Experiencing Jesus Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and continues to Epiphany on January 6th. The season of Christmas is almost a time of sensory overload. We see all the lights and the decorations - do we see the little child in the manger? We smell all the amazing food that is prepared; the biscuits baked, the plum pudding soaking and the turkey cooking – do we smell the hay or the animals in the stable or the smelly shepherds? We touch the presents and wrap them under the tree – do we feel the softness of a newborn baby? We taste and speak of holidays and culinary delights – do we speak of God’s Son born for the world? We hear the carols and Christmas songs and the laughter and the Ho Ho Ho of Santa – do we really hear the words of the Christmas songs sung of Jesus’ birth? Each week of these devotionals, the focus will be on a different sense to experience all that God gave to us in the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world. May you use these devotionals to experience Christmas in a different way and help you understand why we worship such a tiny baby. May they strengthen your faith and grow your understanding of God’s immense love. Each devotion contains a short reflection, Bible reading and prayer. I would encourage you to read the Bible readings with the devotion as you see, smell, touch, taste/speak and hear God’s grace through “Experiencing Jesus”. May you experience Christmas with your family in a different way this year!
Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 21).
Read Jude 17–25
The news hasn’t got any better today. Not only are nations still hating each other, destroying the planet, and putting money before people, but people are also laughing about God (verse 18).
It’s not easy being a Christian today. There are so many varieties that you have to define yourself, so people know which ‘camp’ you are in! And people are laughing about – and at – God. What hope is there? Well, as yesterday’s verse told us, love, mercy and peace are yours!
And that’s re-iterated at the end of this short letter from Jude. Remain in God’s love; wait for the mercy of Jesus. But perhaps our immediate thought is that of the many psalmists: How long, O Lord? How long do we have to wait? How many tragedies, disasters and wars must occur before your mercy arrives and takes over?
I take great comfort in the fact that Jesus only lived as a human being on earth for 33 years, and his ministry took place in three short years. It would seem to me that there would have been a bit of waiting at that time. Waiting for the opportunity to use his divine power. Waiting for the disciples to get it! Waiting for the Pharisees to become humble. Waiting to be arrested (and sweating blood while praying, in the meantime). Waiting to die!
How are you at waiting? I’m not so good (although hopefully I’ve improved as I’ve aged!). Waiting can be painful. Waiting can be the pits. Waiting can seem useless. How long, O Lord? But waiting reveals mercy. Waiting allows for re-creation. Waiting brings new life. Waiting brings hope. Waiting brings peace. Waiting reveals love in action.
In fact, waiting lets us know that mercy has been present all along. God has been walking with us – waiting with us (or perhaps for us). Jesus did die eventually! And, of course, rose again, so the mercy he had demonstrated during his time on earth could continue to be a sweet salve for each of us for all time.
Thank you, Jesus, for your mercy; thank you, God, for your patience. Amen.
Peter is often out tending his garden – with 83 fruit and nut trees and extensive native bushes, he says there is a lot to do! Other times, he will be walking his dog, reading (too many books at a time), enjoying his family (15 grandchildren!), and occasionally writing – poetry, opinion pieces, devotions! To keep out of mischief, he is currently teaching himself to play the piano and is writing a paraphrase of each psalm. You can read these on his website, Creative Walking www.creativewalking.com.au/psalm-reflections.html
Mercy, peace and love be yours richly (Jude 2).
Read Jude 1–16
If you read this whole Jude passage, it is easy to be horrified at what was happening. Today, it is easy to be horrified at what is occurring in the world. As I write, the horrific happenings in Israel and Gaza are headline news, there’s been another mass shooting in the USA, and civil war continues in Sudan. Closer to home, we have political lie after political lie; we continue to treat fellow human beings seeking asylum monstrously; governments continue to approve coal mines as the West Antarctic Ice reaches melting point; another Indigenous youth has died in captivity; three women have been killed in Australia this week by their partner (making 51 so far this year). If we are not horrified at the world we live in, we are not alive!
