[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Reflecting by Jonathan Holmes

This is the last day of the year! Where did it go? As we celebrate bringing in the new year, let’s take a moment and reflect back on a busy year!

• What was the greatest thing that happened this year?
• What was the hardest thing that happened this year?
• Who is someone that made a big impact on you this year?

Take a moment and reflect back on the entire Advent season. Whether you read one or thirty-one, spend time reflecting on what you learned. If you wrote in a journal or took notes on your phone then read through some of those.

• What is one thing that you learned through celebrating the Advent season?
• What is one passage of Scripture that made an impact? Read that passage again.

As you reflect look at ways that God has provided for you in this past year. Thank God for providing in all of these ways. Reflection is important for us, because it allows us to understand and see clearly how God is working in and through us. Søren Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” We understand life by reflecting on the past, but since we always live moving forward let’s talk about the unique opportunity we have today to set some goals or resolutions for the start of the new year tomorrow.

Here are a few ideas to help you set a New Years’ Resolution that stick:

• Keeping Life Simple – Instead of starting something new and fresh, try a resolution to quit or spend less time doing something.
• Make an Impact – Choose to do something that will make an impact for the Kingdom of God. Consider mentoring someone this next year. Consider reaching out to someone as a friend. Consider inviting someone new to church on a weekly basis.
• Let Others In – Make a resolution with someone. You wouldn’t even believe how much easier it is for your resolution to stick around longer, if you let someone in to do it with you or simply to keep you accountable.

Today is a unique day as we both reflect on the past and dream of the future. Celebrate today what God has done and rejoice knowing that He is going to do even more in and through you this next year!

Advent Prayers

• Confess ALL of your sins to God. Seriously lay it ALL out there.
• Your sin doesn’t define you, your relationship with God does.
• Now walk away knowing that because God has forgiven you of ALL of them you can live for Him.

 

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

The King Returns by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Acts 1:1-11; Revelation 22:7

We have spent the past 5 weeks focusing on and adoring Jesus as a part of the Advent Season. Primarily we focused on Jesus’ first advent in which He was born of the Virgin Mary in the town of Bethlehem, but we sometimes forget that the Advent Season is about TWO advents. The one we tend to forget about is that upon Him ascending into heaven He promises to return to make all things new.

In Revelations 22:7 John’s prophecy tells us that not only is Jesus coming, it says “I am coming soon.” Are you living your life like Jesus is coming? Or are you living a life that believes Jesus is coming soon?

As Christians we are called to live in the light of Jesus’ promised return. No matter if He returns today or in the next generation our lives are testimonies to the inevitable return of Jesus.

Question

• Are you living a life that believes Jesus is coming soon?

Advent Prayers

• Ask God to increase your faith in the promises that have not yet been fulfilled.
• Thank Him for allowing you to celebrate Jesus this Advent season.

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

The Rest of the Story by Mark Robinson

Read:  Luke 2:22-35

4 score, and several days ago, Daniel Day Lewis became Abraham Lincoln for Steven Spielberg’s epic movie about the sixteenth President.  Obviously I have never heard the real President Lincoln speak before, but watching DDL relate to Civil War life felt amazingly real and true to life.

Watching any movie about President Lincoln is an interesting experience for someone who knows how his life ended.  You watch his successes, and you are sad his life is cut short, preventing even more triumphs.  You watch his enemies, and you wonder if they will ultimately contribute to his demise.

Reading the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus has similar effect.  Knowing Jesus is crucified near the end of the story, we take the opposition He faces early in His life VERY seriously.

As I read Luke 2:22-35, however, I am also reminded that my experience of knowing that the cross cast a shadow over Jesus’ entire life was not unique to my 21st century perspective.  The reality is that Joseph and Mary were familiar with Jesus’ fate from very early in His life.

According to Jewish Law, the mother of a male child was considered unclean for about 40 days after the birth of the baby.  At the end of this time, the family would present an offering to God for cleansing.  A wealthy family would present a lamb and a poorer family would present two turtle doves (no mention of a partridge in a pear tree).  Mary and Joseph’s offering of birds indicates their meager financial means.

When they showed up at the Temple, a man named Simeon is there and is prompted by the Spirit of God that Jesus is the Messiah.  Simeon picks up the infant Jesus and confirms His identity as the Christ.  This would have merely been a CONFIRMATION to Mary and Joseph about their child.  However, as Simeon continued to talk, the Holy Spirit speaks forth an important CLARIFICATION about the content of Jesus’ life that would have shaken His earthly parents.

