By Ruth Hochstetler, library day circulation manager, Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals Recently, my husband and I helped out at a children’s game night at our church. The young participants were offered prizes from a bucketful of candy. Some kids knew immediately what to snatch from the pile of treats, while others took a painstakingly long time to decide. It was tempting to make the choice for them to relieve their agony of indecision. As an adult, I can recall the discomfort of vacillation when making big life decisions. Like the marriage proposal – even though I anticipated it, the moment evoked anxiety. Was I making the right choice? The long-term effects are so significant! Even harder was the decision to marry the second time, when life and circumstances were much more complicated. In the text, Joseph wrestles with how to handle the delicate situation of a pregnant fiancé. He makes a noble plan, and God intervenes with clear instructions through a dream and Joseph chooses to obey, in spite of the humiliation and judgment he and Mary will have to endure from their community. The story moves ahead to the eventual, glorious scene of Christ’s birth. If only a heavenly vision would show us what to do during life’s hard choices. While such a dream is not impossible, God gives us other great resources to draw from. Joseph had the rich history of ancestors who were examples of righteous living. So we can gain wisdom and encouragement from the lives of God’s people in Scripture and those living now. God’s Word enlightens us (Psalm 119:105). Even at night, we receive instruction (Psalm 16:7). And the very familiar verse from Proverbs 3:6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (NRSV) Can we not trust that the One who wrote and produced the greatest story ever told will send us the direction and help we need to follow the plans God has for our lives? May you find comfort today in knowing our God is big enough to make a sure path for you. May the One who directed the details of the Advent story continue to tell the good news through us who seek to follow and obey. Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
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By Ross Peterson-Veatch, associate vice-president for academic affairs, Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotions Grace to you and peace! Could you imagine greeting everyone you see with Paul’s beautiful salutation to the Romans? You’re headed into the grocery store and you start offering “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” to all you encounter there. You stop at a drive-thru and when the voice comes over the speaker you offer grace and peace to the person on the other end. To people at every store counter you approach, those in every line you stand in, to everyone you walk past, to all you see in church, at school, at work, you shout out “Grace and peace to you!” I can imagine it, but that’s about as far as it goes. It was awkward enough in the church services I grew up attending to “pass the peace of Christ” and shake hands with people – even though we were instructed to do it from the pulpit, and I did it week after week. And if I keep imagining, awkward turns to scary. What would happen if I actually just went for it? People might think I’d lost it. They might judge me. They might remember other things I’ve done or said and think I’m just being false. And that’s not even the worst of it. I, myself, might feel a little silly, or more than a little false. I would probably begin to examine my faith, encounter my own doubts and tell myself I’m not worthy to offer anybody anything from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul would have us remember today, and every day, that we are all God’s beloved – from Rome or Jerusalem, privileged or outcast, broken or whole – and we are all called to be saints no matter what our lives are like. That grace and peace we can offer to one another this season is God’s greatest gift to us and we received it from Jesus in order that we might pass it on to everyone. And while I’ll probably choose some different words or a different tone of voice to pass on that grace and peace to everyone I meet this season, I believe it’s the best gift any of us can give. So, grace to you this day and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! See you in the grocery store… Romans 1:1-7 (NRSV) By Kathryn Schmidt, assistant professor of music at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals Life comes. Last fall, I found myself alone in a parking lot near my car, clutching my swollen belly (beautiful belly!) and bawling. Hiccups. Groans. A sad end to a lovely pre-natal appointment. “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel… Stir up your might and come to save us!” We didn’t have enough money. The life-joy within me—now, a source of betrayal. “O God! Why did you bring us here, where babies cost money to be born? Money we do not have?!” “You make us the scorn of our neighbors…” Like the vine (v. 8), we had been transplanted and were trying to set down roots. But there were so many obstacles to overcome. “You have fed them with the bread of tears. You have made them drink tears by the bowlful.” But with God all things are possible! There has to be enough! This child, this fluttering of wondrous life will come whether there is money or not. Because life comes. Life came to Mary that cold evening with the bleating of goats, the stamping of hooves. No money. (No room in the inn.) But life! Sweet, bloody life bursting forth in a gush of warmth. “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” Our baby came, and there was enough. As for Mary, in a heave of abandon and with a bowlful of tears, she brought us Life. Life comes. Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 (NRSV) By Paul Keim, professor of Bible and religion at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals O, Ahaz! Scion of the house of David. You’re like the part of me that loves the forms of faith, but shies from the substance of it. You want to be taken care of, but cannot bring yourself to trust what you cannot see. Sitting on your ivory throne, all seized up by dangers real and conjured. Seeking refuge in false piety. Dancing on God’s last nerve – you prefer Assyria over a sign. O, Ahaz! Mysteries abound: There is a young woman out there, perhaps from the royal house; perhaps the prophetic spouse. Or is she just a version . . . of our imagination? No matter. She is “expecting,” and she will bear a child, and name that child: God-Is-With-Us. And before that baby stops eating Greek yoghurt (here comes the point), in less time than it takes for it to know naughty and nice (we are approaching the point), those spectral dangers that disturb your sleep will have been swept away, and (voilà le point) the verbal shall become hominal. O, Ahaz! Still groping to grasp the meaning of Immanuel. Still preferring your tired realpolitik. That child has come of age. Those former threats have passed (though new ones will emerge). Meanwhile, the freckled glow on the ruddy cheek of that child of promise should remind you every dawning day that no matter what the son of Ramaliah and his ilk are up to, God is about the baffling business of Being-With-Us. Isaiah 7:10-16 (NRSV) By Jeff Hochstetler, apartments manager at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals Isaiah 7:10-16 In the past year, a number of my friends have either recently had their first baby or have announced that one is on the way. Joy, excitement and anticipation often fill the lives of the parents, their family and friends. An announcement of this magnitude changes things!
But after announcing a coming baby, the parents’ work has just begun. Sleeping habits change. Eating habits change. Family dynamics change as expectant parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles anticipate welcoming a new life. Physical spaces change. A nursery is set up for the coming newborn. Inevitably the buzzword, “nesting,” will creep its way into expectant parents’ vernacular. This week’s theme is to “Tell the Good News.” Scriptures throughout this week will focus our attention to the coming Immanuel. Like family anticipating a new life, announcing the coming Prince of Peace is an important first step. And then we begin to prepare. As the Christmas season draws near, how are we preparing to tell the Good News? How will our lives be changed? After announcing our joy, may we shape our lives to speak the Good News of the coming babe. By Liz Core, a senior at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals What did you go out into the wilderness to see? Jesus asks this question to a crowd after meeting John the Baptist’s disciples, who were inquiring about Jesus’ identity. Is he the one they’ve been waiting for? Is it true the Messiah had come? Jesus’ answer is to ask them to hear and watch what has come because of his life. The blind see, the lame pick up their mats, the lepers made clean, even the dead awakened. He seems to be saying, “If this is what you’ve been waiting for, then ‘yes.’” Then, in a whir of rhetoric and analogy, Jesus turns to the crowd and asks, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” The wilderness, the place where the Baptist dwelt, was a place that I imagine many sought out. John was a man with disciples, after all. The wilderness was a place of searching — the arena for answers about life, fulfillment, salvation and prophesy. John lived in the wide-open, strange spaces away from society and the pull of formalities. He wore almost nothing, he ate almost nothing, and everything about him was meager by most standards. His life was so radically weird compared to the standard. Yet, people still wanted to hear what he had to say, and Jesus really, really liked him. He called him the best born among women. That is, the best. Of all. Who John was and the place that John dwelt was mysterious. But his life’s work was giving God glory and abandoning his own. Jesus commends him, but also says that anyone who is “least in the kingdom” is even greater than John. So, I think about this question, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” In the wilderness — a place that carries us away from our comfort zones and from material — we find answers. We find the radical kingdom that Jesus desires to see on earth — one of making ourselves less and God greater. In the wilderness, we find God. Matthew 11:2-11 (NRSV) By Sam Carlson, a sophomore at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals In many Western cultures, most focus is placed on the future. Steps are made toward the future: in science, religion, politics. You face the future, with the past behind you. The future is a gust of wind rushing toward you to become present – it rolls up and over your shoulders, and suddenly it’s gone. In the Eastern hemisphere, much more focus is placed on history. The future acts as wind at your back, while history is in your line of vision. You face the past because it’s far more valuable than the future. You’re able to learn much more from the past. There is a lot to learn from these interpretations of time. We’re often