But mercy, peace and love still exist! Gifts of safety (verse one) from God through Jesus. Despite the horrors of the society in which we live – and possibly in your own personal world – there is still mercy, peace and love.
Mercy lets us know that no matter our situation, how bad we feel, or how awkward we are with others, the God of steadfast love shows mercy and brings mercy into our lives. Mercy restores and refreshes us. Mercy re-creates who we are. It keeps us safe in Jesus.
Peace is far beyond all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). Peace – shalom in Hebrew – encompasses wholeness, courage, a life worth living, generosity, confidence, community – and much more. Peace from the Prince of Peace. It settles any anxiety and doubt and helps us move on in life.
Love is the greatest of all (1 Corinthians 13). Love binds us together; love looks beyond mistakes and offence; love so freely given to us; love available to share with no limits. It allows us to act in positive ways we did not even know we had in us. Love conquers all.
It’s okay to be horrified by the things happening in the world. It’s easy – and sometimes we are too quick – to pass judgement. Remember, mercy, peace and love are yours – to encourage and strengthen you and remind you of the Creator’s love; they are also yours to share – with anyone and everyone.
I think I would rather share mercy, peace and love than judgement.
Lord God, we can become overwhelmed by many things; keep us safe; help us to live in your mercy, peace and love – and share them widely. Amen.
Peter is often out tending his garden – with 83 fruit and nut trees and extensive native bushes, he says there is a lot to do! Other times, he will be walking his dog, reading (too many books at a time), enjoying his family (15 grandchildren!), and occasionally writing – poetry, opinion pieces, devotions! To keep out of mischief, he is currently teaching himself to play the piano and is writing a paraphrase of each psalm. You can read these on his website, Creative Walking www.creativewalking.com.au/psalm-reflections.html
My dear friend, it is good that you help the brothers and sisters, even those you do not know (3 John 5).
Read 3 John 1–14
Who are our brothers and sisters? In the context of 3 John, they are our fellow followers of Jesus. And so, it is good that we help congregations, working groups, the wider church, overseas missions, and so on. Some of these people we will know well. Others we will not know. We may have only heard of their work. But living in truth, with life in Jesus, we support them anyway.
But is there not a wider context? If there is any truth in the prayer we prayed yesterday, ‘Christ in mouth of friend or stranger’, then surely God is at work wherever the Holy Spirit moves. There are numerous incidents in the Bible where God chooses to use people who do not recognise, acknowledge or understand God’s power and presence (for example, Cyrus in 2 Chronicles 36, the woman at the well in John 4, or even some of the disciples!).
God does indeed work in mysterious ways, with wonders to perform. How often do we miss out on witnessing those wonders when we limit God to our little worlds or put God in a box of our own making?
So, it is good to support our sisters and brothers – all who are doing God’s work, whether they recognise it or not and whether we recognise it or not. God is not limited to the LCANZ or the wider church. The wind blows where it wills – a description to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. So, in good faith, let’s allow the love of Jesus to flow through us and support those who are putting mercy into action, seeking justice where there is injustice, empowering the marginalised, and perhaps living in truth, without even realising it!
Lord God, through your Holy Spirit, you work where you will. Help us acknowledge this and look for opportunities to support your work in all sorts of places. Amen.
Peter is often out tending his garden – with 83 fruit and nut trees and extensive native bushes, he says there is a lot to do! Other times, he will be walking his dog, reading (too many books at a time), enjoying his family (15 grandchildren!), and occasionally writing – poetry, opinion pieces, devotions! To keep out of mischief, he is currently teaching himself to play the piano and is writing a paraphrase of each psalm. You can read these on his website, Creative Walking www.creativewalking.com.au/psalm-reflections.html
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:20).
Read Mark 16:9–20
Today’s text begins with the 11 remaining disciples refusing to believe Mary Magdalene and two others who have announced to them that Jesus is alive.
And then Jesus comes. And he commissions the remaining disciples to preach the gospel and perform signs in his name.
And blow me down, they do! The disciples saw their resurrected Lord and received his commission. And off they went – preaching everywhere.
