January 12 | Luke 1:1-4

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DAILY READING

Luke 1:1-4

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It's All About Jesus

By Elaine Pierce

How many biographies have been written about George Washington? Abraham Lincoln? Princess Diana? We are fascinated by the lives of famous people. We can't seem to get enough 'behind the scenes' details about their lives. 'Tell all' books about celebrities sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

In the first verse of the book of Luke, he tells us that 'many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us.' So Luke is not the first person to write about the life of Jesus. But he wants his audience to 'know the certainty of the things you have been taught (v.4).' As those who were contemporaries of Jesus were passing on, it was important to have a fact-based record of his life. We don't know much about Luke, the author, but most scholars agree that he was a gentile (the only non-Jewish author of the 4 gospels).

Like the overwhelming majority of the readers of this blog post, I'm also a gentile, so perhaps I am drawn to Luke for that very reason. Luke is offering his readers faith founded on facts. This is not a hazy, mystical religion. This is an account of Jesus, the man who was born of a woman, who lived among us, who did not sin, and who paid the price for our disobedience on the cross. He was fully human and fully divine, and what a privilege it is to follow him.

Over these next few months we will be studying the gospel of Luke. These first 4 verses are rather formal, and yet they are straightforward: Luke will introduce us chronologically to the life and times of our Lord. He has done careful research. This biography is most certainly authorized, and we can trust the source.

Paul tells his disciple, Timothy, that God's word is true: All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16). Let's begin 2025 with our eyes on Jesus, thankful for what he has done and what he will do in our lives.

PRAYER

Lord, your Word is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path, as the psalmist says, thank you for the opportunity to study, to pray, and to follow you. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!

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January 11 | John 20:30-31

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DAILY READING

John 20:30-31

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REFLECTION

Faith Journey

by Dave Thompson 

Today's passage tells of a very simple principle that we can all learn to do and to believe in when bad situations arise. Before I speak to that, these two verses of this passage remind me of a story that happened about 13 years back. I was applying for a position at a Christian institution. In their application package were a number of questions that you needed to answer in a positive way so the application committee could know about you before they met you. The question applicable for my challenge for you was: When were times God answered prayer? At first, I was not connecting to the task, but once I did, the situations where God answered prayer or worked with me to know why a prayer was answered came through loud and clear. There were many times when looking back God worked things out for me. The times I recalled God working things out reminded me of one of my favorite promises from Romans 8 in the KJV: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to HIs purpose." Things like my daughter being healed overnight from being in a coma for days with little hope of a good prognosis. Like my brother being saved from certain death by miraculous means and many more.

You see, when the hard times come, most of us are only thinking about the hard times instead of thinking about God, prayer and believing in Him for relief from the situation. Sometimes the answer is "No" and those can be very frustrating in our own finite minds. We want to know why God didn't answer the prayer just the way we thought it should work out. In John 9:1-3, it tells a story about a man who was blind from birth (approximately 36 years). Jesus' disciples wanted to know who sinned to cause this blindness and Jesus replied that no one had sinned, but the blindness was there for Jesus to show His power and to work God's ultimate plan. Perhaps someone dies young and you can't understand it, but through that person's death others are saved. You see God has a plan and He is continually working His plan. Through all that God does for us or through others around us, we can see God's power. Through all that happens, both good and bad, we must understand that God has a plan and we will someday see why things worked out the way it did.

So, I challenge you to take a walk back though your life and write out something I will call a "faith journal." Outline what the prayer request was and how it worked out. Little things are important to this exercise. Because as you see God working in both the little things and not so little things, you will build an unwavering faith in a wonderful God.

PRAYER

God, thank you for caring enough to have a plan for each one of our lives. That seeing and believing in you as our father, creator and all-in-all will help us to get though life with a miraculous confidence. Give us patience and understanding when it is hard to accept the not so good things that come our way. In all things as it is written in Mark 9:24, "Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief." Let it be so. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE THOMPSON

I am the administrator of the Daily Worship Blog. My wife, Carla, and I have been attending UALC for seven years at the 9 o'clock service at Mill Run. We have two children, Catherine and Aaron. I have been a Christian for 53 years and am thankful that my Savior has given me two spiritual gifts that have carried me both spiritually and vocationally all my life: they are teaching and administration. I look forward to spending many years here at UALC to serve my Lord and Savior.

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January 10 | Psalm 15

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DAILY READING

Psalm 15

REFLECTION

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It's About the Journey AND the Destination

By Jennifer Jerrome

My initial thoughts when reading Psalm 15 were, “Wow that’s a lot to live up to. If this is the standard, I may not make it in the tent or on the mountain, but hopefully I’ll end up somewhere close.”

Verses 2-5 feel somewhat like a required checklist:

• Blameless

• Righteous

• Speak truth from the heart

• Utter no slander

• Do no wrong to neighbors

• Cast no slur on others

• Despise the vile

• Honor those who fear the Lord

• Keep an oath even when it hurts

• Do not change your mind

• Lend money to the poor without interest

• Accept no bribes against the innocent

My next thoughts were, “What does it mean if I’m still making my way towards the tent or trekking to the mountain? Do I get credit for heading in the right direction? People are always saying life is about the journey and not the destination. Is this the case for Christians when the desired destination is heaven? How do we become a guest in God’s house?

The psalm ends with, Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

If we’re speaking truth from the heart, I’m shaken… often.

I know God’s got me and if I declare my love for Him, I should have nothing to worry about. But somehow that message doesn’t completely ease my fears. I worry… often.

So, does this mean I’m not good enough for God? That I’ll never dwell in His sacred tent or live on His holy mountain? Is this reserved for only the best of the best? Surely the prostitutes, tax collectors and other sinners Jesus befriended wouldn’t have checked all the boxes either.

When I’m working on a devotion, I frequently look at the verses before and after the passage to gain more perspective. This time I found Psalm 16:8 - I will keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand I will not be shaken.

Left to our own devices, we are easily shaken but with God we stand on solid ground.

Life isn’t meant to be done alone. It’s not up to us to be good enough, because we never will be. Jesus wasn’t looking for the faultless. He wasn’t looking for the best according to society’s standards, but for those who were the best examples of his love.

He calls us not to perfection, but to journey with him - stopping along the way to invite others to join us. So maybe it’s about the journey AND the destination.

Quick addendum:  After hearing Pastor Aaron speak about Luke 2 earlier this week (1/5) when Jesus remained in the temple, it made me think about where God dwells. Is God in the tent or on the holy mountain – Yes, but he’s also in our communities and most definitely in the communion we participate in each Sunday. He’s among us every day. Now, should we try to journey as close to the tent and mountain as possible? Yes, God wants us to want Him and when we do, He meets us where we are. He’s closer than we think.

PRAYER

Father,

I may not check all the boxes, but you are not keeping score. You know my heart. I will fix my eyes on you as I navigate this life and journey with you towards heaven. Amen

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JENNIFER JERROME

I have known I was a child of God from the beginning. I was baptized and raised in the Catholic church and began attending UALC about 18 years ago when my husband I were searching for a place to worship and serve as a family. UALC has helped shape our faith over the years. We have been through several seasons of life and the constant has been our faith and family.

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