Prepare to Listen.  Light all the candles, including the white one that represents Jesus.  The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.
 
Prayerfully Read Matthew 1:18-25 (Read this familiar story as if for the first time, as a beginner.)
18Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way.  When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.  20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’  22All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’  24When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
If you read the story as a beginner, what caught your attention?
 
When Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he chose to quietly break off the engagement instead of publicly stoning her as the law stated.  Perhaps he was unwilling to raise a child that wasn’t his, or he was reluctant to harm Mary.  Imagine his amazement when an angel, ignoring his scruples, appeared to him in a dream and gave him the responsibility for Mary’s child.  He was to name him (and thus claim him as his own), “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  The angel added a second name by which he’d be known, “They shall name him Emmanuel,” God with us.  They, including us today, will see God in Mary’s illegitimate son, and call him Emmanuel.
 
The dream faded and Joseph woke up.  Did he wonder: Who am I, a simple carpenter, to raise God-with-us, the savior of the world?  Obedience would be difficult and change his life forever.  Whatever he thought or felt, without hesitation or complaint, he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.”  He took Mary as his wife and waited with her for her son, whom he did name Jesus.  Since then, many of his followers name him Emmanuel, God with us, and worship him.
 
Put yourself in Joseph’s place, charged with raising the son who is redeemer and God-with-us.  How might you feel?  What might you want to ask God for?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Jesus, in the busyness of Christmas activities we often forget that your coming initially brought suffering to many people, especially Mary and Joseph.  Their obedience transformed them.  Help me live obediently even if it means suffering so that I too may be transformed, changed by you.  To the praise of your glory, Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Be obedient despite its difficulties.

If you appreciated these Advent devotions and would like to make a donation to my writing ministry (and the cost of the this website doubled this year), I would be grate.  You could send me a check (contact me for my address) or use PayPal or Venmo (Jacqueline Smallbones; last 4 digits of my phone: 2605).  Thank you. 

Prepare to Listen.  They shall be called, “The Holy People, The Redeemed of the LORD,”
 
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 62:10-12 (or vv. 1-12)
10Go through, go through the gates;
    prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway;
    clear it of stones;
    lift up an ensign over the peoples.
11The LORD has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
    “Look, your savior comes;
his reward is with him
    and his recompense before him.”
12They shall be called, “The Holy People,
    The Redeemed of the LORD,”
and you shall be called, “Sought Out,
    A City Not Forsaken.”
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
Usually we focus on preparing the way for Jesus.  Here, Isaiah urges us to “prepare the way for the people.”  Why do you think this is needed?​
 
There are five commands in v. 10 (two repeated), which means there’s work for God’s people.  The chapter, however, begins with what the LORD will do in the future, he’ll establish Jerusalem and make it “renowned throughout the earth” (v. 7).  The LORD gives the future, but Israel must work in the present.  Yes, salvation is all of God, says the prophet.  However, Israel has work to do.  This is true of the Church too, as Paul taught—we’re saved by grace not by our works, but we must also work out our own salvation.[1]  God acts; so too must we.
 
Return from exile was of God, but also of the people.  They must prepare the way by obeying those 5 commands in v. 10.  The ensign over them claims their new identity: “They shall be called, The Holy People, and The Redeemed of the LORD.”  We too can claim these names because of Jesus.  Holy means being single-minded in our commitment to the Lord because we belong to the Holy One.  In other words, we live in ways that reflect the Holy God to the world.  Redeemed of the LORD tells the world that we have been bought, taken out of bondage, renewed, changed and now belong to God not ourselves.  This salvation name is God’s reward and recompense for God’s people.  This is how Jesus has changed everything for us.
 
Holding up a sign with Holy People, Redeemed of the LORD, isn’t helpful.  People will only know this if our lives show it.  How can you begin to live today so that others will say of you that you’re holy and redeemed?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord, thank you for acting on my behalf and redeeming me.  Help me live so that world sees that I belong wholly to you.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Live holy, a life wholly committed to the Lord.
[1] Ephesians 2:8-9 and Philippians 2:12.

Prepare to Listen.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
 
Prayerfully Read Isaiah 9:2-7
2The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness--
    on them light has shined.
3You have multiplied the nation,
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with joy at the harvest,
    as people exult when dividing plunder.
4For the yoke of their burden,
    and the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5For all the boots of the tramping warriors
    and all the garments rolled in blood
    shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
6For a child has been born for us,
    a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
    and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7His authority shall grow continually,
    and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
    He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What caught your attention as you read this lesson from Isaiah?
 
A reversal of circumstances: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”  Here darkness isn’t necessarily sin, but rather anything that causes suffering, hardship or despair.  Defeated and in exile, Israel experienced darkness.  They were powerless, unable to help themselves.  And it was to these powerless and helpless people that God’s light came.  Light, linked to God’s glory, is the visible evidence of God’s splendor, majesty and sovereignty.[1]
 
The good news of a reversal of circumstances is this: God comes to people who “sit in darkness,” the oppressed, suffering, hurting, and not to the powerful.  Rescue for those in darkness was on its way.  But the rescuer, the savior, was a baby, not a popular grown-up hero.  A baby still needs to grow.  This means Israel must wait for the reversal.
 
