11/29 Friday
Matthew 1:21-23
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
Today’s passage from the Scripture:
The Immanuel God came to us as a person. He came into our perspective. The creator Himself became the creation. The very problems of the people became God’s. What is the reason behind Jesus being our true comfort? It is that He is a God who feels the same suffering as we do. Love is something that is done. It is because I love that I become. Love is becoming the person you love: to want to see and feel what the person you love feels. Damien de Veuster, well known as the saint of the leper, became a leper himself as he loved his patients suffering from leprosy. God so loved His creation that He Himself became one. It is time for us to become the Heaven–we must hold on to the hopes of the kingdom in heaven and through our love for God, become the very heaven where God is. Heaven is where God is. It is heaven because God is there. We see this in the Lord’s Prayer starts with “Our Father in heaven.” And we become heaven when we feel the Immanuel God with us. The hymn, “Since Christ My Soul from Sin Set Free” states “Where Jesus is, ‘tis Heaven there.” Serving Christ in such a manner is the process of becoming heaven. If there is anything that takes a bigger portion of our hearts than this Jesus who became a person, there is simply no space for God to dwell. There will not be the grace of Immanuel. Perhaps, the reason why our world has not yet become heaven is that we are living without Jesus in our lives. Though we currently are here on this earth, when we look up and dream of the life in heaven, the grace of Immanuel God who resides in us will present upon ourselves. And to those who long for this Immanuel grace, the name, “Jesus” is what we need the most.
Introduction
We refer to Jesus as “Immanuel” (God is with us). To be “with us” is the essence of God’s justice and love. This consistency in God’s love is an important piece of making a new history; the clarity of His justice is indeed a sketch to completing the Kingdom of God. Let us deeply meditate on Matthew 28:20b “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” which ties a knot to this Gospel with a promise, emphasizes the meaning of this verse.
Devotional Questions
- Let us read the passage once more
- What is the “name”?
- Who calls one’s “name”?
- Who shall call the name of Jesus?
- Is the grace of Immanuel present in us?
Application Questions
- Are we not turning away from the Immanuel Jesus who comes to dwell in and with us today?
- Are we living the life of a Christian, walking with our Lord God who is always with us?
What do we do when we feel that God is with us is too much or uncomfortable?
11/30 Saturday
Luke 11:1-4
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: ” ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ “
Today’s passage from the Scripture:
We use the phrase “human equality” often, but we are living in a generation where separation in societal structure exists more explicitly than ever before. There is a clear distinction between the winner and the loser, and often we run into complicated relationships between those who are superior and inferior. This world is like a battlefield. Living is fighting a battle. The terms “battle” and “war” are familiar to us in various contexts: college application war, putting oneself to the job front, rush hour and subway chaos, financial crisis, our struggles as a physical being, love-fights. In a battle are parties that fight. The parties are enemies because they each have a counterpart whom they must defeat. The idea of spiritual battle is not much different: us living as Christians in various battles is what is called our “spiritual image”, living out this war through prayer is what is called the “spiritual deed,” and sharing pieces of what we possess in this world of competition is our “spiritual life.” Rather than asking God to be on my side so I can successfully win this battle, we must go a step further and pray that even these battles are in His control and that we would be on His side, living according to His will. The Lord’s Prayer in the books of Luke and Matthew focuses on the relationship between us and God, as we ask God to bridge the separation we faced from God due to our sins so we may be closer in communion with Him. Furthermore, we ask through the Lord’s Prayer that we maintain good relationships with those around us. Rather than it being an earnest request to have our wishes be fulfilled, the Lord’s Prayer asks God to turn us into people of prayer who are ready to have their prayer requests heard and answered. It is essentially a prayer for prayers. It is a prayer for us to pray. Wouldn’t Jesus teaching us “when you pray, say: …” in today’s passage have said along the lines of “empty your hearts when you pray. Your prayers will be answered and filled, just as much as you empty your hearts”?
Introduction:
How have we been praying the Lord’s Prayer? The Lord’s Prayer lies firmly in the center of us Christians’ worship and faith. It is the sole prayer Jesus has taught us to pray. When we gather, we pray the Lord’s prayer. But over time, instead of thinking about the meaning of the words with which Jesus had taught us to pray, and instead of praying with the intention to complete our limited prayers, we treat this prayer as a mere tool for finishing services. In the early churches and during the period of Reformation, there was to restore the essence, the center in which lied the heart to learn the Lord’s Prayer. For a long time, churches taught this prayer. It is through this process of learning the meaning of this prayer our Lord has taught us and consequently seeking His will, that recovery and healing of churches are made possible. Through this opportunity, let us think deeply about what it means to be the people of God and to live with the name “Christians” by meditating on today’s word.
Devotional Questions
- Read the passage once more.
- What is the core of most of our prayers?
- If summarized in a sentence, would it not be “Bless me?”
- Are you currently in a relationship/communion with God, praying the Lord’s prayer?
- Are you trying your best to reconcile with your neighbors, praying the Lord’s prayer?
Application Questions
- Should we pray the Lord’s Prayer?
- Should we check whether our prayer is centered in/directed to God or whether it is a kind that is influenced by others and surroundings?
- Should we practice praying a genuine, honest and truthful prayer–one that does not deceive others and God? A prayer that acknowledges Jesus as our Savior who will save us from all our greed and temptation?
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