HOMEWARD BOUND

"Homeward Bound"
The First Sunday in Advent

Read Psalm 122.
I was glad when they said, "Let us go up to the house of the
LORD." (Psalm 122:1)

"Come on up for Thanksgiving!" Did you receive a Thanksgiving
invitation this year? I guess all of us who regularly have the
chance to gather with family and friends for the holidays take
it for granted. The wonderful smells of holiday meals, the
laughter filling the house, and everybody catching up with
events in each other's lives are what make the day so special.

But today Thanksgiving weekend comes to an end and all those
happy get-togethers must break up. Roads are packed with
travelers scattering their separate ways. Of course in a few
short weeks, we'll hear a new invitation: "Come on up for
Christmas!"

Your church is sending out its own invitation this Advent. In
the next few weeks many volunteers will be decorating the
church, learning their parts for the Christmas program, and
practicing their anthems for the choir. Your brothers and sisters
in Christ are going to all this effort because they want to invite
you to come on up for Christmas as together we go to worship
and celebrate our Savior's coming.

But there is another come-on-up-for-Christmas invitation unlike
any other. When you reach this home you won't find yourself
sitting at the little kid's table or crammed into a crowded pew.
And the festival won't end too soon like Thanksgiving and
Christmas always do. The Lord Jesus Himself is inviting you to
come up to His heavenly home and stay there with Him--forever.

That's what Advent is all about, and that's what these Advent
devotions are all about. We will recall why the Lord Jesus came
down from heaven so long ago. We will recall that the only way
we can call heaven our home was because Jesus took our guilt
and sin upon Himself and suffered and died in our place. Then,
putting our faith in Christ, we will join our brothers and sisters in
Jesus Christ in joyful expectation as we journey on together.

So light the first Advent candle, and accept our thrilling invitation:
"Let us go up to the house of the Lord!"

THE PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for calling us home to share Your
eternal celebration through Your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to
truly value Your forgiveness in Jesus and our eternal future, which
He won for us by His life, death, and resurrection. In Jesus'
Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

THANKSGIVING IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT

Yesterday I spoke about how I am thankful for God's
Grace.  The Lord has been so good to me. As I
participate in Thanksgiving there is something I
want to keep in mind.

I must remember, especially today, that there are
492 billionares living in this country.  There are 16
million children living in poverty.  THAT IS NOT RIGHT!
No matter what your faith is, no matter what your
politics are, even if you don't have any faith, even
if you don't claim any politics, THAT IS NOT RIGHT!

This Thanksgiving Day let me remember that there
are 16 million children who have nothing to be
thankful for, that's right nothing.  On this day as
I sit in front of this wonderful meal, with the family I
Iove, let me ask myself "What am I going to do
about all those children"?

WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR

Scripture:

When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son
of man that You care for him? Psalms 8:3-4

Reflection:

As the psalmist said, "When I look at Your heavens, the
work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You
have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him?"

Good question, and it is a question for which no one has
a logical answer.

All anyone can say is this: in His power the Lord brought
 into being all that is and ever will be. In His wisdom He
put humankind in charge of His perfect creation and then,
after our sin, in His grace, He decided to save us.

Unbelievable!

The Lord who had made 100 million galaxies, with each
composed of 1 billion suns, has decided that He was willing
to send His Son into this world to carry our sins and die the
death we deserved. Now, because the Lord is mindful of us,
all who are brought to faith in the risen Redeemer are forgiven
and granted eternal life.

Which leads us to the conclusion: the universe is an
impressive thing, but God's grace is more so.

Prayer::

Dear Lord, in Your grace You sent Your Son
to seek and save sinners. Forgive humankind when they think
they know, understand and are empowered to judge You. Let
us see how small we are, how great You are, and how much
we need You. This I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

I AM THANKFUL FOR GOD'S GRACE TO ME!!!!! 
THANK YOU LORD

WAITING

When we sing hymns like “Silent Night” we are reminded that
though God seems silent, God is still at work. God is quietly,
subtly moving in the world. When faced with the difficulties
and pain of living in a world marked by sin, we are reminded
that the darkness does not have the last word, for God’s “light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”
(John 1:5).

This is what it means to have an Advent-shaped faith. It is a
reminder that though we live in a time of waiting, we cling to
the God who fulfills promises at the right time. This is what
gives us courage and endurance. It’s what enables us to
continue to fight the good fight, to continue speaking the
Gospel to those who seem far from God, to work for justice
in a world of lawlessness, to step once more into the mission
field for the “fields are ripe for the harvest” (John 4:35). We are
an Advent people, for we know the God who has come and
who will come again, and that is a hope that will not disappoint.

So sing the songs. Put up the decorations. Light the candles.
Tell the stories. And may you have a blessed Advent as we
await Emmanuel, God with Us. Amen.

