Christmas devotional

12 Gifts of Christmas / 10th gift – Humility

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
What can I give Him,    Poor as I am? 
If I were a shepherd    I would bring a lamb, 
If I were a Wise Man    I would do my part,— 
Yet what I can I give Him,    Give my heart.   
Christina Rosetti   A Christmas Carol

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:20

I love Christina Rosetti and this poem of hers in particular, but in all actuality the shepherds did not bring a lamb. None of us would have even picked shepherds to invite to the outdoor maternity room. God had chosen Mary for her purity, Joseph reflected obedience and the wise men revealed the royalty of Christ. So what else could be added to that first Christmas? What the shepherds gave was a gift of humility. That gift of their humble praise echoed in the heart of Mary long after the sound of their footsteps vanished back into the night. Their joyful shouts even woke up the villagers and soon the good news of great joy spread throughout Bethlehem. Their very humility lent an authenticity to their message that no strangers bearing costly gifts could bring.

In fact throughout the earthly life of Jesus, that same humility tells the story of God’s love. We see it in a sinful woman’s tears washing Jesus’ feet at the home of a self righteous rich man. And there it is again in the humility of a Samaritan leper’s praise rather than his nine friends who never returned to give thanks. At the end of John’s gospel, Mary Magdalene waits outside the tomb weeping and asking someone she thinks to be the gardener if he knows where Jesus has gone. But when she hears that gardener call her name, she immediately knows that it is Jesus, and she falls in humility at His feet.

And what can we offer Him this Christmas? Costly gifts only reflect our lack of understanding of what matters most to God. He waits for simple shepherds, forgiven sinners, cleansed lepers and the broken hearted of every race, tribe and tongue to come. But if, as Christina Rosetti tells us, we give Him our heart, we will find Him delighted to welcome us for He is at most home with those who most reflect the humble heart of Jesus Christ.

12 Gifts of Christmas / 9th Gift -Mercy

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:10

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy! Matthew 5:7 

As we’ve looked at gifts both given and received; no list could be complete without mercy. Grace sometimes gets bigger headlines in the Sunday sermons, but comparing the two as if one were greater misses the point. Mercy is God’s forgiveness by which we receive eternal life. Grace is God’s amazing delivery system that brings His gift to places we least expect and to the most unlikely people. (Like me!) I hope my little poem this morning will simply be a reminder that we are each given this day, so that we can pass God’s mercy on to others in a thousand little acts of grace. 

 Mercy's Gifts

 It's a pint of blood needed
To someone we don’t know
 Or handful of tissues when their tears start to flow

 A quiet embrace when their world falls apart
And a light at the door when they come after dark

 It's that kiss of forgiveness when we still feel the hurt
 Or a check in the mail when they’ve been out of work

 Angel songs after midnight when we’re up watching sheep
 And a Babe in a manger On a night that's so deep! 

Mercy's Gifts by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2020
All rights reserved

Carrying Precious Seed

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

Psalm 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

The Bible nowhere promises that telling others about Jesus will always be easy, socially acceptable or applauded. In fact the early disciples were usually opposed, persecuted and in some cases imprisoned or even put to death. But no matter the obstacles, the work of sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ goes on. It is a going forth and weeping all the while carrying precious seed. So it is with joy that I bring you a praise report this morning about our Nursing Home Christmas caroling. We not only were we given the opportunity to sing yesterday (No photos this time) but we were welcomed into a new facility. For those concerned about the Covid-19 situation let me explain that the setting of our meeting was an outdoor courtyard and we were all temperature checked on the way in. There was also plenty of social distancing and we kept our masks on until we started singing. And what a great time we had! At first it looked as if only two or three residents were coming, but by the time we began our fourth song, about eight more people had joined us and others were able to hear from windows that over looked the central courtyard area! All praise to our God who opens doors that no one can shut!

Nine months have passed of a dark night for our nursing home community with over 100,000 residents being snatched away from us in the United States alone. We must take these numbers seriously. The value of the lives of these most fragile and vulnerable to the virus are precious to God. But no virus or change of government changes our responsibility to bring the word of God’s good news of Jesus at Christmas. I was excited to see new people getting involved in the caroling and an enthusiastic staff singing along, serving hot chocolate and smores to the residents and us! With two more outdoor caroling events planned for this year I would encourage anyone with a desire to reach out to those in long term care to not give up and use every opportunity offered. Send Christmas cards (Write little personal notes in them). Raise finds to buy appropriate gifts. Our small group was able to purchase 35-40 large print Christmas devotionals to give out. Also don’t forget to include the staff in whatever you do, They have been on the front lines protecting lives and sometimes having to say goodbye to people they have loved. God is in control but He has given us the responsibility to carry the seed with weeping. If we will do our part then He has promised to supply the joy that follows when we return with songs of joy carrying the harvest home to Him!

Here are some photos from Christmases past but I hope to bring you some video from our meeting scheduled for Saturday. Pray for us! Ask God how you can be involved in your own community. Most of all – don’t give up! It will be worth it all in the end!