I’m drawn to the final words in verse 20: ‘and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.’
Signs point us to things or draw attention to things. In today’s text, they point to (or underscore) Jesus’ commission, which, in turn, invites us to trust in Jesus Christ, the Word of God and our Saviour.
Today’s text offers two wonderful assurances, even for us today. Firstly, as we speak God’s word, Jesus is working with us to confirm his word through signs. This leads to the second point: because it is Jesus working the signs, we needn’t be concerned about what might or might not happen when we share our faith.
Dear Holy Spirit, help me to trust your work and cooperate with you as you speak your truth into and through my life. Amen.
Kathy Matuschka serves within the LCA Queensland District as Assistant Director for Mission. Kathy and her husband Mark have three wonderful adult children, one lovely son-in-law and another officially joining the family next month.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him (Mark 15:29a).
Read Mark 15:22–32
As the marketing urges us to prepare for Christmas, it may seem strange to be reflecting on Christ’s passion. While the stores arrange their displays of glitz and glamour, Christians approach the season of Advent by pausing to reflect on the transience of this world. As we join all creation in groaning with longing for the restoration of all things, it seems timely that this week, we will reflect on God’s amazing rescue plan for us and all creation.
Today, I invite you to notice the behaviour of the members of the public who passed by Jesus while he was on the cross, hurling insults at him as they went. And then the chief priests and teachers of the law, who scapegoated Jesus more privately. (Rather than leading the charge of abuse, the Jewish leaders repeated the comments of the crowd … bravely amongst themselves.)
And if you can bear to, look at Jesus, staying on the cross and taking the fear and anger of all humanity.
In Leviticus 16, Yahweh gave the Hebrew people a process of atoning for their sins. It involved two goats, one of which was sacrificed on the altar and the second which carried the ‘wickedness and rebellion’ (Leviticus 16:21) of the people into the desert. This second goat took their anger and fear far away from the Hebrew people, which was essential to the process of setting them free to start again.
Together, the goats pointed ahead to Jesus Christ dying on the cross for the sins of humankind. Jesus was a willing sacrifice and also a scapegoat – the Son of God who came among us to absorb our anger and abuse while offering himself as the greatest gift ever.
In our world today, nations are paying a high price for the anger and fear that is characteristic of all humankind. Scapegoating behaviour powers wars and other abuses of power because when we scapegoat, we decide that a person or group of people is ‘other’ than us and, therefore, does not require our respect and care.
Have you ever experienced being scapegoated? If so, do you struggle to forgive those who hurt you? Are you experiencing being scapegoated today? Take comfort: Jesus knows how you feel. By staying on the cross for us – even while being scapegoated – Jesus rescued us from all the fear and shame we so often pile onto one another.
Dear Jesus, thank you for the scapegoating you endured on the cross for me and all humanity. Through your Spirit, please set my heart free from the urge to retaliate when I feel abused. Amen.
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15).
Read Mark 15:12–21
Wanting to satisfy the crowd is a very powerful motivator. Many leaders fall into the trap of pleasing the crowd even though it may not be the best line of action or act of leadership.
It is often easier to follow the crowd rather than stick up for what you might believe in or think is right – such is the power of the crowd.
The crowd Pilate wanted to satisfy with their cries of ‘Crucify him’ only a week before was proclaiming Jesus with shouts of ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming of the kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest’ (Mark 11:9,10).
In the first section of Mark 15, Jesus is handed over to Pilate, who is confused as to why the crowd wants to crucify Jesus. ‘What crime has he committed?’ Pilate asked (verse 14). But Pilate also recognised the motivation of the chief priests, ‘knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him’ (verse 10).
But even though Pilate was in charge, he did not use his authority and gave in to the crowd. ‘When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility”’ (Matthew 27:24).
In today’s Western world, the crowd has little time for God and religion. The crowd mocks believers; it wants to deny the influence Christianity has had on the lifestyle we now enjoy, and it wants to further tear down the vestiges of Christian observance in our institutions, like starting sittings of Parliament with the Lord’s Prayer.
