God loves you. Go in peace and share his love with the world.
(Advent Church Blessing)

We began to use this blessing at Advent as a way of connecting our worship with our mission. As we leave worship we are sent to carry out our mission to share God’s love with the world. As you walked out the center aisle you also were reminded to “Attempt Great Things for God” on the sign in the ceiling of the narthex. Both drive home the point that worship is not the destination but the beginning of a believer’s journey. Worship is not  only a hospital for wounded sinners, it is a pit stop for those who are running the race of discipleship. Going to church is not your weekly duty, it is the way that you get filled up for the duty of loving the world all week long.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

(John 14:27)

I’m not going to lie that sometimes I fear for us all. I’ve been in the ministry long enough to know that “bad things happen to good people.” For that hour or so that we are together, it feels like a safe harbor, a cocoon, and sometimes a mountain top. But as the worship service comes to a conclusion there is one word that we cannot ignore: Go! A ship was not built for the harbor, to become a butterfly a cocoon must be left behind, and God’s people can’t build booths on any mountaintops. Jesus said these words to his disciples because soon he would be going and they must go on without him. He knew they would face many trials. But he did not send them away empty-handed. He sent them with his peace.

When we are told to “go in peace” at the end of a service we leave in the blessing and power of his peace. His peace can allow you to face your fears with courage. His peace can enable you to address your challenges with wisdom and strength. His peace cleanses you of sin and guilt and shame so that you are free to seek truth and life. His peace is a cloak of love over you that shields you from the cold cruelness of the world. On the police show, Hill Street Blues, after each shift briefing, the sergeant would send them out with the words, “Let’s be careful out there.” Jesus sends us out with the words, “Go in my peace and do not be afraid.”

Pastor Andy

So that the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

May the Lord will keep you from all harm—
 May He will watch over your life;

May the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

(From Psalm 121:5-8)

I do not know exactly how many times I have shared these words standing next to a hospital bed as life is slipping away from one of God’s saints. I am not sure how many times they have been comforted by it or even how many times they could still hear my voice. But I do know that they have been my “go to” choice as I had the honor of ministering to people in their last days and hours. From the first time I shared them as a nervous 26 year-old pastoral intern to just a few weeks ago, I have been grateful that I did not need to find my own words to say but could echo those of the psalmist 3,000 years ago.

God is watching over us-we are told he “neither slumbers nor sleeps.” When its 2 AM and the hospice nurse has made her last check, he takes over the watch. When we feel painfully, hopelessly alone, he is on duty. There is not one moment of our lives, the good, the bad or the ugly that he does not lovingly monitor. The old hymn says ‘his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you; 
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen

( Aaron’s Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26)

I have been blessed to serve as a pastor for 36 years. That means I led worship on approximately 1,728 Sundays. By my estimate, I have delivered the benediction over 3,133 times at the end of the service. As I make my final contribution to these weekly devotions, I thought I would reflect on the words of our beloved final blessings. It has certainly been a privilege to bless you with these words for the past 20 years and I know you have blessed me so many times in return.

This blessing is called the Aaronic Blessing because it is delivered over the Hebrew people by Moses’ brother, Aaron. As he offers these words, the people are acutely aware of how God has blessed, kept, and been gracious to them. Their cries from bondage in Egypt had been heard. God answered by setting them free from slavery. He had cared for them in the desert and given them the commandments to guide them. They had prospered and they had been given the promise of a land that would be “flowing with milk and honey.” Aaron blesses them with the hope that what God has done in the past he will do in the future.

So we come to our last day for the Empty Vessel: The Power of Dependence, and I hope you have been blessed and found your source of filling. Let’s get into the Overflow! 

From Emptiness to Overflow

2 Kings 4:7“She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.’”

We see from the widow’s actions and her obedience in faith to God’s direction she was able to receive a blessing that even her own jars couldn’t contain. God continued to fill the jars of her neighbors and everything and anything she could find for Him to fill. In this provision she was rescued from her trial of losing her sons and even given sustenance to live on. God’s provision not only rescued the widow but sustained her. He doesn’t just fill us to survive; He fills us to thrive. When we come to him our emptiness, when surrendered, can become the source of someone else’s blessing. Let’s pray together, God, thank You that You are not a God of scarcity but of abundance.

Teach me to live in overflow—not for myself, but to bless others, in Jesus name, amen.

Take away

How can you be a vessel that overflows into the life of someone else today?

Remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will

The Oil Flows Until the Jars Stop

2 Kings 4:5-6 “When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ‘Bring me another one.’ But he replied, ‘There is not a jar left.’ Then the oil stopped flowing.”

So the widow listened to Elisha in faith and got all the jars in her house and went to her neighbors as well and collected as many as she could. She did as the prophet instructed her!  She obeyed and God came through. Think about this, the miracle was limited only by the number of empty jars. What jars are you keeping God from filling? The oil—God’s provision—stopped not because He ran out, but because the space was full. God wants to fill every area we open to Him.

Let’s pray together,  Fill me, God. I offer my worries, wounds, and weaknesses to You. Pour into me until I overflow with Your Spirit and grace, in Jesus name, amen.

Take away 
Think about an area of your life that feels “empty.” Invite God to fill it and journal your thoughts.

Hey Advent Family,

We continue today with this weeks devotional series, I pray you have been enjoying it and growing in your dependence on Jesus!

Make Room for the Miracle

2 Kings 4:3-“‘Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few…’”

God’s provision often matches the space we create for it. The widow had to act in faith, collecting empty jars—not knowing how or when the oil would flow. Faith prepares in advance for what only God can do. What areas in your life do you need to move or act in faith believing that God will meet you and supply your needs. Let’s pray together and ask him to help us step out in faith, Dear Lord, give me the faith to make room in my heart, schedule, and life for You to move. Help me prepare expectantly, even when I don’t know how You’ll come through. I’m Jesus name, amen.

Today’s Take Away

Where in your life do you need to make space for God—physically, emotionally, or spiritually?

Don’t forget Jesus loves you and so do I

Pastor Will 

We continue our Devotion from this week’s message Empty Vessel: The Power of Dependence, from 2 Kings 4:1-7. 

God Starts with What You Have

2 Kings 4:2 – “Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’”

It’s easy to focus on what we lack, but God begins with what we do have—even if it seems insignificant. That little jar of oil became the starting point for a miracle. This reminds me of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:28 – “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,” God has a way of taking what is small, unimportant, even things that are overlooked and sometimes despised to do great things with. Are you in a position like this Widow, where you have reached the end and feel like you are empty. Take an inventory of what you do have, no matter how small it may be or insignificant you think it is, bring it to God and give it to God, let Him fill it/you to overflowing. 

Let’s pray together, Father, show me the gifts, resources, and strengths You’ve already placed in my life. Teach me to trust You with the little I have, knowing You can do much with it. In Jesus name, amen.

Take away

List three “small” things you have (time, talent, connection, resource). How might God use them today?

Always remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will