Contributors In the Fullness of Time
Contributors
In the Fullness of Time
Rev. Matthew Brackman Peace Lutheran Church, Texas City, TX
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” - Revelation 22:13
Rev. Eric Brown Trinity Lutheran Church, Herscher, IL Rev. Richard Gizynski Huntington Woods Lutheran Church, Huntington Woods, MI Rev. A. Daniel Guagenti Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Shelbyville, KY Rev. Andy Guagenti Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Bardstown, KY Rev. William G. Sabol Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Winnebago, MN Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Easton, MN Rev. Michael Salemink Executive Director, Lutherans for Life Rev. Ray Salemink Trinity Lutheran Church, Ellettsville, IN Rev. Charles St-Onge Area Facilitator for the Latin American Region, Montreal, Canada Rev. David Tannahill Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY
An Advent Devotional
Cover Art
November 30 - December 4
The image on the cover is an illustration by Lea Marie Ravotti from Signs and Mysteries by Mike Aquilina, published by Our Sunday Visitor. The image is used by permission. The image illustrates a mosaic in the baptistery of Albegna in Liguria, Italy (5th-6th century). The mosaic combines four Greek letters, , , , and . The first two, chi and rho, are the first two letters in the word “Christ.” The second two, alpha and omega, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. All together in a baptistery, they remind us that the Christ who seals us in holy baptism is the Lord of past, present, and future.
In the year of our Lord 2015
Inside This Week Rev. Daniel Guagenti on Mark 1:15 and 13:33 Rev. Charles St-Onge on John 7:1-6 Rev. Raymond Salemink on Luke 4:13 Rev. Andrew V. Guagenti on Hebrews 4:9-10 Rev. David Tannahill on Romans 13:11 Rev. Daniel Guagenti on 2 Chronicles 36:19-21
November 30
Mark 1:15, 13:33
2 Chronicles 36:19-21
December 5
“The time [ , kairos] is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
The ancient Greek word “kairos” ( is often translated “time,” but it means more than this. If I ask all who are reading this to look at the clock, it may be 7:42 AM for one of you and 11:58 PM for another. On the other hand, whatever the clock may say, this may be your devotion time, a time you have appointed for prayer and meditation. And after years of devotion, you may know you need to start or end your day this way. “Kairos” means an appointed or proper time. When an ancient writer used “kairos,” he meant it was the right time for something significant. Mark bookends Jesus’ teaching with simple claims about the time. Jesus begins His ministry by saying, “The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15). As He is about to be arrested and is giving last directions regarding His return, He says, “You do not know when the time (kairos) will come” (Mark 13:33). The time of the Messiah was known because the last prophet was given to foretell it (Mark 1:7-8). Jesus knew this time because it was marked for Him in His baptism (Mark 1:911). But the last time is given to no one to know except the Father (Mark 13:32). So what time is it now? The writer of Hebrews answers this question just as Mark’s structure indicates. As long as Jesus’ Gospel is proclaimed, it is the time of mercy (Heb 3:1215). “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps 5:7-8). Today is the appointed time for mercy. Just as Jesus heard this in His baptism, so you heard it in your baptism, renewing that pattern of new life in daily devotions.
Parents use various punishments to discipline their children. The “time out” punishment sends a naughty child to a corner to sit in exile, to think about what he has done. Ideally, this punishment disrupts bad behavior and also gives the child space to calm down. Perhaps the Babylonian Exile was the original “time out”? The Old Testament speaks of the exile as the Promised Land being given a Sabbath, a rest for seventy years. The land the Lord called holy had struggled under the feet of so many willing to trample the widow and the orphan. So the Lord who loves the widow and the orphan gave His land a rest. His people were sent out, given time to consider what they had done. More than that, at the end of this Sabbath, they were given a chance to begin again. We know that all the history of God’s people and land foreshadow the story of the Christ (John 5:39). Just as judgment against God’s people was followed by rest and then return and restoration, so God’s Son took our judgment, rested on the Sabbath, and rose on Sunday, the first day of the new week, bringing us restoration and a return to our Father in heaven. The beginning of the exile to Babylon must have seemed to many to be the final defeat. By God’s grace, it was not. In the same way, death seems to many to be a final defeat. Thankfully, Jesus shows us how God’s love overcomes even death, restoring us to Him forever.
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me ears to hear Your voice today. Give me a full measure of Your Spirit to live in this time of mercy, forgiving as You forgive me. Amen.
Lord Almighty, keep us from sinful ways and give us wisdom to see when a “time out” may be an opportunity for restoration to You and Your people around us. Amen.
December 4
Romans 13:11
John 7:1-6
December 1
You know the time [ , kairon], that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
Jesus said to them, “My time [ has not yet come, but your time [ always here.”
Do you know how many days are left until Christmas? Even children may not know the exact number, but that doesn’t stop them from yearning with ever greater anticipation each morning. The reality is that Christmas is nearer today than it was yesterday. Perhaps you’re not counting down the days to Christmas this year. The spring in your step may be gone if you have lost someone you loved. You may not feel like celebrating. It’s difficult to hear the festive sounds over the somber silence at the graveside of a loved one. This year, look past the mirth and merriment to the manger. We celebrate this birth because Jesus came to bring life where there was once only sorrow and death. He did this by being born, living a perfect life in our place and giving His life for you and me and our loved ones. This Baby in the manger came to suffer and die for us on a cross. He did that so that He could conquer sin, swallow up death, and walk out of the tomb alive on Easter morning. Now stands before us the joyous day when we will see Him and rejoice in the blessed reunion at the resurrection with our loved ones who have died in faith. You do have a wonderful reason to celebrate. The bounce will return to your step when you visit the graveside of your loved one. We’re closer now to the day when we will soon see them again. As God’s children, we don’t know the exact number of days between this moment and the resurrection, but that doesn’t stop our hearts from yearning with ever greater anticipation that each new day brings.
