This year, our CCC kiddos and chaperones are going to be partnering with the Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, AR again to help with work they need done, act as extras in the play, and to share the gospel with people who are visiting the Jesus statue and other attractions during the day.
This is a good opportunity for our kiddos and chaperones, not just to serve the Lord but to grow closer to Him as well. Each morning — just as we would if we were at camp, we will be walking through a specific study in our individual quiet times. We want to share that with our faith family back home as well. This allows for good conversations when we get back, but primarily, it gives people an opportunity to specifically pray for our kiddos, knowing what they are studying and praying about while on mission.
This mission trip is going to be a wonderful time of fellowshipping with one another, serving the Lord, and growing together in our individual walk with Christ. Let that last part sink in: growing together in our individualwalkwith Christ. Just like one of us could not pull this mission trip off by ourselves – and especially not without the Holy Spirit, we need each other. That sort of togetherness is called the Church!
This week, we are going to all be on the same page – not just united in our work but literally on the same page of the Bible together as we are studying the same passage each day for our quiet time. This will be time spent alone between each individual and God, essentially making time for Him and hearing from Him in His Word every day. This will bring us closer to Him and closer to one another! Our passage for each day, Monday-Saturday, will come from the book of Ephesians and teach us something about what it means to walk with Jesus (Colossians 2:6-7). You see, walking with Jesus comes out of believing in Him. It is active and daily. It is a term that means our lives reflect a relationship with Him and that we act increasingly like Him and continually progress in what we know about Him – how we know Him. Walking with Jesus is living in our relationship with Him. No relationship thrives without time spent together. Lord willing, by the time spent with Jesus in His Word and with His people, our walk with Christ – our relationship with Him – will become stronger.
Here are links to each day’s reading and devotion:
We are glad to get to offer free water, but we want to share something much better that will last much longer. We offer the good news that Jesus saves!
This might produce a few questions. Why Jesus? Saves from what? These are good, valid questions.
What It Means to Be Saved
Imagine someone swimming who has gone out over their head and is drowning. They cry out for a lifeguard to help. Thankfully, the lifeguard hears them and is able to rush to their rescue, pulling them to safety on the shore. That person has been saved from drowning.
This could also apply to someone who has been stuck in a burning building and fallen unconscious from inhaling all the smoke. Firefighters are called to the building and discover them. The firefighter picks up this totally helpless individual, carries them out of the building, and gets them to the paramedics. The firefighter and paramedics have saved this person from certain death.
In the same way, God provided Jesus to save or rescue every sinner who puts their trust in Him. No matter what we have done or who we are, Jesus can save us. Through Jesus, we find salvation by and eternal life by putting our faith and trust in Him.
The Bible describes this in John 3:16 –
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Why We NEED to Be Saved
You might be thinking: well, it makes sense for someone drowning or trapped in a burning building to need to be saved, but what about me?
The Bible teaches us that all of us have sinned. Sin is an archery term that describes missing the bullseye. The bullseye is perfection and goodness. We might try to do right and good, but we fail at that. God is right and good, and our missing the mark or failing in this way separates us from Him.
Romans 6:23 tells us that the “wages of sin is death”. This means that our sin has earned us death and that there is nothing we can do to earn our way out of it. Thankfully, that is not the end of Romans 6:23; check out the full verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has made a way for us! Just as John 3:16 tells us above, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. He died in our place and offers us life instead. That’s good news!
How You Can Be Saved
The only way for us to be saved is to turn from our sins (and the punishment we deserve because of them) to Jesus and put our faith and trust in Him. We turn from our sin because we realize that we are in trouble and deserve death because of them. We turn to Jesus because we realize that, just like the person who was drowning or trapped in the burning building, we cannot save ourselves.
To put our faith and trust in Him means that we believe that Jesus fully paid the penalty for our sins and offers us forgiveness. The Bible teaches us that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree (the cross)” (1 Peter 2:24). Here is how the Bible tells us we can be saved:
“if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
This is what it means when we say put our faith and trust in Jesus; we confess Him as Lord and give our lives over to Him, trusting that He knows best and acknowledge He is God, asking Him to take charge of our lives. We tell Him that we believe He is who the Bible says He is: the Savior who died for our sins and rose again. If we do this, not just saying some magic words but genuinely believing and seeking Him, the Bible tells us that we are saved!
We would love to pray with you and help you if you have any questions, and especially to help you find a church where you live. If you would like to contact us, use the form below:
Tomorrow is Sunday — RESURRECTION SUNDAY, and I am excited.
Sometimes, there can be a temptation to try and make holiday Sundays bigger, brighter, and, well, just to try and make it seem special by pulling out all the stops. As John said last week, we celebrate Resurrection Sunday every Sunday because our hope comes from Jesus’s resurrection — dead Saviors can’t save!
Every god or holy man or people who put themselves out there to say they are saviors either has or will die. Muhammed is dead. Buddha is dead. All of the false prophets who have claimed to be the messiah, both before and after Jesus, have died or will die. This isn’t an attack on other religions; it’s a clarification that religion can’t save because their founders don’t last. Jesus is something else entirely.
