Jesus Changes Everything!

Deanna Atkinson

Description

Jesus Changes Everything! tells the Christmas and Easter stories through poetry, devotions, and prayers. Let God breathe new life into you through these familiar stories.
(Italicize title, Jesus Changes Everything!)
Sometimes stories as familiar as the Christmas and Easter stories become just that: stories. We have heard them so many times that we don’t really hear them anymore. Through story-poems, most of which are told from the perspectives of those who lived these stories, Jesus Changes Everything invites you to relive these history-changing events.
Be amazed with Mary as she hears Gabriel’s incredible news and accepts God’s plan for her life. Respect Joseph as he reacts to shocking news with honor and obedience. Travel to Bethlehem and witness the birth of a tiny baby in a humble manger. Join the shepherds, the first to visit the Savior and worship the Lord. Marvel with Simeon who recognizes the Messiah as he lovingly holds Him in his arms. Oh, Christmas changed everything!
Then fast-forward to Jesus’ last days on Earth. Travel with Him into Jerusalem and watch Him teach and overturn the Temple tables. Agonize with Him in the garden of Gethsemane; observe Him then as He rises resolutely to meet His captors. Watch, if you can, the injustice of His trials and hear with horror His sentence: crucifixion. Behold His suffering, death, and burial. Then rejoice with His resurrection! Celebrate His victory--our victory--over sin and death. Yes, Easter changed everything.
Once we meet Jesus, our lives will never be the same. He became one of us, loved us, taught us, and redeemed us. Thank God, Jesus Changes Everything!

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Religión
• Devotional
• God
• Devotion
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 28 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665564229
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING!
Devotions for Advent and Lent
DEANNA ATKINSON


AuthorHouse™
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© 2022 Deanna Atkinson. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  07/27/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6421-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-6422-9 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS
Preface
Christmas Changed Everything!
And The Story Begins
Mary’s Visitor
Elizabeth’s Miracle
Reflection
Mary’s Praise
Joseph’s Dilemma
Bethlehem? Really?
Salvation is Born!
Shepherds in the Field
Mary Ponders
Reflection
Simeon’s Temple Visit
Anna Was There, Too
Wise Men From Afar
Reflection
Jesus Changes Me
Easter Changed Everything!
Outrage Over Lazarus
Jesus is Anointed
Ride Into Jerusalem
Trouble in the Temple
Passover Week Teaching
Betrayal
Another Word from the Priests
Humility
The Last Supper
Denial
Agony in the Garden
Arrest
Jewish Trial
Betrayals: The Aftermath
Trial Before Pilate
Flogged
Crucifixion
Buried
Resurrection!
Jesus Changes Me
 
Afterword

Thank you . . .
Sam, for loving and supporting me,
Amy and Lindsey, for believing in me,
Sue, for advising and encouraging me,
God, for using flawed, ordinary people like me to participate in Your Kingdom work.
PREFACE
There are no greater or more significant stories than the stories of Jesus’ birth and of His death and resurrection. They are stories I’ve heard at least annually all my life. I am grateful that I was brought up to know them, but sometimes very familiar stories can seem like just that—“stories.” It is easy to think I know the details and to skim over them, neglecting the reality and importance of the events and the impact that God’s coming to Earth has on our lives.
During Advent of 2020, I read parts of the accounts of Jesus’ birth each day and reflected on the people involved—Mary, Joseph, and many others—and wondered how they felt and what they thought and understood. This study enriched my worship of the newborn King.
The following Lenten Season I did the same thing with the Passion story. Again, the message came alive and I was forced to encounter the horrors of the cross and privileged to take new joy in the victory of the resurrection.
It is my prayer that these devotions will enrich your reflection and worship during the seasons of Advent and Lent. These stories are far more than appealing Christian lore—they are world-changing events that rivet our attention and demand a response.
CHRISTMAS CHANGED EVERYTHING!

AND THE STORY BEGINS
Based on Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38
(Speaker: Narrator)
The story begins with lineages—name after name after name.
It was the line of David through which Baby Jesus came.
All kinds of people are in the lists: Godly and sinful, Gentile and Jew.
He came for the children of Israel, but He included the outsider, too.
Matthew goes back to Abraham; Luke, to Adam, God’s son.
Both accounts give testimony: Jesus is God’s Chosen One.
And so begins the historical account of the birth of Emmanuel.
God came to live among us, His perfect “show and tell!”

