Devotion Dec 5

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1 Thessalonians 3:9-10

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you?  Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

     

      Working in the travel industry for over forty years, I was very fortunate to travel the world and experience other countries, cultures and traditions.  I was especially in awe when visiting some of the Caribbean Islands.  People seemed to always have smiles on their faces and warm greetings for you.  They are hard working, many for very long hours each day for little money in comparison to our standards.  Their homes are modest and material things are not so important or a priority.  They are happy with what they have and proud of their families.  They have joy in their hearts.

I often pondered Why? Why can’t we be like this? Why do we obsess about things?  Where are all the smiles?

It is like these small islands are on another planet than ours, maybe it is all the sunshine.

I always felt my faith renewed after my travels, reflecting on my life and how I live it usually brought me some small change.  I try to find the joy in life and be thankful for it.  I hope you find the joy this Christmas season.

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for those little islands that bring so much joy to many.  I pray that you could bring joy to all of us and put more smiles on our faces.  Amen.

   - Jean Harrison

Devotion Dec 3

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Psalm 25: 4-5

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

     This is such an excellent prayer to pray before daily Bible and devotional readings. It helps to centre our mind and heart to focus on what is being read, praying for the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read His word. Daily readings, especially in the morning, are so important and helpful to prepare us for the day ahead. Praise God, He is always ready to give us direction if we just ask. Asking may be easy to do yet it may not be so easy to hear what He says. Sometimes we need patiently to wait and focus our listening ears to hear His still small voice. And when we hear and understand, what a blessing there may be for us to find. 

From Sarah Young’s book, Jesus Lives: “ If you’re uncertain about your direction, ask him to show you the way…. The more you seek My Spirit’s help and yield to his loving guidance, the better your life will be. When you don’t know how to pray as you should, cry out, ‘ Help me, Holy Spirit!’” 

 

Prayer: Father God, I pray for a heart willing to listen to your guidance and wisdom daily. Help me to learn to focus as I read your word. Help me to recognize your Holy Spirits leading and to be willing to follow. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen!

        - Barbara Martin

Devotion Dec 2

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Jeremiah 33:16

In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

 

It was about 2,600 years ago that the prophet Jeremiah spoke among the Hebrews. He had a forty-year ministry. It was a time when one of their greatest and most godly kings had died, and later the Jewish nation got conquered and destroyed. It was the worst of times. Jeremiah ended up with those who fled to Egypt. Many others got deported north to Babylon.

Now, in 2024, quite a few Christian folk believe we are living in ‘the last days,’ a time of things getting worse and worse before the better days to come, the golden age. (I’m not quite in that camp.) This feeling was surely among Jeremiah and his people all those centuries ago. And many times in history, people have felt ‘the end was near.’ 

Our little season of Advent and Christmas is a time for us to discover, together, some hopes and some reasons to carry on in our faith. For there are many reasons to give up. Like Jeremiah of old, there are voices of hope for us. Keep alert; stick together; seek goodness! Then our name can also be ‘God-Is-Doing-Right-Things.’

PRAYER: God of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy: we pray for us, Your people. These days are hard. Not always for us, but for so many, that’s for sure. Is there hope for this world of people? We look to You, to find that answer is ‘Yes.’ Even when we are not sure what are the right things to do, may You accomplish some good in us. This Christmas, and always. Amen.

  - Jeff White

Devotion Dec 1

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Jeremiah 33:14-15

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Whenever I read these verses I often think of genealogy ---a family tree. When I was growing up I remember how my father’s sisters spend many hours researching our family tree but they could not understand why my father did not share the same interest in genealogy. At the time of Jeremiah’s ministry both houses of Israel and Judah were living in exile.  Jesse was the father of David. David was a young shepherd, when under God’s direction, Samuel anointed him with oil. (1 Samuel 16:11-13). God promised his people he would one day provide them with a king, from the family of David, who would rule with both honesty and justice. This king was Jesus, God’s son who would come into the world as a baby born in Bethlehem. As we begin our advent journey, amidst our preparations of trimming the tree, shopping, wrapping presents & baking. STOP! Take a deep breath remember Jesus is the reason for the Season.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father as I begin my advent journey, may you slow me down in the busyness of life to spend time with you both in scripture and prayer so that when it is time to celebrate the birth of your son I will be ready physically, mentally and spirituality. Amen

- Rev. Marlene Quinn