No, at Christ Community tomorrow, we are going to do our best to do what we always strive do: point people to Jesus!
Look at how Paul pointed the church at Corinth to Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15 — a chapter that beautifully proclaims the gospel and the importance of Jesus’s resurrection:
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures….
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Look at the language Paul used there to highlight the importance:
1. He wanted them to be reminded of the gospel (good news) that he had preached to them regarding Jesus and for them to hold fast to that truth (2 Timothy 1:13-14, Jude 3). Putting one’s faith in Jesus is not a one-time-thing but something that believers need to continually do. We trust in Him for salvation, but we continually trust in Him to continue to carry us (Hebrews 10:38-39). Those who believed were saved from the wrath of God toward sin, but as Paul says here, were “being saved” continually by their resurrected — their living — Savior who cares for them (Romans 5:9-10, 1 Corinthians 1:18)!
2. He made sure they knew that what he was preaching was “in accordance with the Scriptures” — something he says twice in v. 4. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not something that popped up new after he lived and died. His death, burial, and resurrection were foretold by the God’s prophets throughout the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27). The gospel was not something new for someone like Paul who had studied it his whole life; no, it was the fulfillment of all he had studied (Acts 17:2-3).
2. He preached that gospel to them again: “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, …He was buried, …He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures”. The gospel he preached came from the Scriptures and was all about Jesus, who He is and all He had done and is doing (Acts 26:22-23).
3. He understood that the gospel is of “first importance” because that is what he “also received”. This is not a hypothetical gospel for Paul. Jesus is his hope as well (John 12:32, Romans 15:13, 1 Peter 1:3). His Ph.D. in Judaism wasn’t going to save him. The warrant given to him by when he was Saul of Tarsus the Jerusalem elite to arrest and imprison Christians wasn’t going to save him. His claims as a “Hebrew of Hebrews” and a “Pharisee” weren’t going to save him (Philippians 3:4). No, Paul knew that all of his hope was in Jesus, the same Jesus whom he had previously persecuted, and because Jesus had saved him, he understood that everything that came before was “rubbish” unable to be compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” as Lord (Philippians 3:7-8).
Tomorrow, we have the privilege, just as we do every Sunday, to remind ourselves and others of the good news of Jesus Christ and get to share His gospel through preaching, reading the Word, and singing in praise and worship of our resurrected King (Colossians 3:16-17). We will lift Him up “as of first importance” because we know that if we had not “also received” Him, we would have no hope.
Dead saviors can’t save, but our God is not dead — “He is risen as He said” (Matthew 28:6).
Won’t you gather with us as we worship Him?
Here are our Scriptures and songs:
Song | Ain’t No Grave — Scripture Inspiration: John 8:34, Romans 6:6, 1 John 4:8, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, John 8:44, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:15, Ephesians 6:11-18, Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 5:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
Scripture | 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 —
50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Song | Graves Into Gardens — Scripture Inspiration: Psalm 34:10, Isaiah 55:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3, Luke 15:11-24, Romans 6:23, John 6:26-35, Revelation 7:13-17, Matthew 11:28-30, 1 John 4:8, Psalm 51:10, Jeremiah 24:7, Ezekiel 36:26, Romans 12:2, Psalm 37:4, Exodus 8:10, Deuteronomy 3:24, Jeremiah 10:6, 1 Samuel 2:2, Isaiah 40:18, Romans 5:6-8, Psalm 138:8-9, 1 Kings 8:39, 1 John 3:20, John 15:15, Psalm 139:7-12, Hebrews 4:13, Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 62:2, Galatians 2:19-20, John 14:6, 1 Corinthians 15:20-49, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Exodus 14:1-31
Song | Thank You Jesus for the Blood — Scripture Inspiration: Deuteronomy 6:5, Lamentations 3:22-23, Isaiah 64:8, Psalm 139:16, Deuteronomy 6:7, Psalm 113:3, 2 Timothy 2:13, Psalm 27:13, Psalm 31:19, Psalm 145:9, Psalm 150:6, Psalm 107:1, 1 Kings 19:11-12, Hebrews 1:3, Isaiah 43:1-3, Jeremiah 23:23-24, John 15:14-15, Psalm 23:6, Luke 9:23-24
Scripture | 1 Peter 1:3-5 —
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Song | Living Hope — Scripture Inspiration: Acts 4:8-12, 1 Corinthians 15:3-11, 1 Peter 1:3, Philippians 2:5-8, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 9:22, John 1:12-13, Hebrews 9:15, John 8:36, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Galatians 5:1, Psalm 107:14-15, John 14:6, Acts 3:15, Revelation 5:5, 1 Peter 1:4-5
Song | Because He Lives — Scripture Inspiration: John 3:16, Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, 2 Timothy 1:10, Hebrews 2:14, Psalm 28:7-8, Isaiah 40:29-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:38-39, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 4:6-7, Revelation 21:4, 1 Corinthians 11:26
Invitation | In Christ Alone —
