Corona Devotionals

Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King, peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconcile. Joyful, all ye nations, rise, join the triumph of the skies; with the angelic host proclaim, 'Christ is born in Bethlehem' Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King. ~~~ Have we listened to enough Christmas music yet? It's never enough in our house.  Our kids made their own Christmas playlists on their phones... i n late October , and they have been jamming out to jolly jingles ever since. I have a plentiful collection of Christmas CD's and records, and I assume that you do too.   And somehow, although I haven't a musical bone in my body, I have been to no less than seven musical Christmas performances in the past couple of weeks, due to our children being members of the orchestra and choir, and a love of (Christmas) music. If you (also) have been listening-to and enjoying Christmas music/shows/performances, you may have noticed what I hav...

I really  hate to put people out, and so I hesitate to ask for help, even if someone seems "perfect" for the position.   But if we can get over ourselves sometimes, we will find that God has already established  things, and  Jesus is our eternal King:  we just need to partner with Him.   Nervous about asking a friend of ours (who looks remarkably like Santa) if he and his wife would guest-star as  Mr. and Mrs. Claus  for a (second annual) Christmas party at our local nursing home...I hesitated on reaching out to him.  Everyone is busy at the holidays (especially if you are a ringer for Santa) and I didn't want to put them out.  But finally , I got the gumption to email our "Santa" friend. He said "Yes" immediately, and sent me a second email that read, " Please note that I have been growing the old beard for a while in anticipation of your call." I hadn't needed to fret about asking: Jesus had already established and sched...

We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas the other night as a family (Yes, it IS hard to coral 13, 15, and 17 year-olds into a family movie night, but once seated...everyone enjoyed the show!)   Not unlike many of us, Charlie Brown struggles with not feeling "the true meaning" of Christmas, as his sister blatantly asks Santa for money ("How about tens and twenty's?"), and his friends demand shiny trees and create a "Christmas" play with no substance. In his frustration and depression, Charlie Brown cries out, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" "Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about," his buddy Linus says gently.   And then Linus steps forward and  proceeds to the stage where he recites lines that are not from a play, but that come from Luke, Chapter 2 in the Bible:  And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  ( 9)  An angel o...

For to us a child is born...  ~Isaiah 9:6   Tis  the Season.  The Christmas Season: everything's decorated and animated and jovial.  We are too...until we're not. Tis  the Season for church and outreaches and invitations...until we're  standing at church, singing "Silent Night", like we have every Christmas Eve for as long as we can remember, and suddenly the tears come, because we remember .   Tis  the Season to be jolly...until (even though it's been years )...we miss that person so much we can barely breathe. Tis  the Season of wonder and hope...until a recent and raw loss sucks all the hope and joy from our spirit.   Tis  the Season for many things: most of them tradition-filled, Scripture-tied, and memory-making.  But, if we have lived long enough--the Holidays are also a Season filled with sad-remembrances of dear ones that no longer live here, and won't gather 'round the tree with us this year. W...

Jesus is born.   ( While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,  ( 7)  and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.   ~Luke 2:6-7) The wise men follow a star and come seeking him.  They accidentally tell and ask King Herod about Jesus.   When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him  ~Matthew 2:3 ( Disturbed  =  experiencing or exhibiting emotional disturbance  or agitation/ characterized or affected by interference, alteration, or disruption.  ~Merriam Webster Dictionary ) Can we  imagine ?  People being disturbed about Jesus?       The coming reality of Him...     T he unexplainable about Him...     T he faith required to follow Him...  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him  ~Matthew 2:3 Can we imagine people and leaders being  disturbed  in hearing about Jesus?   ...

“For my thoughts   are not your ,    neither are your ways my ways,”  declares the   Lord .  ( 9)  “As the heavens are higher than the earth,  so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts.  ~Isaiah 55:8-9 In a sermon that I listened to during a drive last week, and in a devotional that I read this morning, God made the same point to me: Be flexible....  Our plans are not (necessarily) God's. Are we listening to what God says? We make our plans, we set our schedule, we plan the things, we have (specific) ideas of exactly how everything will all play out...(and there can be reward in being prepared and satisfaction in planning for success)...   But (on a couple levels), God is always teaching (and preparing )  us for the "unexpected" changes that can occur, and these (just might) be Him working or re-shifting our focus (back on to Him). We must be willing to know  that it is God who is i...

Wrapping up some gifts the other day, a flush of warmth rushed through my veins as I thought, "She'll love  this", and "He'll be so surprised to open this".   Buying gifts can be cumbersome, expensive and a chore... or finding something that suits someone , blesses somebody, or that we know  they will love...can warm our heart, and that's called love.  We love because he first loved us.  ~I John 4:19 We talk a lot about gifts at Christmas, and we fuss and fret about giving and getting the right ones, but the gift that we have (hopefully) accepted from God is of the greatest value (ever), and its meaning is eternal: it is the gift of Jesus, God's Son. For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son,  that whoever believes  in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  ~John 3:16 This gift didn't come wrapped in royal robes (as everyone expected) or in a box tied up with a silver bow.  The Son of God was bo...