Second Baptist Church

(First Sunday of Advent) : 8:30a & 11aPractice HopeJeremiah 33:1 –16; Romans 5:1–5

(Second Sunday of Advent) : 8:30a & 11aPractice PeaceJeremiah 29:4–13; Philippians 3:4–9

(Third Sunday of Advent) : 8:30a & 11aPractice JoyJeremiah 31:3–13; John 12:1–8

December 20 (Fourth Sunday of Advent) : 8:30a & 11aPractice Love1 Corinthians 13:1–13; John 3:1–17

(Christmas Eve) : 5p & 9pPractice the PresenceJohn 1:1–14; Luke 2:1–7

(First Sunday after Christmas) : 8:30a & 11aPractice Your Faith Colossians 3:12–17; Psalm 148

This Advent 2015 Congregational Devotional Booklet is available online at 2bcliberty.org/advent. Share these devotionals daily from our Facebook page or sign up on our website to receive our e-news, and each day’s Advent devotional will come right to your desktop.

If practice makes perfect, shouldn’t all of us who follow Jesus have mastered the celebration of His coming to Earth by now? The answer is yes! Absolutely! But truth be told, most of us are

so perennially distracted by all the secular preparation angled at Christmas Day, we often grow weary by the 25th and give up what’s

divine for divinity.

We forgo our resolve to make God’s presence paramount in what we do, succumbing instead to all the more inviting falderal waiting to ambush our sacred intentions. We practice the hope of Advent praying we can manage the prerequisites of Christmas morning without losing our “Tra-la-la.” We practice the season’s message of peace, bereft of anything resembling a “Silent Night.” We “repeat the sounding joy” like broken records stuck in the

ruts of our own burdensome traditions. Our tune gets scratchy, in amps too loud to ring a heavenly note. As for practicing Love throughout these Holy Days? Trust

me, it really should be more than searching the stores to finish a gift list aimed at keeping frowns from our loved ones’ faces. Still, when the hoopla is over and despite our annual holiday fatigue, we always seem to feel our faith renewed thanks to the power of God’s grace. We may have blown the true meaning of Christmas, but next year, we’re going to do it right!

Which brings me to the subject of our Advent Booklet and what it’s all about this year. It’s helping us to be heads-up, heart-ready, and soul-searching as the Magi who “wandered” the possibility of a Messiah. Practicing this precious Christmastide of 2015, take a quiet moment to wander AND wonder the star. Read the daily scriptures along with the pages of words offered by your fellow church members and diffuse with them, as much as you can, the excessive human craziness of the season. God’s Christmas Story is a simple one. Perhaps its celebration is practiced best when it’s practiced that way!

My thanks to each of our writers for penning us their thoughts. Thank you, Nicole Swanson, my fellow editor, for your lovely graphics, and thanks, Connie McNeill, for choosing from the various lectionaries the Bible verses we will study this December. Thank you to our proofreaders, Neita Geilker and Maggie Henderson, and a thank you to everyone who has had a part in our booklet. Naturally that includes our pastor, Jason Edwards.

Once again, my contribution is a fictional piece dedicated to reminding you and me that “Christmas Practice” should be simple, and sometimes, just a moment with Grandma away!

Sue Wright

“All in the Cards” by Sue Wright

Sunday, November 29 Jeremiah 33:14–16 Jason Edwards

Monday, November 30 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13 Angela Bush

Tuesday, December 1 Psalm 25:1–10 Steve Hemphill

Wednesday, December 2 Luke 21:25–36 Abby Bland

Thursday, December 3 Romans 5:1–5 Rolland Yoakum

Friday, December 4 Isaiah 40:1–11 Sabra Boyd

Saturday, December 5 Mark 1:1–4 Eric Zahnd

Sunday, December 6 Jeremiah 29:4–13 Harold Phillips

Monday, December 7 Luke 1:68–79 Larry Jones

Tuesday, December 8 Philippians 1:3–11 Peg Jones-Wilson

Wednesday, December 9 Luke 3:1–6 Blane Baker

Thursday, December 10 Ezra 1:1–4; 3:1–4, 10–13 Tyler Tankersley

Friday, December 11 Luke 2:25–27 Connie McNeill

Saturday, December 12 Philippians 3:4–9 Charles Smith

Sunday, December 13 Jeremiah 31:3–13 Kristin Wooldridge

Monday, December 14 Philippians 4:4–7 Drew Kingery

Tuesday, December 15 Isaiah 13:2–6 Rich Groves

Wednesday, December 16 Luke 3:7–18 Amy Duncan

Thursday, December 17 Psalm 113 Beth Dusin

Friday, December 18 Luke 1:5–13, 57–80 Sanford Beckett

Saturday, December 19 John 12:1–8 Carroll Makemson

Sunday, December 20 1 Corinthians 13:1–3 Angie Fuller

Monday, December 21 Luke 1:46b–55 Eleanor Speaker

Tuesday, December 22 Psalm 80:1–7 Gary Smith

Wednesday, December 23 John 3:1–17 Michelle Cook

Thursday, December 24 John 1:1–14 Lilly Holt

Friday, December 25 Luke 2:1–7 David Fulk

Saturday, December 26 Isaiah 52:7–10 Ron and Becky Whited

Sunday, December 27 Colossians 3:12–17 Christy Edwards

Five-year-old Jeddy, visiting Grandma and Grandpa Sims for the weekend while his parents were out of town, ran to his Grandmother’s side. In one hand he held Tyrannosaurus Rex. In the other, a Brontosaurus. The two had been Jeddy’s constant companions since the Bunny left them in his Easter basket. “Whatcha doing?” Jeddy asked his grandmother. “Addressing our Christmas cards. Wanna help?” “Sure,” answered the boy, by now practically sitting in his grandmother’s lap. Leaning across her to check out everything on the desk where she was writing, he saw there was a roll of stamps, address labels, three pens, a pile of envelopes, and two stacks of Christmas cards. “Okay,” said Grandma. “You put the labels and stamps on the envelopes while I sign the cards. Think you can do that?” “I know I can. See!” In a second, Jeddy had a stamp and label on the first envelope. Grandma giggled a little because she saw the label was upside

