Advent Devotional - Christmas Day

John 3:16:   “For God so loved he world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 embodies Christmas for me. Christmas Eve 1991 found me sitting by my Christmas tree thinking about the son I was about to give birth to. I already loved this little guy so much. Surely no one could love someone as much as I loved my son? Then it hit me. God loved me so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son for a sinner like me. I had heard that my whole life, but it really hit home at that moment. God LOVES me, and the Gift of his Son was the best Christmas present I would ever receive.

PRAYER
God Thank for the gift of Jesus. Amen

Sarabeth Stopansky, Elder, Congruity Presbyterian Church, New Alexandria

Advent Devotional - Christmas Eve

Luke 2: 17-18:  The shepherds spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Love was born in Bethlehem, a town occupied by a foreign power. Love was born to a humble woman and man, in search of safe shelter: birth pangs among the cattle, a manger for a bed. Love was found by shepherds, those on the margins, dirty, raw from the wind and rain. This scripture tells us much about love. In its coming, love shows where it goes.

Love goes where the pain is greatest. Love goes to the lonely, the humble and poor, to the cold and the hungry and thirsty. Love goes to the outcast, the homeless, the oppressed. Love goes to those with broken hearts and broken dreams. Love goes to save the lost.

PRAYER
Gracious God, you have shown us in the sending of your Son, the depth of your love for us. Use us to be agents of your love for the world. Amen.

Rev. Susan Blank, Chaplain, Presbyterian Senior Care, Oakmont

Advent Devotional - Fourth Sunday in Advent

Jeremiah 31:3:  I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 

Planned obsolescence. Our phones, and even printer cartridges, have a built-in, deliberate shelf-life that just happens to correspond to the latest and greatest product coming out. They’re fair-weather friends, and the consumer just has to get used to it. Things come and go; people come and go. Love ‘em, and they leave you … with the exception of the LORD. 

The LORD could not give up on his people; Israel. No matter what they did – no matter what we do – the LORD will never, ever take that love away. When we look at the manger, we don’t see only an infant, we see love incarnate, a love that will not let us go. 

PRAYER

Lord, in this season, help me to know in a new and unexpected way, your everlasting love for me.

Rev. Alice Tondora, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Johnstown

Advent Devotional - Day 21

Isaiah 35:1-2:  The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom.

The King James says “rose” rather than “crocus.” When I was in Glee Club at boarding school, we learned Michael Praetorius’ piece, “Lo, How a Rose ere Blooming”.  Then Love Story came out with Ali McGraw conducting an acapella boys choir singing the same piece.  It introduced me to this biblical text. Years later, we had a craft at Advent Adventure – a disc, a pipe cleaner stem, crepe paper rose and quilt batting snow.  The picture of one flower in winter or one flower in a vast desert – this is my picture of the kind of joy God brings into the desert seasons of our lives.  The incarnation. The second coming and so many small serendipities of joy.  This Advent, remember.  It might be a kind word, a blossom, a sunset, a baby’s burst of joy.

PRAYER
Thank you, O God, for the way joy pierces the desert. 

Rev. Marnie Silbert, Associate Pastor, Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, Murrysville

Advent Devotional - Day 20

Nehemiah 8:10:   The joy of the Lord is your strength

In this joyous time of the year we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gracious gift to us of the Christ Child who fills us with strength to be engaged in ministry and mission.

I was once given a card with the word JOY printed on one side and on the other were these: Jesus Others You. This word captures the message of this wonderful time of the year. In this season may “The JOY of the Lord is my strength” be ours as we reach out to those around us.

PRAYER

Dear God, may our lives be filled with joy as we experience your presence at work around and within us.  May we also be reminded that joy indeed comes from our Lord and may we discover joy in Jesus Others You, this we pray in Christ’s name.  Amen

Rev. Cliff Foster, Pastor, Congruity Presbyterian Church, New Alexandria

Advent Devotional - Day 19

Romans 15:13:  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

With this, Paul begins to draw his magnificent letter to the Romans to a close.  The focus is upon the agency of God in granting joy, not in some innate human ability to produce it.  When we attempt to generate joy for ourselves, we fail.