It takes courage to resist the crowd, as there is a great risk of being isolated, ridiculed and ‘cancelled’. Through God’s love, we have the power to be in the world but not of the world.
Heavenly Father, help us to resist the crowd that wants to eliminate you from our lives. Through your Holy Spirit, give us the courage and wisdom to stand apart from the crowd and be a true witness to you in the world. Amen.
Stuart, with his wife Pamela Dalgliesh, lives in Mansfield, Victoria. Stuart has a background in agricultural science, rural journalism and corporate affairs. He loves living on a small farm in the beautiful High Country of Victoria, being involved in the Mansfield community and travelling, having in the last three years done extensive travels in Western Australia, Queensland, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch’ (Mark 14:34).
Read Mark 14:27–42
On Wednesday, we read Jesus’ parable about the master who leaves the household in the care of his servants and leaves. The servants do not know when he will return, so they remain alert and awake for his arrival.
Now Jesus finds himself in Gethsemane with his closest friends and asks them to ‘stay awake’. This is the same word he used in the parable, just a day or two earlier – the servants were to stay awake as they looked forward to the master’s return. Three times he asks them to stay awake with him, and three times they fall asleep on the job.
We get a beautiful insight here into the lonely heart of Jesus, a heart that holds the knowledge of all that is to come the following day and also holds a fiercely burning love for his wayward, lost children – both for those on the Mount of Olives with him and for us, his 21st-century disciples. If we are honest, we fall away, deny and betray him as much as his early followers did. And if we look down the centuries at this sobbing man, we understand it was Jesus’ love for us that motivated those beautiful words of commitment as much as his friends on the hillside: ‘Yet not my will but yours be done’ (Mark 14:36).
Max Lucado put it beautifully when he said that Jesus would rather go through hell for us than go to heaven without us. Only this great love would put aside fear and pain for the benefit of the beloved. What a joy to know that our Saviour loves us that much.
Dear Jesus, you knew what was coming. You felt the pain. You suffered the loneliness and betrayal. And you saw us. Your heart broke with love for all of us, and that love that created the universe gave itself to free us from the separation of sin. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Rachael Stelzer is the Primary Lay Chaplain at Coomera Anglican College near Brisbane. She is a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale and teaches primary kids in the Growing Kids group. Rachael loves crafts, reading, and sharing meals, coffee and life with her family and friends.
t that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it (Mark 13:21).
Read Mark 13:14–27
From time to time, I visit the religion classes at the school where I am a chaplain. The students love to ask me big questions and favourite topics include what heaven will be like and when the world will end.
At the time Mark wrote his gospel, the followers of Jesus were facing persecution and death for believing in him. I imagine that the end of the world – and Jesus’ return – were events they greatly yearned for, and Mark’s reporting of Jesus’ words here would have been of great importance to them.
For us in the Western world of 2023, with so much conflict in the world around us, natural disasters so prevalent, and so many voices around us promising peace, healing, comfort and self-actualisation, we, too, could use some words of wisdom around what is to come.
Jesus certainly did not sugar-coat his description of the End Times. It comes across as brutal and violent, chaotic and confusing. Jesus even warns that false messiahs will be presented, natural disasters will occur, and some may even attempt to ensnare some of God’s chosen.
But then Jesus reminds his people that ‘at that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens’.
What a beautiful comfort. At the end of the turmoil will come our Saviour to restore his people. With all the signs, warnings and confusion, where do we look? To Jesus, who has already won the ultimate battle to redeem all of creation and will come again to take us home. In this beautiful hope, we live.
Dear Jesus, thank you for the comfort of knowing we do not need to despair – we just need to look to you and listen to your words of eternal life. Guard and guide our hearts as we trust in you. Amen.
Rachael Stelzer is the Primary Lay Chaplain at Coomera Anglican College near Brisbane. She is a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale and teaches primary kids in the Growing Kids group. Rachael loves crafts, reading, and sharing meals, coffee and life with her family and friends.