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You are welcome to use the writings on these pages or pass them on to others who might find a touch from God in the words. Our purpose is always to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you everything, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring these words to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom its been shared. All rights reserved. Peggy Hoppes

Our Lord is so good, He grants us many blessings. We can see Him in the daily course of events, in our homes, our jobs, our lives. I pray that these words help you to grow in your faith and recognize His hand in even the most mundane circumstances.

The picture to the right is of a Celtic Chapel located in Cornwall England. This building is approximately 1700 years old, and contains a holy well known for its healing powers.

(Click for enlarged)

Due to the high volume of spam that comes through the domain, I have had to stop using that email address. However, if you would like to send me mail, use the following address, replacing the bracketed words with the symbol. Thank you for your continued interest, prayers and messages of encouragement.

Scriptures for Christmas Eve: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6, ASV

Are you tired yet? Has the hustle and bustle of the past few weeks caught up with you? Do you still have a million things to accomplish before the festivities begin this evening? It is finally Christmas Eve, and whatever we planned to accomplish for this holiday must be done now or it won’t happen. Funny, though, the retailers are taking advantage of every moment. They are having special sales today for those last minute shoppers. Even the online shops are working to get customers, even though the packages could not possibly make it in time. “Send an online gift certificate!” they say, giving even the worst procrastinator a way to fulfill their duties.

I’m afraid to discover I missed something on my shopping list because I really don’t want to go out there today. Despite the fact that most people did not have to go to work today, the traffic is insane. Bruce went to the bank and noticed the grocery store parking lot was jam packed, which means the store was also jam packed with shoppers. The neighborhood seems quiet this morning; perhaps most of our neighbors are bundled against the cold windy weather outside. Or, they are busy doing the last minute tasks of wrapping and decorating and cooking for tonight and tomorrow.

Most of us will try to be ready by early evening, when we will head out to church to worship the God who has come to us. We will remember the reason for the season, even if we haven’t taken the time during the past few weeks to think about Jesus. But even as we make those last minute touches on our presents and our feast, let’s keep in mind the humble and lowly state of our Lord when He was born so long ago. Mary and Joseph, tired after a long journey settled into the warmth of a stable where Mary gave birth to her son. She wrapped him and laid him in a feed box. The One to feed the world spent His first moments of life where the animals eat. Yet this child would have the most significant impact on human history than any other person ever born.

We might be exhausted by the hustle and bustle of the past month, as we have run ourselves ragged preparing for this day. We might even have more work to do to make tomorrow special for those we love. But for a brief moment, let’s remember why this day is special. Light has come into the world. A child has been born. Let heaven and earth sing for joy. What has been promised has come and is coming. Salvation is ours now and will be ours forever because God has come in the flesh to redeem us. Humble and lowly, Jesus Christ has come to turn our world upside down, to transform the world into all that He has created it to be. God be praised.

I pray that you will have a blessed and wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Keep Christ in your heart and in your mind today and always, remembering who He is and all He has done. And live as if you know that Jesus Christ is King so that God will be glorified in the world.

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Scriptures for Sunday December 27, 2009, First Sunday of Christmas: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52

“And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, The praise of all his saints; Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye Jehovah.” Psalm 148:14, ASV

I’m sure many of us are making those annual treks home to visit family and friends. This is particularly true in our society where children do not always stay close to home. No matter how far we roam, however, there’s no place like home for the holidays, so they say. And so, many have packed their suitcases, gathered their gifts and gone by plane, train or automobile to that place where family has gathered for the holiday.

While it might be easier for us to go long distances, after all, we can drive hundreds of miles or fly thousands of miles in just a day, we aren’t the first to take regular pilgrimages to visit the ones we love. As a matter of fact, in today’s Old Testament lesson we see Hannah taking an annual pilgrimage to offer her sacrifices and to see her beloved son Samuel, the son that God gave to her when she was thought to be barren. Each year she took Samuel a new robe and Eli blessed the family. Each year Samuel was found to be growing in many ways. How hard it must have been for Hannah to leave her son year after year; even harder for her than for us in these modern times. At least we have telephones and email. She had to wait another year each time she went home.

In the Gospel lesson, we see the story of another boy growing in stature and favor. Jesus was twelve years old and His family traveled to Jerusalem for the annual festival. They traveled in large groups, for safety on the road and because they stayed close to family. Uncles, cousins, grandparents were all together, enjoying the adventure of the journey. Their families we close because they lived close. Everyone cared for everyone. One child could easily be lost in the crowd. Jesus, at twelve, was old enough to be somewhat independent. It is no wonder that Jesus was not with Mary and Joseph during the trip. They thought He was in the crowd.

Eventually they went looking for their son and could not find Him. Can you imagine the panic? Most parents have a moment like that with their kids. For me, Victoria was playing in the clothing racks at a department store and then was suddenly gone. I called and searched; others joined in the search. I was in tears out of fear. It didn’t help that there had been a nationally reported kidnapping of another child just weeks before this incident. I couldn’t help but think about the worst possibilities. We eventually found her, crying hysterically in a dressing room at the other end of the store. All was well in the end, but for a brief period of time I was inconsolable. I know how Mary felt at that moment when she realized He was gone.

I also know how she felt when she found Jesus. I was so happy that Victoria was found, safe and sound, but angry that she had wandered off. “How could you do this to me?” I asked. So did Mary. We often place Mary on a pedestal, forgetting that she is a normal woman and mother. And though Jesus was the Son of God, He was also her son and a twelve year old boy. In this story we see this holy family not as something extraordinary, but as ordinary as you and I.

