Christmas Devotion
For Unto Us a Child is Born
Isaiah 9:6 KJV
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, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
As I put out my creche and place the baby Jesus I was reminded of how much my mother loved babies. Mon passed in July and her non-presence this season is felt deeply. Mom loved everything about babies: being pregnant, giving birth, caring for an infant, admiring other women’s babies, talking about babies, you name it. She had 4 daughters, about 18 months apart. If dad hadn’t said “that’s enough” she would have had more, no telling how many more!
But as we grew, started coming into ourselves, making our own decisions, and speaking our minds, she still loved us, but didn’t know quite what to do with us. I wonder if that’s how Mary felt as Jesus became more independent? At twelve he stayed behind as his family left Jerusalem to return home. His reaction to her fear that he was lost or worse, hurt, or dead, was not one of contrition but a declaration of self-actualization. So many parents whom I have known over the years, have faced this same kind of time with their own children. Can they take solace in the fact that even Mary, mother of God’s own son, had the same problems?
I think about one of my sisters who was a fussy baby, but she was loved anyway. As a child she never met a stranger, was generous to a fault. Then she changed. Drugs and alcohol took over her life. Mom and Dad never stopped loving her. Never. They showed the kind of love for her that our Savior shows to us every day. Whenever I have doubts about the strength of God’s love, I remember my parent’s love and I am forever grateful to have had such an example of pure love. When Mom passed when I was 69 years old, she was 17 days away from 93. By then I was her caregiver, her ‘parent’. Even so, I know that to her I was still her little baby girl when she died. Loved.
Babies are wonderful, so cute and innocent. Is it easier to feel close to the infant Jesus during this season of Advent, than to the Jesus who carried his cross to his crucifixion? Can we take time this season to love one another as though we are all cute little babies?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your son. Help us this season to celebrate his birth and remember that we are all children of God. Amen.
Easter Devotion
Jesus knew he would die. It was prophesized. He knew he would be rejected by just about everyone he knew and didn’t know. But no matter what, he was going to die. As a Christian I know the story ends that way. That it must end that way. I cannot watch the Passion plays and movies because it hurts my heart that Jesus, or any person, would be subjected to such brutality. He could not escape his death. Nor can we.
There is much to ponder and learn from Jesus during his last day. It’s big stuff, crucial to our lives today if we are willing to take some time to listen. These are two things that Jesus said that really speak to me.
Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And so there our Savior is. On the cross, brutally treated, and what does he do? He asks for forgiveness for his tormenters. And not just for those who physically assaulted him, for everyone, absolutely everyone.
This message means a lot to me. Those times when I feel like I am not living as good a Christian life as I should, I force myself to remember that I have already been forgiven. I have been given the opportunity to start fresh, to try harder, to get back on track, every single minute of every single day.
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?
There have been some pretty tough times in my life when I said almost the exact same thing. The dark days and months after my father’s death when the family was irrevocably shattered. Then in 2013 when, first, I was hit head-on by a wrong way driver on the interstate. Then three months later transported to the hospital, my first ambulance ride, unable to breathe. Two months after that, offered an unwanted early retirement. I railed against God…why, why, why have you forsaken me?
Even during these times, I continued to go to church and Sunday school regularly. Thank goodness. Doing so gave me the strength to keep going forward with life. My Sunday re-charge would help me to be better about being still, being patient and trying to listen to what God was trying to tell me. In the months and years to follow, his message became clearer. The most important part of the message - He has never forsaken me.
We are all forgiven, we are never forsaken.
For me, that is an important part of the Easter message, as well as the all-important gift of eternal life. I hope you all have a blessed Easter, and that you, too, find comfort in His Easter message.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, you gave me Easter, you let me live as an Easter person. There are times when I question your love, you forgiveness of my sins, your plan for my life. Thank you, Lord, for not abandoning me when I question you, when I get angry with you, when I deny you. This Easter, this day, let me start afresh and accept your love and grace, unquestioningly. Amen.
Lee Berry
Lent: A Different Temple
Lent: A Different Temple
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
New International Version
During Covid I have been thinking about church, God’s temple, a lot. The saying about not realizing how important someone or something is to you until it is missing has really come to life for me this past year. My mind took a strong left turn and I started thinking about the temple I live in, my body, and the temple I live with, my soul. At this point in my life I am far more focused on my soul than my body size, wrinkles, and gray hair.
Jesus was supremely upset about the commerce taking place in his Father’s temple. The lack of regard for the spirituality of the temple demanded attention, and Jesus did just that. So how is my temple doing? How is your temple doing?