by Sue Wright

down. Careful not to hurt her grandson’s feelings, she asked him if he noticed anything that needed fixing on the envelope, and right away he saw the problem. When he couldn’t pull the label off, he and Grandma decided it would be easiest just to put a fresh label on top of the upside down one. After that, Jeddy performed his job to perfection. In fact, he was finished with his work long before Grandma, giving him time to take a closer look at the Christmas cards she pondered so carefully before adding hers and Grandpa’s names. “Half the cards are Jesus in the Manger,” observed the boy, “and the other half are Santa Claus.” “That’s right, dear. I saw two cards I liked at the store and decided to buy a box of each. Only problem now, it’s taking me forever to choose which card to send to the various families on our list.” “Ours isn’t hard,” exclaimed Jeddy. “We’ll want Santa!” “Why Santa?” “Because Santa brings toys, and Jesus

doesn’t give you anything. He WAS a present! That’s what my teacher told us at Sunday School. The first Christmas present ever! Lucky Jesus! He got to fly in Santa’s sleigh all the way to Bethlehem!” “There’s a thought,” mused Grandma, “but the truth is, Jeddy, Jesus was born long before Santa came along. In fact, without Jesus, there wouldn’t be a Santa, or more precisely, an Old Saint Nick. Run get my iPad, and I’ll show you.” A minute later, Grandma was Googling “Saint Nicholas” on her iPad and reading what she found to her grandson. “According to the St. Nicholas Center Website, Saint Nicholas, known by many names including Santa Claus in more recent history, was born about 300 years AFTER Jesus in the Greek village of Patara on what is currently the southern coast of Turkey. His parents raised him to be a follower of Jesus, and as a result, he became a generous and good man. In time, countries all over the world began to celebrate his legendary kind deeds. Dutch children, for instance, remember him on December 5th by leaving carrots and hay in their shoes for the beautiful white horse St. Nicholas is said to ride through the villages of Holland. The boys and girls hope Saint Nicholas will leave them small presents or pieces of chocolate in return for their thoughtfulness. This gift exchange between

St. Nicholas and the children comes early in the Advent Season, so Christmas Day is focused totally on the Christ Child.” “On a baby! But why, Grandma?” “Because baby Jesus wasn’t just the best gift any of us INCLUDING St. Nicholas ever received. He grew up to be the best, most wonderful gift-giver of all time. By the gift of His example—his life, actually—we’ve learned how to love one another the way God loves us. Because of Him, we know how to be the best people we can be. The best Santa Clauses!” “Does that make Jesus a Superhero, Grandma?” “Better than that, Grandson!” “King of the Universe?” “Even better than that! Jesus is God’s Son. The Prince of Peace!” Jeddy reached for his T-Rex and Bronty, his expression pensive. “All right,” he sighed resignedly. “Send us the baby. Only one more thing, Grandma. Who came first? Jesus or the dinosaurs?” At once, Grandma Sim’s brow knotted in a tangle of wonderment and panic. Then chuckling to herself, she grinned mischievously, turned toward the family room doorway and shouted loud as she could, “Hey, Grandpa! Jeddy has a question for you!”

Second Baptist Church

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… (Jeremiah 33:14).

The context of these verses from Jeremiah is important. The city of Jerusalem is under siege. Jeremiah is in prison. The people will soon be sent into exile. They’ll lose their temple, city, king, priesthood, homes, loved ones — everything that has given meaning to their lives. In the midst of this, God promises them a blessed future filled with safety, justice, righteous-ness, and trustworthy leadership. In the midst of their pain, God promises hope. And so they lived, and waited, in hope.

As people of God, we still live and wait in hope. This can be so helpful, because hope is a source of great consolation. In the midst of our suffering, struggles, and doubt, hope can lift us. It can also lift others through us. We are people of hope who can be beacons of hope.

As you move through this week, look around and notice the need for hope. The need for conso-lation and inspiration can be seen, not just through our television sets, but in our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our homes and our churches. People all around you need to know and feel the uplifting power of hope. Christ is in you. You can offer the hope of Christ to others this week.

Think about it. How might you help others sense God’s promise in the present? How might you practice hope?

Jason EdwardsSenior Pastor

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy

in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (I Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Have you ever blurted out something quickly without giving good thought to your response? That seems to be a recurring issue of mine. Some call it foot-in-mouth disease. These quick retorts to questions and responses to situations can cause great harm. Even when well meant, they are not frequently well received. I can attest to a personal instance in my life in which my quick response, inappropriately given, and though apologized for, caused seemingly irreparable harm to what had appeared to be an otherwise good relationship.

Early in 1 Thessalonians, Paul praises the church in Thessalonica. He affirms this community of believers. Before he continues this letter and commences with the admonitions, he prays for them. In the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary I & II Thessalonians, Linda McKinnish Bridges calls it a “holy pause.” Paul had a great idea we could all use.

We are beginning the season of Advent, a season of hope, as we look towards the birth of Jesus. It is also for many a season of stress, fatigue, hurriedness, busyness, frustration, anger, sad-ness and hurt. It would be a good time for all of us to take Paul’s example of a holy pause to heart. To practice breathing, pausing, praying before speaking admonitions to family members, friends, people in the marketplace. To take to heart the fact that for many we are the only face of Christ in their world … and to make our words and actions count, in a good way.

And as Paul prayed for the Christians in Thessalonica, help us to also pray “that you would make our love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else. That you would strengthen our hearts so that we will be blameless and holy in your presence. Amen.”

Angela Bush

 . . . do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. (Psalm 25:2b, NIV)

This first of two verses from today’s scripture I have chosen to explore more deeply has always troubled me because I’ve wondered what happens if your enemies are also praying for no shame and a big victory?

Back in David’s time, the line of demarcation between God’s people and “the others” was much clearer . . . after all, you could spot a Philistine from across the field. Nowadays, there’s no doubt God gets competing prayers all the time. Does He flip a coin to decide who gets victory and who gets shamed?

Too often in the American political arena, one side will claim to be on God’s side or doing God’s bidding. Kinda presumptuous, don’t ya think? Some get so carried away with their personal zeal they will say “God is behind this effort.” Again, kinda presumptuous, don’t ya think? If we are truly following God, humility demands we not be out front of God!

Verse 7 of Psalm 25 says, “Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious way; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good.”

While I was never a drug addict and never robbed a bank in younger days, I still don’t have enough ink in my printer to cover all my misdeeds. Now that I am older and wiser, I still don’t have enough ink for my future sins. What’s a person to do? I guess my only option is to ask the Lord to remember me through the lens of his love . . . and then . . . relax . . . because that will always be “good ‘nuf.”

