MARANATHA!
Come, O Lord!
The 2015
Daily Advent/Christmas Devotional
Provided by
the East German-West Pennsylvania Conferences
of the United Methodist Church
This devotional booklet is an annual project of the interconference partnership of the Eastern German and Western Pennsylvania Conferences of the United Methodist Church.
We are deeply grateful for the work of the many clergy and laity of both conferences who contributed meditations to this piece. Special thanks to translators, Dr. Barbara Carvill and Rev. Michael Wetzel, to compilers and editors Mary Garber, Lori Horner, and Rev. Joseph Stains.
And above all to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who above all gives us reason to rejoice forever!
Monday, 30th, November; 1 John 4:7-12
Bischöfin Rosemarie Wenner, Frankfurt/Main
Recently a group of bishops and church leaders including myself visited Herrnhut. This small city in the East of Germany near the border to the Czech Republic and Poland is seen as the place of origin for the younger branch of the Moravian Church. At our visit we heard how the revival in Herrnhut began. It is a unique love story: In the early 18th Century many Moravian refugees came to Saxonia. On the invitation of Duke Zinzendorf they settled in Herrnhut. People who already lived in region had difficulties in accepting the newcomers, partly because they saw themselves disregarded because of economic privileges given to the refugees. In addition, there were deep conflicts caused by different religious beliefs. Duke Zinzendorf organized small group meetings and encouraged people to engage with one another in Bible studies and prayer. On August 13, 1727 the diverse congregation met to worship in the Lutheran Church in Berthelsdorf near Herrnhut. They listened to the preaching and were fed at the Communion Table. The Holy Spirit was at work. The worshippers asked one another for forgiveness. The Moravians see this service as the birth of their movement. Those who were in that service wrote in their diaries: “For the next two or three days we remained in quiet reflection and we learned how to love.” Learning how to love – this is the essential lesson in the life of a Christian. Places to learn the lesson are all opportunities to make use of the means of grace like Bible study, prayer, Holy Communion and ministry with the poor. By that we become aware that we all are God’s beloved children and we realize how much we depend on Christ, who even gave His life for us. Inspired by Christ’s love we open ourselves to be shaped by the Holy Spirit. As we learn to love we can live with differences and even value our diversity as one of Gods gifts to serve one another and to become a blessing to the world.
Tuesday December 1; I John 4:7-12
Rev. John W. Hodge, Mapletown/Mt. Pleasant UM Chueches
Love, Joy and Peace. Words we see or hear throughout the Advent
season. The season society has renamed Christmas. Love is the message of
Advent. As we look back to Christ's first coming, we celebrate God's love
for humanity. It is the love John describes in our reading. "This is how God
showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that
we might live through him This is love: not that we loved God, but that he
loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for us>" (NIV) Jesus was
God's gift to us. Jesus' payment for our sin was his gift to us. A gift that
awaits our reception. And it is a gift we can share with others while it
remains with us. "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love
one another." I John 4:11
Wednesday, 2nd, December; 2 Peter 1:16-18
Lokalpastor Marcel Tappert, Flöha
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (New International Version)
Somehow it seems that Peter had the urge to explain the reason for his not-that-easy path of life. Maybe he wants to explain why he hasn´t stayed being that fisherman of the lake. As an old man he easily could have told stories about fishing and storms on the lake. But now he talks about the succession and the Son of God. This meeting with the Son of God had changed his life in a different direction. He, Jesus Christ, had called and pushed him in this new way of life. He taught him and exemplified many things through his own life. He let him be a part of extraordinary adventures like on the mountain of transfiguration. Such experiences had turned the fisherman inside out. A message of a life transformation is difficult to find on an Advent market / Christmas market. But we do not follow such nice thought stories; we follow the Son of God in our time and in our understanding. Obviously this Son of God was the child in the crib and the searched for Redeemer. Of course we can enjoy the candles and the fragrance of advent. But there is more behind the sound of bells and “Silent Night, Holy Night“, it is also the voice of the Creator, who authorizes the Son of God and who shows his being well-pleased with him. We do not celebrate a story; we celebrate the birth of the Son of God. The coming of hope and the coming of a life change. Who for sure is still in His power around us today. It might be that in a few years we are asked, why haven´t we stayed where we were, why we have made this uncomfortable decision or that one. Than we can look for an answer at our fisherman Peter and answer this way: “I did not want to follow a nice story, I wanted to follow my Lord Jesus Christ, whom God was well-pleased with. “
Thursday December 3; II Peter 1: 16 - 18
Rev. Dean E. Byrom, Retired
All of us, Eastern Germans and Western Pennsylvanians, have once again banded together to create this Advent devotional booklet to celebrate the season of waiting and hoping.
Since long ago, this holy season has indeed looked forward to Jesus’ coming - in the past, (the birth of the infant Jesus), in the present (into our very hearts as Christians), and in the future (His second coming in glory).
It is the third sense (the future coming) that is examined in today’s reading from II Peter.
Peter tells us that it was in the days while Jesus was alive on this earth that they saw the majesty which, thanks be to God, will one day be shown to all the earth in all its fullness and glory.
How? At what point? It was on the Mount of Transfiguration. He, Peter, and his fellow disciples, James and John heard with their own ears the supremely approving voice of God speak to and of Jesus.
