Questions for Reflection

(Christmas Day)

How has Jesus Christ stripped every Goliath of their power forever?  (See Philippians 2:5-11)

Action Idea

 

Draw a picture of yourself very large and your Goliath very small.  Now draw a cross over the top of your picture.  Take time today to remember that through Christ Jesus your Goliath holds no power over you now or ever.  


Amen.

Questions for Reflection

(Fourth Monday of Advent)

What are your Goliaths?

How have you defeated your Goliaths in the past?

Action Idea

 

Pray for those people you are in conflict with.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 23rd, 2012

A Story from Scripture:  Read 1 Samuel 17:4-9, 40-41, 45, 49-50

A Devo: The Bible goes to great lengths to describe how tall Goliath was, how much his armor weighed, how overpowering he seemed.  Our lives are filled with Goliaths, those things that seem so imposing, so insurmountable, so daunting.  And the longer we try to avoid our Goliaths, the bigger they seem to become.  An unfinished project at home, a nagging health concern, a strained relationship at work, an addiction of one sort or another all can grow into greater Goliaths for us. But young David proves to us that all our Goliaths can be toppled and stripped of their power over us.  While a small stone ultimately brought down the mighty Goliath in this story, the real weapon was David's confidence that he had someone bigger than Goliath on his side:  God himself.  Knowing that we have the power of God on our side gives us the fortitude to face our challenges head on and not to back down from them or avoid them.  Our great God gives us the words to say and the actions to take to reduce the hold that Goliaths have over us.  Our great God who created the heavens and the earth is the one in control.  Our great God who breathed life into us is the one who has authority over all.  Our great God is the one who will always triumph in the end.  

A Prayer:  All-powerful Lord, fill me with faith and trust in your ability to save me from all that threatens me or seeks to destroy me.  Help me to no longer avoid those things that are causing me stress and distress, but to be willing to work together with you to do what it takes to free me of their influence over me. Amen.

Questions for Reflection

(Third Friday of Advent)

What does your taste in music say about you and your personality?

Do you like listening to music more when you are by yourself or when you are with someone?  Why?

Action Idea

Read Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) and Simeon's Nunc Dimmitis (Luke 2:29-32) ~ the most memorable songs of the New Testament ~ and think about what makes these songs such great stress relievers for us all. 

Questions for Reflection

(Third Thursday of Advent)

What do you like more: live music or recorded music?  Why?

Why do you think music has such a strong effect on mood?

Action Idea

Listen for music as you go about your daily routine (in grocery stores, retail counters, office buildings, waiting rooms, elevators, etc.).  Think about happy memories you associate with any of these songs that you hear and thank God for those memories.

Think about a concert you went to and what made that experience so exhilarating.  

Questions for Reflection

(Third Wednesday of Advent)

When do you most often listen to music?  Why?

How can you incorporate more music into your daily life as a way to ease your stress?

Action Idea

Make the lyrics of a Christian song or hymn a prayer you read to yourself or aloud at the end of a hard day. 

Questions for Reflection

(Third Tuesday of Advent)

Do you ever catch yourself humming a song you sang in church?  If so, when does this usually happen?  Why do you think that is?

What instruments do you like to hear in church?  Why do you think music and worship are so intrinsically linked?

Action Idea

If you play a musical instrument, play a song on it as part of your personal devotion or worship time. 

Questions for Reflection

(Third Monday of Advent)

What kind of music brings you the most calm?  Is there one song in particular that calms you when you are stress out?

What is your favorite hymn or contemporary Christian song?  Why?

Action Idea

 

Make a list of your favorite hymns or contemporary Christian songs.

Find some of your favorite songs on a CD or download the tracks from your computer, and listen to them whenever you are feeling anxious, worried, scared, nervous or sad.