It is totally possible that Mary and Joseph assumed (as many in Israel did at that time) that the victory Messiah would win would be largely political.  However, just 40 days into His earthly life, Simeon informs His parents that Jesus life would experience significant conflict, and that Mary, especially, would experience sorrow in her soul regarding how Jesus would be treated.

Simeon’s prophecy would have given Mary and Joseph full knowledge of the difficult future Jesus would have.  Knowing this, I wonder how they felt watching their child grow up.  They had to wait with great anticipation wondering how Jesus could experience both such a triumph AND such sorrow.

History would reveal that the Messiah’s mission would be layered.  His first coming would win an epic SPIRITUAL victory, with His death on the cross (that no doubt was soul piercing for Mary to witness) securing forgiveness and eternal life for God’s people.  Jesus also promised a second coming when the full extent of His epic PHYSICAL/POLITICAL triumph would be revealed.

As we celebrate Christmas, we are blessed by the events that brought sorrow to Mary, but spiritual life to all who embrace Christ by faith.  We cannot reflect on the life of Jesus without pondering His death on the cross and its significance to our lives — making payment for the penalty of all our sins.

At Christmas, we also can celebrate the promised future when Christ will return and complete His Messianic destiny . . . ruling the earth from David’s throne in a Kingdom that knows no end, free from sin’s destructive forces.

When Simeon saw Jesus in the Temple, He saw both the joy and the pain that Messiah would face.  When we look at the manger, do we see the same thing?

Questions

• Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to be the parents to Jesus Christ?

• What about the first coming of Jesus (on Christmas) encourages you?  What are you looking forward to about the future return of Jesus to the earth?

Advent Prayer

• Ask God to help you feel the joy of adoring Jesus (not only for Advent) but for the rest of your life.

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Small Town by Mark Robinson

Read:  Matthew 2:19-23

According to wikipedia, there are 359 towns in the state of Oklahoma that registered on the census of 2010.  At the top of the list are Oklahoma City (nearly 1.6 million), Tulsa (nearly 400,000) and my hometown of Norman (over 110,000).  Most anyone who is familiar with the state of Oklahoma would have at least HEARD of these three cities.  However, as you move down the list of Oklahoma towns, you quickly digress into places almost no one (except maybe a storm chaser like Val Castor) has ever heard of.

Quick, tell me something about each of these towns:  Ringwood, Achille, Tryon, Depew, or Stonewall.  Anyone?  Anything?  I didn’t think so.  Each of these towns range in size between 497-470 people.

At this point, you have to be wondering if I simply have way too much time on my hands.  In the midst of a busy holiday season, why am I searching through 2010 census data?  The reason is this:  Jesus grew up in the town of Nazareth . . . population – 480.

Can you imagine that?  The Savior of the world grew up in a one dog town (and that dog was old and mean.)  The One who would explain God in terms we could all understand, spent his adolescent years in an area so small that only a few families would make up the entire community.

Mary and Joseph were residents of the town of Nazareth before Jesus was ever born, but after His birth, they lived life apparently moving from place to place (Bethlehem to Egypt).  However, by the time Jesus was a preschooler, God led them to move back to Israel, and through some sovereign direction, led them back to Nazareth in the region of Galilee.  We read this story today in Matthew 2:19-23.

It would have been a weighty task to raise the Messiah.  No doubt Joseph and Mary wanted the absolute best for their son, and might have assumed they needed to live nearer the capital city of Jerusalem for their child to assume His throne.  However, God had other plans.  God used the political climate of the day, and direction through a dream, to guide Joseph, Mary, and Jesus back to Nazareth.

Matthew mentions that Jesus’ hometown being Nazareth was “spoken by the prophets,” but this can be a confusing statement.  There is no direct Old Testament prophecy that mentions the town of Nazareth.  So how can Matthew see Jesus being called a “Nazarene” being a fulfillment of prophecy?

The answer is quite surprising.  Though Jesus is never prophesied to be from Nazareth, many prophets indicated that Jesus would be despised and rejected.  The reputation of the small town of Nazareth was so poor that being called a “Nazarene” was an insult of sorts, a demonstration of His humble nature.   Instead of coming to the world with privilege, educated degrees, and earthly titles, Jesus came as a humble carpenter’s son from a town of less than 500.  Instead of being from the big city, He was from Ringwood, or Depew, or Stonewall.

