Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/4/2021

2 Peter 2: 1-3

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

These past few days, I’ve been contemplating how the birth and teachings of Jesus have been distorted in the ages since Jesus came to earth. We sing cherished carols about no room at the inn and a baby who doesn’t cry. We have manger scenes with wise men and camels around the manger. So much of what we cherish at Christmas cannot possibly be true. One of my favorite recent Christmas songs is “It Was Not a Silent Night” and for anyone who has given birth or been present at a birthing, the song is so relevant. No doubt, Mary was not silent as she struggled with birthing pains, nor was Jesus a baby who never cried. The wise men were not present with the shepherds either.

Likewise, it seems that the good news message has become so twisted that it’s easy to see why non-believers would turn away from the God we love. The scripture above seems to come to life before our eyes, as we see religious leaders espousing a message that surely must make God angry. The perversion of the Gospel message rings so similar to the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, that I can’t help but think that we may be on the threshold of a new day. Our communion ritual includes the phrase “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again". Perhaps this is the time we have been waiting for. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Prayer for Reflection

Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Ephesians 3:1-12
Matthew 2:1-12