Archives: Watchword

WATCHWORD:

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  I Kings 19:11-13

 Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings, too deep for words. Romans 8:26

The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:4

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. Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ⁴⁶ And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? ”Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered hom saying, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”  John 1:45-48 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.  Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. ² Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. ³ For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. ⁴ Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.⁵ For I was born a sinner — yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. ⁶ But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.⁷ Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.⁸ Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me — now let me rejoice. ⁹ Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Psalm 51:1-12 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

¹⁸ This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. ²⁰ As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18-20

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

Meditation:

Advent

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”  — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I believe that Bonhoeffer was an exceptional theologian and Pastor, and a man of great courage and depth. So much of his writings have broadened our understanding of Christianity. But his statement on Advent, well, that requires some honest, self-evaluation. Do you consider yourself poor and imperfect? I do and, may I be so bold as to assume that you do, too? I guess that makes us troubled souls.

His contention that Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, throws me off, just a bit. I admit, I am poor and imperfect, who isn’t? To me, Advent is a fact, an announcement of the coming of The Messiah. Yes, we look forward to something greater to come. We know the “something greater”, but is his statement referring to the Baby Jesus, or all that His coming brings to us through the power of God and our belief and faith?

The history of Advent is an interesting one. Scholars tell us that during the 4^th and 5^th centuries, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the feast of Epiphany, God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, His baptism as an adult by John, followed by his first miracle at Cana. Those early Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration. Originally, there was little or no connection between Advent and Christmas.

Yes, it has changed, and yet it has stayed the same. It is a sacred season.  We honor Christ’s advent with prayer, worship services, the lighting of candles signifying the days leading up to His birth. I don’t see much fasting, but, I do believe, there is some penance, and personal confessing.

As I think about the Bonhoeffer statement, I’m more amenable to its meaning. If we are honest with ourselves we would freely admit that there are times when we are troubled of soul. Our faith and commitment to the incarnate God who walked this earth, who loves us so much as to give an ultimate sacrifice and we know that is something greater, the gift of the resurrection, the central pillar of all that we believe.

So here we are. We will soon light the next Advent candle. In our quiet time with God, we say with conviction, come, Lord Jesus, come precious Savior and come incarnate God. Come. Amen.

(Days of Advent: Sunday, December 1, through Tuesday, December 24, 2024)

Advent Movie Suggestion:

Jesus Revolution.  This film is based on the autobiographical book by Greg Laurie, Pastor of Harvest Fellowship of Riverside California. An entertaining and inspiring true story of the start of the Jesus movement of 1971, that began in California and spread world-wide. Find it on Netflix. I highly recommend.

Closing Prayer:

Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your Word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

WATCHWORD:

If you love me keep my commandments. John 14: 15

If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When the young man heard this he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19: 21-23 Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’ Luke 21:1-4

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18  Continue reading

WATCHWORD:

O Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.  Psalm 95:1-3

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.   Psalm 118:29

I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 1:9

Meditation:

Cockeyed with Gratitude

Have you ever been cockeyed with gratitude? You know, when thankfulness fills your eyes with tears, and your heart is so full that it fair will burst, and all of your words are adjectives of grace and joy. Have you ever been that cockeyed with gratitude?

You know in a very real sense, I think that deep feeling of God’s presence produces all of that, so that even the smallest things in your life take on a shine, a glistening polish of newness even though it’s old, as old as you are, yet its new.  It’s when you know that life is good. It’s when you know that there is so much more beyond what you have experienced, or what you will experience to the very end of this life. It is that knowledge that puts the simonize on life for you know there is so much more to come.

And as you contemplate that, you get cockeyed, and your smile simply doesn’t leave your face, or your heart. God’s blessings, sometimes inexpressible, often can only be felt, and, yet, you know whose you are. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord.  Look at me, I’m cockeyed with gratitude.

My daughter, Beth, sent us this beautiful prose that inspired the cockeyed gratitude devotional. Thank you, Billy Collins:

As If to Demonstrate an Eclipse

by Billy Collins

I pick an orange from a wicker basket
and place it on the table to represent the sun.
Then down at the other end
a blue and white marble becomes the earth
and nearby I lay the little moon of an aspirin.

I get a glass from a cabinet, open a bottle of wine,
then I sit in a ladder-back chair,
a benevolent god presiding over a miniature creation myth.

and I begin to sing a homemade canticle of thanks
for this perfect little arrangement,
for not making the earth too hot or cold
not making it spin too fast or slow

so that the grove of orange trees
and the owl become possible,
not to mention the rolling wave,
the play of clouds, geese in flight,
and the Z of lightning on a dark lake.

Then I fill my glass again
and give thanks for the trout,
the oak, and the yellow feather,

singing the room full of shadows,
as sun and earth and moon
circle one another in their impeccable orbits
and I get more and more cockeyed with gratitude.

Isn’t that interesting, in a down-to-earth sort of way, with common words, yet uncommon thoughts of grace and gratitude. Even in our respective circumstances there is reason, there is cause to brim-over with peace and love for the maker of the stars, our Lord and Savior. Time to say thank you, Lord, over and over again. So be it.

Bulletin Board:

Review your prayer list, and renew your prayers. We all need them, along with our gratitude. Pray for renewed hope in each of us, hope to overcome our anxiety, our fears, our missing of loved ones.

Prayer:

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 

Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life. I long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstances. I thank You, Lord.. Amen.

WATCHWORD:

¹³ Little children were brought for Jesus to lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. “Don’t bother him,” they said. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and don’t prevent them. For of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” ¹⁵ And he put his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:13-15 Continue reading