Prayer: Word of God Incarnate, be with us this blessed day and enliven us to the many ways that your grace awakens us to the joy of your kingdom. Amen.
Reading: Luke 2:1-20 (Click to read text) Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: I was often the first one up on Christmas morning as a boy. I am not sure what time I got up, but I think it was around 5 or 5:30. A current confirmation student in my congregation gets up around 3 a.m. Another person asked, “Why?!” She answered for the excitement of finding the presents. For me, sure, part of the “magic” was the curiosity of what would be under the tree. What I remember most, however, was the calm stillness of a new day dawning. As I would approach the tree, the weak blue light of morning didn’t reveal the glitter and twinkle of the night before. Things weren’t as I expected, but were better somehow. No matter how Santa had matched the list, it didn’t matter. Everything was new, fresh, and alive. Perhaps this is one of the most enduring and wonderful gifts of Christmas—the promise fulfilled in the dawn of a new day of creation where God’s presence is known and felt. That reality is great joy and peace for us no matter where or when we might wake up! --Andrew Fitch
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Authors
Anyone is welcome to contribute! If you'd like to write for us, please e-mail [email protected] Email
Get our daily devotions delivered to your e-mail box each day by signing up below:
Archives
May 2022
Subscribe |