Steve Hemphill

Well, I am a senior at William Jewell College. I would like to write about something else, but I cannot deny the parallels between waiting for Christ and waiting for graduation. I live every day with signs that graduation is coming: emails, grad school applications, the consistent stream of church members each Sunday who ask me about my post-grad plans. The signs are undeniable, and they take up a lot of my head space. Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with … the anxieties of life. Jewell is a busy, busy place. I am president of two different campus organizations and a participant in several others. Some weeks I have to schedule my free time to make sure I get any. It is very easy to become an anxious mess of a person and let the beautiful parts of this experience slip away or become clouded.

My words will never pass away. I take great comfort in knowing that Jesus’ words will never pass away, even as my time at Jewell passes away. I also take great comfort in knowing that I have time left at Jewell, that I have time to be present and to practice love, peace, joy, and hope in the midst of essays, projects, and social events as my friends and I make one last go around. This week’s particular emphasis is hope. Hope is the yearning for things not yet seen. I yearn for graduation, and anxiety can often abound, but I rest in Christ’s steady hand.

Abby Bland

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance . . . (Romans 5:3)

One of my favorite books as a child was My Father’s Dragon, in which Elmer Elevator prepares for a marvelous adventure by collecting a strange assortment of items. It’s not clear initially why he’s told to bring chewing gum, two dozen pink lollipops, a package of rubber bands, six mag-nifying glasses, and seven hair ribbons, among other things. But he packs his knapsack with the unusual collection and leaves for his adventure, and, of course, each item, no matter how curious or mundane, comes in perfectly handy at just the right time.

My Father’s Dragon comes to mind when reading the chain of characteristics that Paul strings together in Romans. We have been given a strange collection of tools for our adventure as we journey from estrangement from God to hope and peace. But like Elmer, we can wisely use what we have.

The first thing we’re told that we have at our disposal on our journey is “suffering.” Who chooses to pack “suffering” when going on a journey? But there’s no denying that we have it, and that it can change us. I don’t think Paul is saying God intends us to suffer or that God sends suffering our way. Paul is just saying what we already know: everyone suffers. Life’s not fair.

But even in our suffering, God is with us, which is, of course, the good news of Christmas. We can ultimately move along this path that Paul describes, where our suffering results in endurance, then character, then hope, only because God has already done the hard work of reconciliation for us. Paul makes it sound so easy. But God knows how hard it is, because Jesus suffered with us, which is also the good news of Christmas.

Rolland Yoakum

Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God. Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear out the

rocks. Then God’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. (Isaiah 40:3-5, The Message)

In August, I completed the Rugged Maniac 5K Race at Snow Creek with four of my workout buddies. They had signed up earlier and encouraged (pestered) me until I signed up also. I know what you are thinking—Sabra do a race with 25 obstacles through mud, barbed wire, mud, giant ladders, mud, hills, mud, fire and a 15-foot wall at the end? Really hard to imagine!

The day came, and the weather was beautiful. As we gathered toward the starting line, we had to climb over a wall that was about as tall as I was. (What was I thinking signing up for this?) The whistle blew, and we were off onto the course. I just kept telling myself, “You can do this!”

My workout buddies and I had been preparing for the race, but it isn’t called the Rugged Ma-niac for nothing! There was one moment at the end of a very steep, muddy and long uphill hike that I thought, “I’m not sure if I can do this!” and looked around for any way out. But as I made it to the top of that muddy hill, my teammates were there to encourage me and remind me that we were in it together. Throughout the course, our team yelled for each other, pulled one another out of the mud, helped each other up hills, over rocks, and across each challenge. Just knowing that my friends were close by was such a comforting and uplifting feeling, even when my physical strength was waning. At the end of the course, we all lined up together for the last obstacle—sliding down a big water slide, our hands raised in solidarity! WOW! I did it—we did it! We all felt such a great sense of accomplishment and celebration.

Isaiah gives instructions for preparing for God’s arrival, and it doesn’t sound like an easy task—fill the valleys, level off the hills, smooth out the ruts, clear the rocks. Often in our faith journey and in connecting with God, we encounter ups and downs, hills and valleys. This is how I feel sometimes as December clicks by. As we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth and reflect on the its magnitude, let’s not let the busyness of life and the push-and-pull of our expectations steal our ability to appreciate all the tiny and big moments of the Advent season.

Thankfully, we have our invaluable community of faith with whom to celebrate these moments and to encourage each other through the hills and valleys. For some, this Advent season may be the first without a loved one, include separation from friends or family, or another heaviness of the heart. During Advent, pray God may use you to make a path smooth for someone. And if you need some rocks cleared from your path, welcome that helping hand when it comes. This way we can practice hope and know that God’s glory is on the horizon!

Sabra Boyd

“Get . . . ready for the Lord!” (Mark 1:3).

Some of the best Christmas memories of my childhood aren’t really about Christmas at all. They are about getting ready for Christmas.

I remember the disco-era aluminum Christmas tree Dad would erect in the window of his office on the town square, lit by a rotating-wheel spotlight so it shimmered in red, blue, and green.

I remember zupfa, the Swiss bread our neighbor, Mrs. Kurz, would make because it reminded her of her homeland. It was the land of my ancestors, too, and it made me feel like I was home—even though I had never been to Switzerland.

I remember visiting East Hills Mall, where they had Christmas displays—huge plaster and plastic versions of Rudolph, Santa, and all the rest. I especially remember one Christmas when I got lost wandering among those displays but was quickly reunited with Mom thanks to a kindly mall employee.

And even today, getting ready for Christmas is often the best part.

For years, the day after Thanksgiving has meant our family’s search for the perfect tree at a local Christmas tree farm, followed by an all-hands-on deck transformation of our home from Fall’s brown, yellow, and orange to Christmas’s red, green, and gold.

Christmas Eve has meant a trip to Second’s candlelight service, followed by a dinner featuring cheese fondue—another staple of our family’s Swiss heritage.

Christmas Eve has also meant bedding down in brand new pajamas after our boys were safely asleep, but only after helping Santa devise a new scavenger hunt for that year’s gifts.

All of these things are departures from my normal daily routine. They are things I only do dur-ing the holiday season—and that’s probably what makes them special.