looking toward the future without recognizing the past. In this season of pandemonium and perpetual to-do lists, let us change the way we look at time. Let us be patient, and turn away from what the future holds. Guardian of the seasons, keeper of every time, tune us to your rhythms that we may know the occasion for stillness and the moment for action. James 5:7-10 (NRSV) By Luke Gascho, director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College and professor of sustainability/environment Reprinted from Advent Devotionals It happened again yesterday. I was excitedly sharing with someone about the gardens and fruit trees at our home. I explained when and how I had planted and nurtured various parts of our landscape. It is amazing to recognize how the diversity and health of our property has improved over the last 15 years. All of this conversation implied I was responsible for all this transformation. I needed to acknowledge that I am only the gardener – and that the actual growth comes from factors and sources outside myself. While that realization is humbling, it is also the basis of my hopefulness. Psalm 146:5-10 repeatedly names the One who transforms many desperate needs in our world. Multiple actions of generative healing are named following each stating of the name LORD. The repeated focus on the Actor who makes change happen guides me into hope and courage. It is impressive to see the ways that God is involved in making all things right. Verse five sounds the clarion call for us to be participants in these activities. The happiness of our engagement with the many needs rests in knowing the Helper who energizes the transformation. Over the past number of weeks, I have planted many fruit trees, nut trees and berry bushes in some additional property that we have acquired. I know my role is the gardener who cares for the health of this piece of God’s earth. I plant with delight, hopefulness and anticipation. I believe that growth will happen and that there will be an eventual time of bounty. The orchard will supply food for many and will also be there for future generations. My anticipation parallels the multigenerational hopefulness of the Psalmist – and Mary awaiting the Promised One. My hope is based on the Source beyond myself. God is my helper – the true source of my happiness and hopefulness. May it be so for you. Psalm 146:5-10 (5) (NRSV) By Grace Boehm, a sophomore at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals Isaiah 35:1-10 (NRSV) To me, the journey of life is reflected in Isaiah 35:1-10. What came to my mind while exploring this text was the mention of “wilderness” and how my experiences in the Rocky Mountains could relate. Climbing a mountain is an internal struggle as well as a physical one. With blistered feet, sore hands and sweaty body, also comes the mentally demanding fight to keep moving forward. One part of the passage says, “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come.’”
I find myself overwhelmed with seeing God’s presence through the fatigue and cold that I feel above the tree line. It’s not for the weak of heart, but God is present throughout. Personally, I believe that the wilderness is beautiful, wild and refreshing to the soul. It is where I feel most at home, but it comes with dangers too. I think that in Isaiah, the importance of life through salvation is clear. Water will burst forth into the wilderness and all will be lush and green. Happy are those whose help is in the Lord! Where have you found the beautiful parts of life even amidst trial and tribulation? Whether climbing a mountain or bearing the heavy load of life, it is important to ask God to be present and give support. With God, anything is possible. By Brian Sutter, a junior at Goshen College Reprinted from Advent Devotionals This week's scriptures By this time in Advent, the stresses of final exams and papers are upon us. But long nights of studying will soon be replaced with nights of sipping hot chocolate in front of the fire and enjoying time with family. A majority of the semester, however, is not quite so relaxing. Assignments accumulate, research papers continue to avoid writing themselves, and exams are always looming. Of course, I expect college to keep me busy, and I truly find joy in all that I’m learning, but it’s easy to forget that I can rely on something other than late-night cups of coffee to help me handle the workload. In the midst of my busy schedule, God is there, calling me to place my trust in Him.
This week’s devotional theme is “Happy are those…whose help is in the Lord.” The scripture passages describe God’s unwavering commitment to justice and to God’s people. Indeed, God is committed to helping people through much greater trials than college homework. We are reminded that God will protect the orphan and the widow, lift up the downtrodden and set the captives free. God will create streams in the wilderness, and the desert itself will rejoice and blossom. God knows those uncertain wildernesses that hold each of us captive, whether they come in the form of strained relationships with loved ones or endless stores filled with holiday bargains and stressed shoppers. In this season and in life, God calls us to look towards Him for our source of help. We are called to pay attention to the signs of God dwelling in the world around us, here and now. By seeking the help of the Lord, we begin to notice the blossoms in the desert, and we, too, can rejoice and be happy. |
Chad Hill
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April 2015
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