Devotions for the Third Week of Advent
Monday of Advent 3 – Prayer of the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, we implore You to hear our prayers and to lighten the darkness of our hearts by Your gracious visitation; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
He was the life of every party. In fact, you might better say he was the light of every party. Wherever he went, laughter followed him. There was just something irrepressibly joyful about him. I knew this fellow when I was much younger, in that rather gloomy phase of life we sometimes refer to as adolescence. I think God gave this friend to me because he knew my otherwise dour inclinations needed him.
Today we pray that the visitation of Jesus will lighten the darkness of our hearts. A glance about our world is enough make anyone somewhat depressed. I think this is especially true for the young people of today who express dismay at inheriting a planet poisoned by pollution and economies which do not seem to offer them pathways to success. I do not know if their assessment is valid or not. I just know that they are glum about it all, their hearts are darkened.
Jesus comes and He is the light of the world. One day the glory of His presence will outshine the sun. But right now, He lives in you. As Paul says, it is not I who live but Christ who lives in me. He has hidden Himself within His people, not to be unseen, but to be seen through us. He has taken up residence in your life to bring joy to others who struggle in a world darkened by sin and brokenness. As you pray this prayer today, think how the presence of Christ in you can bring joy to someone. Be the answer to their prayers.
Tuesday of Advent 3 – Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Talley had been limited to her nursing home for many years. She had once been something of a force to contend with, by all estimations of her. She had been one of the drivers behind the founding of the first parish that I served. But by the time I arrived, her once erect frame had been bent by age, her eyes dimmed, and her mind emptied of memories and reason.
At first, I did not even know that she existed. When I arrive at the parish the records were almost non-existent and there was no accurate list of shut-in members. But Kay remembered her. Kay had served beside this older woman for years. So, we worked together, had some folks volunteer to help, and we started to bring Talley to church again. I don’t know how much she cognitively got out those last visits to worship. But I saw her smile when she walked in. She was with people who cared about her. She was home.
Isaiah wrote for God’s beleaguered people of long-ago words of hope and encouragement. Some of them were far from home, others grieved the loss of family and friends, some were enslaved, and others exiled. But these promises are not just for them. They are for us too. I presided at Talley’s funeral a few years after I arrived. We laid her to rest with members of her family while others stood round that tomb and grieved. Her weak hands and frail knees bother her no more. The deserted places of her mind are no longer dry and empty. She fears no foe, no wild beast, or any other problem. Christ her Lord has kept these promises to her. Everlasting joy is upon her head. She has obtained gladness and joy. Sighing and sorrow have fled away.
Wednesday of Advent 3 – Psalm 146
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
He was a bright fellow, an attorney who had attended a good school and had a successful practice. He told a story of his youth during the heady days of the 1960’s. He spoke of having so much hope and expectation of change and a new world dawning. He said if you were a guy with a certain look, a beard and longish hair, not the square haircut of the conformists, you immediately had a brotherhood with all the others who were part of the movement.
But then came Charles Manson who also had the look and whose movement committed such atrocious crimes. But there were other things too: the race riots, the assassinations of Dr. King, JFK and RFK. There were the young people emptied out by LSD and other drugs, sitting by the roads with vacant stares. It all changed. You saw the guy with the beard and the bandana, and the brotherhood was gone. You did not know anymore. He said he had an overwhelming sense of disappointment in those days. He had such high hopes, They were dashed.
Put not your trust in princes, says the psalmist, in a human being in whom there is no salvation. They will always disappoint you. This psalm speaks wisdom. They cannot save us from what really afflicts us. They may promise much, but at best they can help us cope with our smaller problems. When death comes, when sin destroys, these false helpers are without help to offer. My attorney friend is now a member of a parish, one of those guys who is almost always there, sitting in the same pew, singing the hymns, and confessing the creed. Blessed is the man whose hope is in God. The day comes when this man’s considerable power, knowledge, office, and station in life will leave him, rendering him poor and helpless before the grave. He knows that, but he also trusts the One who can help him that day. His Lord Jesus made heaven and earth. He keeps faith forever. He frees the prisoners, cares for the little and least, opens the eyes of the blind, and upholds the orphaned and widowed. He reigns forever.
Thursday of Advent 3 – James 5:7-11
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
It had been a rough month for Linda. Her husband had died after a lengthy illness. Her own health was not all that great. Now, after many years in which her husband had been the primary financial manager of the household, she was forced to navigate a bewildering world of insurance policies, investments, bills, and taxes. She had never done any of these things. Her husband had capably handled this for decades. But he was gone, her heart was broken. Now, every time she opened the check book or the bills which came in the mail, she could not but think about him and weep.
On the day of the funeral, however, she had good news. Her son, beloved and gentle, was coming back a week later. He had negotiated with his employer some time off just to help her set things in order after his father’s death. Her heart, which had been so upset was at ease.
James urges us to establish our hearts because the Lord’s coming is at hand. There are many foes and forces which you and I neither understand nor can control. Like Linda, we stand on a precipice, but not of financial mistakes, but the precipice of eternity. Just as there are sharks who would gladly take advantage of a new widow, there are those who would like nothing more than to ruin your heavenly treasure. You can establish your heart, however. The Lord’s coming is at hand. He came to Linda through that son who helped her set her affairs in order after her husband’s death. He also comes to set all the universe for our sake, conquering our foes and constraining the forces which would grind us and destroy us.
Friday of Advent 3 – Matthew 11:2-15
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
My host was obviously proud of what he was showing me. I was in India at the time, leading workshops for pastors and other leaders of the Indian Evangelical Lutheran Church. His English was good enough, we did not need an interpreter. My ability to speak Tamil does not exist. He was showing me a school, a school which served disabled children. There were classrooms, a place to play, and a place to eat. It was all clean, perhaps one of the best facilities I had seen on my whole trip. It was clear he loved his work and he loved these children.
John sends his disciples to ask if Jesus is the One or should they wait for another. I think John knew the answer to that question, but he wanted his disciples to know it too. Jesus’ answer is what interests me. He points them to the work He is doing: Jesus is healing, encouraging, raising the dead, and more. That is the answer to their question. Is Jesus the One? Look at what he does.
That is still the answer to that question. Jesus has not left this planet when He ascended. His presence simply changed. Now He is in you and me. I think of that man in southern India who cares for children whom his society otherwise neglected. I saw Jesus in that man’s care for those disabled children. But I do not need to go that far to see Jesus and you don’t either. Look to the soup kitchen, the hospital, the nursing home, or the Christian school. Better yet, I hope you can look to your own hands and your own service to see this Jesus still at work. He is still the One, the One who opens eyes and ears in clinics, who forgives sinners, and offers a grocery bag of food and a smile to hungry people in your neighborhood. Yes, Jesus is still the One.