The opening lines of Mark’s Gospel urge us to get ready for the Lord. We are to prepare the way for Christ.

Perhaps the most important way we can get ready for the Lord is to do something special, some-thing different, something outside the routine. For many of us during this busy time of the year, that special, different, unusual thing might just be taking a break. Pausing. Resting. Reflecting.

Let’s stop for a moment to get ready for the Lord by remembering who this season is really about and why we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Eric Zahnd

Second Baptist Church

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you . . .” (Jeremiah 29:7).

I shared a conversation with Linda Armstrong a few years ago, and she concluded I was a “communitarian.” I have been called several things—but never that!

Basically, a communitarian believes the individual is shaped and molded by a larger community who share a history and identity, and to a lesser extent, by individualism. I accept that assessment.

For the Phillips family, Liberty, Missouri, became home — a place to raise a child, to engage in the historic part of Liberty, to make friends with countless neighbors, to be part of the most wonderful church in the world, and on we could go. In return, we have been called to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you.”

Living in Liberty and being part of Second Baptist are gifts and opportunities. But it is not an individualistic, one-way street. How can Gwen and I make a church like Second even more in the image of Christ beginning in Liberty and touching the ends of the earth? Simple—by our seeking the peace and the prosperity of the larger community (vs. sitting in the pew critiquing others and waiting to “be fed” by the pastor and other ministers).

It is as the Phillips family has peace and prosperity that my own life is better. It is as Liberty has peace and prosperity that my family benefits. It is as Second Baptist experiences peace (not just absence of conflict) that our church is made stronger and others see the face of Christ from us.

It is not about “me,” it is about “us.” We are called to live responsible individual lives—whether we are in Babylon or in Liberty/Kansas City—and also to seek the peace and prosperity of where we are.

Pray to the Lord for it, because if it (the community) prospers, you (the individual) too will prosper.

Harold Phillips.

... to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:79)

I don’t know about you, but the first part of December each year is anything but peaceful for me. You have Christmas events to prepare for, go to, or wish you had been invited to. Every-where you turn someone has a last minute Christmas sale, usually on the item I purchased in November to beat the Christmas rush. So, today as you are reading this devotion, I am at home struggling—trying—to find inner peace. I, like you, will be looking at the scripture “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” What brings me the most peace during Advent is the knowledge that Christmas Eve is coming. The end of the hassle and bustle. The shopping is over. The family is here. We will gather together as a church family at the church and take time to celebrate the peace that comes from the birth of our Savior.

This year marks the 67th year I will be going to Christmas Eve Service. I was always one of the lucky ones as a child who Santa visited first; he came to our home while we were gone to church. He continued to do that when we had children, and he still does this for our grandchildren.

My mom and dad always said Santa appreciated the boys and girls who knew that the true meaning of Christmas was not his gifts but the gift of our Savior. I truly believe that Christmas is not in the giving of gifts, the parties we go to, or the decorating we do of our homes. It is in the peace that comes from the special gift of Christmas, the peace we have in our lives due to our belief in Christ.

So as we spend this day together listening to all the ads on the television, radios, and internet, let’s remember that the peace of Christmas is coming. See you at Christmas Eve service as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and the peace He brings daily to our lives.

Larry D. Jones

On a field of green, tiny players clad in shiny black shoes run excitedly back and forth after a white ball. Whistles sound. Children laugh. Parents cheer. This vivid image is a fond memory of mine from when 2BC youngsters played soccer together as the Saints of Second soccer team nearly 20 years ago.

Memories like this one come so naturally, moreso than the solitude of my current situation. Now, my nest grows empty. Now, my girls have replaced their soccer balls with college text-books, iPhones and automobiles. As young adults, they are Plaza-bound, dressed in business casual and anxious to jump high heels first into the great big world. So as I contemplate the peace in my home, it occurs to me that this passage is a prayer that many a parent has prayed through the ages as their children left home to live their own Big Adventure.

Though my memories are full of early morning car pool, after-school soccer practice, evening piano lessons and weekend cross-country meets, today I practice peace far more than I prefer. The solitude around me seems so strange after the immersive busyness of child rearing. But as I struggle to come to terms with my new supportive parent role, I am beginning to understand that this peace is a natural part of letting go…and letting God. I am reminded that those busy little people were gifted to me to feed, shelter and cherish but for a short time. So now in the quiet of my empty nest, I find myself praying this prayer for my dear ones as Paul did for the Philippians:

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more¸ with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and

blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-11).

Peggy Jones-Wilson A.K.A. empty nesting super mom

Prepare the way for the Lord. (Luke 3:4)

One of my most vivid memories from church back home in Oak Grove, Missouri, was watching my brother and his best friend go forward to accept Christ. The boys had been thinking about this decision for quite some time but needed the presence of a friend to take that step down the aisle. In that moment they felt God’s peace, and they experienced God’s salvation.

In our passage for today, John the Baptist seeks to prepare the way for Jesus’s ministry by pointing to our salvation. John preaches that we must repent—that is, turn from our sins—and receive the salvation of God in order to have forgiveness. In this new covenant, Jesus is the Savior of the World. But we must receive this salvation and take up our crosses daily.

As we receive this salvation of Jesus, how does He impact us? Here, Luke quotes the prophesies of Isaiah where Jesus makes things right. The valleys of our sin and strife are filled as we repent and are saved by Jesus’ blood. The mountains of our arrogance are brought low by Jesus’s rejection of our haughty behavior. The crookedness of our dishonesty is corrected by Jesus’s empowerment to mend our ways. The rough ways of our thoughts are made smooth by Jesus’s plea to be worthy of our call.

My own realization that Jesus is my salvation came at the age of eight. I received Him as my Savior after hearing how He had given his life for my salvation. Is there any better way to find peace this season than to know God’s salvation? I hope that God’s peace and salvation are with you today.

Blane Baker

The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of people’s weeping. (Ezra 3:13)

During my time as a Student Pastor, the most meaningful event of the year was always the Graduate Recognition Breakfast. Seniors would sit at tables with their families as they ate wonderful food prepared by loving hands and warm hearts from our church. These breakfasts were one of those very rare times when we invited parents to feel both the mourning and the joy that accompanies change.