On my faith journey I have struggled with some very basic problems. One issue I have been relatively successful overcoming, my propensity to worry. Another in the queue requires a great deal more work, LOVE EVERYONE. If I am to treat my body as a temple then I am called to love everyone. Jesus did, why can’t I? He never turned away a person because of sickness, profession, lifestyle, their past. Yet here I am, unable to love because of sometimes real, sometimes perceived, wrongs done to me or someone I love. Have you ever struggled with this?
Are there other emotions or feelings that have a negative effect on your spirit, your soul, your temple? This new look at my soul as a temple is making me put much more effort into being more patient with my family, to try to be more understanding of people in a bad mood, whether I know them or not. I am on a quest to find peace in my life in the midst of the storm of illness and uncertainty that is all around me. Prayer, reading devotions and the Bible, quiet time alone early in the morning seem be helping to repair my damaged temple. What are you doing to honor your temple?
Prayer: Dear Father, owner of my temple, I have struggled to honor and cherish the gifts you have given to me. Help me rebuild your temple stronger than before, to put worry aside, to love everyone, to honor your ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. Thank you for your Grace which allows me to live in your temple. Amen
Lee Berry
New Beginnings: Light
A Devotional for the New Year
My immediate thought about entering into and writing about the start of 2021 was ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel’. That light is God’s light, as we hear in 1 John 1:5 “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
There have been years past that I was glad to say goodbye to on New Year’s Eve, but never as much as I wanted to say goodbye to 2020. As Covid crept in, at first slowly then at breakneck speed, our world changed in ways we never dreamed possible. Now it’s time to start 2021. There are so many hopeful signs in play, lights being shone, as the new year starts; the vaccine is becoming available, the signs of personal and corporate generosity are everywhere, neighbors are caring for each other, families in isolation are drawing closer.
As a choice, I have decided to start 2021 by pushing negativity (darkness) out to the periphery of my life and holding the positive (light) close. I listened to a sermon on Epiphany Sunday, and during that sermon heard about light; the Advent candles, the Christ candle, the light of Christ that shines every day. I have been thinking about light ever since.
As an aspiring artist, my teacher says the same thing to me every time I present to her a painting that I think was ready to sign. She points to areas of the painting and says, “Darker, darker and here, darker.” As I continue to practice painting, I understand more and more about the importance of light and dark. If you don’t have darkness you don’t see the light. God created the light and the dark, day and night. In every day, week, month, year, there will be light times, made all the brighter by the darkness around it. It is up to us, individually, to see the light. To be the light to others by sharing God’s love.
There are going to be dark times for us all in 2021. Illness, sadness, death, isolation, anger, loss. Now, more than ever before, I hope you remember that there is LIGHT. Turn to God in prayer and grow near to him and his light.
In closing, consider 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Let us all be in Christ this year and behold the new year with gratitude and confidence that God’s light is with us, that Christ has brought us newness in a way we cannot even imagine. Let us live in 2021 with those points of light in our hearts from our Advent wreath of Hope, Peace, Love, Joy and Christ.
Lee Berry
O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL
A Christmas Devotional
This hymn makes my Christmas complete. When I think about hearing it I think about the full, robust voices of the choir and congregation. The strong, loud chords of the organ and, if I’m lucky, there is an orchestra. Not a namby-pamby tune is this. It calls me to boldly move toward Jesus this Advent Christmas season. This hymn allows the participants to ‘cut loose’ and get together with our Savior.
This year will be different. No corporate singing or choir in the loft. That doesn't mean that when the words appear on the screen that we can't 'sing' along through our masks, or in our living room, enjoy the organ, and feel the joy of being together, in one way or another. (Listen to the music using the link at the end of this devotional.)
We are asked to come and adore Him. I’m thinking about that request. Off hand I would say I adore the way my husband laughs, chocolate, any baby I come across, some things that I see. But this hymn gives the word adore a much higher meaning in terms of importance. As the dictionary says first, to adore is to worship or honor as divine. Secondly, to adore is to regard with loving admiration or devotion. And lastly, to adore is to be very fond of.
Clearly, this hymn is directing us to the first meaning of adore. If I had been in Bethlehem and had come across the baby Jesus I would surely have adored Him in the way I adore all babies. But would I have known or felt the pull of God’s hand to give Him the highest form of adoration? Would I have immediately known that I should kneel down and worship this child as divine? It’s easy for us to know now that we should adore Him. We have the benefit of looking back with 20/20 vision. We put our creches out with baby Jesus surrounded by Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and wise men, all showing their adoration. The angels had spoken to them through the silence, reassured them, shown them the way.
Let us, this Christmas season, allow some time for silence, to listen to the angels and the Holy Spirit. Then let us gather together, as we are able either in person or virtually, and then ‘cut loose’ and sing in exaltation. Let us go to Him in faithfulness and let us adore Him.
Merry Christmas!