Offertory | Yet Not I But Christ in Me — Scripture Inspiration: Genesis 15:6, Psalm 32:1-2, Romans 3:21-24, Romans 5:6-10, Ephesians 2:4-9, Titus 2:11, Isaiah 9:6, Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-255, John 3:15-16, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, Hebrews 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Psalm 119:45, Romans 8:1-4, Psalm 17:7, Psalm 36:5-7, Titus 3:4, 1 John 4:8, John 14:27, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-15, Acts 4:10-12, John 14:6, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:9-11, Galatians 4:6, Psalm 107:10-16, Psalm 118:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 2 Corinthians 12:9, John 10:11-18, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, Nahum 1:7, 1 John 5:18, Psalm 23:4, Matthew 20:28, John 1:29, Acts 20:28, Colossians 2:14, Titus 2:14, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 John 2:1-2, Revelation 5:9-13, Acts 4:33, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 21:3-4, Hebrews 13:6, Psalm 116:16, Romans 6:20, Galatians 5:1, Luke 21:33, Revelation 6:14, Psalm 51:10, Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 1:9-11, John 10:30
Nearly 2,000 years ago on that Sunday — the first day of the week before Passover, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt to cries of “Hosanna!” (Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:10, John 12:13) and “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38)
Over the past few weeks at Christ Community, we have been singing songs that mirror those cries, hoping to help us see Jesus as who He is — the King of kings, Emmanuel, our God who has come and is coming again. We lifted our voices together singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”, yearning for Jesus to return. We lifted our voices together singing the words of the songs from Revelation 4, 5 and 7, wanting to sing the songs of Heaven dedicated to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb standing on the throne as though slain. And tomorrow, Lord willing, we will sing songs that mirror the cries heard along the streets of Jerusalem when the King came to town — as we also sing songs that look forward to the end of that week when Jesus was crucified and the beginning of the next when He rose from the grave!
One of the things I love about being able to sing these songs is that they are not merely commemorative. They are not icons pointing to a merely historic moment. They are not idols to a dead god. No, our God is alive and well — death could not keep Him! We sing these songs, and they are prophetic because Jesus has done all He promised and will coming again as He promised. We can sing “Hosanna!” (save us, O Lord — we praise You, O Lord) with the knowledge that He hears our praises just as He did the voices of those on that Jerusalem street! We can sing “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” because He is coming in the name of the Lord again!
These are not idle words (or idol words). Jesus IS King. Jesus IS alive. Jesus REALLY saves. He REALLY lives. All of this REALLY does MATTER!
Last week fired me up for Palm Sunday in a way I had not considered. Again, what we do in worship is not merely commemorative — it is active and prophetic and a present offer of praise to “our blessed hope…our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)! You see, last week we lifted our voices together and read about a time when palm branches will be lifted in worship of the King (Revelation 7:9-12). 2,000 years ago, some of those voices lining the streets were sure to be some who also cried “Crucify Him!” a few days later. These voices in Revelation 7 will be those who have had their cries of “Hosanna!”, their cries for the Lord to save them and praising His name, those cries will have been answered. No, this lifting of palms will be from an uncountable “great multitude” of people saved by grace through faith in Jesus “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages”; they will be standing “before the throne” — standing “before the Lamb”! And with palm branches in their hands and white robes on their bodies, they will cry out at the top of their voices, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Let’s do that tomorrow!
Let’s gather in worship of the Lamb!
Let’s gather in anticipation of the coming of the King!
Let’s lift our voices and declare to our God who saves that He is worthy and acknowledge that salvation comes from Him alone!
Let’s gather and singing “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Let’s sit under the teaching of His Word and have His Spirit move our hearts to worship Him all of our days and not just for an hour or so on Sunday.
Let’s proclaim to the world that we have a God that death could not keep down and that He offers life to all who call upon Him and confess Him as Lord!
Won’t you gather with us?
Here are our Scriptures and songs:
Scripture | Luke 19:28-40 —
28And when He had said these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of His disciples 30saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.'” 32So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35And they brought it to Jesus, throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37As He was drawing near — already on the way down the Mount of Olives — the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
37″O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38See, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'”
Scripture | Psalm 118:25-26 —
25Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!
26Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD!
There is something about the approach of Easter — of Resurrection Sunday — that stirs something within me. There is hope in the emptiness of the borrowed tomb that is unlike anything this world has to offer. Well, the world cannot exactly offer empty or borrowed tombs, can it?
I think about Israel around that time. They had experienced Babylonian (and Mede-Persian) exile because of their sin. Their return home never quite met the luster or glory of the former days. But there was a promise — a Promised One, in fact, who would come and rescue them. They sought rescue from worldly oppression and wicked rulers and regimes, but this Promised One would rescue them from the wicked idolatry and sin that reigned in their own hearts. They would just have to wait for that rescue.