I remember watching one family in particular eat their breakfast at a table together. The student was never very active in the Student Ministry, but enough so, I knew his name. He was quiet and reserved. All of a sudden, I noticed that this senior guy was beginning to tear up. Then his Mom started to cry; then his Dad; and finally his younger brother. The family of four had suddenly been washed over by the immense realization that change was upon them. Life would never be the same. Although this student was headed to a wonderful college experience, the family was feeling both mournful and joyful.

Ezra tells us such a story in our passage for today. As the new temple is being built, there are shouts of uncontainable joy from the people. Yet, there is also mourning. Some of the older folks who were able to remember the glory of the former temple are also grieving and crying. So much so, in fact, “The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping” (Ezra 3:13).

For many of us, Advent and Christmas are seasons that provoke feelings of both joy and mourning. Perhaps we would do well to remember that the constant throughout these seasons of our lives is God’s abiding presence and the promise of the Good News of the Christ Child who brings with Him the joy of new life, but also the necessary mourning from knowing intuitively that we will never be the same.

Tyler Tankersley

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s

Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law ... (Luke 2:25-27, NRSV)

Practicing Peace Through PurposeDo you believe that everyone has a role in God’s plan? If so, that means you believe that you do, too. For some, a role in God’s plan is very public and upfront. Jesus’ role was like that. For oth-ers, a role in God’s plan is very quiet and behind the scenes. That seems to be Simeon’s role. He is a man of faith and deep, living belief. He has asked God to let him live long enough to see the promised Messiah. He is no longer young. How long has he prayed and waited—all of his life? And what has he done while he waited? He prayed for salvation for all and worshipped a faith-ful God. Then, one day, in comes a younger couple with a son. It is time for a traditional ritual to take place. As Simeon holds this baby boy in his arms, he knows he is holding the Messiah. He knows because the Spirit has revealed this to him. Simeon blesses the baby and the parents.

What do we learn from this story? Our God-given roles are individually unique and important. They are lived out in God’s good timing. We neither hurry nor delay how God works. We sim-ply choose to participate—or not. No role is so small that it is insignificant. No role is so large that it takes God’s place in this unfolding narrative. As we fulfill our God-given role, we do not do it alone. The Holy Spirit is our companion and our guide. There is a “peace of soul” that comes with knowing and doing and finding purpose in God’s will being practiced in our lives. May this be a Christmas practice that lasts year round!

Connie McNeilL

I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8)

“Surely it’s a misprint. It must be a mistake.”

My initial reaction, truth be told, is less than positive. There it is on the page in front of me, telling me what passage my Advent Devotion is to be based upon: Philippians 3:4–9. I read the verses again. Circumcised? Rubbish? Confident in the flesh? How can I possibly relate this to Advent in a meaningful way? Would anyone like to switch?

In my desperation, my eyes scan the words again. I regard everything as loss. Everything. Loss.

Although probably not Paul’s intention, I start thinking about loss. About the loss that I’ve experienced in my life. And the realization comes: there is another side to Advent. We often think of Advent as a season of great hope and great expectation, and it is. But it is also a time in which we remember our loss—when we miss loved ones we’ve said goodbye to, when we recall dreams that were never realized, when we pray for restored health and energy, when we yearn for a sense of wholeness.

We encounter loss as a part of life, as a part of becoming who we are. We continually struggle against it, hoping that if we just ignore it, push it away, it will disappear. But we are marked by the losses that bring us grief. They stay with us. Even in this season, as we celebrate the joy of a new life, we are mindful of how that life will end.

But in that birth we find a promise. A promise of hope, a promise of presence, a promise of light, even in darkness. As we prepare our hearts for this time of renewal, may we always remember that Advent is not about ignoring loss or avoiding struggle—it is about finding joy and love in their midst.

Charles Smith

Second Baptist Church

Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. (Jeremiah 31:13)

Is it just me, or does our worship seem more abandoned and brash when we are truly celebrating Christ as a body of believers during the season of Advent? I always look forward to the swelling sounds of all of our voices as we rejoice in Christ as a choir and not just a congregation of individuals in our pews. The joy is palpable as we belt out the hymnal standards of Advent. The singing is contagious, as we each feel called to worship God fully. We express the need we have to gather as we add our voices to collectively praise Christ’s impending birth. We feel called to praise our newborn king sent so long ago as we travel through the season of Advent together. We are truly stirred as described in Jeremiah 31:13. “Then shall the young women rejoice in dance and the young men and old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.”

The joy of Christ does not need to be reserved for Advent or Christmas Day. We need to rejoice in our Lord throughout our worship all year as a community—to remember the saving grace of Jesus and the joy we can find in our loving God. Ruth Duck describes in Worship for the Whole People of God, “that in our singing as Christians, we learn much about who we are, who God is, and who we are in relation to God and one another.”*

I pray we can feel the invitation each Sunday to turn our mourning into joy and find comfort in our worship together in a freely given way that is as full of awe as we feel this Christmas. Our rejoicing can be limitless in God as we gather in praise—whether we be pitch perfect or tone deaf. Let all voices rejoice in wild abandonment for our God.

Kristin Wooldridge*Ruth C. Duck, Worship for the Whole People of God: Vital Worship for the 21st Century (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013), 80.

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving tell your re-

quest to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Don’t be anxious. That’s easy for Paul to say! I get anxious about everything. I want things to be done and go perfectly. I inherited this trait from my dad. I worry about things that I have no control over or that have no direct effect on me or those around me. Last year, like a lot of you, I was consumed with the success of the Royals. I would get all tied up in knots when they played, always expecting the worst. I even got to the point one evening where I couldn’t eat.

The thing that I am anxious about this year is my retirement from the USPS. I started working for the Postal Service in 1985. After 30 years, I have decided to hang up my satchel and dog spray. Everything was progressing nicely to that end until my retirement counseling phone call. This phone call is for going over your retirement forms and making sure you have filled them out properly. Then you mail the packet away. And that’s when it hit me that my retirement was really about to happen, and my mind started going through a million different scenarios and possible situations. In response, Carol told me, “Stop and take a deep breath. Relax. Everything is going to be fine. You WILL retire on October 30th of this year. Enjoy the next 30 days!”

That conversation made me think of the verses I was assigned for inspiring this Advent devotional. Reading them again, I decided it would do me no good to stew about my retirement. It was out of my hands. God was in control now.

This Advent season we need to rejoice for the Lord is near! He will hear our petitions, and His peace and grace will guard our hearts and minds.

