Advent 2023

Week 4 - Love

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.  (Luke 2:4-7)

Is there room available in your heart, in your life, for the Christ child?  Have you cleaned and prepared the guest room, with clean sheets and fresh flowers, fluffy towels and soft blankets?

No matter, and never mind.  Whether or not you have made space, whether or not you are expectant and ready, rest assured.  The baby will come.  He will find rest on piles of dirty laundry, empty dishes in the sink, unopened mail on the table.  He will lie, wrapped in rags, in a barn, in a trough where the animals have fed.  He will lie in wait for you.

He will come, not into the beautiful, clean and comfortable places in your life, but right smack dab into the soiled mess.  And in his purity and gentleness, he will transform that mess into something lovely, something right, something redeemed.

He will come. He will make a way. He will find his own room.  He will fill it with grace and then, it will be grace-filled.

This is his way. It always has been.

Just don’t miss him. Pause long enough to make your way to the stable, to see him lying there atop the dirty sheets and towels. Close your eyes for a moment and listen for the angels. Otherwise, you might miss the miracle, just as countless did on that long ago night in Bethlehem.  

Prayer

Sweet Jesus, still our restless spirits and calm our hearts. In all of our anxious preparations, let us not miss the miracle of your love and grace in the here and now. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Greta Smith and read by Leslie Ragland.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.