Multimedia Advent Devotional – Week 2-3, Tuesday
2023:
Week 2, Tuesday:
- Scripture – Luke 1:26-38 (Pam Cammarata)
- Reflection (Karen Sculley)
- Prayer (Nancy Penton)
- Artwork: “Adoration of the Shepherds” (El Greco)
- Music: “Let It Be To Me” (Charles Ciepiel) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTSNXdza_w
Each short Multimedia Advent Devotional is an invitation to set aside time each day during a typically busy season preparing for Christmas to rejoice in the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus, and to respond to God’s invitation to us to join with Him in what He’s doing today.
Advent is a season of the liturgical year observed in most Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity and is part of the wider Christmas and holiday season.
This collaboration is brought to you by Liberty Vineyard Church
2022:
Week 2, Tuesday:
- Scripture: John 1:1-5 (Michael Sculley)
- Reflection (Karen Sculley)
- Prayer (Paul Sculley)
- Artwork: “Christ comforting a poor man” (Paris, France)
- Music: “Be It Done Unto Me” (Tamera
- Neal)
Each short Multimedia Advent Devotional is an invitation to set aside time each day during a typically busy season preparing for Christmas to rejoice in the coming of our Savior, Christ Jesus, and to respond to God’s invitation to us to join with Him in what He’s doing today.
Advent is a season of the liturgical year observed in most Christian denominations as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for both the celebration of the Nativity of Christ at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity and is part of the wider Christmas and holiday season.
This collaboration is brought to you by Liberty Vineyard Church
Reflection:
John 1:1-5 (NIV) – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The gospel of John, like the first book of the Bible (Genesis) opens with the words, “in the beginning.” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning was the Word – the Logos, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was with God right from the beginning and who is God. Jesus has come not just as a messenger from God, but is God in human form – Emmanuel, God with us. We are not told exactly how God made all things, but we know that all things were made through Christ, and without Christ, nothing was made that has been made. In Christ was life, and that life was the light of all anthropos, which is all members of the human race, both female and male. The life of Christ is equated here to the light of all of the human race, shining in the darkness and not being overcome by the darkness. Light conquers darkness. As members of the human race, each and every one of us has been created bearing the image and likeness of God. As we live the life of Christ, the light of God is beautifully reflected and shines in the darkness.
The most significant lesson I’ve learned about light shining in the darkness came when we went on a two-hour cave tour in Australia with our oldest son when he was just 5 months old. Peter was generally a happy baby, but in that cool and clammy environment, he grew fussy enough to prompt us to ask our tour guide if we could skip a 20-minute loop portion of the caves so as to not further disturb our tour group. The guide assured us that the lights would stay on, and the group would circle back to us after the loop. You can guess what happened. Minutes after the group disappeared around the bend, all lights went out and we experienced darkness so thick that we immediately became disoriented and sank to the damp floor, trying to comfort our son. This was long before the era of mobile phones, but thankfully Paul had a digital watch. The faint, green LED backlight became a huge source of comfort to us, as periodic pressings of the button provided a tiny light that eliminated total darkness. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We can rejoice that the light of Christ has come, a light that can never be overcome. We are invited to live the life of Christ, and in doing so, participate with God to bring the light of Christ to the world, light that cannot be hidden but is able to overcome all manner of darkness.
