by Charles Bertelsmeier
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Read Ecclesiastes 1:1–11
Although I can remember the names and a little about the lives of my grandparents, I would struggle to tell you the names of all my great-grandparents or anything about their lives.
Then I think about my grandchildren and realise they know virtually nothing about my parents and previous generations. I’m sure we could all agree with the sentiment expressed in today’s verse.
We will spend today and the next four days looking at the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Before you open your calendar app and set a reminder to resume reading LCA devotions next Saturday and skip these five days, let me encourage you to persevere. God has put every book of the Bible there for a reason and has a message for us. I pray that God has a message for you in what he gives me to write. You may also like to read the whole book before we proceed with these devotions.
The first verse of this book indicates that the author is King Solomon. God blessed King Solomon to be one of the wisest people in history. He is also believed to be the author of the biblical book Song of Songs and to have collected many proverbs.
In Ecclesiastes, the author conducts a series of scientific experiments to find the meaning of life. In reflecting on this, I think we are all doing the same, but probably not as scientifically as Solomon. As young children, we are absorbed in play. As teenagers, we are trying to discover who we are. As young adults, we seek acceptance through our friendship circles and employment. Then, we aim to perpetuate our identity through our children, moving on to get ourselves financially secure and finally retiring to contemplate what we have achieved with our lives. Maybe we will even write up our life stories to perpetuate our legacies.
Solomon tries a range of activities to find meaning and fulfilment but comes up empty each time. Most of these things are things we also do to try to discover meaning and purpose. Spoiler alert: The conclusion Solomon comes to is that we only find that meaning and purpose through our relationship with God and by surrendering our lives to the plans he has for us.
Most of us, me included, didn’t want to hear that when we were younger and tried looking elsewhere. I thank God he didn’t give up on me and gently led me to accept Solomon’s conclusion.
Heavenly Father, I accept that life without you is meaningless. Please help me to listen to your Spirit as we dive into the Book of Ecclesiastes and to find meaning and purpose in your plans for us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
Giver of every good and perfect gift
by Maria Rudolph
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With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness (James 3:9).
Read James 3:1–12
I grew up in Germany, with today being St Nicholas Day. Now, it is my children’s turn to clean their shoes on the eve of 6 December and place them neatly outside their bedroom door. When they awake, they will find small goodies in their shoes - lollies, nuts and gifts. St Nicholas Day is a joyful event of giving and receiving.
Nicholas was the 4th-century bishop of Myra, located in modern-day Türkiye (Turkey). The stories surrounding his generous giving and godly conduct have somehow taken on a life of their own and curiously culminated in the modern-day creation of Santa Claus. While this is a far cry from the original person of Bishop Nicholas, it serves as yet another reminder of God, the giver of all things. St Nicholas is credited with this quote - ‘The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.’
How blessed we are with godly quotes from him and many other faithful Christians throughout the ages. How blessed we are with Scripture verses full of wisdom said and recorded by the people of old. Yet an observation and warning from St James in his epistle is true for all of them and us - ‘Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be’ (James 3:10). Even well-quoted people do not always use their tongues appropriately.
We already focus on giving gifts and sharing kind actions during this Advent season. But let us also focus on our tongues. Martin Luther instructs us in his Small Catechism on the eighth commandment:
Do not give false testimony. What does this mean? We should honour and love God and so we should not tell lies about other people, give their secrets away, talk about them behind their back, or damage their reputation in any way. Instead, we should speak up for them, say only good things about them, and explain their actions in the kindest way.
It takes effort to use our tongues appropriately, but with a focus on the giver of every good and perfect gift, we are on the right track. Let us all challenge ourselves to take note of our tongue and pray daily that we may use it solely for blessing.
Holy Spirit, living water, we need your help and guidance. We do not want to be a spring from which fresh and saltwater flow simultaneously. But we trip up and fail. Fill us with your living water so our cup overflows into our lives and the people around us from the spring of life inside us. Store the fruit of your Spirit in our hearts abundantly, so our mouth speaks of what our hearts are full of. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria is overjoyed to be a candidate for ordination as a pastor of the LCANZ while serving the St Johns Perth congregation and supporting the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael, at Concordia Duncraig congregation in Western Australia. They are parents to three children who are busy with primary and secondary schooling. Maria also serves the church as a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
by Maria Rudolph
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? (James 2:25)
Read James 2:14–26
You have likely heard it many times before, but listen to this: Jesus came for YOU. Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem for you. Jesus died on the cross for you. Even you. Even me.
