Wednesday, November 30

Zechariah 9:9

Paul Nordt

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!

   Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!

Lo, your king comes to you;

   triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on a donkey,

   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah writes these words to the people of Israel as they seek to recover and rebuild after the long exile in Babylon.  They have been long separated from the glories of their past, and from the teachings of the earlier prophets.  There is a pressing need for the prophets Zechariah, and his near-contemporary Haggai, to remind the people of their connection to God and to the laws of Moses.  The temple lies in ruins and must be rebuilt.  The people need inspiration, leadership and hope.

The promise of a King to lead and protect the people is a strong motivator.  Zechariah tells the people to “rejoice” and “shout aloud” because the King is coming.  He is promised to be a good King, triumphant and victorious, but using his power wisely and for good.  In spite of his power and might, the King is humble and unpretentious; coming to them in the most humble circumstances, riding on a lowly donkey, a juvenile donkey, at that!

It can be frustrating, however, that God operates on His own time schedule, not ours!  God will surely act in the fullness of His time, and we must be ready, for we know not when He will come.  Many years after Zechariah’s teaching, Matthew identifies the King as Jesus of Nazareth, a humble King, yet with power to transcend all earthly power and might.  We are heirs to that power and the inner peace it can bring!

Prayer:  Heavenly father, help us rejoice as we welcome the “humble King” as our Lord and Savior.  Let His teachings both calm and strengthen our lives; using our powers for good, and sharing the “good news” with others.

Tuesday, November 29

Isaiah 9:6-7

Sydney Nordt

Isaiah 9: 6-7

With sounds of Handel’s Messiah ringing in our ears, we read familiar phrases here:

“…for a child has been born to us,
a son given to us,…
and he is named:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. …” (1)

Peake’s Commentary says that “this passage of Isaiah is of the greatest importance for understanding the Messianic hope for Israel” (2) and it still is for us.

The child that is born is described in royal terms; He is given great names to emphasize His power.  This is reminiscent of an Egyptian custom of giving their Pharaohs “five great names” upon accession (3).  Here is this child upon whose shoulder rests authority and four titles.  Note that all of them could be considered both earthly or heavenly powers.  With the coming of Christ, we know the promise of Peace on Earth.  He is the counselor we can turn to for understanding.  He is of one substance with God, the Almighty Father.  He is Everlasting through all time, and He is the Prince of Peace.  In the One we know to be Jesus Christ our faith can be anchored and we can sing joyfully and gratefully of His birth.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, we praise You and worship You for all Your power and might.  We find hope in You as we meditate upon the miraculous child You have sent to us to help us know Your love for us.  Let us strive to live as Your people showing love and forgiveness in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

1. Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2. Peakes Commentary on the Bible, p.497

3. Ibid. p.497

Monday, November 28

Hebrews 11:1

Sandy Peters

Hebrews 11:1

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.  It’s our handle on what we can’t see.

Eugene Peterson had titled this 11th Chapter of Hebrews “Faith in What We Don’t See”.   This letter was written to folks who were” too religious” and who had let religiosity get in the way of their faith.   As Christians we have been asked to believe in all sorts of things we cannot see.  We are asked to believe in stories that have been handed down for more than 2000 years: the story of Noah and his ark, the story of a very elderly man and woman having a baby, the story of a man climbing a mountain and receiving the commandments of the God he believed in, the story of a baby born to a virgin in a manger who would later be crucified for our sins and then resurrected so that we might have  everlasting life.    What this particular verse is reminding us is that it is the faith of all of these folks and others that helps us to see what we can’t see.  It is the faith of Moses and Noah and Sarah, Mary and the shepherds, angels, Wise Men and Disciples that lets us wrap ourselves around what we cannot see.  It is through their faith and the faith of others down through the generations that has built the foundation for our faith.  It is now our faith that will be passed on to future generations.  A faith that allows us to affirm and reaffirm that through God the Father and Christ the Son all things are possible.

Let our prayers reflect those beliefs and that faith as we anticipate and prepare ourselves for the birth of the Son of God.

Sunday, November 27

Isaiah 11:1-5

Loren Walker

Isaiah 11: 1-2

A stump shall come out from the root of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

The verses from Isaiah above do not show the entire selection, you should read it from the Bible. Jesse was the father of King David. It had been prophesied that the family of David would rule Israel forever. But 250 years after David’s glorious reign, at the time of Isaiah’s writing, this looked pretty hopeless. Israel was divided into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Both kingdoms were weak and facing conquest and exile. In those circumstances, Isaiah prophesied a new king of Israel, a king of the line of David. This would not be a warrior king, but a king of righteousness and peace. And we know that this promise was still about 750 years from becoming reality. So it took a lot of faith to have hope in that situation.

But the Children of Israel did keep that hope. At the time of the birth of Jesus, the wise men on their way to Bethlehem stopped by to visit  King Herod. Herod asked the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah was to be born. They quoted verses (Micah 5:2) from the prophet Micah,  who lived at the time of Isaiah. They had not forgotten the prophesy, nor given up hope of its fulfillment.

Prayer: Lord, may we follow this example of hope and faith. For these four weeks of Advent we will hope not only for the coming of Jesus but for the fulfillment of His promises in our lives.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Using Time Wisely

Have you ever noticed how when you make plans . . . they always get changed?

I came to my car dealer to get my state inspection done at 11:00.  At 1:30 p.m., I'm still sitting here. (Although to be fair they are installing new rear brakes and a battery, neither of which I anticipated needing.)  I have been able to make good use of my time, though, entering all the Advent Devotions so they can be sent directly to you each day! 

If you would like to receive an Advent Devotion, written by someone in our congegation, each day during Advent, please sign up at http://www.salempres.blogspot.com/.  You can add your address so you are notified when a new one comes along.

In this season when we are so busy already, and then start worrying about Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's good to be able to use our time efficiently . . . whether at the car dealer, or to read a devotion as you sip your morning coffee!                   ~Janet

SPC is blogging!

With Advent approaching, we've created a daily blog for Salem Presbyterian Church and friends.  Each day during Advent, a scripture, reflection, and prayer will be available online.  These devotions were written by Salem Presbyterian Church members.  Please join the mailing list by going to SalemPres.blogspot.com and entering your e-mail address where it says "Follow by Email."  Let's see how big our following can get in the days leading up to the beginning of Advent (November 27)!