Month: November 2020

Mary’s Assurance

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Though most of us are still trying to figure out what to do with all that turkey, tomorrow is officially the first day of Advent. I’ve been holding back on those Christmas stories and carols until now but today I offer to you my first Christmas devotional of 2020. God bless you and if you are interested you can find the entire collection over on Amazon under the title – Whatever Happened to Christmas? by Peter Caligiuri.

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy – the Son of God. Luke 1:35 ESV

Often, we hesitate to ask God questions because we’re afraid, He’ll be angry. But if anyone had a right to question God about His plans, Mary certainly tops that list. When Gabriel announced to her that she was going to have a baby Mary didn’t jump up and down for joy. Instead she questioned, “How can this happen?” and then she filled God in on some intimate details by adding; “I have not known a man.” (God I’ve been good!).

But instead of God shooting off some thunderbolts or refusing to answer He gladly shared exactly how things would go down. That gives the rest of us great hope as we wrestle with our own worries. Whether our questions are about social justice, the spread of Corona virus or our own physical ailments God invites us to ask them. He is not upset when we come to Him with our doubts; instead, He delights to show us His answers. He knows our fears and He is saying, “I’ve got this! Life is uncertain, but My promises are not!” So, this Christmas if we will just trust Him as Mary did then we can know that whatever God sends us comes from Heaven, and just like Mary we will one day see the face of Jesus Christ.

Love Is

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 Love is patient as it turns
 And walks down our small street
 There in kindness taking time
 To wash our dirty feet
  
 Love protects from angry waves
 And believes we’ll come to see
 Gives us hope in deepest trials
 Till doubt and shadows flee
  
 Love was working in the dark
 Before they came that day
 Before they knew Christ was alive
  Love rolled the stone away!
  
 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love Is by Peter Caligiuri 2020 All rights reserved

Giving Thanks in 2020

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Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8

We used to sing this verse as the chorus to a song based on Psalm 107. What I loved about the song was hearing how that every time God’s children got themselves in trouble (Just like me!) they would remember how good God was; cry out and He would come to their rescue! For we who have struggled through 2020 with its lockdowns, Covid-19 deaths and political upheaval it might help to take a look both at this Psalm and at the lives of the folks who celebrated the first Thanksgiving 400 years ago. Isn’t it funny how people thousands of years ago, along with those four centuries ago and us all have the same thing in common – problems!

Looking back it is easy to minimize or ridicule the struggles of others. Back in January many of us here in the United States probably thought our economy and future were secure and that things were just “Getting better all the time” to quote the famous philosopher Paul McCartney.

But we all are equally human and God sees to it that each of us comes face to face with our own limitations and sins. The trick is to remember that God still cares about us and that in spite of our failures He will always hear us when we pray. He not only heard the Israelites when they cried out, but He was also with the Pilgrims to comfort and encourage them after losing half of their people to disease over that first terrible winter. So when the following year they took time to give thanks they were able to celebrate because they remembered God’s goodness and not their loss. In the same way He will be with us today because; just as for the children of Israel and the Pilgrims, the greater our problem – the greater God’s solution. The deeper our sin; how much deeper still God’s mercy and grace. We must remember that on the very night when He was betrayed Jesus took the cup and gave thanks. How much more should we be thankful today as we look back to all that He has done? !

O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and His wonderful works to His children!