As Americans, we are obsessed with the “pursuit of happiness” as guaranteed within our founding documents.  Yet, this season and the witness of scripture remind us that joy is not the result of our pursuit; rather it is the remarkable gift of God.  Thanks be to God!

PRAYER
Lord God, may we always be turned by your Spirit to find our joy in your gifts – life, love, grace and more – and may we witness them in the faces of those around us. Amen.

Rev. Martin R. Ankrum, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Greensburg

Advent Devotional - Day 18

Philippians 4:4:   Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

My memory of Advent 2012 is that I had just buried my husband of 41 years that October. Grief had the power to snuff out hope, peace and joy. The soon to come love candle would be too much to bear on Sunday morning. My life had become a wreath of snuffed candles.

I attended my first Blue Christmas service during that third week. I joined the gathering of blue, people who had lost loved ones. Through lighted candles in the darkness, comforting music and God's Word, I knew the Lord was near.  Although buried in sorrow, the joy of the Newborn King was reclaimed. Rejoice!

PRAYER
God of Renewal, fix our eyes upon you. Fill our hearts with joy we pray.  Amen.

Lynn Mance, Elder, Delmont Presbyterian Church and Authorized Preacher

Advent Devotional - Day 17

Luke 2:14:  Peace among those favored by God

An informed discussion of “peace” will likely “blow” everyone’s mind. “Over a period of seventeen centuries the longest era without a major war involving two or more of the ‘great powers’ of that era lasted thirty-eight years, nine months and five days.” (It’s a Different World by Lyle E. Schaller, p. 36) We have now gone 73 years!

However, Jesus of Nazareth is not a friend of peace lovers. He says: “Oh the blessedness/leadership of the peace makers.” The world and religions strive/work for a peace of escape. Jesus gifts us with a surpassing covenant contentment within hardships. (Philippians 4:7)

The phrase from the KJV which is included on most Christmas cards from Luke 2:14 “Peace, good will toward men,” should be substituted with “peace among those favored by God” which older, more reliable manuscripts translate.

In II Corinthians 5:20 we are to be ambassadors (a form of Presbyterian!) for Christ reconciling the world back to God.

Jim Farrer, Honorably Retired

Advent Devotional - Day 16

1 John 1:4:  “And we are writing this that our joy may be complete”

What does it mean for our joy to be complete?  In this world, we can’t really begin to understand such fulfillment.  As we leave childhood behind, most of us lose much of the pure wonder and joy that is part of the Advent and Christmas season.  Ironically perhaps, I have seen this joy return in many of the residents of our dementia care centers at Redstone Presbyterian SeniorCare.  I have seen fragile elders delight in the colors of the Christmas lights, respond joyfully to the reading of the Christmas narrative, and those who are nearly nonverbal join in the singing of the family Christmas hymns.  In the midst of what some might see as a dark desert, joy is abundant.  Even still, the joy found in these elders and the joy found in the children who will gather around our Christmas trees, gives us but a glimpse of the joy that we will know when we experience the fullness of what Jesus has promised us.  Come Lord Jesus!  Complete our joy. 

PRAYER
God, open our eyes and hearts that we might experience and reflect the joy of this season.  Wherever we are in life, may we find our joy in you.  Amen. 

Lisa Dormire, Vice-President of Mission Support & Development, Redstone Highlands

Advent Devotional - Third Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 12:3-4a:   With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!  In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done.

We’re in the season of joy! With it comes a flurry of activities that can be both joyful and exhausting. Yet, this season isn’t about the biggest sale, largest present, or best tasting mincemeat pie. It’s about the greatest gift ever given!  Jesus!  His name means “God is Salvation;” Immanuel, “God with us!”  This gift of love didn’t come wrapped in ribbons and garland but was heralded by heaven’s angels.

Joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King! 

PRAYER
Lord, help us to move through this holy season with wonder and joyful praise for the amazing gift and grace given to us in Christ our Savior. 

Rev. Jane Johnson, Minister at Large

Advent Devotional - Day 14

Micah 5: 4-5a:  And he shall stand and feed his flocking the strength of Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be one of peace.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we need to stay focused on the day that will come of total peace. In the meantime, we are called to work for peace and be people of peace in our own lives, trusting in the peace that passes all understanding.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, bless us with your peace in our lives, so that we can be a witness of your peace to a hurting world. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Glenn Hart, Commissioned Pastor Harmony Presbyterian Church, Belle Vernon and Sewickley United Presbyterian Church, West Newton 

Advent Devotional - Day 13

John 1:5:  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

Every year, a child lights a lantern from a perpetual flame in the grotto marking the spot where tradition says Christ was born. From that flame in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, the light then spreads across Europe and North America. The “Peace Light” is shared across more and more communities, with plans to share the light across all continents. It reminds us of our unity, our connection, and our shared vision of peace through Christ who is our Peace.

On a frigid November morning, I met a man who carried the Peace Light from Massachusetts to Colorado. In the parking lot, he lit my lantern and charged me to share the light, and to share peace, with every person I meet.  Peace is shared from one person to another, like a candle flame. Christ’s light is shining in the darkness, and the light is growing to illuminate the whole world!

PRAYER
O Christ, our Light and our Peace, just like we light candles this Advent season, teach us to share your peace with our neighbors, both near and far. Amen.

Rev. Laura Blank, Pastor, Pleasant View Presbyterian Church, Smock

Advent Devotional - Day 12

Romans 12:16:  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

The choir was breaking up. Made up of retirees who liked to sing, the choir had met at our church every Monday morning for over 25 years. Now their numbers had shrunk, their voices no longer allowed them to hit the notes, and they were giving it up. But not before singing one last song. And so, they sang what they called their theme song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with Me."

There they were – Catholics, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and at least one agnostic – singing as loudly and clearly as they possibly could, declaring beautifully how God's peace is to be done in this world. If only it could be. 

PRAYER
Holy God, who reaches out to us in peace in Jesus Christ, make me an instrument of your peace this very day. In Christ I live and pray. Amen

Rev. Ken Foust, Pastor, Grace Community Presbyterian Church, Lower Burrell

Advent Devotional - Day 11

Matthew 5:9:  Blessed are those who work for peace; they will be called children of God.

Redstone Presbytery has had a partnership with the Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church since 2004 and the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church since it became the youngest country in the world in 2011. War broke out in December 2013 over issues related to political leadership. More than 3 million people were dislocated.  On October 31, 2018, a peace agreement was celebrated in Juba, South Sudan. All of the political leaders made a commitment to implementing last summer’s peace agreement. Church leaders have been very involved in the peace process from the beginning. We pray that a lasting peace is coming. 

PRAYER
God of peace, we celebrate with our partner churches, the hope for peace to finally come to South Sudan. We pray that we would all learn the ways that lead to peace.  Amen.

Rev. Sylvia Carlson, Honorably Retired

Advent Devotional - Day 10

Numbers 6:26:  The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace

Picture yourself at the manger on Christmas morning.  What do you see?  In every depiction you see two loving parents looking into the face of their newborn son.  There is a peaceful calming feeling as the baby sleeps.  Babies seem to bring a peace around us.  They make everything better.  As we remember the manger and the Baby Jesus looking up ready to bring peace to the world and take away our sins, we need to look into the faces of all the people we meet and find that peace.

PRAYER
Lord, help us to see peace in all the people we encounter as we seek your love and understanding each and every day.