  Third Sunday of Advent, December 16th, 2012

A Story from Scripture:  Read 1 Samuel 16:14-18, 21, 23

A Devo: Saul experienced an "evil spirit", this passage says.  What is described here would now be called a funk, a depression, the blues, or feeling down in the dumps.  When we feel this way, we find ourselves searching for anything to make the sadness go away.  Saul found solace in the sweet and soothing music of David's harp.  This is not the only place where the Bible details the positive effects the music can have on our mental and emotional well-being.  The children of Israel sang once they crossed the Red Sea and were freed from slavery (Exodus 15:1-21).  The psalms again and again recommend that we sing to our God as a way to remind ourselves of how blessed we are.  (See Psalms 13, 47, 57, 89, 95, 96, 98, 108, and 149.)  St. Paul urges us to make music in our hears to the Lord as a way to give thanks (Ephesians 5:19-20).  Even the songs of the angels on the Bethlehem hillside in Luke 2 rid the shepherds of their initial fears.  So heed the call from Scripture and let music relieve your troubled heart, soul and mind.

A Prayer:  You have provided me with the beautiful gift of music, O Lord.  Let me use this gift when my spirits are low.  Let my spirits be lifted by this gift.  And let me always be reminded of the love song your sing over me every day, even on those days when my life seems out of tune and it is hard for me to hear it.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

(Second Friday of Advent)

What are the most crucial things you would want to share with someone who was going through a storm similar to one you weathered recently?

Who are your role models for dealing with life's "storms"?  What have they taught you?  What do you admire about them?

Action Idea

Reread Mark 4:1-2, 35-41.   

 

Questions for Reflection

(Second Thursday of Advent)

In your experience, what makes someone a person of little faith?  What makes someone a person of great faith?

What can you do to help those people you know who are going through a rough patch ("storms") right now? 

Action Idea

Consider purchasing a CD with soothing sounds of water to listen to as you pray or read a devotion.  Alternatively, you can find these sounds by going to www.soundsleeping.com.   Remind yourself that Jesus calms the waters of your spirit.

 

Questions for Reflection

(Second Wednesday of Advent)

What have you learned from your experiences in dealing with life's "storms"?

How has making it through life's "storms" made you a better person?

Action Idea

Make a trip to a beach* (this might be easier for some of us than others) and watch how the waves are made low as they crash on the sand.  Imagine the "waves" of your problems being drained of their power in the same way by Jesus. 

*If you can't get to a beach, use the power of your imagination...or the power of the internet to make this Action Idea possible.   

 

Questions for Reflection

(Second Tuesday of Advent)

What "storms" are you dealing with in your life right now?  What is making these current "storms" especially difficult for you?

What is your typical first response to life's "storms"?  Is this in line with how a person of faith is called to respond?

Action Idea

Draw one picture of yourself in a boat with a series of waves around the boat.  Write a problem you are dealing with on each wave.  Then draw another picture of you and Jesus in a boat on a calm and peaceful sea with no waves.  Place the second picture over the first one to visualize what Jesus can do.

 

Questions for Reflection

(Second Monday of Advent)

Think of a time in your life when you felt most afraid or threatened.  How did your faith in Jesus help you through this time?

Action Idea

Make a list of your fears.  Then cross out each one and write in big, bold letters across your entire list, "Peace!  Be still!" 

 

Second Sunday of Advent

December 9th, 2012

A Story from Scripture:  Read Mark 4:1-2, 35-41

A Devotion:  Like Jesus and the disciples in the boat, we face storms of our own in this life.  The winds of change make us uneasy.  Illnesses, financial troubles, relationship problems, difficulties at work or at home come at us like waves that throw us off-kilter.  In short, we become stressed.  In our stressed-out state, we, like the disciples, often turn to Jesus and cry out, "Don't you care?  Don't you care that I am suffering?  Don't you care that I am having a tough time?  Don't you care that things just aren't going right for me now?"  When we don't see any change in our circumstances, we may wonder to ourselves, "Is Jesus asleep at the wheel here?"  I imagine the disciples shaking Jesus awake where they were in peril on the stormy sea.  At times we may feel like we need to do the same.

