Saturday Spiritual Uplift - More Advent Thoughts

Advent Thoughts: A Down-to-earth Message

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven,
    and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”

 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.

(Luke 2:8-20, NLT)

Nativity scene in Bronner's entrance in Frankenmuth, Michigan

The shepherds were considered lowly in ancient Israel. Their clothes became dirty and smelly from working in the fields with the sheep, herding them and protecting them. If a shepherd walked by someone in town, the average citizen sidestepped them. They didn’t garner attention like the Pharisees and scribes, dressed well and scented with expensive oils, people who took pride in following the law, so that others could observe.

The Lord didn’t send his angels to the rich and religious the night Jesus was born in a room kept for animals. He sent them to the lowly shepherds, telling them to “fear not” and giving them a message of great joy and salvation to come. The account of the shepherds visiting Christ at the time of His birth speaks for itself. It’s simply this: Sinner or saint, worship the one who loves you and was willing to sacrifice His life for you, when you’ve done nothing to deserve it—myself included. He reaches out to you, wherever you are in life.

Father, open our eyes to see that we need to trust in You, to receive your love sent to us, your glory wrapped in the body of the baby Jesus, who came to live among us and give His life for us. Thank you for the best gift of all. Amen.

Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas!

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Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Advent Thoughts

Advent Thoughts - Week One

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. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

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. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!


She will give birth to a son,


and they will call him Immanuel,

which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25, NLT)

St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus by Guido Reni
(in the public domain, source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Advent wreath is out on the table, but in all my busyness I have yet to light the first candle. On top of that, I have been trying out an Advent experiment and have already fallen behind! I divided the verses of the Christmas story in the Gospels, so that I would have a short reading to meditate on for each day through Christmas Eve. The book of Matthew focuses on Joseph’s story, which I read part of earlier this week.

When God chose Joseph to be a stepfather to Jesus, He chose a man filled with mercy and grace. It must have broken Joseph’s heart to think that Mary had been unfaithful, but he chose to be kind, not shaming her with extra attention. He could have brought her forward and asked for her to be stoned, but Joseph had a heart of mercy toward his betrothed. He decided to divorce her quietly.

But then the Lord stopped him by sending an angel in his dreams to tell Joseph that Mary would bear the Son of God. So Joseph obeyed by taking Mary as his wife and by naming the child Jesus when He was born.

Joseph had a heart prepared to hear the voice of God when it came to him. He was attuned to it. He didn’t chalk the dream up to too much spice in his lentils the night before. He knew the voice of God, believed the angel in the dream had been sent from Him and acted on the commands given to him. What wonderful example Joseph is for us!

Father, please help are hearts to be attuned to hear the still, small voice of your Holy Spirit. Strengthen us that we might obey You each day. Please help us to be filled with your mercy and grace that we might extend it to others. Amen.