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A Revisited Devotional from December 12, 1998.
Luke 2:10-11 – 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." (NIV)
Prayer: Lord, I thought we were supposed to pray and reflect about hope, love, joy, and peace this Christmas. Lord, help! For this year, I have sat by the terminally ill, and I did not see hope. Lord, I sat with the bereaved and mourning, and I did not see any joy. Lord, I read the headlines, and I don't see any peace. Worst of all, Lord, I look around at this uncaring, rush-rush, money-mad world, and I see so little love. Where are You, Lord?
Lord, maybe what I need this Christmas is a new pair of spiritual eyeglasses, ones that would let me see the hope and trust those ill people had in You, so even if they have died, as we on earth call it, we know they are alive forever in You. Maybe those glasses would let me see the loved ones of those who mourn, and see they are not in some box with handles, but are running, leaping, and dancing with You. Those glasses might let me hear better, too. I might hear You say "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9 NIV) Then, I would see that any tiny effort toward peace is better than no effort at all. Perhaps those glasses might help me see that there is a little love bestowed in even a kind word, or a coin for some homeless person. For You did say that if someone gave even a drink of water, they would receive a reward. (Mark 9:41)
I guess, Lord, there is Christmas wonder all around us. Is it, "if only we had eyes to see it", or is it, "if only we took time to look"? This season, Lord, give us all childlike eyes so we may see the wonder, love, and joy again. Amen.
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Thanks Bruce, blessings.
Thank you ever so much for this exceptional devotional.
Wonderful devotional and very encouraging. Thank you, Bruce.
Attending the Messiah we can rejoice, suffer, grieve, and rejoice. Hallelujah.
AMEN, Bruce, and thank you.
(Texas)
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us again today. To God be the glory! Blessings.
Very thoughtful message, where do we feel the Christmas message in the midst of such constant turmoil? Good answer.
This I shall save.
Thanks for sharing.
God Bless,
(Ontario)
Good Morning Bruce,
Nice to see your devotional ….again….truer now more than ever.
May the Peace of Christmas be with you and your loved ones.
Oh Bruce, this so much my prayer also. In fact I am having trouble seeing as I am writing because of tears filling my eyes!!!! We need to see Jesus instead of the situation, He is right there!!!!!!
God bless you and your family.
Good morning, Bruce,
I think that there are many times, I felt like this and then at other times, I believed that all God’s promises will be fulfilled. Thank you for your honest sharing because it helps us to reflect and mature in our faith. I love your idea of spiritual glasses. Blessings.
Thank you for writing this devotional.
As I read there were two thoughts that came to me.
1. not just a Christmas prayer but a prayer for everyday.
2. not just glasses but in my mind’s eye.
Blessings to you and yours.
Thank you, Bruce, for this very mindful devotional. Your words, although written some years ago, still hold much meaning today. Yes, we can easily get distracted with a big event, but it is important that we stay focused on being kind and caring about those around us and show the love and peace like Jesus would do. Blessings for having prepared and shared this writing.
I needed to read this devotional and your words. We live in such a broken and hurting world.
We can find and bring joy to people. We just need to open our eyes and look around.
It takes so little to smile or hug a lost soul.
I hope this makes sense.
Enjoy this Advent Season.
Peace be with you.
Dear Bruce:
Thank you for your inspiring words.
Yes, they are running, leaping and dancing, for at His right hand there is plenty of joy, and pleasures for evermore…(Psalm 16:11)
And those who cared for them here shall certainly have their reward…
And peace will be achieved; we belong to the Prince of Peace.
Many blessings.
Bruce,
I enjoyed your devotion!
It seemed to me that there was a plea to see some hope, peace, joy, and love in this Advent Season.
And so, I invite you to join us to see Christ in others.
Blessings.
What a beautiful new way to look at Christmas.
Bruce, thank you for a lovely way to think about the Christmas season, bringing to mind there is hope despite the sadness, simply because of Jesus. I pray for all who are dealing with terminal illness and for those who have massive hopelessness in their lives. May the hope, warmth, and love of the season break into their lives and bring them a reprieve from the heaviness of their situations and bring a light into their lives, bringing a Peace beyond their understanding.
Thank you for your message of hope.
God bless you and Merry Christmas.
(ON Canada)
Thank you!
Thank you, Bruce. May we all have those childlike eyes.
Greetings,
This devotional really resonated with/for me.
It gave me pause.
I hope it does for you as well.
Greetings,
Your devotional was just what I needed.
It was unique to have the whole offering was all prayer.
It gave me pause to see God’s wonder and hope.
Christmas is usually a down time for me. This has been a good one so far. I actually put up my Christmas tree. Quite an accomplishment for me.
There is Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love!
Waiting for me this year.
Thanks Bruce. Challenging!
Merry Christmas.