Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
November 3, 2023
Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary, his mother, was engaged to Joseph before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife because the Holy Spirit conceived the child she carries. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, And they will call him Emmanuel. (Emmanuel means “God with us.”) 24 When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.
Good Morning. Follow the signs!
Signs are filled with interesting information. Some point us in the right direction, while others give us interesting facts. I remember those pre-GPS days when we would rely on signs to help us find our way. A road sign gives explicit information, but we see many other kinds of signs as we travel on our faith journey.
Some of these signs give us concrete information. For example, when you are driving and see many brake lights ahead, you know that you must slow down or stop. Auditory signs even direct us. We hear a siren that tells us to get over long before we see the vehicle.
For generations, people looked for signs to determine the weather. They would watch the clouds and the animal activity to find indicators of approaching changes in weather. Today, we have lots of fancy tools, but those predicting the weather must still rely upon some of those more abstract signs to get the forecast correct.
Jeff Ingvall, a popular comedian, had a part of his routine where he made jokes using the phrase, “Here’s your sign!” In this bit, he highlighted how often we miss or ignore the signs around us. These jokes make us laugh, but how often do we miss or ignore the signs from God? We get so busy that we miss even the obvious signs.
Each time I see a flower bloom or a butterfly flutter its wings, it is a sign from God. These signs are like those notes that mom used to put in your lunchbox saying, “I love you!” or “Have a good day!” Think of the joy we would find if we spent more time looking for God’s signs.
Creator God, We love you! You bless us in so many ways. Each blessing is a gift of love from You to us. Thank you. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Open yourself to see the signs of God’s presence.
Look for God’s signs! Pastor Liz
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