Day 22 of our 2018 Advent Contemplations.
Welcome to the Blue Ocean Advent devotional podcast. This is Day twenty-two: Sunday, Dec. 23. I’m Emily, and I’ll be your guide today.
Let’s start with a moment of gratitude. I’ll give you 20 seconds of silence to think about something you’re thankful for, and to thank God for it. Let’s begin now.
[20 seconds of silence]
Now we’ll move on to our petitionary prayer. Today we’ll pray that the Spirit of Love will permeate our life and the lives of those we know and love. Let’s take 30 seconds of silence to pray for and remember our loved ones.
[30 seconds of silence]
Our Scripture reading today comes from Luke 6:27-36. During the fourth week of Advent we focus on cultivating love—remembering that we follow a God-Who-Is-Love, and that we are to live lives filled with love. Let’s listen for what this looks like in the gospel.
It begins:
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
We’ll close today by meditating on 1 Corinthians 13:1, which says:
“If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
Take a few moments now to meditate on how a lack of love negates all of our human bluster and showmanship.
Our Concluding Prayer:
Creator, almighty and everlasting, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus my Lord. Amen