And they waited.
And waited.
In the silence of no more “Thus saith the Lord”, they waited about 400 years for this Promised One. Empires changed. The Persians were displaced by the Greeks, the Greeks inevitably by the Romans. They waited until the silence was broken by the cry of an infant.
God had promised that the Messiah (Promised One/Anointed One/Greek: Christ) would come — that He Himself would come. Emmanuel, translated God-with-us, would be born of a virgin. This child, this Son, would be given to bring Light and rescue to God’s people. They were desperate. They were helpless. They had no way to save themselves.
It is not hard to empathize with that kind of desperation. The effects of the Fall, sin and death, are all around us. Wickedness is rampant. Death is rampant. Idolatry is rampant. Hope seems to be in small supply. But we do not have to wait in silence! Emmanuel has already come, and He is coming again! His Spirit is with His people! His Word has and is and will continue to speak hope of rescue and salvation — of grace and mercy — of the good news of Jesus!
That’s what we are singing about tomorrow.
We are going to pour out our hearts and long for the return of Emmanuel, God-with-us. We are going to praise God for the finished work of Jesus. We are going to praise God for His steadfast love. And we are going to cry out — through the pain and sorrow and fear and longing — “Come, Lord Jesus”!
Won’t you join us?
Here are our Scriptures & songs:
Scripture | Isaiah 9:2-7 —
2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has Light shone. 3You have multiplied the nation; You have increased its joy; they rejoice before You as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. 5For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
***NOTE: We are revising the lyrics of this song to better reflect the love of God — that which we read about all through Scripture, that which was “made manifest” as we read in the verses above. Many might be familiar with the Greek word agape that describes the unique love of God; the Hebrew word for that type of never-ending, never-failing, never-stopping, never-giving-up love is chesed. It is often translated “steadfast love” in the Old Testament. This is a word God uses to describe Him and His love over 500 times!
This is an opportunity for the theology of what we sing to more specifically reflect the Scriptures, and therefore more accurately reflect the love of God as He shares it with us in His Word. The word “reckless” in the original lyrics was meant to show that God lavishly pours out His love for us. He does! He has poured out His love on us and made it manifest through the gift of Jesus Christ for our sins. Let’s praise God for and sing about His steadfast love!
Tomorrow is Sunday, and I need to gather with my faith family.
Normally, I would describe my feelings toward the Lord’s Day as excitement or expectant anticipation, but I think need is a better descriptor.
I need to hear their voices lifted up and reading the Scripture passages that are pointing us to our “blessed hope, the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) and how He saves and redeems us from sin and rescues us from this sin-sick and fallen world.
I need to hear their voices singing the “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16), reminding me of the good news of Jesus in the midst of the truly bad news of the world.
I need to hear my pastor open up the Word of God for teaching, reproving, training, and correcting (2 Timothy 3:16).
I need to be reminded that this world is not my home (Philippians 3:20) and that there is coming a day when Jesus will return and end the tyrannical reign of Satan and of sin in this world forevermore (Revelation 21:1-4).
Over the past few months, it seems like members of our church family have faced tragedy after tragedy. Our town has been plagued with shootings. Our community has been wracked with grief over tragic loss of life that leaves deep rooted questions and sadness. Our families have received diagnoses and prognoses that paint a bleak future of sickness and pain. But in the midst of all of that sadness, all that tragedy, all that pain, God is sill “good, a stronghold in the day of trouble”, and He still “knows those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1:7).
Read that again. God is good despite the evil of this world. There would be no good apart from Him. God is a stronghold in the day of trouble. He is a mighty fortress in which we can retreat from pain and sorrow and discord and fear and danger and can know that He is able and willing to protect and comfort. God knows those who take refuge in Him. He is not an idle or passive fortress. He is active in comforting those who seek Him.
So, let us do that tomorrow. Let us seek Him in our sin and sadness and strife. Let us turn to Him and long for the Day that is coming when all things will be made new and all the sad things will come untrue (Revelation 21:5).
Tomorrow at Christ Community, we will not be ostriches who stick our heads in the sand and ignore the happenings of the world around us. No, we will lift our eyes to the hills and seek refuge with the God of the universe, the God who saves (Psalm 121:1, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 7:10).
Won’t you join us?
Here are our Scriptures & songs:
Scripture | Isaiah 61:1-4 —
1 The Spirit of the LORD GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”[1]
Luke 2:1-12
Merry Christmas, Sojourners!
Here we are just a few days before Christmas, and I find myself thinking on the scene into which God became flesh (John 1:14) and the happenings of the world during that time. If you will forgive the pun, it really was a Dickens of a time – the best of times and the worst of times. From a worldly perspective, Israel was in a tight spot, feeling the pressure of the Roman Empire bearing down on it.
