Advent Devotions
Advent Devotions
The Board of Christian Education Adult Sub-Group wishes to thank all contributors of devotional writings. Your personal stories and touch give this series greater meaning. Special thanks to Dr. Tom Graves for his selection of scripture passages for each day and gracious willingness to edit. Wishing you a blessed Advent and Christmastide.
How to access the devotions:
Online
Devotions will be posted below daily at 5:00 a.m. You can access this page at rrcb.org/devotions.
Email:
If you would like to receive the devotions via email, click here to sign up. Devotions will be delivered to your inbox daily at 5:00 a.m. Please note: if you receive the e-Spire every Tuesday, you will receive daily devotions November 28-December 4, 2021. However, beginning December 5, 2021, you will only receive devotions via email if you have signed up at the link above.
Print:
A limited number of printed devotions will be in the Narthex on Sunday, November 28, 2021. If you would like a copy, please contact the church office.
PDF:
Click here to open a PDF of the devotions to download or print.
You Must Be Born Again
John 3:15-17 I have learned that many people assume that since God is loving, He will make a place for everyone in heaven. They do not understand the basic truths about lost and saved. We all start life as lost beings. Adam was the first man and served as...
Perfect the Folds
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 My earliest recollection of the Lord’s Supper is the respectful manner of a particular elder. Upon completion of the distribution of the Communion elements, he helped replace the linen cloth so that the words In Remembrance of Me carved on the...
Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Matthew 18:1-7 The disciples here are concerned with an issue of status, as they (too) were a product of a status–conscious culture. Religious leaders of that time frequently pointed to statesmen and heroes as their models. So the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the...
“We Cannot Measure How You Heal”
On Sunday, March 9, 2014, the River Road Church, Baptist, Youth Choir and members of the Chancel Choir sang Malcolm Archer’s, “We Cannot Measure How You Heal,” accompanied by David Gullick, organ, and directed by Bob Gallagher. Listen (again) to this beautiful work. The words are given below.
Forgiveness: Building Spiritual Muscle
Psalm 32 Psalm 32:1 “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” In their book Younger Next Year, Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge explain that our physical bodies are biologically programmed to decay. This decay occurs from the inside out –...
God Knows We Need a Health Plan
Romans 6:1-11 In a world where the number of available health plans has increased in complexity, cost, and quality, here’s a plan that is simple, affordable, effective, and with all the coverage one could ever need: Romans 6:9, 11 – “...death no longer has dominion...
Contemplation “vs.” Activism
There is an ongoing tension in Christian faith between contemplation and activism, being and doing. It is similar to breathing in and breathing out. Both are essential; we can’t live without spiritual formation (breathing in) and Christian mission in the world (breathing out).
Face-to-face with Sin
Psalm 51: 1-17 Coming face-to-face with one’s own sin is not easy to do. This psalm’s content has been traditionally ascribed to King David, struggling with his irresponsible actions in regard to Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. David, succumbing to using his position...
God Knows Your Heart
Matthew 6:1-6 The Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7 in Matthew, is the longest piece of Jesus’ teaching and is often quoted. It begins with the Beatitudes and ends with Jesus instructing us to build our houses on the rock, not foolishly on sand. The first six verses...
The Most Tempting Temptation
Matthew 4:1-11 Our first Lenten scripture tells of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness by Satan. Jesus is first tempted to turn stones into bread in order to satisfy his hunger--the result of forty days of fasting. He is then tempted to leap from the top of the...
The Meaning of Lent
Visit our devotions website — www.rrcb.org/devotions/ Lent is a holy season of 40 days, not counting Sundays, which begins with Ash Wednesday and extends to Holy Saturday. It is a time of repentance, meditation, fasting and preparation as we reflect on the suffering...
2013 Advent Devotions Concluded
Our 2013 Advent devotional series is now complete. Thanks go out to Bill Tuck who edited the devotions, to Cassandra Ducca & the Devotions Subcommittee who produced the booklet and online posts, and great thanks especially to the many lay persons and ministers of...
For All Humankind
Ephesians 3:1-13 One of the clear themes of the book of Ephesians is the inclusion of all persons in the love of God. This is clearly stated in Ephesians 1:13-14: “You who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.… He has broken down the...
The Pioneer of Salvation
Hebrews 2:10-18 As we carry the wonder and mystery of Christmas with us into the New Year, we focus on the sacrifice which Jesus made for us through his suffering and death. To focus only on Jesus as a baby is to miss the greatness of his ministry and sacrificial...
Being Conscious of God
Psalm 29 It is early morning and the house is quiet. Snow has fallen all during the night and there is a hushed stillness in the air. Only the hoof prints of deer break the solid blanket of white and the palpable beauty of crispness in the air makes everything seem...
Stamina to Live Out Our Faith
James 5:11 Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. Endurance – patience, stamina, staying power. Christine and I needed endurance to get to Christmas morning. Patience is not something our children have when they are anticipating the arrival of Santa and...
Boring Hypocrites
Titus 2:11-14 “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desire not too strong, but too weak… We are far too easily pleased.” From The Weight of Glory by...
Christmas All Year Long
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Today is New Year’s Day. For many of us the signs of Christmas are out of sight until next year. The tree is bare and undecorated. Its balls and garlands are laid to rest in an attic box. Gone are the red bows and candles. Even the leftovers from...
New Year’s Resolutions
Revelation 2:3-4 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? I make at least one every...
Rest and Refocus
Psalm 146:5-10 In today’s world, you’ve surely heard people tell you how busy they are, especially this time of the year. The shopping, decorating, food preparation, social events, and family gatherings are enough to make anyone exhausted. It turns out that people can...
God’s Eternal Plan
Ephesians 1:1-14 The Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, lays out for them how God has carried out his plan throughout history to bring salvation to humanity. He reminds them that he is an apostle for Christ, commissioned by him, to represent Christ in the world....
Spreading the Good News
Romans 1:1-7 1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus and an apostle chosen and called by God to preach his Good News. 2 The Good News was promised long ago by God through his prophets, as written in the Holy Scriptures. 3 It is about his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: as...
Praise Be to God!
Psalm 148 In this season of celebrating Christ, this Psalm is the epitome of thinking bigger and bigger and bigger. It is as if you wanted to figure out where to start if you were trying to thank God for everything, only to find out it is much greater than you can...
Wise Enough
Matthew 2:11 Such powerful images of the Christmas story: The wise men arriving at a house, finding Mary and the child, bowing down, and offering Him their gifts. Joseph is not mentioned, but the presence of God the Father is felt. Each December famous interpretations...
God Lives
John 1:14 “And so that we’d behold it, the Virgin Mother kind, To show God’s love aright, she bore to us a Savior when half-spent was the night.” ~ Lo! How a Rose E’er Blooming God lives! The triumph and truth of Easter is also the triumph and truth of Christmas. At...
A Promise of Peace
Isaiah 9:6-7 The prophecy of Isaiah offers hope to a nation of people experiencing constant struggles. Like us, their lives were a mixed bag of tragedy and celebration with all the mundane daily elements thrown in. Little did they know that it would be 700 years...
Magnificat
Luke 1:39-56 Where is God at the beginning of this passage? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women—one old and barren, one young and virginal. And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song—the Magnificat....
Where is He? (Episode 3)
Matthew 2:10 No one is born in a vacuum. Each of us enters the world with a dated historical backdrop and cultural setting, a pervasive world view, a uniquely personal environment. Consider the recent experience of Prince William and Princess Kate. Not just they but...