Advent Devotionals for Youth

Be It Done to Me—A Devotional for Advent

Luke 1:  28, 38   “Gabriel went to her and said, ‘Greetings you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!’. . . ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered.  ‘May it be to me as You have said.’”

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Twice in the fairly recent past, I drove the flyover from the toll portion of Mopac to Toll Road 45 (and the opposite direction) in very thick fog.  I really couldn’t see very far in front of me, and when you’re that high, it’s quite spooky—it feels like you’re driving off into space.  But I trusted that the road was still there and that “slow and steady” would get me over the flyover.  Both times it reminded me to the faith we put in God:  that, even though we can’t see our future, we trust that the road is still there and that slow and steady will get us through.  Then, I got to thinking about Mary and Joseph and the fear they must have felt—as teenagers, engaged to be married, then Mary turns up pregnant, Joseph knows the baby isn’t his. . . it’s the recipe for possible disaster, but, even though they can’t see the future, they trust in God, and move forward with His plan.  They were even joyful. 

The “annunciation” to Mary that she would be the Christ-bearer was accompanied by an assurance of grace and an encouragement to not be afraid.  These contrasting words from Gabriel foreshadowed the journey of joy and the path of pain that were ahead for this “favored one.”

The joy led to the great joy that we see in Mary’s Magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord. . . my spirit rejoices. . . for the Mighty One has done great things for me.”  (Luke 1:  46-49).  Mary, through her adolescent eyes, glimpsed the glory that was to be birthed through her—Jesus, who would save his people from their sins.

The “fear not” gave Mary fair warning of the insults, difficulties, poverty and pain that would surround the birth of Jesus.  Mary saw clearly the sacrifices that were ahead for her as an unwed mother.

Mary’s “be it done to me” revealed a heart of surrender to both the joy and the pain of being the Christ-bearer.

When we read that Christ is being formed in believers and that He is in us we discover that what happened to Mary physically happens to the believer spiritually.

Ponder these things in your heart:  What great things has the Mighty God done for you?  What joys do you experience because you are a Christ-bearer—having Christ in you?  What sacrifices or hardships have you faced because you are a Christ-bearer?

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Prayer:
Dear God, this advent let us say, with Mary, “Be it done to me according to your word,” knowing that being a Christ-bearer might involve pain in addition to joy.  May Jesus be born anew in us this Advent.  Bless [the church] Youth as we work and grow together in Your love, doing work for Your people, trusting that the road will be there.  Amen.  

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Relinquish the Wheel—A Devotional for Advent

In John 11, Christ speaks to Martha and asks her a question:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

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            There’s a company that makes T-shirts with spiritual themes. One of them shows an airplane being flown by a frantic pilot. The shirt says “If God is your co-pilot, switch seats.”  That’s a statement that’s simple, but sort of sums up our struggle. We often talk about how faith is hard. But I believe a certain amount of faith is really not difficult at all. It’s easy: just like this: “God, you keep an eye on the horizon and the dials and gauges while I fly the plane. But You be ready in case a storm comes up or we lose an engine or the wing falls off, because then I’m gonna need You to save the day. Of course, when we have blue skies, I’ll just take over again.”
            That’s not hard. J What’s hard is to relinquish the wheel. At the Annunciation, Mary gives us the blueprint for a different kind of faith – the hard kind.  I’m sure Mary may have had many ideas and expectations about what her life would be like. We all do. We knew she was expecting to marry Joseph. And then this angel shows up with a message from God that lays out a whole different plan for her future.  To say that this was going to complicate her life is putting it lightly. While Scripture talked a lot about the coming of the Messiah, it didn’t include instructions for being the Messiah’s Mom.
            Mary is the ultimate example of a life yielded to God’s purpose. Mary puts God in the driver’s seat. But it’s one thing to see that kind of faith in a Biblical figure who lived 2,000 years ago. It’s another thing to live out that faith today, and walk in submission to God.  How do we do it? The answer begins in Mary’s story, which begins an act of grace that has the power to transform our lives. We need to remember that Jesus didn’t come just to accept the shepherds’ worship or the wise men’s gifts. We need to see the cross as well as the manger.
            In John 11, Christ sums up the issue as he speaks to Martha and asks her a question:
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
            We all want to surrender our lives, to “let go and let God,” to turn over the wheel. It is in answering Christ’s question that we find the confidence to do this. Some folks resist this question; there are any number of reasons why. But no one yet has made an effective argument that eternal life is a bad idea.
            To really let go of something, you need to grab hold of something else. And to help us let go of the worries of our world, God has given us the ultimate “something else.”
            There are times when we wonder whether we matter to God, whether he really knows who we are, or cares. God responds to our doubt and our feelings of inadequacy by saying this: “Come live with Me at My house. I have prepared a place for you! It’s a great house, too. And I’m not talking about a two-week lease – it’s forever! And, not only that, you can invite all your friends, too!”
            “I am the resurrection and the life. . . Do you believe this?”  Believe it. Switch seats. Follow Mary’s example, and make God the pilot of your life. Let go of the wheel, and grab hold of Christmas with all your strength.

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Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your only Son and the gift of your grace.  Help us to follow Mary and let YOU lead our lives.  I am confident that we will be pleased by the sights we’ll see when you’re in the pilot’s seat.  In your Son’s name we pray.  Amen.