( A selection from an article by Nick Price student at Concordia
Seminary in St. Louis in the M.Div program. His blog,
ProdigalPreacher.

THE GIFTS THAT ARE COMING

Scripture:

James 1: 17  "Every good gift & every perfect gift is from
above, and comes down from the Father of Lights".

Reflection:

If I may I would like to make a suggestion.  In this coming
holiday season try doing this.  Take delight in the good
things God gives you. Don't be to preoccupied to "Stop
and smell the roses". James reminds us that every good
gift comes from God, and everyone of His good gifts
should remind us of all His glory to come.
Really that is what we are about to celebrate, the good
gift that is about to come. 

CELEBRATE ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS WITH THE
JOY THAT THE GOOD GIFT OF CHRIST IS ABOUT
TO COME!!!!!!!

Prayer:

Praise be to God, come Lord Jesus, come!!!!

LIE DOWN IN PEACE

Scripture:

Psalm 4:8  "I will.....lie down in peace.  For you alone
.....make me dwell in safety."

Reflection:

It seems that the Psalmist is telling me, "Don't let
anything be a substitute for God.  You see God loves
you and He absolutely wants to give you peace. Its
the kind of peace that comes from really knowing Him.
In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11 verse 28, Christ
promise to all believers comes true.  "I will give you
rest".  We must realize that the only rest in life comes
from Jesus Christ.  The only peace, real peace, comes
from the Son of God, the Savior of the world. 

DO YOU WANT TO GO TO YOUR SAFE PLACE?
GO TO GOD AND HE WILL KEEP YOU SAFE.

In the coming holiday season this is important for
us to remember.  Christ has come to give us peace.

Prayer:

Thank you almighty God for Your Son, Who
came to give us rest.   Amen

EVEN NOW

Scripture: John 11:1-27

The Raising of Lazarus

Reflection:

Martha's situation in this passage is hopeless and
frustrating, yet her faith in Jesus power to resurrect her
brother, Lazarus, is unmoved by her despair and confusion.
She still trusts Jesus, even now that her brother has been
dead for days. It's as if Martha is saying, "This is not over
until you say it's over, Jesus. And you haven't said it's over!"
Maybe you lost someone you love this year. Or maybe the
money finally ran out. Perhaps the sun set on a dream you
had for your family or for your career or for your church.
Whatever it is, were ever your "even now" happens to be
today, remember that hope has not flown. Not with Jesus
still on the scene. Even now as my friend and author Bo
Stern says, he can turn your sorrows and trade them for
laughter and singing and spinning and joy. Even now.

Prayer:

Jesus, forgive me for all the times I've given up on or been
frustrated with you. Broaden my perspective and your great
love today, and teach me to see how, even now, hope is not
lost. Amen

(from The Covenant Home Altar, Kristin Lunsford author)

INTENTIONS

Scripture:

7 Judge not, that you be not judged.
(Matthew 7:1)

"In mercy you have seen fit today to show me,
poor as I am, how we can in no way pass
judgment on other people's intentions. Indeed,
by sending people in an endless variety of paths,
you give an example for myself, and for this I
thank you."

St. Catherine of Siena
Political and Religious Peacemaker
(1347-1380)

COVERED BY GOD'S HAND

Imagine that a fly lands on a train and wants to make
it move. It pushes with all its might, and the train does
start to move. It goes very fast and the fly starts to think
that it must be really strong. To the onlooker, it’s
ridiculous to think that the fly could ever be pushing a
train. Even the largest, strongest, most capable fly
cannot push a train!

We are like that fly. Sometimes it looks like we are the
ones pushing the train and running the world, but it’s
just an illusion. God is the driver, the conductor, and
the power that runs our lives.

We are all vulnerable and totally dependent on God who
covers us with His love. Remember how God loves us
infinitely, and He will continue to conduct our lives in
the best way possible. We cannot control everything,
but the good news is that we don’t have to. Our loving
Father in Heaven has got us covered.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

WHY NOT TO GO TO A SPORTING EVENT

A pastor who, tongue-in-cheek, printed an item in his
Sunday bulletin. In it, he listed all the reasons why he
stopped attending sporting events. He wrote,

"Every time I go, they ask me for money. The fans
don't seem very friendly, and the seats are too hard.
The coach never comes to call on me and the referee
makes decisions that I don't agree with. A lot of the
people come only to see what team jerseys other
people are wearing. Some games extend into overtime,
making me late getting home, and the band plays
some awful numbers that I've never heard before.
Usually the games are scheduled when I want to do
other things, and the stadium brings up bad childhood
memories of my parents taking me there far too many
times. And don't you know it, ever since I read that book
on sports, I know more than the coaches do anyway!
So now I don't take my own children because I want
them to choose for themselves what sport they like best."

(SOUND FAMILIAR?)

(The Staff and editors of Sunday Sermons Online)