Bobbi Jo Huebner, Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Belle Vernon

Advent Devotional - Day 9

Galatians 1:10:  Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Advent season is a great time to ask, “How should we live in light of the fact that our brokenness shows the beauty of the gospel”? Simply put, God’s opinion of us should be more important than that of the world. The work on the cross by Christ, should prove to you daily that God loves you not as you will be someday in heaven (perfect) but as you are right now broken and fractured. Embrace your flaws, trusting that God does not want to keep you where you are but wants to make you into something extremely beautiful - the image of His Son, Jesus Christ! Know that you are loved!

Michael Hurley, Summer Camp Director, Pine Springs Camp

Advent Devotional - Second Sunday in Advent

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.

A little peace can go a long way. 

We all find ourselves grateful for a moment or two of peace in our manic and unpredictable lives. Life grabs us by the horns and somehow manages to drag us in a dozen directions at once. The holiday season can often do just that to us, leaving a myriad of constant errands, desperate shopping, and familial disharmony in our wake.

While we search for peace, we may forget the Prince of Peace described in Isaiah, and this Wonderful Counselor hasn’t just brought peace for you and I – he has peace for the entire world. There is nothing fleeting about this peace, because, unlike the hurried moments of clarity or levity we so desperately seek on yet another frenzied day, this peace is not given by our anxious and fickle world. As Jesus explained, “peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” And the peace of Christ is forever.

Joshua Scully, Commissioned Pastor, Little Redstone Presbyterian Church, Fayette City

Advent Devotional - Day 7

Psalm 90:1:  Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

If there is one thing nearly every person hopes for, it is a place to call home. Whether that is a structure or town or even a person or family, we all seek a place that is safe for us to be ourselves. Many of us hope for home, but we don’t always find it where we thought we would. 

The Psalmist writes that the Lord has already given this to us, for the Lord is our dwelling place. It is in the Lord that we are loved and with whom we are cared for; the Lord is our home for which we have hoped.

PRAYER
Holy God, during this season of Advent, remind us that you are our dwelling place, for in you, we find hope. Amen.

Rev. Nicole C. Atkinson, Associate Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Greensburg

Advent Devotional - Day 6

Luke 1:47:   My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

Christmas songs and popular retellings of the Christmas story romanticize the challenges Mary faced.  We like to think of angels, bells, sheep, Magi, and ‘lowing’ cattle.  It is easy to lose sight of the fact that she was living in a dangerous time and place, and that scandal could cost her life.  Add in the fact that there would be no rulebook on how to raise the one through whom the world was created, and she would have responsibility to protect and parent this little one who would be the ‘Hope of the World.’

Yet called by God, she offered a humble, modest and willing affirmation in praise.

We may not be called to parent Jesus, but as believers we have the honor of bearing His image in our lives.  We are called to demonstrate His Love as we deal with others in our daily walk.  Would that we, like Mary could respond in confidence and joy to the opportunities placed before us.

Rev. Chuck MacPherson, Honorably Retired

Advent Devotional - Day 5

Habakkuk 3:17:  Tho the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vine. Tho the produce of the olive tree fails, and the fields yield no food; Tho the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stall – YET I will rejoice and give thanks to God who strengthens me.

The California wildfires have burned over 200,000 acres; over 80 people have died; over 1,000 people are still missing; and over 10,000 homes have been destroyed.  Many people have lost everything.

The Los Angeles Times reported that in the town of Paradise, California, a young couple, Morgan Shingler and Brian Gobba, had planned to be married November 18^th – but then the wildfires swept through the town.  Their family’s homes were lost, but in the evacuation, Morgan managed to grab her lace wedding dress.
The day after the fire passed through, the families held the wedding in one building that hadn’t been burned.  “We weren’t going to let the fire take anything more from us,” said Brian, the groom. “Those little details that used to seem so important are just an afterthought now. All of us in this room have lost something, but we’re here together,” he said.  So the guests gathered, and the bride and groom enjoyed their first dance, and the people who were going through so much took a moment to lay despair aside and smile at a new beginning.

