Our theme for the Grace for All Advent devotions is Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. For me, the most elusive of these is peace. Human beings are human beings; even the most Christlike among us experience jealousy, envy, greed, anger, even rage, based on the actions of others and the events taking place around us. Life is not always fair, and we naturally allow unfairness or mistreatment to steal our peace, among family members, friends, neighbors, and most especially within us.

I am at a place in life where peace is what I crave most. I have always disliked conflict. I am by nature a peacemaker, not a fighter. Still the many things over which I have no control upset me. How can I achieve peace within when there is so much wrong in our world?

I think I know the answer, but it still is not easy to do.

First, I have to acknowledge that God is in control, and I am not. That is super hard for a first born daughter! I ran the show for my younger sister and two younger brothers when assigned their care if our parents were away briefly or busy doing something they didn’t want interrupted. And I relished the role of being the boss! I knew best for all of us, at least in my mind.

As an adult, that simply is not true. There are so many times, I have no idea of the best decision to make or path to take. When that happens I rely on the counsel of friends and family, and most of all, God’s direction sought through prayer and meditation. Often the path that opens to me seems contrary to what I want, but God is always there and always faithful.

Second, I know that I have a responsibility to participate in society and speak up against injustice and cruelty, but I cannot change the thoughts and actions of others alone. I have to be patient and allow God to act, but I can continue to help others and “do good” in accordance with our church’s missions. I can also pray, always pray.

Finally, I can continue to strive to strengthen my personal relationship with Jesus, studying, praying, meditating, both alone and in groups. A stronger faith enables me to keep things in perspective, let go of the things I should not spend time and energy on, and rely on God to direct my path.

All of these actions require giving up control. I am not in charge, nor am I meant to be. I am meant to worship and serve God in the ways He wants. Perhaps when I achieve this level of selflessness, the ways of the world will no longer steal my peace. I pray it may be so.

Dear God, You know the level of turmoil your children are experiencing in the world today. I know this is not how you intend for us to live. Please guide us as we seek peace in our homes, in our families, in our communities, and in our world. Only through You can we quiet the noise and ignore the distractions that separate us from You. May we find the peace of God in this Advent season and always. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Pat Scruggs.

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...

Luke 1:46-47 (NIV)

Over two thousand years ago, the young virgin, Mary, was visited by the Angel Gabriel, who was sent specifically to her in Nazareth. She was greatly troubled – perhaps even terrified – at the sight of such an unexpected visitor! He greeted her with words that confused and troubled her. But he calmly spoke and said, “Do not be afraid.” Then he gave her the astonishing news that she would be pregnant and birth a Son, whom she would name Jesus! He said, “This child will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High! And His Kingdom will never end!”

Astonished, she questioned the angel as to how such a thing could be possible, as she was a virgin. He explained how the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Most High would overshadow her, so the Holy One born of her would be the Son of God. The young Mary must have been overwhelmed by the surreal visitor and his unexpected words; but she believed the message and said to the Angel, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.” The Angel left her.

A short time after this astonishing event, Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who had been barren all her life. The Angel Gabriel had also told Mary that her once barren cousin would also conceive and bear a son. Thus, the visit.

When Mary arrived at Elizabeth’s door and knocked. When Elizabeth opened the door she felt the baby in her womb leap, as if in recognition! Elizabeth exclaimed in a loud voice – “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” At this greeting, Mary replied: “My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…”

As we think about this story of how the mother of Jesus and the mother of John the Baptist were used by God for great things, let us ponder our place in the world and seek God’s will in our own lives. Let us ask ourselves, “What does God require of me? What does God want to birth in my life? What miracles of faith does God wish me to accomplish? As a Christian, a Christ Follower, what is my assignment in God’s plan for the world? Am I listening to the messengers God sends to my door, to my ears, to my eyes? Am I hearing the call to do good, to provide for the needy, to help out the homeless, to be more generous in my giving – especially in this time of great need for those around me? Am I, like Mary, saying YES and proclaiming “My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Will I do the great things God has asked me to do today?

During this Christmas Season, as we celebrate the birthday of Mary’s child – The Son of God – our Savior, Jesus Christ, let’s remember to be more aware of messages that suddenly come to us. We just may be entertaining angels unaware!

Dear God, Thank you for giving us your Son, Jesus! Thank you for giving us the opportunities to grow in his loving likeness and to hear the cry of the hungry, the lonely, the hopeless, and the helpless. Help us to give generously during this season and not be selfish in our spending. Help us to think of the hungry, the lonely, the needy and to celebrate Christmas with them, by opening our hearts and our pockets! Make us proud to say like Mary – My soul praises the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!” In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

This devotion was written and read by Bernice Howard.

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,...

Thank you for joining us for today's Grace for All podcast.

On Saturdays, we pause for a few moments to look back on our week and to review the scriptures that we have used in our podcast.

We encourage you, after listening to this episode, to go back and listen to the episodes you missed, or to review the ones that were particularly meaningful for you.

We trust that the thoughts that we have shared with you this week have provided a full portion of the joy, peace, and love of Jesus Christ.

Now, listen to this week's scriptures.

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/.