Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

December 21


Luke 2:6-7
While [Joseph and Mary] were [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Thoughts on today's verse

I've always been amazed at how God chose to place his Son into our world. He could have done it any way he wanted. But he chose this way -- to enter the world in difficult times under difficult circumstances as a helpless infant who must be cared for by parents who were vulnerable to so many frailties. Yet in spite of the challenges that lay ahead and the bewildering mystery that confronted them: Joseph and Mary, along with everyone around them, were caught up in the great joy this new child gave.
Prayer:

Give me a heart of faith, O God, so that I might always see your sovereignty and grace being poured out on me in special ways. I am thrilled that you, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe, chose to enter my world as a child. Thank you for trusting your wonderful salvation to human flesh so we could know that you deemed us worthy of entering our world to make us right for yours. Through Jesus. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 22


Luke 2:8-11
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

Thoughts on today's verse

Shepherds and the glory of the Lord in the same sentence. Shepherds enjoyed a great heritage in Israel with Abraham, Moses, and David as notable shepherds and God being identified through Psalm 23 as a great shepherd. But by this time in Israelite history, they were not highly regarded. They smelled like sheep. They spent their time with sheep. They were not really clean and religious enough to be considered spiritual. So when God chose to announce the birth of Jesus to shepherds with his contingent of angels he makes his point clear: Everyone is loved by God, everyone has access to God, and everyone is desired by God.
Prayer:

Holy and Almighty God, I confess to you that sometimes the outward appearance and reputation of a person colors the way I treat them. But today, I'm convicted of how much you want everyone to know about your grace in Jesus. Give me a heart to love all people and a passion to share your grace with them. Through Jesus I pray this. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 23


Luke 2:11-14
[An angel of the Lord said,] "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Thoughts on today's verse

The sign to the shepherds was a baby in a feeding trough. Pretty potent sign isn't it! The Almighty Creator of the universe sleeping where the sheep and goats have eaten their grain and hay. That God would love us so much as to reduce himself to such an inauspicious beginning reminds us why the angels praise him so. He is glorious and yet he chose not to hide or protect that glory, but instead he shared it so we could find it, too!
Prayer:

God of the manger and Ruler of the constellations, I join my heart and my voice with the angels in praise to your glorious and holy name. Your sacrifice is so profound I am awe-struck. You could have chosen any sign to show Jesus to the shepherds, but you chose the manger. Thank you for revealing yourself in such a common place so I could find your sign and come home to you. Through Jesus with all my love. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 24


Luke 2:16-20
[The shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby [Jesus], who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed... But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Thoughts on today's verse

The shepherds reaction to baby Jesus is exactly what our reaction will be when we see the returning Jesus: we will glorify and praise God for all the things we see and hear and will find that they are just as God has promised them to us. Since God kept his word in the first coming of Jesus, we can be assured that he will do it with the Second Coming of Jesus!
Prayer:

Faithful and all powerful Lord, thank you for being trustworthy and true. Help me to be faithful to you in what I do and say! and think during this stressful yet marvelous time. May I never lose faith in the coming of Jesus and may my faith in him ever shape my life to be more pleasing to you. Amen.'

[Judy Harder]

December 25


Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Thoughts on today's verse

While Jesus is God's Son and Mary's son, he is also our Son. He is the child given to the world so you and I can become God's child. What greater gift can we have than Jesus, and through Jesus, God as our Father.
Prayer:

On a day so glorious, when the world pauses and acknowledges your gift of Jesus, all I can think to say is simply "Thank you!" Amen.'

[Judy Harder]

December 26


Luke 2:28-32
Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Thoughts on today's verse

God's gift to Simeon was truly precious and touching. He is the embodiment of every nation, race, and culture that is seeking God's salvation. God's salvation, as Luke loves to remind us again and again, is for all people!
Prayer:

Lord God of all nations, not only do I pray for peace on earth, but I pray that the knowledge of Jesus may be spread to every nation this coming year. Please make me sensitive to those around me who need your grace and give me courage and the right words to say. Please stir me to be generous to those who are spreading your Gospel throughout the world. Please bind the work of Satan that keeps nations in darkness and away from grace. Make your Kingdom triumph through the growth of your word throughout the world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
.

[Judy Harder]

December 27

Psalm 103:1-3
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.

Thoughts on today's verse

Praise must not come just from our lips. Praise must emanate from deep within our soul, recognizing all the great blessings God has given us. While God is worthy of praise because he his holy and majestic and mighty, we have even greater reasons to praise him. He has been so very gracious to us!
Prayer:

Holy and loving Father, I praise you for your gift of creation. I praise you for your love in granting us free will to accept or reject you. I praise you for choosing Abraham to be the beginning of faith and a people through whom Jesus would come. I praise you for sending Jesus. I praise you for providing the sacrifice for my sins. I praise you for raising him from the dead and triumphing over sin and death. I praise you for those who shared the Gospel of your grace with me. I praise You for what you are doing through me and for me. I praise You for what you are about to do and yet remains enshrouded in mystery to me. I praise because you are Almighty God who has chosen to be my Abba Father. Through Jesus Christ my Lord, I praise you. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 28


Matthew 11:28
[Jesus said,] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Thoughts on today's verse

At the end of the year, it sure is nice to be invited to rest in Jesus. So before we begin a new year, let's pause and place our hopes, our future, our dreams, and especially our burdens down at his feet and let him give us rest.
Prayer:

Teach me, O God, to learn to rest in your grace and providence more and to worry less. I want to surrender my burdens to Jesus and let him teach me his way and how to find his rest. Sometimes I am so tired and weary I don't think I can continue, so please, dear Father, let me find rest in Jesus. Through whom I offer this prayer. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 29


John 14:1-3
[Jesus said,] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

Thoughts on today's verse

He's coming back! As much as the world likes to remember Jesus' first coming during the Christmas season, we need to remind people that his Second Coming will be even greater. We want to be prepared -- lives dedicated to his glory and hearts full of expectation at his coming.
Prayer:

Loving God, I know Jesus will come again. May I be found faithful and expectant when he returns. Thank you for sending him the first time to live in my world and take away my sin. Thank you even more for his next coming to take me to live in your world and share in your victory over sin. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

December 30


John 16:33
[Jesus said,] "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Thoughts on today's verse

This world is a place of struggle. Yes, we can live above the struggle for awhile or can find a way to simply ignore or re-label the struggle for a time. But in the end, the struggle will find us. But in the midst of struggle, we can remind ourselves that our victory is secure. Jesus has won! We will share in his great triumph. In case you didn't know, the final outcome is already determined and Christians win big through Jesus.
Prayer:

Thank you, God, for giving me the victory through Jesus Christ my Lord. I greet the future with anticipation because I know that each day brings me closer to you and the glorious future you have planned for all of your children. Until then I pray that I may never lose sight of that victory and I yearn for the day of its arrival! Through Jesus, the triumphant Rider on the white horse, I pray. Amen.