The season of Advent

We are entering the season of Advent -- a time of preparation for the coming of Christ.  Advent not only anticipates the celebration of Jesus' birth at Christmas, but also is a time for looking ahead to his second coming at the end of time.

There are plenty of holiday activities and celebrations in the month ahead.  In the midst of all the busyness, you may wish to pause at times for a devotional thought.  I'd like to recommend a set of 25 devotions which were written for the days of December leading up to Christmas.  The booklet, called The Coming of Christ: Promises Made, Promises Kept, was published in 2015.  Online copies of the booklet are still available for online viewing  or as a downloadable file.  I served as managing editor of the project, with writers of my acquaintance penning the devotions.   Several of those messages were also featured on this blog last December.

If you have a further interest, you can also access other seasonal devotion booklets from MLC, including Isaiah Had Foretold It, the newest edition of messages for Advent.

Holiday blessings to you!

Jesus, My Lord

by Raquel Freese

Recently, a musical friend shared with me a hymn she was working on.  I thought it would be a nice item to share with you here.

Jesus, my Lord, how can it be?
My God was crucified for me.
Your precious blood for me was shed,
A crown of thorns placed on your head.
As I stood idly watching by,
And saw my friend and Savior die.

You came down from your heavn’ly throne,
And took on human flesh and bone.
You humbly bore my heavy cross
And suffered deepest pain and loss.
You let your love for sinners show-
Your grace is more than I can know!

Now from my sins I have release.
Lord, let my wonder never cease.
Allow me always day and night,
To show the world your glorious light.
And help me, Lord, in all I do,
To fix my eyes solely on you.

We wait until that day you come
To take us to our heavn’ly home.
And when you come from up on high,
The church in unison will cry:
“Our Savior’s blood has set us free
To live with him eternally!”

25,000 views

This blog, The Electric Gospel, began in 2014 as Mariah Wild and I schemed for a way to publish something she wrote and provide a platform for other devotional writers.  In the summers I teach an online workshop on devotional writing, so this blog has been a place for sharing some of the best work by participants in that class and other religion courses I teach.

The following for the blog grew slowly.  But eventually, as things spread on the web, visits to this website have increased.  The site hit 10,000 views as of July of this year.  And now in November, The Electric Gospel has surpassed 25,000 views.  Keep sharing the devotions with those you know on whatever social media you use -- thank you!  And on the main blog page, click to become a listed follower of the blog if you like what you're seeing.

Some of the early material on this site has been viewed less often than more recent writings.  You might want to check out some of these "oldies but goodies" ...

• "God Puts an End to Our Pride" by Deyi Shi
• "Struggling to Forgive" by Brooke King
• "Under Pressure" by Aaron Schwartz

Among the top-viewed devotions on the blog, some new items have climbed that list in recent months -- such as

• "Burdened No More" by Kristen Koepsell
• "God Hears Your Prayers" by Lizzie Kogler
• "Letter to a Friend"by Collin Wenzel
• "Never Alone" by Miriam Willitz

Keep visiting The Electric Gospel and sharing with others what you see here!

The Master Teacher Makes a Promise … and an Accommodation

by Katherine Christensen

Among being thankful and relieved, a human Noah likely had disembarked the ark overwhelmed, malnourished, and depressed. Like a good teacher knows the attention spans of his students, God knew the hearts of the eight humans stepping off the ark. They could wander as easily as the hearts that had stopped beating in the flood water.

God calmed their fears by promising he would never again destroy the world in a flood (Genesis 9:14-16). God, the Master Teacher, gave his Word to a group that was processing their desolate new world. To accommodate their overwhelmed minds, he gave his Word along with a visible sign of his promise: the rainbow. The promise attached to the rainbow still hangs in the clouds today.

Noah wasn’t the only who needed signs to remind him of God’s promises. The apostle Peter told us, “God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also” (1 Peter 3:20-21).

God, the Master Teacher, knows we get distracted in church. He sees our Google calendars fill up--even on Sunday mornings. His watchful eye is on us when our attention zings away from our open Bibles.

However, our Master Teacher has graciously accommodated our learning deficits, like he had with Noah. He provides his "visible Word" for our senses. He not only tells us our sin and guilt are washed away. In baptism, he has us see and feel a substance we use everyday--water.

We aren't simply told Christ's body and blood were given for us (Matthew 26:26-28). We see, feel and taste the promise of eternal life when we are nourished by the body and blood in, with, and under the bread and wine in the Lord's Supper.

Finally, mankind got to see God's promises fulfilled in Jesus, the Word made flesh with the same five senses we have. Because he died and rose for us, putting our fingers on his nail marks and wounded side is a hands-on lesson we can look forward to in heaven.

Letter to a pregnant teen

by Maggie Schmudlach

In my current Bible course, we are working through Spirit-inspired letters to churches and individuals -- the epistles of the New Testament.  I ask students to write spiritual letters of their own, usually thinking of a particular individual or sample individual as the intended audience.  Maggie wrote the caring letter below with a pregnant teenager in mind, a girl who is not married and has plans to graduate high school and go to college.  The girl does not want anyone to find out about the pregnancy, and because she is afraid it will wreck her plans for the future, she is thinking about aborting her baby.  At the same time, she has a strong Christian background and knows the Bible well.

Here is the letter Maggie writes ...

Dear sister in Christ,

              I am very sorry to hear about the struggles you are facing at this time in your life. Although it may not seem clear to you right now, God has a plan for you and your baby. We are assured of this by our loving Lord: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

              We know from Scripture that life starts at conception. We confess to God, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13,14).  The world looks at a baby in the womb as just another part of the mother’s body and believes she has the right to choose what do with it. They do not see the unborn child as a human life until the baby is further developed. Abortion is seen as an easy way out for women who don’t want a baby or feel they are not ready. Since abortion ends a pregnancy, it also ends a life. The 5th Commandment tells us that murder is a sin. Life is an amazing gift from God. He loves your child and already has a plan for him/her.

              I know you are ashamed of the whole affair, since you are thinking about ending the pregnancy. But, instead of trying to hide a mistake by committing an even more tragic action, you can turn to God and the love of your Christian friends. God is forgiving. Paul's words in Ephesians 4:3-5 provide a great reminder of God's love for us, even when we sin. The Word says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” So, repent of your sin; God, in his forgiveness, is waiting with open arms.

              Starting a conversation with your family and friends about this situation may seem scary, but pray to God for strength. He will help you. It will be difficult, and you might get the feeling that you are alone. So, if you would like me to go with you when you talk with your family, I would be happy to be there for you and offer my support. But, also remember that Jesus never leaves your side. He promises, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

              With everything that is going on in your life right now (graduation, college, this situation), no doubt you have been tempted to be stressed and worried about the coming days, weeks, and months. However, Jesus tells us that we do not have to worry about the future because he will take care of us. He says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they” (Matthew 6:25-26)?

              Always remember that Jesus holds you safe today and will continue to hold you safe tomorrow. You can rest peacefully in the comfort that Jesus is the ultimate friend who loves you unconditionally and will never leave your side.

In Christ,

Maggie