A few centuries after being ruled by a foreign king in their own exile they found themselves ruled by one who seemed a world away. Those centuries between Babylon and the Roman Empire (with the Greeks whooping up on them somewhere in the middle) were silent in the sense that there was no “Thus saith the Lord” from a prophet. Even bad news or warning would be a comfort over silence. Their lives were loud with cries of help and hope in the coming Messiah, but God was silent – purposefully so. He had said all He needed to say. Messiah was coming. The Promised One was going to come and save His people. But in the meantime, there was waiting. And there was silence.
How do you do in silence and waiting? I am sure that there have been times in your life, just like in mine and in all the people I know, when trouble and trials and tribulations and terror have besieged you. Your world felt small and scary. Hope for the future was dim. And in waiting for help that seemed never to come, the silence and the waiting was rough.
Depending on the trouble you faced, there are those who would step in and want you to believe they are coming for your aid but are really coming to take advantage of you. There are other promises that, while they are not necessarily coming to take advantage of you are not working for your good, also try and convince you help is on the way. All you have to do is turn on your television and every other commercial is for a class action lawsuit going after big ___ to help people – you or your loved ones, they say – get help from their oppressors or benefits from whatever may have caused their unfortunate situation. If you flip to one of the news networks, you have political pundits representing both ends of the spectrum against the middle who are promising that their candidate is what is best, and the other is the oppressor. If your phone rings, it is likely that the person on the other end is offering you some kind of help if you pay money or bring a gift card to a certain location or offering to extend your car’s extended warranty for a nominal fee. Maybe you are in debt and people are promising rescue if you just turn your finances over to them. Or flip on over to the religious programming – labeled “Christian” oftentimes, and you can give a faith donation to support the starving millionaire “pastor” in his attempt to usher in the end times and mail you a prayer handkerchief that will heal you or save you.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Aside from television and modern situations, this is similar to what God’s people were hearing during that period of silence. Never mind that He had told them Messiah would come. He prophesied their deliverance. Their present circumstances, however, made listening to the other voices seem necessary. And those voices sounded so good, especially when the distant emperor proclaimed that his birth and existence were the beginning of good news for the world[2] and that he Himself was a son of Zeus come to be the savior of Rome and its empire[3].
In the absence of the promised Messiah amid divine silence, the turmoil of the times can make it easy to believe that there is help from somewhere else – even if that somewhere else is the Rome that is crushing the life out of your people and your homeland.
So, today, I want us to look at a tale of two Saviors – well, really the tale of the only Savior despite all the fake and the foolish that proclaim themselves to be Him.
Caesar Augustus and the Not-So-Good News (vv. 1-5)
Most of the time that I have spent looking at and studying the beginning of Luke 2 has been focused on trying to determine the real birth date of Jesus. Spoiler alert: it cannot be definitely known[4]. I am not a huge fan of history, but I do not want to be doomed to repeat it. Most of the history I, willingly, study is biblical and church history. Christianity is, after all, a historical religion not based on the present but on the God who has always been and all He has done in and for all that He created. Having said all that, I do not want this to seem like a history lesson. I want us to see the fingerprint of the one who proclaimed himself savior and lied about it: Caesar Augustus.
Caesar Augustus’s role in the story of Jesus began on the ides of March – remember Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar? Et tu, Brute? Anyone? Long story short, he – originally known as Octavian – was the nephew and only heir to Julius Caesar. When Roman senators conspired and murdered Julius Caesar (44BC), Octavian and Julius Caesar’s right-hand-man Mark Antony joined forces and waged a brutal civil war from Rome all the way to Philippi where they finally avenged Caesar’s death and, well, murdered his murderers in 42BC. Octavian rose to greater power and eventually turned on his ally Mark Antony and Cleopatra, defeating them in 31BC. Around thirty years later, all those events put Caesar Augustus in a position for God to move him about and use him to set the stage for His entrance into the world.
One thing that people who amass great wealth and power cannot help but do is counting and logging all they have. Such was the case with Caesar Augustus. He decreed that a census be taken throughout “all the world” (Luke 2:1). At his mere command, every household throughout the Roman Empire was immediately upturned. They had to return to their hometowns to be registered (Luke 2:3). Think of the power that displays: entire regions and people groups dropped everything at his command.
But what of his promises of his birth heralding the beginning of good news? What of his promises that he was born of Zeus and would be the savior of the world? Well, Caesar Augustus died in AD14. He is still dead today. Rome was not saved or safe under his rule. In fact, the Roman Empire is dead, too. The proof is in the pudding, or in the prophecy in this case. Caesar promised people peace and prosperity and got all the peace and prosperity he had himself by squeezing it out of the lands conquered and kept conquered throughout his empire. Yes, he could get them to move about at the drop of a hat, but once he dropped dead, he dropped out of the position of savior.
Looking at how God used him to move things about is cool, though. Jesus was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and Joseph’s hometown was Bethlehem. In a way, Caesar Augustus was right about one thing: good news began at his birth. God set things into motion through his life that inaugurated the coming of the Messiah. Now, that is the good news.
