Sunday (1/15)

This week we are continuing the journey through the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible until the Lenten season begins. You will be invited to read Matthew’s Gospel during Lent, and then this devotional will guide you to read and study portions of most of the New Testament documents throughout 2023.

 

Keep in mind that the books in the Bible called “Minor Prophets” were given that distinction because of their shorter length than the prophetic scrolls of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. For this week we will read portions of the books of the prophets Amos and Obadiah. The New Interpreter’s Bible One Volume Commentary published by Abingdon Press states in the overview of the book of Amos, “The book of Amos is renowned for championing social justice…Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appealed to the powerful words of Amos 5:24 as part of his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech…Amos is often considered to have been the first writing prophet.” His prophetic ministry took place during “the long reign of Jeroboam II, who ruled Israel during the first half of the eighth century BCE…The luxurious lifestyles enjoyed by those in power came at the expense of the poor, and the court system was corrupt.” The commentary overview goes on to share that, “the central focus of the book is…the all-powerful God will judge Israel because of its social injustice and military pride…the god of their rituals and temples was a very different deity, not the God of the exodus…Israel’s political, economic, and religious system stood condemned…” Thankfully, “beyond the judgment lay the hope of a restored land and a proper relationship with God (9:11-15).”

Sunday (1/8)

During 2022, the Your Faith Journey devotional led our congregation through a reading and study plan through the Old Testament that included portions of Genesis all the way through Daniel. To begin this new year you are invited to conclude the Old Testament journey with us by reading portions of the Minor Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible each week until the Lenten season begins. For those who are interested in reading and studying the New Testament, you will be invited to read Matthew’s Gospel during Lent, and then this devotional will guide you through reading and studying portions of most of the New Testament documents throughout the year.

 

The books in the Bible called “Minor Prophets” were given that distinction because of their shorter length than the prophetic scrolls of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. A note about The Book of the Twelve, or the Minor Prophets in the NIV Study Bible states, “In Ecclesiasticus (an Apocryphal book written c. 190 B.C.), Jesus ben Sira spoke of ‘the twelve prophets’ (Ecclesiasticus 49:10) as a unit parallel to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He thus indicated that these 12 prophecies were at that time thought of as a unit and were probably already written together on one scroll.” The prophetic ministries of the 12 Minor Prophets occurred from about 785 to 430 B.C. According to the biblical scholars Tim Mackie and Jon Collins in The Bible Project video The Prophets, “while the Biblical prophets sometimes speak about the future…They were Israelites who had a radical encounter with God’s presence and then were commissioned to go and speak on God’s behalf…And the thing that they cared about the most is the mutual partnership that existed between God and the Israelites.” The video reminds us that the prophets shared messages of warning and hope. For this week we will read portions of the books of the prophets Hosea and Joel.

11/1-1/7/23

Christmas Week 2 Devotional: KING FOREVER

Happy New Year! The God who came to be with us in and through Jesus on Christmas nearly 2,000 years ago was the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews. He was and is a king whose kingdom will never end. Christ came to usher in God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. King Herod and others were unwilling to submit to the King of kings. What about you? Will you submit to the reign and rule of the King whose kingdom will never end? Christ is humble, compassionate, forgiving, and loving. How will you respond to King Jesus this new year?

12/25-12/31

Christmas Week 1 Devotional: GOD WITH US

After weeks, or months, of preparation the day and time has finally arrived. It is Christmas! The day(s) we celebrate our dear Savior’s birth. Yes, celebrations have been taking place throughout the Advent season, but now is the time to “fall on your knees” as described in the Christmas song O Holy Night. Now is the time for us to sing “sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus” (O Holy Night). This baby born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger is described by the apostle Paul in this way, “God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:19 NLT). Somehow the fullness of the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth dwelled in the baby born in Bethlehem on Christmas morn. Matthew, the gospel writer, shared this detail about the Christmas story, “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23 NRSV). Yes, God came to be with us in the person of Jesus. The source of life, grace, hope, love, joy, and peace came to the earth to save us from our sins. Christ came to reveal the way to God, the will of our heavenly Father, and the ways of the Lord. Yes, let us “praise His name forever” (O Holy Night). Christ is born!

12/18-12/24

Advent Week 4 Devotional: PEACE

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Isaiah prophesied that a child would be born for God’s people, with authority resting “upon his shoulders,” and the child would be named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore” (Isaiah 9:6-7 NRSV). This “Prince of Peace” with great authority that Isaiah described is Jesus, the child born to Mary and Joseph and placed in the feeding trough nearly 2,000 years ago. The night Christ was born a multitude joined the angel who appeared to the shepherds praising the Lord and proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors” (Luke 2:14 NRSV). The message of the angelic multitude is that God offers us peace because we are recipients of the Lord’s grace. Decades after Jesus’ birth during his time of ministry he said, “my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27 NRSV). The Prince of Peace offers us his peace, which the world cannot provide. Will you receive the peace the Lord is offering you this Christmas?

