He Came to Forgive

12/7- Lord’s Prayer- 4- “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

Read: “Be kind, one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven you.”  (Ephesians 4:32);You…will give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins.”  (Lk. 1:77)

Thoughts: Jesus came at Christmas so that when we mess up we can still get to God.  God gives us a second chance.  He also wants us to give others another chance too- even if they hurt us and we don’t want to trust them.  If we want to be forgiven when we mess up, then we need to be forgiving toward others who also hurt us- even if they do not deserve forgiveness.
    There are lots of people who rise up out of their inaction to hurt or get revenge for a wrong.  Jesus came to forgive.  Then He asks all those who follow Him to be forgivers too. 

Activity: On a piece of paper write down one thing you want to be forgiven.  Put the pieces from each family member in a box.  Then go outside and burn them- saying, “As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  Trace the Lord’s Prayer on the illustration above, saying it together.

Prayer: Thank you Jesus that you came to forgive us.  Give us the grace and help we need to forgive others.  

Daily Bread- Jesus the Bread

12/6- Lord’s Prayer- 3- “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Read: “All good things are a gift from God coming down from the father of lights and the Lord of love.”  (James 1:17) Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came from heaven.” John 6:51

Thoughts: God is the great provider.  All that we have is a gift.  He gives us life, time, ability, and puts us in the right place at the right time to get the right job.  The prayer here is not for a lot of extras- but for only daily bread.  This doesn’t mean God only wants us to eat bread.  It does mean God wants us to ask Him for help in providing for our needs.  When God provides more than just the stuff to survive, He would ask us to think of sharing with others. 
     Jesus is the living bread that came from heaven.  We need to nourish our souls on Him daily by reading His Word.  The Bible is also called "the bread of life." 

Activity: Put aside a can for each family member to give to We Care Sunday.  If you feed the birds, give them an extra helping of bird food today- reading Matthew 6:26 before filling up the feeders. Trace the Lord’s prayer on the picture above, saying it together.

Prayer: Thank you that we have enough to eat.  We remember people like in South Sudan or Puerto Rico who struggle to have daily food.  

Thy Will Be Done

12/5- Lord’s Prayer- 2- “Thy Kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Read: “Father not my will but yours be done.”  [Jesus in the Garden before he died]. Luke 22:42
Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”  Luke 1:38

Thoughts: When we pray to God we are not demanding from Him what we want.  He is God, we are not.  Whatever we pray, we want God’s will to be done.  God is the great King.  We, as God’s children, are a part of His kingdom and we want His kingdom to be great and that His will is more important than our will.  If anything, we want to pray that God’s will and our will would be the same thing (one). 

Activity: Smartphone prayer:  Take a phone- and pray for the last three persons you have called or texted.  Look at the last three people you took a picture of and pray for them too.  Trace the Lord’s prayer with the picture above as you pray it together. 

Prayer: Lord, you are Lord.  May your will be done in our family in my life.  Amen. 

The Lord's Prayer and Advent

12/4- Lord’s Prayer- 1- “Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name”

Read:  “You have the Spirit of adoption so you call out Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Lk. 2:11

Thoughts: When Jesus said we should pray “Our Father who art in heaven.”  He says some really important things about God.  God is a God who loves us as a loving father- better than any father on earth.  God is not uncaring and God is not an it but a person who loves us.  The word “our” means that God wants us to call on Him together and not just alone.  Yet God is the only Father who is above all of us in heaven.  He is the Father who is good, pure, and will help us.  The word “hallowed” just means holy- pure or perfect.  Even God’s name is holy and to be treated with respect. 

Activity- get a phone, ipad, or computer out.  Then google your address and see if you can get a picture of where you live.  Remember that God knows you by name.  Each day, use the picture below to trace the Lord’s Prayer as you say it together. 

Prayer: Father, thank you for your love, thank you that you are holy.  

Advent Begins

Here is a devotional book about advent written for my families at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church.
The devotional focuses on the basics of the Christian faith: The Lord's Prayer, Apostles' Creed, Ten Commandments, and Beatitudes. 

Advent is really a tool of the church to grow in our faith and discipleship.  It is a season because though we are supposed to live the Christian life, the intensity of the Christian life cannot be easily maintained for most people 356 days a year. 

Advent means "coming."  But it is an opportunity to come nearer the One who came near to us.

Prayer; Lord, help me to draw closer to you this advent. 

The Weak Guard

62The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Matthew 27:62-66)

Thoughts: The disciples were so afraid when Jesus was arrested that they all ran away.  Peter denied Jesus out of fear. The next time we see them they were all huddled in a room with the door locked in fear of the Romans.  That they would confront a Roman guard is almost laughable. 
   But what is more unreasonable is to suppose we can fight against God.  Pharaoh tried and the plagues came and his army was destroyed and the slaves were set free. Sennacherib the mighty king of Assyria mocked God and 185,000 were destroyed.  Paul was going from house to house arresting Christians when Jesus came to him telling him he was "kicking against the goads" (goads were cattle prods that cows kicked against to their own demise).  Paul went from being a persecutor to a missionary.  If Jesus is really who he said he was "God in the flesh" then they could not start to keep him in a tomb with a guard and a seal.  They could easily keep the disciples from entering in.  It was a death penalty to be on guard duty and fall asleep.  But no weapon forged against God will work, and no amount of human strength or number of soldiers can keep His power at bay. So, we might as well not fight against the Lord, but join Him wholeheartedly. 

Prayer: Lord, keep me from guarding my heart against you  Instead, help me to give myself fully to you.  

Joseph of Arimathea

57As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

Thoughts: Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man.  Isaiah 53:9, speaking of the Messiah's death mentions that he would be assigned a tomb with the rich.  Mark 15:23 points out that Joseph was a part of the council (the Sanhedrin) and Luke adds that he did not consent to their sentence.  His vote made him stand out.  But he was willing.  We should be willing to stand out for what is right as well.  As the church tries to be nice and fit in it will never stand out (you cannot fit in and stand out at the same time- Deshaun Watson).  He was willing to ask Pilate for the body.  This is in sharp contrast to Peter who would not be identified ith Christ.  Joseph could have lost everything.  Instead, his name goes down in history. 
    Mary and Mary saw where Jesus lay.  Why is this important ?  They came back the next day and they knew where they were going.  People don;t forget where their loved one is buried.  Jesus burial is important. It showed he was human and really did die.  


Prayer: Lord, give me faith to stand out.  Keep me from burying my faith in order not to offend anyone.