Rev. Donna Havrisko, Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Greensburg

Advent Devotional - Day 4

Romans 5: 5:  Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. (Romans 5: 3 - 5, The Message)

We moved often when I was a child. But wherever we lived, in my Christmas stocking I would find an orange. I trusted the source of the love that left me an orange. I had hope that I would be taken care of, regardless of where my family lived, because I knew in my heart that Love is reliable. So, I had hope that the future would be good. My Christmas orange was just a hint of a love that extended far beyond Christmas morning.

Hope is knowing that the Source of Love is reliable. We live our lives based on the reality that God is at work, we are alert to what God may do next, this Advent and beyond. We are called to live creative lives, based on the joyful anticipation that our awesome God, who sent His Son at the right time, will not rest until the Kingdom comes and all creation sings “Joy to the World”.  Orange you glad!?

Rev. Caroline Vickery, Pastor, Delmont Presbyterian Church

Advent Devotional - Day 3

Isaiah 25:8:  The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his peoples disgrace from all the earth.

Revelation 21:4:  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

How can we possibly hope in times such as these when we are surrounded by hatred and violence? We can look at the big picture. Written centuries apart, these two passages offer the same promises: God’s presence with His people and the end of pain and death. It’s difficult to hold on to those promises in these terrible times, but we can. We can because of Jesus. This Christmas, more than ever, we need to remember that He was sent into the world to overcome evil, and He did. Therein lays our hope, not in what the world is doing but in what God has done in Jesus Christ. We usually think of Advent as a time of waiting, but maybe this year our waiting should be active. Maybe this year we should make ourselves available to God, asking Him to use us to act out His Love because Love is stronger than death; and so, no matter what the circumstances around us, we have reason to hope.

Rev. Sue Currie, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Belle Vernon

Advent Devotional - Day Two

Acts 1:8-9:  You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

“Things are looking up!”  We often need to hear those words, don’t we?  “Our new business has turned the corner and we’re finally in the black. “Things are looking up!”  The storm is finally over, and help is on the way. “Things are looking up!”  The doctor says the long course of treatment is over and the cancer is gone. “Boy are things looking up!’  When things are looking up there is hope, a real and true hope.  When things are looking up there now is a future, a future that just wasn’t there before.  When things are looking up we can confidently face each new day.  And ever since Christ brought the light of God’s hope into our lives we can boldly say “Things are looking up!”

PRAYER
Gracious God, help us to live in our Hope in Christ and share it.

Rev. Tony Catullo, Honorably Retired

Advent Devotional - First Sunday in Advent

Romans 5:2:  We boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Advent begins today. What comes to mind when you hear this word? For many it’s hope.
What are you hoping for this Christmas? Maybe golf clubs, a fishing pole, diamond ring or necklace; or how about a new car? Wow, wouldn't that be great!! But why not think even bigger! How about offering someone the Best Gift ever, a life with Jesus and eternal life in heaven? Over the years I've had a few people tell me I saved their life. Now not with CPR, or even prayer, but rather all I did was offer Jesus to them, and they accepted” The Gift" and opened it. 

This Christmas let's look for those who don't have Hope and give them the Best Gift they'll ever get ... Jesus!!

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the great hope Jesus brings. Lead us to those who need Him in their life. Amen

Jim Sunseri, Commissioned Pastor, United Presbyterian Church, Bolivar, and Bethel Presbyterian Church, New Florence

Advent Devotional Introduction

We are grateful to all who participated in making this Advent devotional possible as reflections of our own colleagues and presbyters.

Our prayer is that during this Advent season you will once more encounter Jesus the Christ who is, who was, and who is to come our

 HOPE…..

PEACE…..

JOY …..

LOVE …..

  The daily devotionals will begin on the First Sunday in Advent, Sunday, December 2, 2018

PRESBYTERY OF REDSTONE
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