Lee Berry
The United Methodist Hymnal
1. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him, born the King of angels;
Refrain:
O come, let us adore him, O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
2. True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
lo, he shuns not the Virgin's womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;
(Refrain)
3. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;
(Refrain)
4. See how the shepherds, summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
we too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;
(Refrain)
5. Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
we would embrace thee with love and awe.
Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?
(Refrain)
6. Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be all glory given.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing:
(Refrain)
Composer:John F. Wade (ca. 1743)
Meter:Irr.
Key:G Major
Source:Harm. from Collections of Motetts or Antiphons, 1792
God Winks - Moving
Psalm 139:7-10 New International Version (NIV)
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Everyone in my family knows that I sleep like a rock. Nothing bothers me, not storms, thunder, lightning, tornadoes. So, when I sat up in the bed wide awake on Wednesday night, June 13, 2007, at 2am, George, my husband, and I were both surprised.
There was a voice, a forceful, no-nonsense voice telling me “Your parents need to move. NOW!”. Well I never! I knew almost immediately that God was telling me something very important. Something hard to do, that would cause all kinds of problems, struggles, good and bad emotions, but something that I had to do. Now.
When I woke up again at 5am to go to work in downtown Atlanta I didn’t give the previous night’s incident a second thought. Denial? Hiding? Procrastinating? I had to get on the road before the traffic got bad and start my day. In fact, I didn’t think about my midnight ‘visit’ again until I woke up on Friday, my day off.
Then there it was again. My instructions. Move my parents. Now. No place to hide. So, I picked up Mother for a tour, who didn’t really understand what I was doing. Mom was an easy sale and was ready to pack her bags. Mom and I decided that the next morning my sister would come and tour with us, talk to dad, and get things moving. Everything was moving along smoothly.
Saturday morning Mom, Sis and I took another tour and found an apartment that Mom loved. The apartment would be ready in two weeks, June 30, mom’s birthday. So we got the contract to review and headed back to talk to dad. He was in his office. We talked about the reality of the need to move, the affordability, the continuous care. He got up, walked into the guestroom across the hall, fell back on the bed and cried out, “I can’t move. I can’t move.” Sis tried to get him up. No luck. 9-1-1 was called and dad was rushed to the hospital. After 3 days we all finally figured out that he wasn’t unable to move his limbs, he didn’t want to move his life.
After many long talks his third day in the hospital, Dad agreed to move. We listed the house for sale and accepted a contract 3 days later. On June 30, when the apartment was ready, our friends came to the rescue and got my folks moved. A huge yard sale for all the things that we couldn’t move was a large project, successful because of friends and family.
They were in! Two weeks start to finish. Everyone was surprised. But not me. I knew that God was driving this train.
One hundred days later, God revealed to me the urgency of my assignment. Dad had a major, permanently debilitating stroke. Because he had moved to Wesley Woods, he was given a room in their skilled nursing unit. Mom, legally blind and unable to drive, was able to walk down the hall every day and be with her husband for the remainder of his life. That’s really why ‘they had to move. Now!’.
From then on, whenever I get those nudges (much quieter now), I listen, I don't hide, I obey. Now.
What will you do the next time you get your 'marching orders', your nudge, your message from God?
Lee Berry
Freedom to Pray
Colossians 4:2
2 Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving.
Have you ever been truly afraid? So afraid that you cried out to God to free you from your fear? Afraid because you or a loved one is critically ill? Death of a loved one? Facing financial stresses? Suffering from abuse? Fighting addiction?
As Christians we have the freedom to turn to God, for large fears and small. We can turn to Him anytime, about anything, no matter where we are. We can draw on our faith and know that we are all equal in His eyes. That He counts the hairs on each of our heads. That the preacher is no more important to Him than the incarcerated.
During the Vietnam War, John McCain almost died in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. McCain was a prisoner of war until 1973. He experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early release. During the war, McCain sustained wounds that left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. It wasn't until his plane was shot down over Hanoi that he began to rely on his faith. In solitary confinement, he has written that he prayed "more often and more fervently than I ever had as a free man."
We have the freedom to pray incessantly. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation that praying aloud is not going to work, but nothing can stop our silent prayers. The act of prayer allows us to release our fears and anxieties to the Father. He wants to share our burden, to live with us through our struggles, to show us love in our darkest hours. He hears our prayers and responds, in His time, in His way.
As we come to the end of July, our Freedom month as I like to look at it, let us all take time to reflect on the freedoms we have and say a prayer of thankfulness.
Lee Berry
Hospitality
Matthew 25:40 ESV
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
Throughout the bible we hear the stories of hospitality. This is particularly true as Jesus and his disciples traveled the land, with no home of their own, little money, and in many cases, they were strangers in the town. In our lifetime we probably haven’t had a stranger come to our home seeking shelter for the night. But there are so many other ways to be hospitable.