God often works in seemingly slow ways using unexpected and lowly means.  The wait is worth it.  The surpassing greatness of this baby is spelled out in his names, “Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Christians now equate this baby with Jesus, God’s chosen and anointed Messiah.  His coming changed everything, restored justice and righteous, that is, he “properly deployed social power.”[2]  He, and not the power of human might, will make and keep the nation and the world safe.  It’s not up to powerful leaders or military might or human strength to do this.  Only “the zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
 
Why do you suppose God sent a baby rather than an experienced powerful leader?  What does this teach you about God?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Your zeal, Lord of Hosts, will do what you promised.  Help me rest in the assurance of your zeal, rather than conjuring up my own.  May I live, confident in your work in the world and my life today.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Trust the Lord to renew and restore the world.
[1] Brueggemann, W.  Isaiah 1-39.  Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, p. 82.
[2] Ibid., p. 84.

Prepare to Listen.  Light all 4 candles on the Advent wreath.  Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.
 
Prayerfully Read Matthew 21:28-32
28“What do you think?  A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’  29He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went.  30The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.  31Which of the two did the will of his father?”  They said, “The first.”  Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.  32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it you did not change your minds and believe him.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
Jesus asked, “What do you think?” And told a story.  What do you think about the story?
 
In the last week of his life on earth Jesus daily taught in the Temple.  The chief priests and the elders of the people (the Temple hierarchy) demanded that he tell them where his authority to teach came from.  He responded with a question of his own: “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”[1]  They couldn’t answer, therefore Jesus refused to tell them where his authority came from.  Instead, he asked them to think, telling a parable about two sons that emphasized the need to change their minds, that is, repent.
 
The first son refused to work as his father’s requested but changed his mind and did the work.  He represents the tax collectors and prostitutes, those the Temple hierarchy rejected and assumed would be excluded from God’s Kingdom.  The second son who agreed to obey but didn’t, represents the chief priests and elders, who were so sure of their salvation and inclusion in the Kingdom.  They were shocked, perhaps even outraged to hear Jesus say that tax collectors and prostitutes would enter God’s kingdom before them.
 
Who would you be shocked by if they beat you into the kingdom?  With whom do you most identify—the first or the second son?  What do you need to do to change?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord, forgive me when I complacently think I’m in and reject those who aren’t like me.  Help me remain open to the same inclusivity that you practiced.  Amen.
 
Live Obediently.  Include the despised and rejected.  Jesus did.
[1] This story begins in v. 23.  If you can, take the time to read it.

Prepare to Listen.  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
 
Prayerfully Read Matthew 12:33-37
33“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.  34You brood of vipers!  How can you speak good things when you are evil?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  35The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.  36I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter, 37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  What’s your reaction to these words from Jesus?
 
“Sticks and stones will break by bones, but names can never hurt me.”  I often recited that as a child, hoping it was true.  But it didn’t take me long to learn that it wasn’t.  Names, words matter.  They can harm or heal, justify (encourage) or condemn.  The writers of Proverbs understood this and often created a proverb about the power of words, such as: “Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  And, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”[1]
 
To emphasize the power of words, Jesus used the imagery of good and bad trees.  The quality of the fruit will depend on whether the tree is good or bad.  Jesus accuses his accusers of being incapable of producing good fruit, speaking good healing words because they are, as both John and Jesus had said (Mt 3:7; 12:34) “a brood of vipers,” i.e., bad trees, those with bad hearts.  Our words, says Jesus, come from the heart: “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  We know a person’s heart, what they are truly like, through the words they speak.  Cruel and hurtful words come from a bad heart; kind and healing words from a good heart.  Words reveal whether a person is good or bad, for or against God.  Words matter.
 
How about your words, do they harm or heal, condemn or justify (as in encourage)?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Jesus, you taught us an old truth that we so often forget, that words matter.  Set a guard on my heart today that I may speak good words all the time.  Amen
 
Live Obediently.  Remember, words matter.
[1] Proverbs 12:18; 25:11.

Prepare to Listen.  How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep!
 
Prayerfully Read Matthew 12:9-14
9He left that place and entered their synagogue; 10a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse him.  11He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?  12How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep!  So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.  14But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
When showing mercy to another person could mean disregarding the accepted norms of your society, norms you’ve always lived by, what choice will you make?  Be honest.
 
In the previous story (vv. 1-8), Jesus accused the Pharisees of not understanding the meaning of Hosea’s message about God, who said, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Hos. 6:6).  Perhaps still furious after that rebuke, they decided to use the man with a withered hand in their synagogue to test Jesus, hoping he’d give them a reason to condemn him.
 
Their question and Jesus’ response confirmed their failure to understand that God desired mercy (compassion, empathy) not sacrifice.  They were more concerned about their sheep than the people.  But people, says Jesus, matter more than sheep!  And then he answered their question with a categorical: “So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Showing mercy, ensuring that people don’t suffer unjustly, always takes precedence, even if that means disobeying the accepted norms of the community.  Jesus chose mercy.  Without skipping a beat he healed the man with a withered hand. 

Caught in their own hypocrisy, the Pharisees left “and conspired against him, how to destroy him,” proving Jesus right.  They didn’t understand God’s desire for mercy rather than sacrifice, and thus rejected Jesus’ teaching that doing good, showing mercy is always lawful.
​ 
What challenged you about Jesus’ response to the Pharisees?  How can you live more like Jesus today?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord, thank you for standing up to authority, healing a man on the Sabbath and teaching us that following you often means taking the unpopular way of choosing good over keeping the rules.  Help me to live your way today.  Amen.
 
Live Obediently.  Choose doing good and showing mercy.​