The Son of God who sits sovereign over space and time could have been born anywhere at anytime in history.  He could have been raised in any environment and still been human.  In His wisdom, Jesus chose to be raised in a town of 480 people.  It was not an accident, God made it happen.  This fact simply further drives home the point that Jesus came for all men and women.

Questions

• What is the smallest town you have ever visited?  Look up the population of that town on the internet.

• Does it surprise you that Jesus grew up in such a small town?  What does this decision tell you about His life and ministry?

Advent Prayer

• Ask God for a renewed sense of humility this week

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

A Sentimental Journey by Mark Robinson

Read:  Matthew 2:13-18

Are you sentimental about locations?  Do you have a special restaurant you go to with your spouse or sweetheart to celebrate anniversaries or key events?  Do you have a special location that embodies “family vacation” in your mind?  Most people do.

One such location for the Robinson family is Branson, Missouri.  Since I was a little boy my family has gone to the Ozarks for vacation.  I have so many memories playing mini golf, riding water slides, watching country shows, etc. in this hillbilly holiday.

Because of those memories, I am excited that recently my family has resumed gathering in Branson for long weekends together.  It has been great to introduce my son to Silver Dollar City and Branson shows while in the company of my extended family.

You probably have places of significance in your family as well.  You know what?  So does God.  That’s right, God has some special places that are full of memories with His people.  One such place is Egypt.  It seems God’s people visit there on occasion.

Of course, the most famous visit to Egypt from God’s people began in the time of Joseph (Genesis Joseph, not Jesus’ adoptive father) during a great famine in Palestine.  God protected His people from starvation in the shadow of the Sphinx, and allowed them to grow in great numbers in this foreign land.  After a number of years, however, Egypt began dealing harshly with the people of Israel, and God would raise up His servant Moses to lead God’s people out of bondage and into the promised land.

Because of that memory, God wanted to go back to that prominent place with His people in the time just after the birth of Christ.  While Jesus was just a young child, the wicked King Herod wanted to kill Jesus because he was afraid of what Jesus would do to his earthly influence.  In order to protect His Child from being starved out of life in Palestine, God sent Jesus to Egypt with Joseph and Mary to wait until it was safe to return (the story you read earlier today in Matthew 2:13-18).

After it was safe to return, God called forth the Redeemer, Jesus, out of Egypt and back to Palestine.  Like Moses before Him, Jesus would be God’s leader to usher His people to the promised land.  By going back to Egypt, God tied Jesus in as a type of Moses.  However, Jesus is much better than Moses.

▪Moses would be used by God to lead the people through the Red Sea, but his disobedience prevented him from ushering God’s people all the way to the Promised Land.  Jesus, however, lived a perfect life, and completed the task of saving His people!

▪Moses was the vessel chosen by God to deliver His Law to His people, but the Law only condemned, it could not save.  Jesus, however, was the Living Word providing a Living Way for God’s people to not just hear about holiness but experience it!

▪Moses would die in the wilderness still awaiting the promises.  Jesus rose from the dead, a full heir of heaven’s blessing.

By taking Jesus back to Egypt God was using a bit of historical sentiment to show us the amazing truth that Jesus is better than even Moses.  More than a religious figure, Jesus was the Savior of the world.

Questions

• Do you have a place that is sentimental for your family?

• Do you see any special significance in God taking Jesus back to Egypt in Matthew 2?

Advent Prayer

• Pray and thank God for how Jesus is superior to ALL others, even other famous people from the Bible.

 

[The following devotional is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Gifts by Mark Robinson

Read:  Matthew 2:1-12

No doubt, many of you have gone shopping this Christmas season.  As you shop, you are guided by a list of names of people you want to buy a gift for.  On this list are friends and family that you genuinely want to bless this holiday season.  The problem, however, is what kind of a gift do you give them?  We would like to think that the gifts we give are guided by our love and/or a principle of reciprocity.  However, there is a problem with each of these principles.

First of all, though we might like to think that our giving is guided by our love, our love is usually limited by our budget.  After all, we typically have more love in our heart than money in our bank accounts.  Therefore, even if we have a “million dollar” love for our family members, we will probably get them a $30 shirt from TJ Maxx.

Second, there is an issue with reciprocity.  By reciprocity, I mean that you try to give a gift back to someone of equal value to what they have given to you in the past.  This principle, however, is also flawed.  I can never pay back my parents (for instance) for all they have done for me.  No sweater (I don’t care which logo is on it) can ever equal sitting through little league games in 40 degree weather or caring for me when I was sick or providing love, food, and shelter for me throughout my growing up days.  I simply will never be able to pay back what has been given to me — I have just received so much.

