I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.
TO PONDER
As we draw closer to the end of another year and the joy, food, and presents of another Christmas start to fade away behind us, we an't help but get nostalgic and reflective.
Every free to air television network will be airing their own '2025 in review' retrospective and we will all be forced to look back over the year that was and be reminded of some of the highlights, and challenges, of the year that was.
As I try to do that in the midst of writing this devotion, I can't help but have the 'negative' parts of the year come to mind. Continuing war and conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and most of the rest of the Middle East, and more recently Political violence and assassinations in Tanzania and the escalating tension between Thailand and Cambodia. Once again there have been multiple natural disasters that many people around the world have had to deal with, earthquakes, landslides, cyclones, volcanoes, floods, droughts, bushfires. The dissolving of social cohesion around the world and the multiple examples from around the world of events similar to those we saw play out in Bondi recently. You look back on a year like that and you might very well decide it's all to hard.
But without wanting to downplay the seriousness of any of those things, those of us who follow Jesu and have faith in God can look back and still give thanks for a God who is in control. I don't know what your circumstances have been like this year, but if you are reading this devotion, you have access to the internet in one form or another. It probably means you have a smart phone, tablet or laptop computer. Estimates in early 2024 suggest that at that time over one third of the world's population still didn't have reliable access to the internet. The World Health Organisation estimates similar figures for people with reliable access to safe drinking water. If you are still reading this devotion, it means you also have air in your lungs and also have a basic level of literacy. When you look at things this way, even in the midst of some chaotic times, there is still an awful lot to give thanks to God for on a daily basis.
So can I encourage you, as you inevitably find yourself watching those 'year in review' shows this week, to remember that among the chaos is a God who dwells with us in the mess and is at work both in us and through us making all things new. And that is something to be grateful for and something we should be busy pointing out to others.
PRAYER:Heavenly Father, when I try to look at the bigger picture, it can all seem to big, too hard, too hopeless. But when I stop and reflect on all the ways you have blessed me this year I have to admit that there are many things to be grateful for. I pray that you might help me to identify all the ways you bless me each day and help me to share those blessings and declare your praise for all that you have done for me, even when I may not see how everything all fits together in your big picture. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWy Newcastle.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations
TO PONDER
The verse today is a line from a song of praise that a man named Simeon proclaimed in the Jerusalem temple after seeing the young infant Jesus being dedicated to the Lord as Mary and 'Joseph's' first born male child. (This was the Jewish custom). Simeon had received a revelation from God that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's promised messiah. He see's Jesus and immediately recognises who, and what Jesus is and bursts into this song of praise. If you ever attend a Sunday service in a more traditional Lutheran Church, this 'Song of Simeon' is still often used as part of the liturgy after communion. Simeon's words have had a lasting impact.
I guess that's what I want to help us reflect on today. Simeon was an old man who had been simply waiting around to see the messiah. I think this describes a lot of Christians today. Many of us are just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back and take us out of this life to be with him in the next. Waiting around is one thing, but once Simeon had seen God's salvation in the promised messiah, he got busy telling people all about it, even breaking into impromptu song.
Now I'm not a particularly talented musician, and I'm not suggesting that we all have to start writing Praise and Worship music, but there is something about sharing what we have seen and witnessed God do for us and for all people. Christmas is one of those times when the wider population is generally a little more open to hearing about what God has done in the birth of Jesus, but beyond the Christmas carol events what do we, as the people who have really been invited to understand and see what is going on in the birth of this baby, really done to share the good news over the last few weeks?
The good thing is that we have new opportunities every day to share the good news of the birth of Jesus. Our eyes have seen the salvation that he brings, perhaps even more so than Simeon, a salvation that he has prepared and freely makes available to all people.
I had to go to the shops for some groceries yesterday (amid all the Boxing Day sales). There was not much talk of Christmas any more but every other conversation I overheard was about the amazing deals people had managed to 'snap up'. If we are prepared to tell everyone about the bargain we got at the shops, surely we can spare some time and energy to tell them the best news about the most outrageous deal of all time?!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, please help the joy and excitement of your birth, which I have spent so much time preparing for and celebrating over the last few days, continue to excite me and move me to continue sharing the story of good news with anyone who has an ear to hear. Amen
Today's devotion by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
TO PONDER
So what do you do today? Are Christmas dishes still waiting for your attention? Maybe your only plan today is a lunch of Christmas leftovers in front of the first day of the Boxing Day Test Match or the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race?
In today's reading we hear two different responses to the birth of Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, quietly treasures all that has happened in her heart and reflects on it all. The shepherds go out and tell anyone they can find, all that they have seen and heard.
Both responses are good. There are times when we need to rest, be still, and know that God is God and that he is in control and holds us in His hands. This is especially true when we have been through a challenging or traumatic experience, like I imagine Mary had done, giving birth to the Son of God in an animal shed.
