HIDDEN HOPE

-

 NOVEMBER 30, 2022





Isaiah 11:1-3

A shoot shall come out from the stump 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.
His delight shall be in the fear of the lord.


Henri Nouwen writes,

I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God’s saving power…Our temptation is to be distracted by them…When I have no eyes for the small signs of God’s presence – the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends – I will always remain tempted to despair.

The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises.

LET US PRAY

We welcome you, small child of Bethlehem, whose coming we await with quiet attention.
Shield us from the shouts, the screams, the empty promises of the season, and encourage us to turn our hopes to your coming.

We know that the promise is hidden in the stable in Bethlehem and rooted in the offspring of Jesse; let us look for our salvation there.
Amen.

TAKE AWAY

Today, look for one small sign that God is present in your daily life. Give thanks for his presence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BE ENCOURAGED

-
Image
  JULY 3, 2024 Psalm 8  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory      in the heavens. 2  Through the praise of children and infants      you have established a stronghold against your enemies,      to silence the foe and the avenger. 3  When I consider your heavens,      the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,      which you have set in place, 4  what is mankind that you are mindful of them,      human beings that you care for them? 5  You have made them a little lower than the angels      and crowned them with glory and honor. 6  You made them rulers over the works of your hands;      you put everything under their feet: 7  all flocks and herds,      and the animals of the wild, 8  the birds in the sky,      and the fish in the sea,      all that swim the paths of the seas. 9  Lord , our Lord,      how majestic is your name in all the earth! In this Psalm, David expresses wonder at how God displays His power through the most
Read more

IT WAS VERY GOOD

-
Image
 August 13, 2024 God, thank you for this new day. Would help me to find my joy and strength in you today. To walk in your way of love. My keep my eyes focused on you and off all the struggles and chaos of this world. Let your peace replace worry. Help me to choose kindness over hurrying and forgiveness over disunity and resentment. Help me to surrender to your Spirit-filled power over-relying on my own strength and ability. Amen.   Genesis 1:26-27 26  Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27  So God created humankind in his image,     in the image of God he created them;     male and female he created them.   In Genesis' opening chapter, God breathes life into His creation. Amidst the many refrains, one stands out: "And Go
Read more

BE EASY ON PEOPLE

-
Image
  August 12, 2024 Lord, I do not know what to ask of you; only you know what I need. I simply present myself to you; I open my heart to you. My only desire this day, is to accomplish your will. Amen Luke 6:37-38   (The Message) “Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity”. I know the verses above sound a little different to us. Luke 6:37-38 usually reads like this, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV) The point of this text from Luke is that among the very best gifts God ever gives is the gift of oneanother, the gift of the people
Read more