Drew Kingery

Listen, a tumult on the mountains as of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle. (Isaiah 13:4)

Mountains have a special appeal to me. They draw me like a magnet. I never cease to be amazed at mountain massiveness rising out of the ground, stair-stepping to higher and higher heights. Mountains—much like oceans and the solar system—represent, to me, the reality of a greater power that creates such vastness.

This verse connects mountains with coming tumult, a multitude, uproar, and nations gathering together! I have never experienced a mountain avalanche, but I have seen the after-effects: massive piles of rocks, and, if humans happened to be in the way, no possible escape. Before an avalanche, there is hardly a clue that it is coming. Then, for reasons we don’t fully understand, the mountain rearranges itself. The roar is deafening. The outcome is a totally reshaped environment near the mountain.

Is this what we can expect someday? Can the collective impact of God’s people working together for the same cause create an avalanche of change the way God intends it? Let’s hope so. That possibility causes me to wonder what we—especially myself—should be doing to prepare.

Rich Groves

When the crowds came to John for baptism, he said, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming wrath? Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not

produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:7-9)

Bubbles or OxygenWhen I read the Scripture passage assigned to me for this writing, I thought surely there must be a mistake.These words from John the Baptist don’t exactly evoke Christmas joy or holiday cheer. Why would these verses be our focus during a week of contemplating joy?

Gradually, I began to recognize in this passage the important truth that joy and happiness are two different things. What we sometimes refer to as Christmas Joy is actually just surface-level happiness in all the trimmings and trappings of the season. Happiness, though not a bad thing, is dependent on circumstance and surroundings. Happiness can come and go in the blink of an eye. Joy is much deeper and can be present even in trial or adversity. The source of our joy is Christ’s love for us. Joy never leaves us though it is sometimes shadowed by sadness, grief, or even anger. Author Danielle LaPorte says, “Happiness is like rising bubbles—delightful and inevitably fleeting. Joy is the oxygen—ever present.”

John admonishes the crowd by telling them not just to rely on the circumstance of their birth and heritage but instead to follow the path of service and self-sacrifice, the way of Christ. Jesus later said it like this, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you,” (John 15:11-12).

This call to love is our call to joy. During this advent season we may or may not experience the fleeting “bubbles” of holiday cheer. We can, however, breathe in deeply the “oxygen” of our joy in the love of Christ. When we give of ourselves, sacrifice for others, put aside our own con-cerns, and move and act despite circumstances around us, we are indeed “practicing joy.”

Amy Duncan

He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.

He gives childless couples a family, gives them joy as the parents of children. Hallelujah! (Psalm 113: 7-9, The Message)

I spend my days in an elementary school surrounded by little folks learning to do new things. School is full of practicing. We practice math facts and handwriting, rhyming words and spell-ing lists. Usually, we practice things that are hard or don’t come easy to us. Practice, I tell my friends at school, helps our brains grow.

This week’s Advent theme encourages us to Practice Joy. At first glance, these words don’t seem to fit together. Surely joy just happens.

And sometimes it works that way. As we go about our daily journey, joy finds us along the way. We recognize the unexpected and unearned blessings of family and friends.

More often though, joy is not an accident. Being joyful is a choice we make. We choose to see creation through eyes of mercy and love. Each morning, we face the same dilemma. Do we look for even tiny signs of hope? Or do we close our eyes to the grace around us?

The Psalmist understands the days when joy must be practiced. We know the world is full of poverty and sorrow and grief. Maybe even our own lives are bleak now and our hearts are broken. It is in these times that we need joy most of all.

Mary waited with great joy for Jesus to be born. Her song expresses our belief in joy, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

Today, choose joy!

Beth Dusin

“What then will this child become?” (Luke 1:66b)

Luke Chapter 1 is a remarkable set of stories about two women at different stages in their lives, and the announcements by the angel Gabriel, no less, that each will have a son they were not anticipating.

Elizabeth, older in age, didn’t think having a child was any longer possible for her. When the angel said to her husband Zechariah, “You will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth” (Luke 1:14), Zechariah couldn’t help it. He was doubtful what he was told.Mary, the other woman, was young and not married. She did not understand what was happening to her and visited her cousin, Elizabeth, to hear what she had to say. Wouldn’t you have loved eavesdropping on that conversation!

I write these thoughts the morning following our youngest grandson’s parent/child dedication. As Jason held Simon in his arms yesterday, I thought about the numerous miscarriages his mother had had. I thought about his premature birth, eleven weeks early. I thought about Simon’s first 77 days spent in NICU. I thought about the commitment his parents have continued to demonstrate from day one of his life.

As Jason walked and talked his way around the sanctuary with Simon, I wondered, “What is going on in Simon’s mind? What does he think about all of this? What will this child become?” These are questions every parent, grandparent, relative, teacher, and friend has to wonder. We also ask, “What can we do to help make a difference in a young child’s life?

Another thought I find myself pondering—is it getting harder for me to believe in God’s guiding hand as I get older, just as it was for Elizabeth? Maybe, just maybe this Christmas, I need to believe like the younger ones ...

Sanford Beckett

Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3).

Behind special gifts are stories just waiting to be told. Today’s first story begins every year before Christmas in New Jersey as it has for decades. A kind, cat-loving woman, who regularly fosters kittens and cleans cages at an adoption center, carefully crafts toys from catnip, calico, and ribbon for her family’s pet cats.

When the UPS truck delivers the boxes in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Geor-gia, these gaily wrapped presents are placed under Christmas trees in the homes of her sister, nieces, and aunts. In no time at all, the cats sniff out their gifts and carry them around. Even-tually to the delight of their humans, the cats tear the paper unwrapping the catnip toys. Then they continue to amuse their audiences as they hug, sleep on, lick, toss and generally relish the aroma of their new toys before collapsing in a catnip-induced stupor. Many of these “cat rela-tives” are now in “kitty heaven,” but the memories of catnip presents and “Cat-mas” joy live on while the next generation of pets and family share this same experience.

Today’s second story comes from the passage in John 12 that shares an intriguing story of Jesus visiting Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ home for dinner at Passover. Mary tenderly massages Jesus’s feet with the gift of nard, an expensive aromatic ointment, and then tenderly wipes His feet with her hair.

Looking at the stories together, one gift is practical while the other is richly symbolic. One gift is amusing while the other is anointing. One gift is simple while the other is lavish. Yet both of these stories have important common elements: gifts of love, treasured relationships and spiritual celebrations.

Both Mary of Bethany and Margaret of New Jersey, my very own sister, chose lovingly and gave generously of their time and resources creating joy for others. May we also practice joy as we celebrate our unique Christmas gift, a Messiah.

Carroll Makemson

Second Baptist Church

… but do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:2)

I recently came across a photo on my computer from the Christmas our twins were four years old. I’d preserved the image of our nativity scene that year with all the figures crammed around the manger. I smiled, remembering how I gave up on arranging the figures in a traditional lay-out because the kids would always shove them all together again in a cluttered huddle—wisely insisting, “They just want to be close to Baby Jesus.”

Then something caught my eye behind the tallest magi, whose knee pushed an unfortunate sheep up on two hooves against the manger. I zoomed in and saw a toilet paper tube wrapped in bright yellow construction paper with a paper flame stapled at the top. I had no recollection of it, but obviously a simple craft lovingly made with Charlie and Loretta Hughes in Sunday school was added to our nativity scene that year. Like the beautifully painted figures around it, the cardboard candle was pressed snugly against the manger. I wondered how it earned its pres-tigious spot. Then it hit me: the toilet paper tube was the largest and brightest worshiper in that stable.

We often skip ahead in this familiar chapter to Paul’s explicit instruction on how to love: do this, don’t do that. These first three verses are more ambiguous, with references to gongs, mysteries, and empty generosity. But they ask us to consider why we love. What are the motives behind my worship and service? Are my words and actions offered through a sense of obligation? To gain acceptance? To feel satisfaction? Am I distracted by comparing myself to what I perceive others doing and saying? It’s so difficult to honestly examine my intentions.

That toilet paper tube reminded me to stop looking inward and instead focus solely, in our young children’s words, on “getting closer to Baby Jesus.” If I make more room in my life for Christ, His love will inevitably and authentically shine through me.

Angie Fuller

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)

Now, who can imagine getting excited about verbs! But take a look at these verbs in verses 1 and 2: MAGNIFY, GLORIFY, REJOICE. The very words lift me up, raise my eyes, my hands, my spirit.

And consider the circumstances of this one speaking. She has been through an alarming experience with a supernatural being. She is faced with a pregnancy which may lead her husband-to-be to reject her and will certainly bring harsh criticism from her community. And yet she praises God.

She praises Him on the basis of the verbs in the next verses describing what God is doing — REMEMBERING (choosing) her DOING great things EXTENDING mercy PERFORMING mighty deeds LIFTING up the humble FILLING the hungry.

Jesus’s call to follow Him is full of verbs. We COME to Him with our adoration, our praise, and our dedication of our lives to Him. Then He says to GO and make disciples--by our words and deeds drawing others to Him. And again we RETURN, rejoicing in new life and thanking Him for work accomplished.

This is the picture, the pattern, the recipe for abundant life.

Eleanor Speaker

O Lord God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? (Psalm 80:4)

You know the blues? The honest to goodness, hurt your heart so bad all you can do is sing to keep from crying, blues? I absolutely love the blues. “Doesn’t that music depress you, Gary?” No, friends, it lifts me up. The blues actually give me hope: “the sun’s gonna shine in my backdoor one day.”

The author of Psalm 80 seems to be singing out his blues. I paraphrase, with your indulgence, verse four: “How long you gonna be mad at us, Yahweh?” The Psalmist goes on: “We been drinking and eating tears; everyone is up in our grills and bringing us down. When you gonna show us some love?” Now, brothers and sisters, that is the blues!

Convention informs us that the Advent season should be a time to spread joy, be of good spirit and cheer. Sometimes though, we have to put on a mask and pretend we are joyful. You know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, Merry Christmas, Budreaux! Happy New Year, blah!

The fulfillment of the long-kept promise Christ’s birth realizes is supposed to fill our hearts, renew our souls and lift our spirits. This is not the case for everyone. Some just can’t rise up and meet the “reason for the season.” Spirits get weary, life takes a toll and sometimes our losses are just too painful. How can we embrace the celebration of Christ’s birth with anvils in our hearts?

Here’s what to do if YOUR Advent is blue in hue. Embrace them blues and sing them out yo’ heart. I don’t care if you croak like a frog or sound like fingernails on a blackboard, let it go: Can’t climb this mountain, Lord Can’t climb this mountain any higher, Lord Can you send me a mule to carry me to the other side? (To my knowledge, I just made that up.)

Make up your own and let it go. Don’t hold back. A song can be a prayer with a beat. We cry out in our despair and God hears us. If the second and fourth beat get accented, all the better.

Gary Smith

Wednesday, December 23Across the herringbone parquet floors of the Louvre’s room no. 7, La Salle de la Joconde, you will find a jaw-dropping display of Italian paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. It’s not the glass-ensconced painting of that famous

lady on her poplar panel that is so intriguing to me, but what sits almost forgotten in the onslaught of flashing cell phones that press in to capture that impish grin. To the right of this attraction hangs a canvas by a true Renaissance man: Titian’s Entombment of Christ. Depicted is Nicodemus, another man whose question about rebirth still resonates with every person who considers their own spirituality and mortality. Two men whose lives orbited around the concepts of wonder and rebirth and whose personal subtexts include the idea that a shift in thinking can cultivate remarkable change.

Titian was a prolific artist with over 600 paintings to his credit. Although he was not an inventor or a sculptor like his contemporaries Michelangelo or Da Vinci, his use of color in its richest hue and heavy in saturation were his gifts to generations of painters. He believed that color was not only a primary building block of form, but that when balanced with its adjacent colors, a harmony could exist that recorded in paint a sense of reality. This continuous development of the landscape of one’s life and work within an existing frame was part of the point Christ was trying to make to Nicodemus.

Nicodemus was searching for answers beyond his limited view, beyond the teachings of the Sanhedrin. His human framework was soundly bumping up against the calling of the Spirit. Challenging the structure by which he was shaped was a difficult concept for him to grasp, yet he knew something more was present that he needed to understand. He must have had a sense that it would alter his very existence, and it did.

