SUNDAY

Incarnation

Why did Jesus become one of Us?

Two thousand years ago, the human race was trapped. Sin had entered the world and was spreading out of control. The human race was doomed. There was no way it could save itself. God loved the human race too much to see it destroy itself. He sent his only Son to be our Savior; to show us his way out of destruction to life and love.

God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth.

Luke 1:26

In your imagination, picture the world before the birth of Jesus. The human race is doomed. It can do nothing to help itself. It is completely under the power of Satan. Sin and hopelessness are everywhere.

Into this world God sent the angel Gabriel to a young virgin named Mary. Gabriel said to her:

“Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”

Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message, and she wondered what his words meant. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called to Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and his kingdom will never end!”

Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” said Mary; “May it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her. Luke 1:28-35, 38

Re-read the account of the angel’s appearance to Mary, pausing after each paragraph.

Speak to Mary about what was in her heart at that moment.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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MONDAY

“Joseph went to the town of Bethlehem.

He went to register with Mary,

who was promised in marriage to him.

She was pregnant,

and while they were in Bethlehem,

the time came for her to have her baby.

She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him

in cloths and laid him in a manger –

there was no room for them to stay in the inn.”

Luke 2:4-7

Imagine you are a Roman official living two thousand years ago. Your job is to direct the taking of the census in the conquered nations of Caesar's empire. On this particular night you are directing the census in the tiny Jewish nation of Judaea in a town called Bethlehem. You have finished you day’s work and are very tired. But before going to bed, you decide to go for a walk outside the town.

As you stroll alone under the stars, you notice a light coming from a nearby cave. You walk over and look inside. What you see amazes you. A young mother has just given birth. Her husband is with her. He sees you and invites you in. It is the most beautiful child you have ever seen.

As you kneel before the child, you sense that a landmark moment in history is taking place before your eyes. You wonder why you have been chosen to be part of it.

Speak to God about your thoughts.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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TUESDAY

There were some shepherds

spending the night in the field,

taking care of their flocks.

Luke 2:8

You are a shepherd living in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. One night you and two friends are out in the field sitting around a campfire, keeping watch over your sheep.

Suddenly a ball of fire appears in the sky. It’s so bright you have to shield your eyes.

Then from the midst of the fireball you hear beautiful singing; and a voice begins to speak saying, “Don’t be afraid! A baby has been born in a cave not far from here. The baby is the long-awaited Messiah promised by the prophets.”

Then, as quickly as the light and the voices appeared, they fade. You say to your two friends. “Let’s go to the cave. I think I know where it is.” So you hurry off.

Five minutes later you find the cave. A light is coming from a lantern inside. You enter. There you see a couple kneeling beside a new-born baby in a manger. The young mother smiles, and you know you are welcome. You kneel down and gaze at the tiny infant.

Never in your life have you been so happy!

As you gaze at the infant you wonder why the Messiah wasn’t born in a palace. You also wonder why God chose you, a lowly shepherd, to be one of the first people to greet him.

Speak to God about these questions.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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WEDNESDAY

“His star came up in the east.”

Matthew 2:2

Imagine you are a Roman soldier in Judaea about the time Jesus was born. You are part of an occupying army whose job it is to keep peace in that tiny faraway Jewish nation.

One night you become homesick for your family in Rome. You go outside into the moonlight. You walk across a field to a nearby hill and climb it slowly. When you reach the top of the hill, you look up into the star-studded sky. Off in the distance, toward a small town called Bethlehem, you see a strange star rising in the sky. As it rises it grows brighter and brighter.

Then something remarkable happens. As you gaze at the star your homesickness disappears, and a tremendous feeling of peace fills your soul – a peace unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in your life.

As you continue to gaze at the star you can’t help but think that the peace you are experiencing has something to do with that star. You wonder where the remarkable star came from and what it means.

Stand on the hilltop, gazing at the star. Feel all your tensions and troubles evaporate, leaving your heart filled with perfect peace and serenity.

Speak to God about the peace that the star brings to your restless heart – and what this peace means.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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THURSDAY

Some men from the East said,

“We saw his star when it came up in the east.”

Matthew 2:2

A wise man named Artaban left his palace to join the other “wise men” going to Jerusalem. In his pouch were precious gems for the new king. On his way to the rendezvous point he met a crippled mother and her sick child. He stopped to help them. His kindness delayed him just enough to miss his rendezvous with the others.

Artaban traveled alone, trying to make up time. But once again he met a family in need. He used one of his precious gems to buy shelter and food for them. Once again he set out.

Artaban never did catch up with the others. Worse yet, he eventually gave away all of his gems.

Years passed and Artaban grew old and feeble. He ended up penniless in a faraway city called Jerusalem. There he survived as a beggar. One day he saw a criminal being marched off to be crucified. His heart skipped a beat. For some reason he felt very close to this man. Artaban was broken-hearted that he could not help him.

As the victim approached where Artaban was standing, he turned to Artaban and said, “Don’t be broken-hearted; you’ve been helping me all my life.” (Adapted from “The Fourth Wise Man”)

In your imagination, feel what Artaban probably felt when Jesus spoke to him.

Speak to Jesus about his words to Artaban and their meaning for you, personally.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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FRIDAY

“We write to you about the Word of life,

which has existed from the very beginning.

We have heart it, seen it,

and our hands have touched it.”

1 John 1:1

Cyril Egan’s poem A Kind of Prayer describes a person who is searching frantically for something. The person searches in the hills, in attics, in cellars, and in old books.

One day a friend asks, “Why are you constantly searching? What are you looking for?” The person answers, “I am looking for God.”

Then the person adds quickly:

Don’t tell me I’ll find him in my heart

(Though in a sense it's true);

And don’t tell me I’ll find him

in my fellow man

(Though in a sense that’s true, too).

What I’m looking for is a God

making a five-sense breakthrough to humanity.

It is precisely this kind of “breakthrough to humanity” that God made one historic night in Bethlehem two thousand years ago.

Why do you think the poet wasn’t satisfied with a God who could be found only in his heart or in others?

Speak to God about why God chose to make a “five-sense breakthrough to humanity.”

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard

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SATURDAY

“Out of the fullness of his grace

he has blessed us all.”

John 1:16

The novel The Apostle takes place in Rome in the early days of Christianity. One scene in it is deeply moving. Hundreds of condemned Christians are languishing in a dark dungeon. They will not see daylight again until they are hauled back through the trapdoor in the ceiling and taken to the arena, where they will be destroyed by wild beasts. The atmosphere is one of profound sadness.

Then, unexpectedly, the trapdoor opens. A shaft of light pierces the darkness. A new prisoner is being lowered into the dungeon to await death with them. But unlike them, he is singing and praising God. “Who is this man?” they wonder. Then the word spreads like wildfire. The new prisoner is the Apostle Paul.

The joy and happiness of Paul are so contagious that everyone in the dungeon begins to join him in singing and praising God. In seconds, the dungeon is transformed from a place of sadness and despair into a place of joy and hope.

Similarly, the birth of Jesus transformed the world from a place of gloom and doom, into a place of joy and hope.

What is one way your life would be different had Jesus not entered our world?

Speak to Jesus about how you might impress others as Paul impressed the prisoners.

Source: Daily Meditation from Advent Storecupboard