January 3 | Psalm 117

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DAILY READING

Psalm 117

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REFLECTION

TITLE

by Ken Dillman

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

Each one of us is a walking, talking, breathing history book of God’s love and faithfulness.

As we approach the end of 2024, we can look back and see what God was doing in our lives throughout the year; in fact, we can do that with all the years of our life because we have had a history with God.

There is rarely a year in which any one of us skate by without some difficulties, drama, struggles, challenges, or painful experiences. Similarly, there is rarely a year goes by when the blessings of God aren’t deep, profound, and plentiful, and it’s all worthy of our praise.

The apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Thessalonica, wrote, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Paul could have been describing a year in the life of any one of us. Whether 2024 had an abundance of difficulty or blessing, we rejoice as the Psalmist does, we pray, we give thanks for all of life’s circumstances, because we know God was faithfully on the journey with us.

As a chaplain, I received my clinical training in a large hospital system in Central Ohio. My year of Residency was probably one of the most challenging and difficult years of my life, too often there was too much work, not enough sleep. I came home on a Sunday morning after a 12-hour overnight shift so exhausted, I told my wife I needed to go to the library as I was driving; what I really meant to say to her was, I needed to go to the Post Office. I was so tired I couldn’t think straight. My wife insisted we drive home so I could sleep. The pressure of Residency was nearly overwhelming, the deaths of hundreds of patients, along with school studies all contributed to victories and disappointments. Yet, in all of it, God was with me, ensuring my growth and equipping me for the next step of life with Him.

As we look forward to a new year, let’s continue to embrace the apostle Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians, and praise the Lord as the Psalmist does in Psalm 117; God in his steadfast love and faithfulness is already waiting for us in 2025.

PRAYER

Father, your steadfast love for us endures forever. We praise you for all you accomplished in and through us in 2024. Lord, we want to see your kingdom come, in us and in our world in 2025. Help us to be open to your Spirit’s leading and work in our lives, to the praise of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KEN DILLMAN

My wife, Karen and I have been attending UALC for 6-7 years and enjoy God's presence in our gatherings. We live in Hilliard; our three adult children live in Central Ohio. I am a retired Chaplain and Pastor, and enjoy writing, walking, jogging, and listening to live music. I appreciate the opportunity to write for the church’s devotionals.

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JANUARY 2 | ISAIAH 11:1-5

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DAILY READING

Isaiah 11:1-5

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REFLECTION

Power and Purpose 

by Judy Webb

"The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord." (Isaiah 11:2)

I have always loved reading these five verses, but I must admit, I never studied them before. While they are poetic and brimming with wisdom, we may never grasp how important the Holy Spirit is to our walk with Christ until we call upon Him. We don't understand the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit. It may even be difficult to think He is the person of the Trinity we should turn to when troubled and in need of rescue and counsel.

Jesus acknowledges the power of Holy Spirit, as He calls upon Him repeatedly. Verse two addresses 7 aspects 1) Spirit of the Lord; 2) Spirit of Wisdom (He is wisdom); (3) Spirit of Understanding; 4) Spirit of Counsel; 5) Spirit of Might; 6) Spirit of Knowledge; 7) Spirit of fear of the Lord.

Christians who study God's Word and call upon the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding, surely receive that gift. Christians who find themselves in trouble and see no way out, call upon the Holy Spirit for counsel and direction. We receive because we asked. We ask for might which will enable us to carry out the Holy Spirit's direction. When we accept his counsel we are practicing faith and strengthening our belief in the Power and Purpose of Holy Spirit. As we depend upon the Spirit of God, He effectively leads us closer to Him and makes our lives more fruitful.

"Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist." (Isaiah 11:1-5)

One of the first thoughts I had while reading this text was how it reminds me of the Armor of God. The command to put on this armor daily before venturing out, so we are protected from evil in the world. Digging into verse five helped me understand why I associated it like this.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.” (Ephesians 6:14)

By placing the Armor on ourselves daily, and by calling upon Holy Spirit for wisdom and courage we discover the power and purpose of the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER

O, Come Holy Spirit. Inspire us and convict us each day. Open our eyes to your splendor and might. Remind us daily that it is your Holy Spirit which makes us strong and faithful. Fill us with your wisdom and love. Always reveal your power and purpose in our lives. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDY WEBB

I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group. I love to study my Bible and share new things I learn and experience by writing these devotions.

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January 1 | Matthew 2:19-23

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DAILY READING

Matthew 2:19-23

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REFLECTION

The Rhyme of Time

By Katie Borden

Happy New Year, dearly beloved children of God!

Have you ever heard the phrase, “history doesn’t repeat itself… but it rhymes”? I’ve been pondering that phrase a bit this year as we turn the calendar from 2024 to 2025. I find myself wondering what newness is in store in these next 12 months. I also wonder what cycles will continue to repeat themselves, “rhyming” with what has come before. I wonder how the patterned threads of my life and our community’s life will weave together in the arc of the grand story of history. How will I see the rhymes and rhythms of time play out this year? How do I bring my hopes and fears of all of it before God?

The Bible is so brilliant in how it weaves together the rhyming history of God and his saving work among his people, and I think today’s passage may offer some guidance and comfort as we ask ourselves these kinds of questions at the start of this year.

The holy family, living in Egypt as refugees after Herod’s threat to the little infant life of Jesus, is preparing to return to Israel. This may have felt simultaneously new (the circumstances have changed, the location may be different), and like a return to the familiar land of their people (with, interestingly enough, a “new” ruler who is of the same line as Herod). I’m imagining that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were feeling history rhyme.

But if we zoom out even further, we can see that God was rhyming history on a macro scale, as well. Jesus’ story echoes the account of another name in Israel’s history–one who also lived in Egypt, fled threats on his life, and returned to eventually lead the people out of bondage. Matthew tells the story of Jesus and highlights these moments of his early years in order to  bring to mind the rhyming history of Moses. God is leading and guiding the holy family’s story in such a way that we understand Jesus as the true Moses–Jesus is the one who leads his people out of spiritual bondage and into the fullness of the eternal kind of life. It was certainly not in the way people may have expected their Messiah to come, and Jesus’ way still flies in the face of the values that our world holds dear, but God brilliantly weaves the threads of history into a beautiful arc of salvation, redemption, and restoration. 

So whether you are feeling like this day is full of hope, or full of fear, or full of the same-old same-old, look forward with hope to the God who is rhyming all of our days together to bring about the day in which all will be made new and all will be well. Thanks be to God.

PRAYER

God, thank you that you are the one who holds all of history, and that you will continue to work in this world--and us--until that day in which all will be well and we will know you fully. Help us to trust in the rhyming of our seasons as evidence of your work in our lives, and help us to live in hopeful anticipation of that day when you bring all to completion.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATIE BORDEN

I’m a lifelong member of UALC and have had the privilege of serving our community in both volunteer and staff roles over the years. I love learning, OSU football, good conversations, chocolate croissants, laughter, and sharing about the good news of Jesus in whatever capacity I can.

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