However, as people who have heard and seen what God has done, like the shepherds, there are also times when it is our task, to not keep these things to ourselves and to actually go out and talk to others about it. To 'go tell it on the mountain' as the old Christmas hymn reminds us.
The key is to not just do one and never do the other. Both have a role to play in the life of a disciple of Jesus. When we ponder and reflect we deepen our understanding and our relationship with the one who calls us his own. But it is also as we go to tell of all his wondrous deeds that we get to see him at work in and trough us making all things new. Each one helps to develop the other and both are part of the fulness of life in Christ.
PRAYER: Almighty and Eternal God, thank you for the ways that you have blessed me and all the wondrous things you have done in my life. Please help me both to treasure them always in my heart, but also to willingly share them with others so they too may come to know that you sent Jesus for them and that they may know all that you have done for them. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
TO PONDER
This verse from Luke's gospel I think reflects something of the same reality expressed in the opening chapter of Johns gospel where in verse eleven we read, 'He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
It's not a long devotion today because I know people are busy, waking up early to open Christmas presents and start preparing Christmas lunches, or travelling to distant family to celebrate together. I just wanted to give you the chance to take a moment to reflect on where you make room for Jesus in your life today? All those other things are nice, friends, family, good food, and generous gift giving, but they are all meaningless without the promise of eternal life with God which we only receive through Jesus.
So whatever your Christmas Day looks like, don't let Jesus be crowded out. Don't be one of the ones he comes for but who does not receive him because of how busy or stressful your day is. Receive Jesus, the saviour born for you. Amen
PRAYER: Thank you Heavenly Father for sending Jesus into the world, for me. Please help me to receive him with open arms today and every day as your greatest gift of love. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
TO PONDER
Often at this time of year we begin to get nostalgic. We look back at the year that was and begin reflecting on all the up's and down's.
Maybe as you do that for yourself you see a year with more up's than down's and in the grand scheme of things you are looking back on a year where it is easy to see God's blessings and fingerprints on the things that have been the 'big' moments of the year. Maybe for you, the year of 2025 is something that has brought you great joy and lots of good news.
However, whatever our personal situations might have been, a quick look back at the major news headlines from the year tell a bit of a different story. Wars, conflicts, political unrest, dissolving social cohesion, global inflation and economic uncertainty, natural disasters, global warming... it doesn't seem like there has been much good news around does it?
And yet, the birth of Jesus is a turning point in the story of humanity's relationship with its creator. The Word of God which spoke creation into being has come to make all things new. This is good news. It is both a present reality and also an ongoing work. For those whose trust is in Jesus, we are a new creation - the old is gone and the new is come. For those who do not yet recognise or know Jesus as Lord and Saviour, the work is still ongoing.
The birth of Jesus is good news to all humanity. It's good because God has come into our mess, into all of those things that we mentioned earlier and comes to restore and redeem them. He can use even the seemingly worst circumstances to draw people to himself, and that is the greatest gift anyone can have - an encounter with Jesus who has come to seek and save the lost.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you that the good news of the birth of Jesus has become a reason fr joy and celebration in my life. As I celebrate Jesus' birth this Christmas with friends and family, help us to receive again the joy that come from your salvation and give us a willing spirit to share the good news with all who have ears to hear. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
TO PONDER:
The phrase 'expecting a child' has always felt a bit odd to me. I mean when you are pregnant, what else would you be expecting?
Now I know not every pregnancy has a happy ending but it is largely our expectations that determine our emotional response to a situation.
The relatively modern Christmas carol 'Mary did you know?' ponders what Mary might have expected or known about this child which she was expecting. She had been told that he would save his people from their sins, but did she knew that would mean his crucifixion? She had been told that this child would be called the 'Son of God', but did she have any idea of the miraculous things he would do, or the uproar that title would cause among the temple leaders?
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, I think it is a good question for us to ask ourselves, "What are you expecting from Jesus?" or "What are you expecting Jesus to be?"
Maybe you have grown accustom to a distant Jesus, one to whom you can pray but keep at arms length so that you can ask whatever you need of him but don't have to worry to much about responding to him at all? Maybe you expect only a baby Jesus that you can dust off from your Christmas decoration box and display as part of your nativity scene for a few weeks in December; a baby who makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, full of kindness and love but who in the long run, like most babies, doesn't do much?
If those are your expectations then you are bound to be disappointed. The Jesus who coms to us in physical form, born as a baby is the Word of God made flesh; the creator of all things come to us to save and redeem us. He does this as a free gift to those who would trust and follow him. That 'following' him is not always easy but it is always fruitful. Being saved and redeemed doesn't mean never encountering trouble in life, it simply means you have assurance of final victory.
So, let me ask you directly, what Christ child are you expecting and preparing for this Christmas?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the birth of Jesus who is always more that I could expect or deserve. Please help me to be prepared to see more and know more of your love for me and to expect you to show up in my life in interesting and unexpected ways. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.
