Lighting the First Candle- - Stand Up

Devotion by: Pastor Scott McAnally

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
²⁵There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. ³⁴Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

I can remember as a child going on long-awaited vacations and trips and constantly asking my parents, ‘Are we there yet?’ I knew what waited at the end of the journey was going to be exciting…so as each mile and minute passed, so did the anticipation for the experience to come.
Once again, we begin our journey to Bethlehem. Isaiah writes in the famous advent quotation, “the people in darkness have seen a great light!” We have seen and been told of a light…Jesus the light of the world…so like the wise men so very long ago we follow that light as it takes us on a journey…and with each passing moment anticipation builds as we get closer and closer. Our verses from Luke today remind us of that eager anticipation of what that moment of arrival could be (vs. 25-28). Luke also reminds us to ‘be on guard’ while on our journey because many times the journey’s darkness will try to draw us away from the light. Luke reminds us to continue towards the light…and upon our arrival at Bethlehem something totally unexpected will be waiting for us. “Are we there yet?” No. Not yet, but soon.

Prayer: God of light, give us strength, courage and patience as we begin our journey to Bethlehem. Enliven us with your Holy Spirit that we may live in your love anticipating the great high feast and celebration that you have planned for us in the gift of your Son, Baby Jesus. Amen.

Welcome: The Bun is in the Oven

by: Antonia Siebert

Imagine this scene: Family and friends gather in the living room, talking and laughing with one another. Mom and her helpers are in the kitchen preparing a special meal, and the most delicious smells are wafting through the air. First this one, then that one, wanders through the kitchen, stealing samples and generally getting in the way of the kitchen crew. Everyone is sharing anecdotes and telling tales about one another, but secretly everyone is really hungry and is eager for dinner to be served. They keep asking, "Is it ready yet?" The rich odors and the tasty tidbits only serve to whet their appetites. As the appointed hour grows nearer, there is a final burst of busyness in the kitchen, and finally Mom appears in the doorway and announces, 'Dinner is served!" With happy shouts the guests crowd into the dining room and jostle for their seats, and settle in for a lovely meal. But they don't just wolf down the food. They savor it, exclaim over it, and certainly congratulate the kitchen crew. And the talking and laughing, anecdotes and tales continue late into the night until every crumb is gone.

Advent is the time we spend with one another telling familiar stories while eagerly awaiting the big event - Christmas day. Advent is the season of anticipation, of longing, of hunger. Advent is the celebration of the coming of Christ, the hope for the world. Too often we imagine that we're celebrating Christmas when we really should be celebrating Advent, the time of preparation.

This year, celebrate Advent before you celebrate Christmas. Celebrate this time of wonder and hope with us, the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church. We offer our daily devotions to restore that sense of eagerness and anticipation. Let these scriptures whet your appetite so that when Christmas Day arrives, you are ready to dig in!

Welcome to Christ the King Lutheran Church

We are a family of Christian believers coming together for spiritual renewal and growth through commitment to Christ and each other. As a congregation, we provide worship, Christian education, and witness of the Word, fellowship, and service.

We provide devotions at this site as witness to the Word. We hope you find the devotions spiritually interesting and rewarding. Please return to this site often.

You may receive email notification when new devotions are published by sending an email to CTK-Lutheran@cox.net. You are always welcomed to join us for worship (Saturday at 6:30 PM, Sunday at 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM) or visit us at www.Christ-the-King-Lutheran.org.

All scripture in our devotions is linked to the oremus Bible Browser. We thank Simon Kershaw for his permission to link to this site. We thank the National Council of Churches USA for allowing us to provide scripture text. This blog carefully follows the copyright permission as specified by the NCC USA.

'New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.’

‘New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.’