December 22 | Luke 1:39-45

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DAILY READING

Luke 1:39-45

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REFLECTION

Mary and Elizabeth

By Elaine Pierce

It is easy to overlook these six verses - not much happens, does it? Mary decides to visit her older cousin, Elizabeth, after her visit from the angel Gabriel. Elizabeth greets her with joy, immediately recognizing that Mary is pregnant with 'the mother of my Lord." Let's skip over this and read the majestic Song of Mary, the Magnificat, in verses 46-55.

But wait....maybe these verses, like all of scripture, have something to tell us. Two women - one very young, one at least middle aged, find themselves surprisingly pregnant. Mary isn't married - her friends and neighbors will judge her harshly for her 'sin.' And Elizabeth, as a married woman without a child, is looked down on (obviously it's her fault she is barren). These two women, one a peasant girl, the other married to a descendant of Aaron, were almost outcasts in their society. The role of women was to bear children - and to be married first. Today we celebrate these faithful women who answered God's call in humble obedience.

God uses unlikely people - we certainly saw that this fall as we studied the lives of Abraham.....Moses....Hannah....David....Jeremiah....They were not perfect, but God used them to do great things and to advance his kingdom work. They, just like us, were flawed and sinful. After all, there is no other kind of human, is there?

Mary stayed with Elizabeth three months. I imagine those months were times of great joy as they looked forward to the next phase of their lives. I imagine there was some fear and wonder, too, at what lay ahead. But, guided by the Holy Spirit, they knew that God was with them and their part was to follow him. As we light the 4th advent candle, let us look to the Lord and thank him for his goodness, his kindness, and his mercy. He is coming soon!

PRAYER

Lord, Mary and Elizabeth were obedient, and they followed you even when it seemed unlikely that you could fulfill your promises. Thank you for the examples of these women who loved and served you. I am so often filled with doubt - fill me with your Holy Spirit, and help me to obey you despite my fears. Thank you for sending your son into a world filled with division, strife and war. Thank you for loving me when I don't deserve it. In Jesus' name, 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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December 21| I Samuel 2:1-10

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DAILY READING

1 Samuel 2:1-10

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REFLECTION

Personal Holiness

by Ken Dillman

As we journey through this season of Advent, we turn our focus toward hope, peace, joy, and love, as we celebrate the gift God demonstrated to our world through the birth of his Son, Jesus. Advent can also be a time when we focus on our pursuit of personal holiness in the worship of God.

In our text today, we encounter Hanna, a holy and devout woman whose heart was attuned to God; she prayed, asking God to give her a son. Hanna and her husband, Elkanah, regularly worshiped and sacrificed in the tabernacle in Shiloh; she prayed fervently and spoke with God as though he was standing next to her, committing to give her son to God for his whole life.

God answers and Hanna gives birth to Samuel; she then entrusts him to God’s care as she leaves him, as a young boy, in the tabernacle to be mentored by the priest Eli. Hanna offers an impassioned prayer of thanks to God for his mercy and goodness; she seems to have some vision of the future of God’s “anointed,” who will provide salvation for Israel.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, prayed a prayer similar to Hanna’s (Luke 1:46-56), as part of the Christmas story found in the gospels. When Mary is visited by the angel, Gabriel he acknowledges that Mary is “favored” by God; we get a glimpse of Mary’s pursuit of personal holiness when she does everything God instructs her (and Joseph) to do (Matthew 2:13-15.)

Gabriel tells Mary she will conceive a son, who will be the Son of the Most High and will reign over Israel forever. In response, Mary offers a song of praise to God for his mercy and for being her Savior, we know it as The Magnificat. Both Hanna’s and Mary’s prayers were their overflow of worship in holiness.

Pastor Louie Giglio, in his book, Worship as a Way of Life proclaims that “Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say…and the way we live.”

We pursue personal holiness as a response to all that God has done for us, keeping Jesus’ commandments is our expression of our love for Him, and thanks to God for sending a Savior into the world to rescue us and all fallen humanity.

PRAYER

Father, help us at this season to delve deeply into our own pursuit of personal holiness as we remember those in the Christmas Story who pursued personal holiness for your glory.

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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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December 20 | Judges 5:24-27

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DAILY READING

Judges 5:24-27

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REFLECTION

The Unlikely Make a Difference

By Todd Marti

This week’s readings show multiple examples of an undeniable truth: God works powerfully through seemingly weak, seemingly insignificant, people to address seemingly insurmountable dysfunction.  We see that again today. Although not immediately obvious from the text of today’s reading, the reading’s backstory provides another example of that dynamic.

That backstory is found in Judges 4. Israel had been oppressed by a pagan king through Sisera, the commander of the king’s powerful army.  Israel “cried to the Lord for help.” Judges 4.3. God raised up a female judge to deal with that king, the king’s seemingly invincible army was destroyed, and Sisera fled the battlefield. He took refuge in the tent of Jael, a non-Israelite woman, who dispatched him by luring him into a false sense of security and killing him. That effectively ended the king’s power and Israel “had peace for forty years.” Judges 5:31. In sum, God used two very unlikely people—women in a male dominated culture, one of whom was not even an Israelite—to answer His people’s prayers and deliver them from oppression.

So what does that mean for us, thousands of years later? Several things come to mind.

One is to remember that nothing is impossible for God. Luke 1:37. We should not despair even though the dysfunction in our world, and maybe in our personal lives, seems overwhelming.  God can and will overcome it all. Psalm 37, John 16:33, and this powerfully uplifting song  affirm that reality. That may not happen in the way we expect or on the schedule we desire, but it will happen.

Another is that we too should “cry to the Lord for help.”  God responds to our heartfelt prayers. Sometimes He changes our circumstances, sometimes He changes the way we approach those circumstances, but He always gives us peace in one form or another when we bring our problems to Him.  As Psalm 55:22 and 1 Peter 5:7 tell us, we should bring all our anxieties to him. See also Philippians 4:4-7.  And don’t worry if you can’t fully articulate your concerns, Romans 8:26-27 assures us that He’ll get them. Just go to Him.

Finally, open yourself to the possibility that you will be a person God uses to deal with some of the dysfunction around us. As this week’s readings show us, God works through all kinds of folks, and you are likely one of them. So follow Psalm 37:3's direction to “trust in the Lord and do good.” (Emphasis added).  That will position you to be one of the instruments God uses to deliver His healing, as unlikely as that may seem. This link  will connect you with some great ways to start doing that.

God’s peace to—and through—you.

PRAYER

Lord, draw us to you, especially when things seem bleak. Help us to remember your perfect love, your perfect wisdom, and your ultimate power. Help us to bring our problems to you.  Open, position, align us with you so that we can be instruments of your healing. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TODD MARTI

I have been connected to UALC since 2000 in various small groups and as a co-manager of the UALC Community Garden. I’m married to Kelly Marti, and the proud father of Sarah Marti. I am happy to be writing these devotions.

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