Jesus and the Good News of Great Joy (vv. 6-12)
Augustus was boastful and proud. He inherited a kingdom and made it his own. He built it up in his mind that the entire world belonged to him. But to whom did Augustus belong?
Jesus’s humble birth is the opposite of Augustus in nearly every way. Augustus was loud and boastful, proclaiming truths after his own birth to make it seem of consequence. Jesus’s birth was humble and quiet, fulfilling prophesies made all the way back to the beginning (Genesis 3:15). Jesus’s birth was heralded from the heavens (Luke 2:9-14). Jesus was God – God made flesh and dwelling among men to be the true Savior of the world (John 1:1, 14; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42).
Think about the difference this makes. Jesus did not lie about His father being divine and sending Him to rule and conquer. No, God became flesh and dwelt among us. He laid aside His throne and humbled Himself to become a man, lived a sinless life despite facing all the same temptations we face (Hebrews 4:15), and He died the death we deserve on the cross due to our sinfulness (Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21). No one would make up that story. No one wanted to trade lives with Jesus. No palace, no riches, no fame. But, oh, what a King He is!
Jesus’s good news was better that Augustus’s, too. Augustus merely said his birth was the beginning of the good news. He merely heralded himself and proclaimed his own greatness. No one had to agree. No one would have believed it anyway. Rest assured that those who had been conquered did not recognize him as good news any more than they did Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. Augustus was worthy to be feared, but Jesus is worthy of our faith. The angels proclaimed this to the shepherds in the field that night and to us today. We do not have to fear because “behold” there is “good news of great joy that will be for all people”; that “unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Good news. Of great joy. For all people. The Savior is born. The Messiah has come.
The truth of the prophecies of old were coming true. Light was shining into the darkness (Isaiah 9:2, John 1:4-5). Joy had come because there was One greater than Augustus, greater than the Greeks, greater than the Medes and Persians, greater than the Babylonians (Isaiah 9:3). Rather than oppressing, He was lifting up (Isaiah 9:4, Matthew 11:28-30). He was bringing peace through His finished work and retiring the weapons of His adversaries (Isaiah 9:5, Colossians 1:19-20). He was born, swaddled, and lying in a manger, but He did not stay in that manger. He grew up. He lived. He loved. He lifted the downtrodden, healed the sick, touched the untouchable, saved the most wicked of sinners, and died for them all. And everyone – every one – who calls upon Him, confesses Him as Lord and puts their faith and trust in Him – will be saved (Romans 10:9, 13). That is good news!
Wrapping Up
I started off our devotion today talking about how many things, how many voices, are trying to get us to believe in something temporary or something fake. It is easy to be jaded and look at how the world is getting and feel like God is not talking to us because the other voices are so loud. We want immediate relief from debt, pain, sorrow, and suffering, but that just is not reality – it is just not how this sinful, fallen world works. And every voice that is vying to be heard louder than the others cannot offer lasting help because they are products of this fallen world, too. But hear this, Sojourner, God is not being quiet.
From the moment that the silence between the Old and New Testament was broken by the cry of baby Jesus to the time when the trumpet sounds and He returns is not a time of silence. He is the Word (John 1:1-14), and He has given us His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) just as He did for His people. They interpreted it as silence because He had not said what they wanted to hear. He told them He was coming. He has told us the very same thing.
You see, Jesus is a better Savior than Augustus (or the Republicans or Democrats or whoever you think is waiting in the wings to rescue this country or this world). Augustus died. He is still dead. Whatever he was going to do for Rome, he did. All our leaders, good and bad, throughout history are dead. They saved and helped who they could, or they hurt and oppressed who they could. Either way, they are either dead and gone or will be. But God is a better Savior because He is alive. Death could not stop His love. Death could not stop Him from saving. Death is a victim of His victory! The death He died was for our sake – to save us, rescue us, and redeem us! It just did not keep because He is God.
This Christmas, amid the hustle and the bustle, the noise, and the activity, listen. Listen to the words of Hebrews 10:23-25 and hear the heart of our Savior for us:
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
That is good news! He who promised is faithful, and His Day is drawing near! When all around you seems to be giving way and there seems to be more hopeless than hope or help, look around you and see what He has for you. Do not turn to the easy slick promises of the world but trust in the divine hope, peace, joy, and love of the Savior who loves you and lives for you. You do not need a Sams Choice savior like Augustus or any of the other voices barking for your attention. Jesus is the genuine article.
The hope of Christmas is not in the nearness of family, the fullness of bellies, or the gratification of giving or receiving the perfect gift. Plans are going to go awry. Packages will be lost. Or the holiday will represent an entirely different perspective. It may be as miserable a time as you imagine. You may be facing a holiday that will remind you of a loss that is easy to suppress on regular days and are not ready for all the feelings that will arise. December 25 may be just another workday or weekday for you. You may even find yourself alone. No, the hope of Christmas is the same good news of great joy that the angel army proclaimed to those dirty shepherds on that hillside. It is the good news of great joy that proclaims to all people that the Savior has been born, that His name is Jesus, that His birth, death, resurrection, and return have been promised. And He who promised is faithful. Sojourner, know that I am praying for you this Christmas and as often as I can. May this good news of great joy cheer you on and cheer you up as you see that Jesus has come and is coming again.
