Morning Grace

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,      who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:      ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,      make his paths straight.’” ~ Mark 1:1-3 For the purposes of this devotional series, I want you to try really hard (it will be hard I know) to forget everything you've read already about Jesus and his story. Imagine you are reading this gospel for the first time - you are first learning about this good news. (Try also to forget you've read the other gospels as well). You don't yet know who John the Baptist is. But if you are a 1st century Jew, you do know who Isaiah is. And you know that this prophesy isn't simply from Isaiah. There's a sprinkling of Malachi in here as well. What can that possibly mean? Who is this prophesy talking to? Who is it talking about? It's an introduction that's going to grab you. Intrigue you. Th...

The beginning of the good news  of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ~ Mark 1:1 ...and the beginning of a look at the good news from Mark. As long as it takes this year, we will journey through this short but powerful gospel together.  Both Matthew and Luke begin their gospels promising "accounts:" Matthew with an account of where Jesus comes from, and Luke with an account of "events that have been fulfilled among us." But both John and Mark begin and the beginning. John, literally with the beginning of creation, and Mark here with the beginning of the good news. We get a lot in this short little introduction. We find out that for Mark, Jesus IS the good news and we find out that Jesus is the Son of God. What that all of that means will be the story Mark will tell in the rest of the gospel. Mark is very much written as a great story to tell and share. I once went to a presentation of a man who shared the whole gospel as a dramatic reading. It was something! I w...

  Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. I'll be taking a break for the holidays with this devotional while I do some work on it behind the scenes.  I will see you in the New Year beginning January 4th.  

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,  the Lord.  This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,  praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,      and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”  So they went with haste and found Ma...

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.  All went to their own towns to be registered.  Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.  He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.  While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:1-7 Part of beholding - seeing - is looking at the truth of yourself. Seeing where you are. Who you are. Who you really are. Living, breathing, being in this moment. Right now. Mary and Joseph were confronted with a reality in the delivery of their s...

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14 It's the King James version for today. This week, the word is "behold..." LOOK! And the KJV is the place where we find it. It's probably the version we are most familiar with from our childhood. Behold. Look. See what God is doing. Take a look in the manger. See the young man and woman - strangers in a far away place. Refugees seeking shelter in a barn. Or cave. Alone perhaps. Or maybe a kind stranger stops to help them in their hour of need. Behold their fear. Their hope. God with us. Emmanuel. Is this where you would expect him? Is this where you would look for the virgin to give birth to God with us? What does it mean to us to really look? To truly see. To behold that which we never, ever could have predicted or expected. Lord open my eyes to see what you would have me see. Amen. Thoughts for engagement: What is the most...

- Re-read the passages from this week's devotions. Choose the one that is most meaningful to you to be your prayer focus for today. They are: Philippians 4:4-5 Luke 18:1-8 Matthew 7:7-8 Luke 1:46-48 - Read the passage again and identify a word or phrases that jump out at you. - Read the passage again, and if possible read from a different translation ( biblegateway.com  has many translations you can choose from). Identify where this passage might be touching your life today. How is this relevant to your life? - Read the passage a third time, again in a different translation if possible. Ask yourself what God is calling you to do or to be from this passage. What change might God be moving your toward? - Close with a silent prayer, listening to God rather than speaking to God. What actions will you take today based on this prayer? - Recite the Lord's Prayer.