Spirit Rejoicing

Advent Day 25

Fourth Wednesday in Advent

December 21, 2011

Reading: Luke 1:46–47 (NRSV)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

Theme: Spirit Rejoicing

Reflection:

“My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Here is Mary, singing these lines as part of her song, sung after her cousin Elizabeth greets her, upon her arrival at Elizabeth’s home. Mary, young, unwed, and pregnant is rejoicing. Mary has complete faith that God has blessed her by choosing her to be the Mother of God’s Son. Mary’s faith gives her the courage that God will help her overcome any and all obstacles that occur as a result of her pregnancy. Mary’s song speaks of her trust in God and the apparent peace that this trust gives her.

In this late Advent season, my spirit is also rejoicing in God, my Savior. The sense of Christmas and the joy of the coming of the newborn Savior is upon me. And, somehow, between God and me (with a lot of help from Andrea Green—the church secretary), we have managed to finish nearly everything has be done to celebrate Christmas!!

I know in my heart that God always helps me to finish everything that the church needs done, but somehow that doesn’t let my head rest. Like many of you in this busy season, the to-do lists have been humming in my brain for the past weeks. For the past two weeks, the humming has been so loud that it has sounded like hive of bees had taken up residence in my head. I pray that someday, my trust will be as complete as Mary’s and the resultant peace will calm the humming in my head!!

But even with my incomplete trust, God has walked alongside of me these past weeks and seen me through! I can see the glow of the four Advent candles, and this light gives me the assurance that the God’s light is indeed coming into the world. We are reminded one more time of the miracle of Jesus’ birth, which we will soon celebrate. My spirit is indeed rejoicing in God my Savior.

Prayer: God of miracles, if it be your will, give me please, just a fraction of the faith and trust that Mary had in you. Amen

Devotion for the Wednesday of the Second Week in Advent

Theme for the week: love

Devotion for the wednesday of the second Week in Advent (Day 11)

Reading: Luke 13:10–13 (NRSV)

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

REFLECTION:

In another evidence of the Kingdom of God in the midst of us, Jesus heals a woman whose spirit had crippled her and bent her over. Imagine what it would feel like to be able to stand up and move easily after eighteen years of living a handicapped life. Jesus healed her spirit which freed her from her physical ailment.

How many of us suffer physical disease which is brought on by a crippled spirit? Unresolved anger at someone can cause ulcers and high blood pressure. High stress levels can depress the immune system making you more vulnerable to everything from the common cold to more serious diseases such as cancer. People who live in circumstances with high levels of interpersonal tension are more likely to suffer from heart disease.

Jesus wants to set us free from a crippled spirit that keeps us from being whole. Some of the aspects of a crippling spirit emerge out of our lifestyle choices. We choose who we are angry with and how we hold that anger. Some of us choose to live a high stress lifestyle, while others have it thrust on them by economic circumstances. Some of us choose to maintain very high expectations, with a potential downside of stress if those expectations are not achieved. These high expectations may also put stress on those around us, spreading a crippling dysfunction.

When we were baptized, we were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and anointed with the cross of Christ. This baptism anoints us with the Holy Spirit, not a crippling spirit, and sets us free from the power of evil. We are freed to live whole, healthy lives, not lives of bondage. Jesus wants us to fully appreciate this freedom and the healthy life that it gives to us.

PRAYER:

Pray that the Holy Spirit, who entered you in baptism, may keep you whole, holy, and healthy. Pray for the strength to resist those lifestyle choices that endanger your health. Amen