I have always equated hospitality with kindness. When we do kind things for others, with or without their direct knowledge, there is no way for us to know how that can affect their lives later on. Everyday we are given opportunities to be hospitable. Maybe it’s a kind word to a tired person who is providing a service to us, a cashier, the mail person, the lawn care guys, the person on the phone you have waited a long time for to make that appointment or straighten out a billing error. Even in these times of relative isolation, we still have interactions with others. Almost everyone is stressed out. What a wonderful opportunity we have to show kindness and hospitality, even if it is just a smile (if you are wearing a mask a smile can travel up to your eyes).
Many years ago, when my mother taught kindergarten, there was a boy in the class that never had a quarter for Friday ice cream day. His family just couldn’t spare the money. Mom would quietly slip him a quarter every Friday morning so he wouldn’t be the only kid without ice cream money. I never knew about this, she didn’t tell anyone. Then one day this child, as a young man, showed up as a maintenance worker at Wesley Woods. I ran into him as he was fixing something in mom’s apartment. He recounted this story with such a lovely look on his face, I didn’t doubt his appreciation. He also said he would remember what mom had done whenever things got hard for him, to help him make it through.
Knowing so many of you sweet people in my life, I am sure you all have had a positive influence on someone in need. Let’s not lose that innocent desire to be hospitable and kind, in spite of all the negativity that we are exposed to lately.
None us know why someone enters our life. They may need our money, our prayers, our influence, our opinion or just a ‘sounding board’. We are called to be hospitable toward others as though they were our Father. Easier said than done? Yes. Impossible? No.
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PATIENCE
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.” Galatians 5:22-23 (CEB)
A couple of months ago Barb at Senoia UMC asked me to write about one of the Fruits of the Spirit. With mixed feelings I selected Patience. Patience and I have a love/hate relationship. Just as I was contemplating selecting another fruit to write about, I was cleaning out my purse and found this fortune from a cookie I got a couple of years ago. I don’t keep all fortunes, but this one spoke to something I struggle with. The Holy Spirit sent me a message that this was indeed the fruit I needed to work on.
Many times in my life I have had people tell me how patient I am. Every time I hear that I think, “Boy, I got them fooled”. Or I think, “Really? Well, yes, maybe I am.” I find that patience comes and goes with me. Sometimes I say, “No hurry. I have nothing but time” or “Is that all you are buying? Go on in front of me”. Other times I get so aggravated, like when that car in front of me is going 15 miles under the 45mph speed limit, or I tell George something over and over again, or when Covid steals yet another thing from my life.
Let’s look more carefully at this virtue, this fruit. According to Go Questions Ministries, there are two Greek words translated as "patience" in the New Testament. Hupomonē means "a remaining under," as when one bears up under a burden. It refers to steadfastness in difficult circumstances. Makrothumia, which is used in Galatians 5:22, is a compound formed by makros (“long”) and thumos (“passion” or “temper”). “Patience” in Galatians 5:22 literally means “long temper,” in the sense of “the ability to hold one’s temper for a long time.” The KJV translates it “longsuffering.” A patient person is able to endure much pain and suffering without complaining. A patient person is slow to anger as he waits for God to provide comfort and punish wrongdoing. Since it is a fruit of the Spirit, we can only possess makrothumia through the power and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
There are so many times throughout the Bible where patience is the story. We are taught time and again its importance. I immediately think about Moses and the 40 years he waited to reach the promised land. Could I have endured waiting that long when I consider driving to Peachtree City as too far out of the way? I think about Jesus and his patience with his own disciples. How could they be so ‘thick headed’ I wonder? Then again, would I have dropped everything to follow Jesus all over the countryside? Would I have believed him right away, without doubt or question? I think about the importance of patience throughout the Bible as generation after generation have waited for the fulfillment of God’s plan.
How lucky am I that I grew up believing? I didn’t have to wait for it. As I get older and grow in my faith journey, I do find myself impatient at times: to see signs of God’s plan at work in this crazy world; to gain reassurance that my Dad is okay and residing somewhere in Heaven; to understand God’s grace; to know the why of things.
Think About It:
Jessica Fick wrote, “Years ago I heard a preacher say these words: “Patience is a virtue, and a virtue can’t hurt you.”.
Scripture:
The Apostle Paul wrote often of patience. He wanted fellow Christians to understand the importance of patience, to practice patience even with those you disagreed with. Paul wrote to Timothy “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness” (2 Tim. 2:24–25).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, most patient Father, help me be your servant. Help me teach others of your love. Help me hold my tongue in check. Help me be patient and kind to all. Help me to patiently await what you want to reveal to me. Amen
Lee Berry