[2] This is based on an inscription found at Priene dating back to 9bc stating that Caesar Augustus’s “birthday signaled the beginning of good news for the world”. The inscription was found by German archaeologists and can be found in Berlin. | Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, 366-67.
[3] This is based on an inscription from Halicarnassus preserved in the British Museum. | H. Kleinknecht, Pantheon: Religiose Texte des Griechentums (Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1959), 40.
[4] While it cannot be known, there are a few interesting tidbits that I have found helpful in forming my own opinions. 1)The original language translated “governor of Syria” in the ESV can also be translated “governing in Syria”, which could mean ruling in some form or fashion. 2)Jesus’s birth had to be prior to 4bc because Herod the Great died that year. So, happy hunting should you want to research this on your own!
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised up on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, 6 then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, the majority of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.
1 Corinthians 15:3-6
He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
8 But what does it say? “The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 9 that if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who is rich to all who call upon him. 13 For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:8-13
“Good News of Great Joy” or “The Weary World Rejoices”
We have spent a good bit of time this week in Luke 2:10 and the verses around it. The declaration of the angels to those poor and frightened shepherds should just about be memorized at this point: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring good news to you of great joy which will be for all the people”. Good news. Great joy. For all people.
The word translated “good news” is often translated gospel, and the message that the angels proclaimed on that hillside 2,000 years ago is a beautiful and succinct picture of the gospel. They preached that the Savior “who is Christ the Lord” was born for them – for those dirty, stinky shepherds – and that He could be found that very day in Bethlehem. It was news that would and could change the trajectory of their lives. They just needed to believe in Him and receive the salvation He had to offer – they would receive grace by faith through Him.
Now, I know that on the day they heard that gospel message Jesus was still laying in the feeding trough, still an infant, and was decades away from His death, burial, and resurrection. But the babe in the manger was still “the Word [become] flesh” (John 1:14). He was still the Lamb slain “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
We sometimes want to overcomplicate things. We know the whole story and want to add and fill in the gaps in the angels’ proclamation that day, but the “good news of great joy” is still just as simple. In fact, Paul gives very succinct proclamations of the gospel, too. The first can be found in 1 Corinthians 15 where he tells the church at Corinth that he is passing on to them the most important message he had to offer – the very same message that he received himself: Jesus died for our sins according to the way that the Bible said He would, He was buried, and He rose from the dead on the third day exactly as the Bible and His own preaching said He would. That’s good news!
Paul’s second succinct gospel summary comes in his next letter to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5:21. In one complex little sentence, he shares that God put the sins of those who would be saved on Jesus. Jesus had never sinned and did not deserve any condemnation, but He willingly bore our sin on our behalf. Those who trust in Him no longer are under the condemnation and shame due to their sin; Jesus bore that (Colossians 2:13-14). In a great exchange, Jesus traded His righteousness for our sin. He bore the wrath of God and exchanged that for God’s favor. Basically, He traded His extravagantly full bank account for our bankrupt one so that when God looks upon those who Jesus has saved, He does not see their sinfulness but Jesus’ righteousness! That’s good news!
The gospel is good news, but there is also bad news. Those who do not confess Jesus as Lord and believe He died for their sins and rose again to not receive part in that great exchange. They remain in their sin. Their condemnation remains their own. It does not have to be that way. All who call out to Jesus in faith will be saved. Anyone who believes in Him will not be but to shame, but not believing leaves the shame where it belongs – on the sinner.
Look at how the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night” puts it:
Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn Fall on your knees!
Those who are without Jesus are still in their sin and “pining” after the wrong things, sinful things. But everyone – all people – have the opportunity to fall on their knees, believe in Him – confess Him as Lord, and repent of their sin. And those who do will not only have heard the good news of great joy but also to have believed it and received the salvation Jesus offers.
I love the phrase “good news of great joy” because 1) it is straight from the Bible, and 2) it captures what Jesus offers. But I also love the way the writer of “O Holy Night” captured what it is to be a sinner and receive Christ: “a weary world rejoices”. If you have been reading with us over these past two weeks, you have read snippets of the “good news of great joy”, but have you received it? Have you believed on Jesus, or are you still on the fence? If you haven’t, I urge you: fall on your knees, believe what the Bible says about Him, confess Him as Lord, and rejoice in the salvation He brings!
Reflection Questions:
This devotion emphasizes different outcomes for those who believe in Jesus and those who do not. How does this reality influence your understanding of the urgency of sharing the gospel with others?
There is an earnest call to embrace Jesus and rejoice in the salvation He brings in today’s devotion. How does this challenge you to examine your own beliefs and relationship with Jesus? What steps can you take to deepen your faith in Jesus?
📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Galatians 4:4-5
“From Slavery to Sonship: Embracing the Gift of Adoption” by Jamie Harrison
Wow! What a Story! Jesus gave up all the glory of heaven to come to earth for you and me!
He came at exactly the right time according to Galatians 4:4. The Roman Empire ruled most of the world, and people were ready for someone to save them from their oppression. Some estimate the number of slaves during this period was upwards of 70 million. Can you imagine living under an oppressive government who might enslave you at any moment? Can you imagine a life that devoid of hope?
Enter Jesus.
Jesus came to “redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:5). Take a minute and think about the hope found in this verse for so many during that period. Now, take a moment and think about how this provides hope for you and me. Jesus came to make us sons and daughters of God Almighty!
“And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’ So, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.” (Galatians 4:6-7)
This was good news then, and it is good news now!
The fact is, we are all slaves to sin: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because we are slaves to sin, we receive death: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). What these verses tell us about sin is bad news, but there is a huge but coming in the next part of Romans 6:23 – the but of all buts: “…but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”! That’s right, Jesus came to earth to give us a way to become a child of God! We are no longer a slave but adopted as a son! But if we are a son and an heir with Christ, what does that mean?
Being a son and heir means we will be able to spend all of eternity in the presence of our Creator, our Savior, our Lord! The best news for us today is that we do not have to wonder how this will come to be. Romans 10:9 tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.” If you do not know Him as Lord, it is time. If you are certain He rose from the grave, confess Him as Lord of your life. Give yourself over to Him – right here and right now. It is time to be adopted into His family. It is time to receive the love only a perfect Father can give. Allow Him to give you the greatest gift of all today: JESUS!
Reflection Questions:
Consider the idea of being adopted as sons and daughters of God through Jesus. How does this promise of adoption offer hope both in the context of the Galatians passage and in your personal walk with Christ?
Today’s devotion touches on how we are all initially slaves to sin and the consequences of that bondage. How does the promise of eternal life through Jesus’s contrast with this reality and impact our understanding of salvation?
📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at the very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-40
“Anna: A Prophetess for Jesus” by Sarah Reeves
In Luke 2:36-40, we meet Anna who was a prophetess at a time when there were no prophets. Anna was Jewish, from the tribe of Asher. She was eighty-four years old and was widowed without any children. She had slowly watched as God stripped everything away from her, but she remained faithful. Anna believed the teachings from her childhood that one day the Messiah was coming, so she waited. She rarely left the temple as she prayed God would let her live to see the Messiah. Every day she worshiped at the temple and asked in her heart, “Will today be the day He comes?”
The long-awaited day finally came. Joseph and Mary brought their eight-day old son Jesus to the temple for His circumcision. Anna and her friend Simeon, who had also been waiting a long time for the Messiah, were overjoyed that God had let them recognize Him!
This touching story is such a reminder for us to never give up. We all face sorrows, tragedies, and heartaches in this life. We all lose our beloved family and friends. We ourselves have illnesses and pain. We all get discouraged, heartbroken, and sometimes bitter and mad at God for allowing those things to happen. There are broken homes and broken hearts. But in the middle of all these things there is one thing that has never changed: God is still on His throne!
He still loves you so much He sent His only Son to die for you (John 3:16)! So, let’s be like Anna and trust Him and know He is coming back just as He promised!
Reflection Questions:
Anna’s life was marked by patience, faithfulness, and hope – devoted to God’s promise – despite experiencing immense loss personally. How does her perseverance challenge your understanding of faithfulness amid personal struggle and hardships?
Anna’s unwavering faith allowed her to recognize Jesus for who He truly is – the Messiah. How can her story serve as an example for us in the world today?
In today’s devotion, Ms. Sarah characterized Anna with the question: “Will today be the day Jesus comes?” How can living our lives with the expectant hope of Anna, asking ourselves, “Will today be the day Jesus comes back?”
📖 Revelation 4:1–11In this episode of The King is Coming, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison move beyond Jesus’s letters to the churches and into the next part of John’s vision. In Revelation 4, John is invited through an open door into heaven—and what he sees is the throne room of God.At the center of everything is a throne, and seated on it is the Lord in all His glory. From this point forward in Revelation, the throne becomes the focal point of the entire book.John describes the scene the best way he can: the brilliance of precious stones, a rainbow surrounding the throne, flashes of lightning and thunder, and a crystal-like sea before it. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four elders and four living creatures who never cease to worship the Lord.Together, Keith and Jamie discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 4 marks a shift from the letters to the churches to John’s heavenly vision✔️ What the throne room reveals about God’s authority and security over all things✔️ Why John uses comparisons (“like” and “as”) to describe the glory he sees✔️ The mystery of the twenty-four elders and what we can—and cannot—know✔️ The constant worship of the living creatures crying “Holy, holy, holy”✔️ Why heaven’s worship centers on God simply because He is worthyIn the throne room, everything points to one truth: God alone is worthy of worship.“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)🔗 If you would like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
Just Keith Harris 