give away his possessions and follow the Way as a disciple. Eternal life is all about the long haul with the Lord, not the Magic Deed.

November 23 1 Peter 1:8 Although you have not seen him you love him; and even thought you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with ...

... an indescribable and glorious joy.

This letter, written toward the end of the first century, was addressed to the first generation of Christians who had not been alive during the lifetime of Christ. The eyewitnesses were dying off, but the next generation was alive and on fire with the Good News. They saw him in the same way we do—in each other, in the poor, in the bread and wine, in the music, in the body.

November 22: Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of ...

... the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever noticed that hope seems to go hand in hand with power? When we are hopeless, we are powerless every time. That’s why God is the God of hope, and the God of power.

November 21: Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like an ox.

The prophet looks forward to a time when all of creation will be healed, not just the human family. We are not there yet. The wolf would have to become something entirely unlike his very nature to embrace the lamb. It will be an awesome day.

November 20: Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Of course the New Testament is written in Greek, hence the Alpha and Omega. We can’t really expect Jesus to say , “I am the A and the Z!” But for all future non-Greek speakers, he makes it clear—in everything he starts and finishes, from A to Z he is there.

November 19: Matthew 18:4 Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus talks a lot about who is great and who is humble, who is the least and who is the most, who is big and who is little in His kingdom. It most always turns out that in every category, His kingdom is the opposite from ours.

November 18: Psalm 119:127 Truly I love your commandments more then gold, more than fine gold.

Psalm 119 is very, very long—176 verses. The whole thing, from beginning to end, is a song of praise for the laws of God, for his statutes, his promises, his rules, and the whole way of life that he commands. The psalmist loves the whole Word of his heavenly father. It is a Word of life for us as well, better then gold!

November 17: Revelation 21:4 Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.

Can we dare to imagine that kingdom? Can we dare to think that what we long for day and night will, in fact, come true for us in the reign of the Lord Jesus? Maranatha--Come, Lord Jesus.

November 16: 1 Maccabees 3:19 It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from heaven.

The Maccabees knew that God was with them, and they knew to trust in his might alone. Like King David long before them, they recognized that horses and chariots will not carry the day—the Living God will carry the day. And he did.

November 15: Acts 28:15 The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On...

...seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

Paul had written the Roman Christians a long letter, hoping to visit them, and meet them in person some day. When he actually did meet them, it was along the road into Rome and he was under arrest, in chains. What an amazing, joyous moment, when they came out to join him on that road, and to walk those final miles with him—fellow believers “welcoming” a brother to town.

November 14: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, ”If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross...

...and follow me.”

Unfortunately, Jesus does NOT say to take up our picnic basket and follow him. It will be a cross for him, and it will be a cross for all those who would follow him. We could never even imagine doing it on our own. Thank God we don’t have to.

November 13: Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Before this wonderful word of comfort, describing God’s provision for us, the psalmist describes who he is talking to—the ones who make the Lord their refuge, who actually make him their dwelling place. Do we make the Most High our refuge? The angels do.

November 12: Revelation 19:9 And the Angel said to me, "Write this. Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

We all have an idea of that “marriage supper.” Jesus himself eats at feasts and celebrations, and he teaches us by talking about feasts. He promises a feast in heaven—a banquet—and provides one here on earth at his altar. All are invited to feast with him. Here and now. Come.

November 11: Psalm 82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all nations belong to you.

We are all accountable to the Lord God—for our own individual thoughts, words, and deeds. We are also accountable for what happens in the groups that we belong to—the churches, schools, towns, states, and nations. In so far as we have influence, let it be an example of justice, peace, faith, and hope. God is counting on us to be the leaven in the bread.

November 10: Matthew 15:28 And her daughter was healed instantly.

A foreign woman believed in Jesus, and she believed that he was powerful enough to save her child. He was. He still is. And he is always the powerful one of mercy.

November 9: Nehemiah 9:6 And Ezra said, “You are the Lord, you alone.”

The priest Ezra re-minded the returning exiles of the story of God. He re-told and re-membered tales of God’s power, his creation of all things, his actions in history, and his love for his own people. Ezra called them to repentance and to worship. We all need the reminder—God alone is God.

November 8: Acts 24:21 It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.

The Apostle Paul preached in every location, to every group, with every possible technique to convince people that Jesus Christ had died, and then been raised from the dead. That resurrection—that Good News—is the heart of Paul’s gospel and the heart of our faith.

November 7: Revelation 17:14 The lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

A lamb is the animal sacrificed at the Passover festival meal every year. Jesus told Simon Peter to feed and care for his lambs—his weak children—after he was gone. Jesus also said that he is the shepherd that goes out looking for a lost lamb. But Jesus, the Lamb of God, is also savior, Lord, brother, and king. He is sacrificed and he reigns.

November 6: Psalm 69:33 For the Lord hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.

We know that God always hears the cries of those in need—of widows and orphans, of the poor and the sick and the suffering. May we also hear their cries and reach out to them in mercy. May we be the instrument of our God, who loves them and loves us.

November 5: Psalm 71:18 O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.

It seems that the Psalmist was okay with being forsaken by God, just not yet—not until the message of salvation had been passed along to the children and grandchildren!! I, too, long to pass along that word, but even when I’m done, I’m counting on God’s steady presence and mercy. Do not forsake me, O God. Ever.

November 4: Matthew 13:57 Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.”

Jesus knows that those who are closest to the prophet are sometimes the least receptive to his or her prophetic work. The work of seeing as God sees and speaking as he speaks is hard, and often lonely. Is there a prophet in our town? In our house?

November 3: Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.

This sentence in the Revelation to John looks to our future with hope and confidence. It captured the imagination of the composer George Handel, and now we all hum it over and over after listening to “The Messiah.” He will reign forever--and ever—and ever. Amen.

November 2: Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days.

After seventy years of exile in Babylon, some of the people of Judah returned to Jerusalem, but it was a pile of rubble. An inspired leader and a people who were receptive to his leadership took off, and in fifty-two short days the walls were raised, the city was safe once more. God was there. God is here.

November 1: Psalm 8:1 “O Lord, our sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”

“Praise bands” have been singing this famous one-liner since about 1,000 B.C. From Amy Grant all the way back to King David, the people of God praise him and lift up his holy name. God is the Lord of all the earth and we are his creatures.