Advent Devotions

Luke 2:17-20 I’m struck by Mary’s reaction in this passage. Here the shepherds have heard this amazing news from an angel of a Savior—the Messiah—being born in Bethlehem, and they go and see if what the angel has told them is true. So they start spreading word: the...

Luke 2:15-16 This biblical passage challenges our preconceptions by suggesting more Good News than at first glance: (1) The promised hope is revealed to humble workers performing servile functions, out in the lonely dark of a quiet summer night; so God reminds us that...

Luke 2:12-14 The amazing message of Christmas is that God wrapped his presence in human form and came uniquely into our world in a baby lying in a manger. This is the most exciting and amazing story the human race has ever heard. “And this will be a sign for you. You...

Luke 2:8-11 It is significant that God chose “lowly” shepherds to be the first to receive the announcement of the birth of the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This is in keeping with the fact that the Savior came for “all people.” The angels’ message is also...

Luke 2:5-7 During my college semester abroad in Angers, France, I had a week with no classes, and my dad took his first trip to Europe to visit me. We first spent several days in England with his brother who was living in London, and then we went to France so that I...

Luke 2:1-4 Luke begins his account of the life and ministry of Jesus with the birth of John the Baptist and Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Joseph is mentioned only as a man to whom Mary was betrothed and who was a descendant of David. In our Scripture passage for today,...

Luke 1:46-50 46 Mary said, “My heart praises the Lord; 47 my soul is glad because of God my Savior, 48 for he has remembered me, his lowly servant! From now on all people will call me happy, 49 because of the great things the Mighty God has done for me. His name is...

Luke 1:34-35, 37-38 Mary’s conversation with the angel is coming to an end. After hearing that she is going to conceive and bear a son, she is naturally curious as to how this is going to happen given her circumstances. She is given an answer in some detail. Most...

Luke 1:26-29 The Gospel of Luke provides us with perhaps the most well-known and well-loved account of the birth of Jesus. Matthew’s lead up to Jesus’ birth is a 42 generation genealogy and a dream conversation Joseph has with an angel. Luke’s lead up is a series of...

Matthew 1:18-23 She was the quintessential high school cheerleader – blond, bright personality, and bouncy. She rode the school bus with me every day. Until one day she didn’t. When people talked about it, they said it was “a sin and a shame.” She was pregnant, you...

John 1:1-5 Ever notice from an airplane window the forests down below? The trees seem to be hundreds of small solid shapes. They appear from a distance that we might be able to glide down to them, and possibly make a soft landing on the treetops. But we know better,...

Micah 5:2, 4-5a It was a no-brainer. If you sell Toyota cars, you have to drive the newest model. If you work at Brooks Brothers, you have to wear – well, you get the picture. So after a year of working at ChildFund, when a co-worker came to me and asked if my family...

Jeremiah 31: 31, 33-34 “The days are surely coming…” the passage begins. As we read these words today, the days are surely coming. The first week of Advent is drawing to a close, and the anticipation is building. We know the magnificent gift that is coming, yet how...

Isaiah 60:1-3 “This Little Light of Mine” is a favorite chorus. I sang it as a child and it ingrained in me the thought of lights shining even in times of darkness. Dark times come to all our lives, but our dependence on God can help us go on. Being a double amputee,...

Isaiah 9:2-5 Writing the midst of a spiritually and politically tumultuous time, Isaiah doesn’t say that the world is basically a good place and because of that everything will be OK. His faith is much more realistic because it is beaten out between the hammer and...

Isaiah 7:14 Well then, the Lord will himself give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son and will name him Immanuel. As I write this it’s mid-July and another in a string of days with temperatures in the mid-90’s. With the exception of a few...

Isaiah 7:14 Geopolitics was not invented last week. The making and breaking of international alliances were as much a part of the 8th century B.C. as the 21st century A.D. King Ahaz of Judah vacillated between political ties with Assyria, Israel and Syria. He feared...

Isaiah 40:1, 3-5 Recently when we were in Italy, our tour guide told us that there was one distinguishing fact about Roman roads: They were always straight. Most of us have driven old, crooked, bumpy highways. Early in our marriage, we would frequently drive US 60...

Visit our devotions website -- www.rrcb.org/devotions/ The Advent/Christmas time is without question one of the busiest times of the year. It is filled with Christmas shopping, addressing Christmas cards, planning special trips and getting just the right gift for...