Only two Sundays ago, the Old Testament reading from 2 Samuel 23:1–7 contained the last words of King David, spoken on his deathbed. He said (verse 5): ‘If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant.’
The unfortunate part about King David was that he was an adulterer and murderer, hardly someone who was right with God according to his deeds. Yet God worked through him to the point where he raised up our Saviour Jesus from his line (Isaiah 11:1) and gave us countless psalms penned by David, on which a good part of our church liturgy is based.
I also recall another great Bible character called Moses, through whom God passed the Ten Commandments to his people and led his people out of Egypt and through the wilderness into the Promised Land. The unfortunate part about Moses was that he was a murderer (Exodus 2:12) – also hardly someone who was right with God according to his deeds. And yet God worked through him.
In fact, when we start looking into the stories of any given Bible character, we soon find that according to their deeds, they are all hell-bound. The only one who has a clean slate is Jesus!
It isn’t because David was such a great king, Rahab was such a great spy-hider, or Moses was such a great leader that God considered them righteous. It was because of God’s mercy and grace. It isn’t because you are such a great woman or man that God considers you righteous. It is because Jesus has given you a clean slate through his blood and sacrifice.
Dear God, ‘our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness’. Be the cornerstone in my life, strengthen me when I am weak and give me joy in knowing that you have set me free. Let me live wisely in my freedom, focused on you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Maria is overjoyed to be a candidate for ordination as a pastor of the LCANZ while serving the St Johns Perth congregation and supporting the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael, at Concordia Duncraig congregation in Western Australia. They are parents to three children who are busy with primary and secondary schooling. Maria also serves the church as a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
by Maria Rudolph
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’, you are doing right (James 2:8).
Read James 2:1–13
Do unto others as you would have them do to you! Many people, whether Christian or not, are using this as a rough guide. The original Christian version of this general rule of thumb has an important precursor: it points us to God, whom we are to love above all else. It is not our choice or ability to ‘love our neighbour’, but it is through the love of God and his sacrifice for us that we can do this.
I don’t know about you, but for me, it is easy to remind myself and others of loving my neighbour when it’s convenient for me. I also forget about it quickly when it causes inconvenience. Does that ever happen to you? When I’m already getting the mower out of the shed to help my elderly next-door neighbour keep their lawn looking good, it’s a nice pat on the back to confirm that I’m showing love to my neighbour. When I sit in the privacy of my home and feel challenged by people who annoy or frustrate me, I forget about the ‘loving my neighbour’ bit quickly and can jump to judgement or even unloving action. But loving our neighbour includes not talking negatively about others in and outside our church. It includes praying for God’s blessing and protection over those different from us too.
Throughout the Epistle of James, he repeats the importance of putting our faith in action by caring for and being kind to those who annoy us. This could be those who are shabby-looking, those who are poor, those who drain us of all our energy because they are so needy, those who have different opinions to us – the words of James and his half-brother Jesus are clear:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on those two commandments (Matthew 22:37–40).
When we experience people talking about a ‘command of the Lord’ as rules that in their reading of Scripture must be kept at all costs, let us reflect on how these ‘commands’ are being presented in light of the command on which the whole Scriptures hang: loving God and loving our neighbour with all our heart. The Advent and Christmas seasons are such good times for putting our love of neighbour into action. Let us show the world that the love of Christ reaches beyond this time of celebration into every part of our lives. Let them see Jesus through us.
Loving God, we could never love others without you loving us first. We could never care for or share with anyone if you were not caring for and sharing everything you have with us. You give us so many things in abundance, yet we grumble among ourselves. Give me a grateful heart and pour your love into my heart so I can love my neighbour as myself. Allow me to love those I find hard to love and help others to see Christ through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria is overjoyed to be a candidate for ordination as a pastor of the LCANZ while serving the St Johns Perth congregation and supporting the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael, at Concordia Duncraig congregation in Western Australia. They are parents to three children who are busy with primary and secondary schooling. Maria also serves the church as a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.