Multimedia Advent Devotional – Week 4-3, Tuesday
2025:
Week 4, Tuesday:
- Scripture: Psalm 25:1-21 (Kyle Inman)
- Reflection (Karen Sculley)
- Prayer (Paul Sculley)
- Artwork: “Christ Blessing the Children” (Lucas Cranach the Elder)
- Music: “To You Oh Lord” (Graham Kendrick & Matt Redman) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OthK0qvRx5w
Reflection on Psalm 25:1-21 – “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who are they that fear the Lord? He will teach them the way that they should choose. They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.”
In this short Psalm, the psalmist beautifully interlaces many declarations about God’s character with numerous personal prayer requests. This beloved Psalm has brought comfort and hope to many. You might be familiar with the Maranatha chorus drawn from the first verse, “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.” Today I am drawn to verse 17, which, in the original Hebrew, reads, “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses!” We all have troubles. We don’t know what the coming year will bring, but we can be sure there will be troubles. We may be in the thick of some of these troubles right now. Our hearts may be broken by troubles being experienced by neighbors and nations: stress, anxiety, depression, grief, self-doubt, addiction, health challenges, eating disorders, relationship conflicts, social isolation, financial distress, climate crises, food insecurity, systemic injustice, political instability, violent conflicts and wars.
No matter what troubles come, let us always remember: because of God’s steadfast love and mercy, we can take refuge in the Lord. We may cry out, like the psalmist, for God to bring us out of our distresses. It’s a good prayer, but let’s not make a biblical cry for help into a declaration of theological certainty. We don’t know what God will do. God is God and we are not. What we do know is who God is! Psalm 46:1-3 assures us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.”
No matter what troubles we face, remember Jesus, Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us, who will never leave us or forsake us. Remember Jesus, who is with us always and forever!
2024:
Week 4, Tuesday:
• Scripture: Luke 1:67-79 (Patricia Dotson)
• Reflection (Karen Sculley)
• Prayer (Jim Roberson)
• Artwork: “The Birth of Jesus” (Kim Ki-Chang)
• Music: “Zechariah’s Song” (James Beauregard & Keri Taylor) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U85vZEH7lrM
Reflection on Luke 1:67-79 – Luke 1:67-79 – “Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.'”
How do we respond to what goes on around us? That might depend on what we’re focusing on. If we focus our attention on unmet needs, relationship conflict, or our poor coping skills, we will likely be consumed with negative emotions that threaten to overtake us. Even though certain feelings like anger, anxiety, apathy, contempt, fear, jealousy, insecurity, loneliness, regret, and shame are often a normal reaction to certain experiences or events, these negative kinds of feelings tend to be distressing and unpleasant.
What if we were to instead focus on who God is and what God has done? What if we were to focus on God’s power and presence and provision among us?
Today’s scripture gives us a good model to follow: “Blessed be the Lord!” Zechariah waited to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then worshiped God in a way that echoes many Old Testament occurrences of praise which eventually became a standard opening prayer for Jewish blessings. Here are two examples:
- Psalm 41:13 – “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”
- Psalm 72:18-19 – “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth.”
What if, this Christmas, we decided to focus on Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, the one who has looked favorably upon us and redeemed us, the mighty savior, the one who has saved us, the one who is saving us, the one who will save us, the merciful one, the one who gives light to all who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, the one who guides our feet into the way of peace? We worship you, Jesus, Messiah! Come, Holy Spirit! Blessed be the Lord!
2022:
Week 4, Tuesday:
- Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (Karen Sculley)
- Reflection (John Trotter)
- Prayer (Paul Sculley)
- Artwork: “Kenyan Nativity” (Kenya)
- Music: “Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming” (Charlotte Church) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxmm0-Ts2ts
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. Advent is a period in which we are invited 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.
This collaboration is brought to you by Liberty Vineyard Church