The opportunity for rebirth throughout our lives is limitless. We can learn to grow, synthesize and regenerate ourselves; it’s hardwired into our DNA. We have a loving Divinity in Trinitarian form that allows us room to fail. An indefatigable love that draws us close and supports us through the grief and rawness of transformation toward the color and vibrancy of hope. A presence that is always there, shifting us ever so slightly at times and with unmistakable, gale force winds that show us our truths when we are most desperate for them.

How remarkable, the nature of human resiliency within a divine framework—ever bolstered, ever loved, given every chance to grow. Endless opportunity to challenge our scripts, while the person within takes shape again and again, formed by a living Spirit of radical love, grace and acceptance. The invisible moving the visible. Not a bad legacy to inherit. I’m ready to paint, how about you?

John 3:1-17

Michelle Cook

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

I am just 16 years of age. Correct, I am quite young! This being said, I have not had many life- changing bumps in my road so far. Darkness has not overcome me, but I know for some, it definitely has. Maybe that person is you. Maybe you have already gone on your most difficult, darkest walk.

Whenever something does start to take a turn on me, I try to tell myself that I have friends who love me and are willing to help me through my hard times. I also tell myself that if my friends aren’t willing to help me and be kind in my times of sadness, they are not my true friends.

One thing I do, but shouldn’t, is neglect to remind myself that during those trying times God is with me as well. Whenever I am walking through troubled water, I may physically be alone, but my Creator is a part of me. Also His Son who shines a light so I may see. While I am trucking through these waters, chipping my nails, rocks cutting the skin on my feet and trying to tear through me, I try to reach for the sun. No, it is not in the sky, but in Jesus. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

During Christmas, we all come together for the same reason, the same purpose, and that is to celebrate the newborn light of the world. Do not let the water you walk in alarm you, but allow it to calm you. For you have a light to see, and you always will.

Let’s celebrate, for it is good to see. To see oh-so-clearly.

Lilly Holt

And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. And Joseph also went…to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem … with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. (Luke 2:3-4)

Depending on the time of day you read this, the busyness of your holiday with family may be about to begin or has already happened. Either way, today is the culmination of our Advent preparation. Yes, the Christ has come.

As tiring as the holiday preparations and celebrations are, it’s little wonder some people may spend this afternoon taking the decorations down to get their houses back to normal. So what exactly is post-holiday normal?

Throughout Advent we’ve been talking about practicing hope, peace, joy, and love ... practic-ing Christmas. But we can’t just pack those up in a box now that Christmas has arrived. As the metaphors suggest, now it’s time to play the game or give the performance. Are you ready?

In today’s text we see Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. Everything they’d prepared for the past nine months was now in motion. No longer practice. Game on.

In the background of what’s happening in their story is that Bethlehem is swelling with people who’ve come to their family home to enroll in the census. The enrollment is mentioned four times in the text. I’d not noticed that before. I think it’s important that all around our main characters are people who have been traveling, who are exhausted, who want to go back home and get back to normal.

It’s an interesting reminder that no matter how much we may need Christmas at any given mo-ment, everyone else around us has their own need for hope, peace, joy and love. The need is not just in Advent or through the 12 days of Christmas. Are we now prepared to continue practic-ing and living Christmas far beyond today? May the Christmas morning words of Ebenezer Scrooge be ours today: I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.

David M. Fulk

The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)

The nations—Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, North Korea —Refugees with nothing; senseless killing; unwanted aggression; immense repression and poverty. Does this sound like Christmas and practicing love to you?

Our world needs the Salvation offered by God’s Son, the baby Jesus. How will the “Lord bare His Holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth see the salvation of our God?” Through us, you and me.

We can be the instruments of God’s love any place, any time. And so many at 2BC are. Moving outside the walls, and sometimes out of our comfort zones, allows us to become that “holy arm” of God. Especially when it is wrapped around the needs of others.

Becky and I have found some surprises this year—Neil, James, Tom and Charley. They go with us to Walmart; we show them what Kansas City is like; we celebrate their birthdays; and we try to love them like they are our own, though they are not. Rather, they are from China and live at William Jewell College. The “boys,” as we call them, have given us more than we have given them.

We are trusting God to fulfill His promise in their lives, that they will see the salvation of our God. See. That is up to us. Believe. That is up to them.

So, as you watch your children enjoy their toys, soak in the warmth of the fire, and take in the moist turkey that will ultimately put you to sleep, take time to thank God for the opportunities coming for you and yours to live out this Season.

Becky and I like this kind of Christmas, because the gifts just keep on giving!

Ron and Becky Whited

And be thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

How many of you have ever received a Christmas gift that was … how can I say this … not what you wanted or ever hoped to have? As a child, my parents let me open one gift on Christmas Eve. I remember one Christmas in particular. Brightly colored packages filled the space between floor and tree, and there was one that caught my eye. It was huge! My mom knowingly tried to avert my attention to other gifts I might rather open, but I would not be deterred. I crawled beneath the tree and pulled that heavy box to my lap. I tore the gift wrap off and in seconds, my excitement was drowned by disappointment as I stared at a new mattress cover for my bed. A mattress cover? Really? Ugh. That isn’t what I wanted or expected. I did NOT feel thankful, but, of course, my mom made me write a thank you note to my grandmother, regardless. It was not authentic, but I went through the motions because that is what was expected and polite.

Far too often, I have equated the expectation of that thank you note with the expectation I have believed God has for me to express thankfulness in all things. It isn’t authentic, I don’t feel it, but I do it because that is what is expected and polite.

As an adult, I look back on that Christmas and I see things differently. I see my loving grandmother helping my mom by buying some things that I needed. I see the toys that accompanied that mattress cover and the gift of time, thought, and money she spent on me. I imagine her soft hands wrapping each one. And, above all, I sense her presence with me that Christmas and even now.

When God asks us to be thankful, I don’t think the hope is to receive empty words, but instead to receive us in our most honest and bare moments. We may be unable to feel thankful for all of our current circumstances, but we can tell God we are thankful that we are never alone. And,that is enough.

Christy Edwards

300 E. Kansas Street, Liberty, MO 64068 | 816.781.2824

2bcliberty.org

Our Ministry TeamJason Edwards, Senior Pastor

Allan Aunspaugh, Minister of Music | Ann Posey, OrganistMike Lassiter, Associate Pastor | Connie McNeill, Associate Pastor Charles Smith, Associate Pastor | Gwen Phillips, Children’s Pastor

Linda Jones, Church Administrator