TO PONDER
I don't know what you know about Luke, the gospel writer. Other parts of the Bible refer to him as a physician, but Luke himself describes his attempts at recording the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth as something of an attempt at an orderly historical account.
That's why his version of the account of Jesus' birth begins with all this stuff about Caesar Augustus and Governor Quirinius, placing events within the context of the ruling emperor and local government officials was a standard way to mark the general time during which the events took place.
This is one of the 'miracles' of Christmas and the Christian faith. Christianity makes claims based on events that are actually well recorded and attested to by various independent sources. Almost every other major world religion (except perhaps Judaism) bases its truth claims on some 'divine revelation' or profound earthly wisdom or insight gained by a prophet or a guru. Some obscure teaching that is impossible to prove or disprove.
In Jesus, God entered human history and made himeself observable, recordable and testable. We cannot test history the way we test science - with repeatable experimentation - but we do test and revise historical knowledge based on evidence; evidence of witnesses, evidence of artefacts, evidence of written documents, all of which there is plenty of to support the claims that Jesus was real, he was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth and claimed to be the Son of God.
So the question Luke's introduction to the story invites us to answer is not, "Was Jesus real?" Luke is providing the historical record which clearly suggests that he was. The question we are invited to ask is, "Was Jesus really the Son of God and what does that mean for me today?"
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Thank you for coming into the world and entering human history in a way that we can investigate and question and discover was a real part of the human story of the world. Greater still, I thank you that in doing so you have drawn me into the continuing story of what God the Father is doing in this world. Please help me to play my part in that story faithfully so that others might also come to know the truth of your present with us. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
TO PONDER
It's been a sad week in Australia this week as so many people ave come together across the county to mourn with the Jewish community in Bondi and the greater Sydney area over the horrific shooting there last weekend.
What I have found interesting is the different responses from different parts of the community. What I have noticed is that both Christian and Jewish leaders have called for the community to come together in love towards one another, even our enemies as this, will be the ultimate way to prevent situations like this happening in the future.
On the other hand there are politicians of every political persuasion drafting laws and calling for parliament to be recalled so that laws can be passed to prevent these things from happening again.
In a very real and tangible way, we are seeing the principle of Law and Gospel being played out in our Australian community at the moment and it is the same dilema that Joseph faced when he found our Mary was pregnant. He had two options, follow the law to protect himself and his reputation or listen to God who told him via an angel to take Mary as his wife because the child she carried was God's gift of grace and forgiveness to his people.
The path of following the law, even if he did it quietly, would have only brought more suspicion and ridicule to Mary from others in the community. Tightening laws and imposing greater punishments might deter some people from doing the wrong thing but it doesn't change their underlying hatred and suspicion. Only the love of God, expressed through Jesus does that. Only the love of Jesus, the word made flesh, now dwelling among us has the capacity to change hearts, cast out fear, and embrace its enemies.
It probably won't surprise you to hear me say this, the religious leaders are right. Law reform might provide some added protection but it won't fix the underlying problem. That's why Jesus comes to us with his love so that we can be made new and through his love alive in us, we can partner with him in making all things new.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Thank you for stable government and dedicated public servants who work to keep us and our communities safe. Please help us as your people, to support their efforts by loving freely all those we interact with in our community. Help us to embody and display the self sacrificing love of Christ even to those the world finds unlovable so that like us, they too might be made new through your son Jesus Christ. Amen
Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! (NLT)
TO PONDER:
Today is the last post of seven for me, which means its difficult to find something new to say in line with the theme of the week. In case my posts have been a bit obtuse and the theme has been lost in my ramblings; the theme this week was “Joy”.
If you were to ask Pastor Mat (and he was honest) he would tell you how much I struggle with writing them and some of that is due to the “suggested” boundaries set by the theme and my proclivity to push against parameters and imposed limits.
Today’s verse, read on it’s own, out of the context of what was said before and what was said after, needs some explanation because I think we all would appreciate overflowing joy, especially during Christmas.
So, what were the “things” Jesus told that will fill us with his joy?
The thing was simply to obey! Doing what he told us to do will lead to overflowing joy.
This is the kind of thing “people” dislike about religion; rules, regulations, “thou shalt not” imposed limitations. But that is not what Jesus said, he didn’t leave us with a list of don’ts, he didn’t leave us with a religion of rules and regulations.
This is the command he left us with to obey in verse 12; “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.”
Jesus tells us to obey him in love; love God and love others more than you love yourself.
A command to lay down your life for the sake of others, a limit to choose relationships over religion, a regulation of grace, a rule of love, a demand to love even your enemy, a parameter to forgive quickly and completely. If we do this we will be filled with His joy!
PRAYER: God of love and grace, it all begins and ends with you, you first loved me even when I was your enemy you chose to reach out with your love and grace when you offered me your forgiveness and life, help me share your overflowing joy with everyone around me. Amen
Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside.