Advent Devotional Dec 5
Week Two:
Creating Shalom means Sharing Love
Monday, December 5, 2022
“A Meditation on Love, inspired by the Ancients” – Read 1 John 4:19-21
We love because he first loved us. (v.19, NIV)
O Lord, your servant St. Basil once said in the 4th century, “I cannot persuade myself that without love to others and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.”
And so I pray: Lord, may I be of the same mind as this saint. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant St. John Climacus once said in the 7th century, “Do not search about for the words to show people that you love them. Instead, ask God to show them your love without your having to talk about it. Otherwise you will never have enough time, enough both for loving gestures and for explanation.”
And so I pray: Lord, may I be known as a Christian because of what I do, and not just what I say. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant Abba Dorotheus once said in the 6th century, “Do not require love from your neighbor, for he who requires it is troubled if he does not encounter it. Rather, .. . . show love toward your neighbor, and in this way bring your neighbor to love.”
And so I pray: Lord, let me share your love with those around me--expecting nothing in return--so that they, too, might be transformed. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant St. John Chrysostom once said in the 4th century, “There is not a single sin which the power of love, like fire, would not destroy. It is easier for feeble brushwood to withstand a powerful flame than for the nature of sin to withstand the power of love. Let us increase this love in our souls in order to stand with all the saints, for they, too, all pleased God well through their love of neighbor.”
And so I pray: Lord, let my life burn with your divine love! Let me love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and let me love my neighbor as myself. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann, Retired Elder
Connections Coordinator, the Heartland District
“A Meditation on Love, inspired by the Ancients” – Read 1 John 4:19-21
We love because he first loved us. (v.19, NIV)
O Lord, your servant St. Basil once said in the 4th century, “I cannot persuade myself that without love to others and without, as far as rests with me, peaceableness towards all, I can be called a worthy servant of Jesus Christ.”
And so I pray: Lord, may I be of the same mind as this saint. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant St. John Climacus once said in the 7th century, “Do not search about for the words to show people that you love them. Instead, ask God to show them your love without your having to talk about it. Otherwise you will never have enough time, enough both for loving gestures and for explanation.”
And so I pray: Lord, may I be known as a Christian because of what I do, and not just what I say. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant Abba Dorotheus once said in the 6th century, “Do not require love from your neighbor, for he who requires it is troubled if he does not encounter it. Rather, .. . . show love toward your neighbor, and in this way bring your neighbor to love.”
And so I pray: Lord, let me share your love with those around me--expecting nothing in return--so that they, too, might be transformed. (Silent reflection)
Lord, your servant St. John Chrysostom once said in the 4th century, “There is not a single sin which the power of love, like fire, would not destroy. It is easier for feeble brushwood to withstand a powerful flame than for the nature of sin to withstand the power of love. Let us increase this love in our souls in order to stand with all the saints, for they, too, all pleased God well through their love of neighbor.”
And so I pray: Lord, let my life burn with your divine love! Let me love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and let me love my neighbor as myself. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Hoffmann, Retired Elder
Connections Coordinator, the Heartland District
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