So may we in this holy season read and hear the testimony of the apostle to our minds and hearts - a sacred blessing to help us to once again prepare to celebrate the human birth of Jesus Christ our Lord!
Friday, 4th, December, Psalm 150
Annett Richter, Zwickau
In Psalm 150, we are invited to praise and thank God. This psalm tells us where God is to be praised ("in his sanctuary", "in his mighty heavens") and the reasons for it ("for his mighty deeds," "in his excellent greatness"). I have the impression that the praise grows with every single verse. Again and again occurs the call: "Praise him ..." At the beginning and at the end you even find the "big hallelujah".
However, what if in our lives we are not in shouting and cheering mood? How often are the laments closer to us than the hymns? There are so many images that go through my head: personal worries, unemployment, to be excluded, no chances anymore, serious illness and the loss of a loved one. Every day we see the suffering in our world: hunger, war and destruction.
The psalm prayers wrestle hard for the "Hallelujah"-sound. The prayer book begins in Psalm 1 with "Blessed is the one ..." who offers himself to God and is completed in Psalm 150 with "everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the lord!”. In between, you find prayers from all life situation of people - then and now. You can quickly recognize it when you read the headlines of the Psalms.
For me, the praise of God always takes place when a person honestly comes before his Creator. If he is searching for him with all his heart, with his questions, worries and disappointments. Although he is grateful and sees all the good things in his life.
I am convinced that, at the end of our lives, God finishes everything well. My hope is that at this point God makes us understand what we do not understand and for us very painful, now. Because of that, it fits well that at the end of 150 psalms - in which our entire lives comes up – there is the "great Hallelujah".
To remember the good things that we have seen or received, increases our gratitude and gives us a deep joy. Our worries won’t all wiped out by the praise, but we won’t have to be depressed either. We can walk upright, turn our gaze up to God and our soul can breathe deeply.
Saturday,December 5; Psalm 150
Rev. Ed Rogosky, Meadow Lands
Psalm 150 is a very straightforward doxology. A simple praise of God!
It is the believer who will struggle with this passage, for it invited questions! Praise God for what?
Things look to be going to hell in a handbasket! The world is falling apart. I’ve seen so many changes
what is expected from me? These might be some of the questions that a believer might ask. All good
questions to ask. However, they are not to be answered in this Scripture, except in the
indirect way that God often answers questions.
The Psalmist would ask the reader to first be still and know that God is. The Psalmist acknowledges
this. The Psalmist also sees that the beginning of wisdom is not to begin by asking
my questions (thus de-centering his or her own self-orientation) but to accept that we might need to
see God as God.
Sunday, 6th, December, John 6:16-21
Pastorin Stephanie Hallmann, Bockau
When evening came, His disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. (New International Version)
„It is I, don`t be afraid.“, that`s what you, Jesus, once said to your friends when they despaired on stormy sea. And at the moment they recognized your voice, the boat reached the land where they were heading to. Today many people are in despair on a stormy sea. And no one says. “Don`t be afraid.” It takes them days and weeks to escape and to reach a safe country. And hardly arrived they are told: “There is every reason to be afraid.” The storm is not over. They remain on the run. They remain in fear of stones and fists, of fire and prison cells. No, the storm is not over.
Jesus, what`s with these people? Will the storm be over someday? Will their overcrowded boats reach a secure place someday? A safe home without fear? Jesus, how much would I say to these refugees: “Don`t be afraid.” How much would I call out to them: “We do open our borders and we won`t leave you alone.” Is this calming down the storm a dream only or can it become true?
Monday, December 7; John 6: 16- 21
Joy Burt Conti, Mt. Lebanon UMC
In this scriptural passage, the disciples were facing darkness, strong winds and rough water alone. But they were still initially afraid when Jesus approached ---- maybe they did not recognize him or maybe they feared turning their lives over to him. They however did invite Jesus into their boat and He then led them quickly on their journey. We too can invite Him in ---- into our hearts. We can overcome our fear as the disciples did, to let Him lead us on our journeys in life. As we face darkness in our personal relationships or communities, as we face strong winds in our professional lives and as we face rough waters in global relationships, Jesus can be with us, leading us through these difficult times. Christmas gives us the opportunity to invite Him in again.
At Christmas time, our Nativity is set out early, but we do not put Jesus in it. That is for the first child up on Christmas morning. We have celebrated Christmas this way for many, many years to emphasize that we are celebrating the birth of Christ rather than the arrival of Santa. But, we can’t forget the message that Jesus is with us always, and we can invite Him into our hearts anytime, not just at Christmas.
Tuesday, 8th, December, 1 John 1:1-4
Rev. Scott A. Moore, Erfurt
“Can I get a witness?” This is a phrase that one might hear in a fiery evangelical sermon from some pulpits in churches across the United States. This is a challenge and it’s a plea. These five words are a call that draws the listener out of the passive stance of receiving the word of God into an active place of sharing…sharing what she or he has come to know about God and how God has revealed himself.
How would you speak to that challenging plea? What witness would you share? When have you seen the face of God in your life? When have you touched the wounds of the risen Christ in the world around you? When have you heard the voice of the one that calls you by name and breaks through your doubts and your fears and your uncertainties?