However, Jesus was not quite ordinary. He wandered off, not because He was playing in the racks of clothes at a department store or even to play stick ball in the streets. He was in the Temple, listening to the teachers and asking questions. His questions were not like a normal child’s questions, but were thoughtful and intelligent. He amazed the teachers with His understanding. He amazed even His parents. Even so, Mary asked, “How could you do this to us?” He didn’t understand their concern. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

Samuel and Jesus were extraordinary young men. They were where they belonged, even if their mothers didn’t quite understand. We have to let our children go when they become adults, as they go off to college. Hannah and Mary had to let their boys go at a much earlier age. But they were equipped for the work they had to do. God was with them. Perhaps we would be more patient with our children if we could be so sure that God is with them, too.

There is so much for us to learn. I’m not sure we as adults feel equipped to do the work God calls us to do. Paul writes to the congregation at Colossae, “Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye: and above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.” I’m not sure I can do all this. I can’t seem to do it all the time, at least. Perfect? Not in this life.

But we are chosen, not because we are perfect, but because God loves us and because God has spoken His word into our lives. As one of God’s chosen, God’s word dwells within us. With His word in our hearts and His teaching in our minds, we can do everyone in His name with thankfulness and praise. That’s what He wants from us.

Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph did not understand. I do not think that their doubt was about His identity as the Son of God. They knew. The angels told them. Instead, I think they were surprised that Jesus knew it. He was a young boy, not yet ready for the responsibilities that would be hoisted upon Him. He was still a child, innocent and impressionable. They weren’t ready to give up their responsibility for Him. They had more to teach Him, more to do for Him. However, He knew. The day they had been dreading was closer than they thought. It could not have been easy living with the knowledge that Jesus was destined for something great but that greatness would come at a price. Mary treasured every moment she had with Jesus, even when those moments were filled with anxiety. She had an inner peace that is beyond human understanding even while the world around her seemed chaotic and out of control. She had that peace because she trusted in God, and did all she did for His glory.

Peace, true peace, does not necessarily mean that our lives will be without conflict. December 26th is the day we remember St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. On December 28th we remember the Holy Innocents, the children massacred in Bethlehem at the hands. We find ourselves this Sunday between these two horrific moments. Yet, in the midst of it we are called to praise.

Our little troubles are really insignificant when we consider the amazing things God has done. He has created the entire world and everything in it. He has redeemed all of mankind by the blood of Christ. He has brought salvation to our lives, ordained His people to service and promised to do even greater things through His Church. We might suffer for a moment. We might have difficult work to do in this world. But no matter what we face, we believe in the God of the heavens and the earth. If only we would spend some time each day just praising God, singing songs of adoration and admiration, we might realize more quickly how inconsequential our troubles really are.

We are called and gathered by the Holy Spirit to join with the entire creation to sing praises to God our Father. He hears our praise wherever we are, because everything He has made sings along with us. It is humbling to realize our place in this world especially when we consider the heights of the mountains, the depths of the seas. When we look at the magnificence of His creation and wonder at the vastness of the heavens, we realize we are just a tiny part of it all. Yet, He has created us to be the crown of His creation.

Then, when we look at the life of Samuel and the life of Jesus, who even as young men knew their place in the world, should we not at least dwell in presence of our God and sing His praise with one another? He has given us the heavens and the earth. He has given us the sun and the wind and the rain. He has made the animals, birds, plants and trees for us. And He has given the care and love of one another. But most of all, He has given us His Son who brings peace to a world filled with chaos. Jesus is the horn of our salvation, the baby born in Bethlehem, the boy lost in the teachings of the Temple, the man who died on the cross.

The peace we have in Christ does not guarantee a world without suffering. We’ll see horrific moments. We’ll panic in the face of danger. We’ll cry when we are afraid. We will have to let go, let others take their place in the work of God, give up the things we hold most dear. But as we dwell in Christ and sing His praise together, we will continue to grow like Samuel and Jesus, in wisdom and favor until the day we will know the perfection of God’s kingdom in our life today.

The following links provide some specially chosen scripture that tell the stories of the Birth and Passion of our Lord as Saviour Jesus Christ, as well as a fictional perspective of the Crucifixion. Spend time in God's Word, read about His life and learn of the wonderful gifts He has for you. Know Jesus Christ and honour Him today. Thanks be to God.

The Birth of our Saviour

The Story of our Saviour's Passion

The Crucifixion, a fictional perspective

Scripture on this page taken from the American Standard Version of the Holy Bible which belongs to the public domain. Some scripture on this site taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

As you may be aware, I also write a weekly devotional on Wednesday called "MIDWEEK OASIS." For those of you who are familiar with lectionary scripture sources, MIDWEEK OASIS is based on the texts used by millions of Christians each Sunday. The lectionary consists of four texts – an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from one of the Epistles and a Gospel text. We are now using the lectionary for our A WORD FOR TODAY texts. The way it works: Our week begins on Thursday, with our texts being those that will be used on the Sunday ten days out. Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday we look at each of the texts – an Old Testament lesson, a Psalm, an epistle and a Gospel text, in no particular order. On Wednesday, we'll look at how these texts fit together, how they fit into the church calendar and how they fit into our lives. I use the Revised Common Lectionary as used by the Lutheran Church.

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You are welcome to use these words to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Please remember to give credit to the Author who has given you these gifts, and keep in remembrance the vessel which He used to bring them to you. We pray that this site may be a blessing to you and anyone with whom you've shared it. Peggy Hoppes