I was thinking about all this and it reminded me of a deep spiritual truth that impacts my understanding of God’s love for me and my response to that love towards Him.

First of all, though our budget always constrains our ability to give, it never constrains God.  God is the only One anywhere who has no budget.  Even Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have their limits, but God does not.  He has everything at His disposal, so He never tires at ways to demonstrate His love for us.  The obvious “big gift” that God gives us each day (including Christmas) is the gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.  As Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  The God who has everything gave His very life so that we might live and know that He loves us.  Even beyond that big gift, however, God continues to give to us without a budget.  The beauty of nature, the spiritual encouragement of the Body of Christ, tasty food to nourish our bodies, etc. are all evidences of God’s gifts to us.  He never tires or grows weary in giving to His children.  He has all the resources to match the scope of His love for us.

Second, I cannot practice the principle of reciprocity with God.  There is no “sacrifice” that I can make in this life that is of equal value to the gifts God has given to me.  No “I’ll go serve you in Africa” claim could ever be the same as all that God has given to me.  We cannot pay back to God what He has given us — for we simply have been given too much.

Given these truths, what are we to do?  Well, when it comes to understanding how much God loves us, we should stand in awe of the gifts He continues to send our way.  What great demonstrations of His budget-less love!  Stop right now and thank Him for His indescribable gifts.  Second, stop trying to pay God back for His gifts to us, for you can never give enough.  This does not mean that we do not serve Him or worship Him or love Him or give back to Him.  We absolutely do that.  Just as I still bought presents for family and friends yesterday as reminders of my love for them, we still give to the Lord out of our love for Him . . . we just don’t do it to settle a score.  This frees us up and purifies our motives in responding to His gifts!

As you shop every Christmas season, may the gifts you purchase remind you of the gifts we have received from Him that we can never repay.

Matthew 2:1-12, tell us of the wise men visiting Jesus and giving Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  These three gifts were symbols of Jesus’s future as both king and martyr.  These men responded to the announcement of Jesus’s birth by worshipping Him and reorganizing their time (they took a trip), talent (they were expert star gazers) and treasure (the three gifts delivered).  We give back to God from the same three categories, not to pay Him back, but (like the wise men) to simply worship the King.

Questions

• What gift would you give to your friends/family members if you did not have a budget?

• The wise men worshipped Jesus through giving of their time, talent, and treasure.  What are some ways you can give something back to God this Christmas season?

Advent Prayers

• Spend time thanking God for the tremendous gift of eternal life given to us in Jesus Christ.

• Out of gratitude and love, pray and lay your life before God, asking what He wants you to do as you respond to His grace in your life.

[The following devotional was written by Wildwood Community Church Student Pastor Jonathan Holmes and is a part of our 2014 Advent Devotional Guide.  We will be posting a devotional each day on this blog between November 30 – December 31, 2014.]

 

Who Invited These Guys? by Jonathan Holmes

Read:  Micah 5:2 (prophecy) & Luke 2:8-20 (fulfillment)

As the census had drawn Mary and Joseph to the town of Bethlehem, the time came for the birth of Jesus. Wouldn’t you know that the angels showed up again, but this time, to some shepherds. They were told that something pretty special had just occurred and that they needed to go check it out; so they wasted no time and headed to see Jesus.

Out of all the people in the world, why on earth do you think the angels appeared to the shepherds? They were at the bottom of the social ladder. They spent all their time outside with a bunch of dirty sheep, and to be quite honest, it really makes no sense at all that these men would be invited to see the Savior of the world. Or does it? Jesus did not step onto this earth to cater only to the rich and prestigious, but also to the poor and neglected. In all actuality, the mere fact that they were just “filthy shepherds” is why their inclusion in the celebration of Jesus’ birth makes perfect sense. For rich and poor alike, God put on flesh for those who needed Him most … you, me, everyone.

When we begin to look past the outward appearance of others and into the hearts of people, we may finally stop overlooking those in need of Jesus.

Questions

• Who is someone you know who is far from Christ?  How does the story of the shepherds remind us that Jesus came for ALL, even those who seem far from Him?
• What can you do this week to help introduce Christ to someone currently far from God?

Advent Prayers

• Ask God to reveal to you a specific person you have overlooked because he/she is different.
• When was the last time you deeply thanked the Lord for coming into this world for us? Take this time to just go before the Lord and show your gratitude for His sacrifice.
• Pray that this Christmas would be different in the fact that all the presents or family drama would not distract you. Keep your focus on Him this season!