Day 5/December 29 Devotion

Reflection by Miriam Hanson, Pastoral Intern at Faith Lutheran Church in Arlington, VA

The holidays often bring excitement, lots of activities, and many places to be. This year, much of that usual hustle and bustle has been different as fewer trips were planned and more gatherings took place over Zoom. And yet, a different kind of harried energy has surrounded us this season: our minds busy configuring pandemic holiday logistics, a flurry of online Christmas shopping, perhaps the pressure to try to make Christmas feel “normal.” In these days following Christmas, may your busy mind begin to slow down, to rest, to take a moment to reflect on the heart of this season. The Christ-child does not need a flurry of activity, but desires only your presence. Today, be still. Know that Immanuel dwells with you here, offering rest for weary souls.

Psalm 131: 1-3

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
    my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
    like a weaned child with its mother;
    my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. 
O Israel, hope in the Lord
    from this time on and forevermore.

Questions to Ponder

1. What is the noise going on inside you today?
2. What kind of “things too great and marvelous” have you been chasing?
3. Imagine God like a parent: How does sitting in God’s lap bring peace and calm?

Silence for Reflection

Prayer

God of true peace, calm our unruly souls. Help us to quiet our desires, fears, opinions, anxieties, agendas, and irritabilities. Tune our hearts instead to your peace, which meets all our needs, feeds our souls, and renews us each day. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.