As the disciples discovered on that boat, Jesus has the power to instantly still the whipping winds and calm the choppy waters.  He may not have done it as soon as they wanted him to and in the way they wanted him to, but the power to help was alwasys there.  And his power to help us is always there too.  All we need to do is replace our fear with faith.

A Prayer:  Calm the storms of my life, O Lord, and calm my troubled soul as well.  Fill me with the confidence of knowing that you are always present with me, even though I may not always see it or sense it.  Instill a deeper faith in me when I feel threatened by all the trials and tribulations in life.  Help me to stand firm in my belief that you are still in charge of my life, no matter what, and still me with your peace at all times.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

(First Friday of Advent)

How can looking at time as a gift of God change the way in which you go about your day? 

Action Idea

Think to yourself, "Would I be worrying about this or that task as much if Jesus was sitting right here in my living room/office/vehicle?" 

Questions for Reflection

(First Thursday of Advent)

What can you do to achieve a better balance between time you spend working and time your spend with Jesus?

How do the words and actions of others influence how you do your work or engage in spiritual activities?  Do you work to please others or do you work to please God?

Action Idea

Think of ways to make mundane tasks that have to be done more enjoyable. 

Questions for Reflection

(First Wednesday of Advent)

What can you do to stay close to Jesus even in the midst of your many daily tasks?

What particular task seems to cause you the most worry?  Why?  Imagine Jesus saying to you, "Don't stress out about that so much!" (because that is what he is saying).

Action Idea

Make a priorities list (put Jesus as your #1 priority, of course) and place in on your fridge or a central place in your home, where you can see it often.  Let this list help you to develop perspective.  Ask yourself, "In the grand scheme of things, how important is the task I am worrying about?" 

Questions for Reflection

(First Tuesday of Advent)

How can knowing the fact that Jesus is always with you help you to approach your daily tasks more positively?

How might treating chores/work as opportunities to serve God and those around you make the tasks more appealing to you? 

Action Idea

Try to schedule a 10-15 minute devotion breaks two or three times a day. 

Questions for Reflection

(First Monday of Advent)

On a typical day, how much time would you say you spend on doing household tasks (or other kinds of work)?  How much time would you say you spend praying or reading a devotion or meditating on Scripture?  What does this suggest about your focus?  (Think about the scripture reading and devo from yesterday.)

How can taking the time to pray, read a devotion or meditate on Scripture help to reduce your stress level?

Action Idea

Make it a practice to say a prayer before, after, and even during a difficult task. 

 

First Sunday of Advent, December 2nd, 2012

A Story from Scripture:  Read Luke 10:38-42

A Devo:  Martha had many tasks to do.  She had a dinner to prepare for Jesus.  She had a house to clean.  She had a table to set.  She had rooms to arrange for a visitor.  And there is nothing wrong with any of that.  But the Bible reveals to us that Martha was distracted by her many tasks.  They prevented her from seeing the big picture, from enjoying her visit from Jesus, from simply listening and learning from her very special guest.  Her focus was on the nitty-gritty and not on the blessing of being with Jesus.

How often we, too, can be worried and distracted by our many tasks.  We have food to buy, meals to prepare, dishes and clothes to wash, dusting and vacuuming to do, things that keep cluttering our homes to pick up and put away, lawns to mow, bills to pay.  They, too, become our focus.

But Jesus in this Bible story helps Martha, and us, realize that our life is so much more than getting tasks like these done.  In essence he says, "Don't stress out about all this stuff.  They are only a sidelight to what is most important ~ spending time with me."

A Prayer:  Like Martha, dear Lord, forgive me for becoming too busy with my daily tasks that I fail to leave time for you.  Help me not to be so consumed with worry over what I need to get done today that I forget all that you have done to see me free from sin, death and the devil.  Fill me with gratitude for all your gifts and for my abilities to serve you and those around me in so many different ways.  Amen.