What makes this list of ancestors so special? To the Jew it verified that the Messianic line was pure, that Jesus was who He claimed He was. To the Gentile, it showed that the Jewish Jesus had gentile ancestors, an indication that the Gentile as well as the Jew had always been in God’s heart. To women, the inclusion of three females validated them in a male-dominated society that regarded women essentially as property. To the individual, to me, the list of names reminds me that God is a God of names, a personal God. The names of His children are engraved on His palms (Isaiah 49:16); they are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 21:27); He calls us by name (Isaiah 43:1). Yes, God knows each one of us by name.
Thank You, Lord, for leaving Your throne in Heaven and coming to live among us. Thank You for including all kinds of people—Jew and Gentile, pious and prostitute—in your lineage. And thank You for knowing us personally, individually, by name. Thank You that I’m included in Your list of descendants. I pray in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
MARY’S VISITOR
Based on Luke 1:26-38
(Speaker: Mary)
“Greetings, Favored One,” I heard Gabriel say,
            He was right before me—so very near.
“Be not afraid; I have good news.”
            I have to admit—I did feel fear.
He called me highly favored,
            Said the Lord was with me,
But I was really puzzled—
            What kind of greeting could this be?
He bore a message from God:
            I would give birth to a son.
I didn’t understand how this could be—
            I was a virgin and had been with no one.
The Holy Spirit would come upon me
            With the power of the Lord Most High.
I would carry the Son of God!
            How could this be? Such a simple girl as I!
His coming had been prophesied:
            Jesus, Messiah, heir of David’s throne.
Imagine that—God chose me
            To carry and bear His precious Son!
I’m honored and humbled, but nervous, too.
            Things could be dangerous—I’m unwed.
But I will do as the Lord desires,
            “May it be to me as you have said.” (v.38)

When I was thirteen or fourteen, I was preoccupied with friends, school, and daily activities. Granted, Mary’s culture was very different, but it’s amazing to think how young she was when she was approached by an angel who bore life-altering news. This unwed girl would bear God’s Son. She did ask how but raised no objections. She could have protested that she was betrothed to Joseph and this could nullify the engagement. She could have speculated that no one would believe her and that news like that could cost her life. Instead she uttered a simple but profound response: “May it be to me as you have said.”
Lord, You have never sent an angel to tell me anything. But You do speak to me. Make me sensitive to Your quiet voice. And when you nudge me to do something, help me to respond with Mary’s humble simplicity: “May it be to me as You have said.” Amen.
ELIZABETH’S MIRACLE
Based on Luke 1:36; 39-45
(Speaker: Elizabeth)
God is in the business of miracles—ask me, I should know!
Gabriel promised I would bear a child; I’ve been barren for years, but it is so.
And now, here is Mary, pregnant with God’s Baby Boy.
When she came into my presence, my unborn child leapt for joy!
 
“Favored are you, Mary; God is honored that you believe;
Blessed are you among women; what is promised, you will receive.
You will give birth to God’s own child, a plan ordained from the dawn of time,
You His mother, God His Father; the frailty of Earth at one with the sublime.”

Elizabeth had been barren for years, a disgrace in Bible times. I’m not sure that I can even imagine her joy when she became pregnant—a miracle for sure. When Mary came to visit Elizabeth, she didn’t even have to tell Elizabeth her news; she simply greeted her and Elizabeth and her baby boy knew her secret. Elizabeth’s baby boy John, Jesus’ forerunner, leapt for joy in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. She knew that she was in the presence of the mother of her Lord and she blessed Mary. What a sacred moment—two women carrying God’s miracle-babies, each blessing and encouraging the other.
Lord, like Elizabeth, may I be sensitive to Your presence and in awe of Your divinity. Prompt me to be an encourager as Elizabeth was for Mary; may my words and actions uplift others and point them to You. Amen.
Reflection
                        A young girl and a barren matron,
                        Don’t you find it odd?
                        The details of this human drama
                        Bear the fingerprint of God.
 
Yes, Mary and Elizabeth were unlikely heroes,
But they listened to God and were quick to obey.
God uses unlikely people
In a most miraculous way!

Lord, I don’t suspect Mary and Elizabeth thought of themselves as heroes. They simply believed You would do what you said and they were honored to be a part of Your plan. I’m an unlikely hero, too, Lord. Please help me to hear You when You speak, believe what You say, and be quick to follow where You lead. Amen.
MARY’S P