This daily devotional for the fourth week of the season is designed to help you focus on the PEACE offered to us through Jesus.

12/11-12/17

Advent Week 3 Devotional: JOY

After hundreds of years of being enslaved in Egypt, when the Hebrew people were finally set free from their oppressors they began singing and praising the Lord. A psalmist described it this way, “he {God} brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing” (Psalm 105:43 NRSV). God’s deliverance of his people resulted in praising the Lord, our Deliverer. Our response to what God does for us, including delivering us from sin and death, should be joyful worship and adoration.

 

When the angel visited the shepherds on the night Jesus was born, the angel proclaimed, “I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11 NRSV). The angel reminds us that the story of Christmas is good news for all people. It is a gospel message of great joy for everyone! The source of hope, love, and joy chose to be born among us and abide with us. Through our faith in Jesus and the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ we have an inexpressible and overflowing joy that can be seen when we give cheerfully and live generously. The apostle Paul taught that part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us is “joy” (Galatians 5:22-23). Don’t try to hide it, but instead let the joy of the Lord that is in you overflow into singing, giving, and generosity.

12/4-12/10

Advent Week 2 Devotional: LOVE

The writer of the New Testament letter 1 John describes God in this way, “God is love” (1 John 4:8 NIV). His letter continues by explaining, “This is how God showed his love among us; He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9 NIV). The life God intends for us is made possible in and through Jesus. The life God has for us is to be loved, receive God’s love, and then give the love we have received to others (Matthew 22:34-40). In his letter, John shares it this way, “since God so loved us,” through Jesus, “we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11 NIV).

Yes, “we love because” God “first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).

 

During the Advent season, we are reminded that God loves us. In response to the One who loves us with an everlasting love revealed through Jesus, we love God and others. One of the ways for us to live in this love from God through Christ is by spending time with Jesus each day, focusing our heart and mind on the source of hope, love, joy and peace. This daily devotional for the second week of the season is designed to help you focus on the LOVE of God. The format is designed for you to use as much or little as you have time to use each day. Below is a guide for the weekly and daily use of this Advent devotional:

11/27-12/3

Advent Week 1 Devotional: HOPE

For hundreds of years the people of God waited for the coming of the Messiah. And then, that first Christmas day, the waiting was over. The Prince of Peace arrived to usher in a new kingdom, God’s kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven (Isaiah 9:6). It is hard for us to grasp and fathom how astonishing it was that the God who created the universe and all that exists came to the earth to be with us in the person of Jesus (Colossians 1:15-16). It seems strange and unthinkable that the Messiah’s story includes an unexpected pregnancy and the birth of the Christ child in a barn in Bethlehem (Matthew 1:18 and Luke 2:6-7). Yet we are reminded by the prophet Isaiah and the life of Christ that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).

Sunday (11/20)

To conclude our reading of the Major Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible before transitioning to Advent we will read selections from the book of Daniel. After the Advent season the Your Faith Journey devotional will guide you to read portions of the 12 books of the Minor Prophets before we transition to the Gospel of Matthew during the 2023 Lenten season. The Introduction of the book of Daniel in The NIV Study Bible states, “The theological theme of the book is God’s sovereignty…The book is made up primarily of historical narratives (found mainly in chs. 1-6) and apocalyptic (revelatory) materials (found mainly in chs. 7-12).” The book shares part of the life and ministry of Daniel, who was taken captive with three of his friends by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, after Judah was besieged. In addition to serving as an advisor to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel served Nebuchadnezzar’s son, King Belshazzar, as well.

Sunday (11/13)

As we continue reading portions of the Major Prophets section of the Old Testament of the Bible, this week we will read selections from the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The Introduction of Jeremiah in The NIV Study Bible states, “The book preserves an account of the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah, whose personal life and struggles are known to us in greater depth and detail than those of any other Old Testament prophet…Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry began in 626 B.C. and ended sometime after 586…Since Ezekiel began his ministry in Babylon in 593, he too was a late contemporary of the great prophet in Jerusalem.” Jeremiah was a priest called by God to deliver the announcement of the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, but the book ends with a glimmer of hope.

 

According to the Introduction of the book of Ezekiel in The NIV Study Bible, “He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C., and there among the exiles he received his call to become a prophet.” The introduction also shares that this priest-prophet spent “the first seven years of his ministry (593-586 B.C.) relaying a message to his fellow Jews of divine judgment that included the oncoming fall of Jerusalem.” Eventually, “once news was received that Jerusalem had fallen, Ezekiel’s message turned to the Lord’s consoling word of hope for his people—they would experience revival, restoration, and a glorious future as the redeemed and perfected kingdom of God in the world (chs. 33-48).”

 

If you did not read the previous books of Genesis through Isaiah, you are encouraged to watch the Bible Project video about the Old Testament to have a clearer understanding of the full story within the text of the Hebrew Bible. The video summarizes the scriptures of the ancient Jewish people that became the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It is available on YouTube.