20 Dec Prepare Him Room (Lk 1:38) by Cliff Nancarrow
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.” ~ Lk 1:38 (full readings)
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Cliff’s Reflections: If you are at all like me, you awoke this morning and thought, “I am SO glad that the calendar has given me one more weekend to complete all of the undone preparations for Christmas!” Another two full days of multi-tasking. Time to wrap gifts, make the airport pick-ups, bake and ice Auntie Thelma’s family recipe sugar cookies without which, well, it just wouldn’t be Christmas. And maybe, just maybe, to get the family Christmas letter written, photos selected, rushed to the FEDEX store for expedited reproduction and postmarked by the 24th (or else it won’t count). As a people, we Americans are programmed, trained and measured continuously by our culture in terms of effort and accomplishment. We are always “on the clock.” We don’t easily “receive”; we “earn.” Undoubtedly, this often serves us well. But a significant element of the Christmas message is instead, to wait. To be patient. To devote less energy to preparing our homes for a holiday and more to preparing our hearts for the life He wants to bestow upon us. (Image by Nellie Edwards: www.immaculataart.com)
* Cliff Nancarrow and his wife, Debi, first trusted Christ as teenagers through the ministry of Young Life in California and Arizona, respectively. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.
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Faith Challenge: Ask the King of Glory not “What do you want me to do?” but “Who do you want me to be?” And, like Mary, submit to His perfect will and respond, “May it be done to me according to Your word.”
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: Saint Dominic of Silos.
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Faith Quote: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” ~ Lk 2:19.
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Through Christ our Lord,
Cliff