Have you ever found it hard to get work done because of the distractions all around? Maybe your co-workers are too loud. Maybe the phone is ringing off the hook. Maybe the kids keep interrupting, or the emails keep coming, or the texts keep beeping. No matter how hard you try, you simply can’t find the free time to do what needs to be done. Jesus had a distraction greater than any we normally face. A growing group of people were threatening to take His life. Of course Jesus knew full well that the end of His ministry would be death. But it could only happen once, and it had to happen at just the right time. Murderers can repeat their evil acts over and over again unless they’re stopped. But you are only a murder victim once. Timing was important. “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” The evil and wickedness of the world and our own hearts fills the calendar, constantly seeking to distract from the goodness of God. They’re distracting, mundane, regular, and boring. You don’t schedule sin and unbelief anymore than you schedule waking up or going to bed. But goodness and forgiveness and salvation come at special times. When Jesus decides the time is right to work, nothing can distract him. His actions always cut through the beeps and tweets and ringtones of life, announcing that God has come to save us. God is mercy and forgiveness, and God will come to His people to deliver us at just the right time.
Heavenly Father, thank You that “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Amen.
, kairos] , kairos] is
Lord of time, heal our unbelief that believes every time is right, and grant us to have faith in the rightness of Your time of salvation. Amen.
December 2
Luke 4:13
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time [ , kairou] Is it really ever an “opportune time” for temptation? Temptation always come at the worst possible time, doesn’t it? It comes when we are distracted or lulled into a false sense of security or vulnerable, which is pretty much all the time. The devil's timing is impeccably bad for us. The devil thought Good Friday was the opportune time, but little did he realize that the Lord’s timing is impeccably perfect. Jesus was born at just the right time in history, in just the right place. At the divinely appointed hours, Jesus bled and died on the cross. On the most opportune of mornings, Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sat down at God's right hand. At no other time could God's plan of salvation have worked out as perfectly as it did. This the Bible tells us is so (Gal 4:4). At the opportune time, according to God’s perfect will, He acts in our lives, bringing good from bad, using and manipulating Satan’s impeccably bad timing for our good and His glory. We see with hindsight that God’s timing has been perfect in every way, on every day, even when things seemed totally out of control. At the opportune time, God will receive us into His kingdom to live eternally with Him. At just the right moment, Jesus will return in glory and we shall rise in triumph from the grave. By faith, we trust that God's timing is perfectly timed.
Lord God, all praise to You for keeping all things under Your control, especially our lives. Give us the eyes of faith to see and the heart to trust that Your ways are always best. Amen.
Hebrews 4:9-10
December 3
There remains a Sabbath [ ]הַ שַ ָּ֖֜בתrest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. When God created at the beginning of time, not only did He create the physical and spiritual world, but He also created time itself in days, weeks, seasons and years. “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation” (Gen 2:3). This became one of the Ten Commandants. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exod 20:8-10a). The Sabbath rest was more than just take the day off and think about God. The Sabbath was integrated into life and culture. People brought their offerings for sin, received temporary forgiveness, rested from work, and then began the process again. The people had to work at keeping the Sabbath rest. But in Christ we have received a Sabbath rest now. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His” (Heb 4:9-10). We do not need to work for our salvation. Jesus did all the work of salvation on the cross and then He rested from that work and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Thus we have by faith received that rest. The Sabbath rest also points us to the final rest from our physical labor when we enter into heaven. It points to the time of recreation, when we will be made like Him and enter into eternity. The fullness of time and time itself will be complete in that day.
Lord Jesus, who has passed through the heavens, help us in our time of need to receive mercy and find grace. Amen.
In the Fullness of Time
Rev. Matthew Brackman Peace Lutheran Church, Texas City, TX
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” - Revelation 22:13
Rev. Eric Brown Trinity Lutheran Church, Herscher, IL Rev. Richard Gizynski Huntington Woods Lutheran Church, Huntington Woods, MI Rev. A. Daniel Guagenti Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Shelbyville, KY Rev. Andy Guagenti Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Bardstown, KY Rev. William G. Sabol Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Winnebago, MN Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Easton, MN Rev. Michael Salemink Executive Director, Lutherans for Life Rev. Ray Salemink Trinity Lutheran Church, Ellettsville, IN Rev. Charles St-Onge Area Facilitator for the Latin American Region, Montreal, Canada Rev. David Tannahill Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY
An Advent Devotional
Cover Art
November 30 - December 4
The image on the cover is an illustration by Lea Marie Ravotti from Signs and Mysteries by Mike Aquilina, published by Our Sunday Visitor. The image is used by permission. The image illustrates a mosaic in the baptistery of Albegna in Liguria, Italy (5th-6th century). The mosaic combines four Greek letters, , , , and . The first two, chi and rho, are the first two letters in the word “Christ.” The second two, alpha and omega, are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. All together in a baptistery, they remind us that the Christ who seals us in holy baptism is the Lord of past, present, and future.
In the year of our Lord 2015
Inside This Week Rev. Daniel Guagenti on Mark 1:15 and 13:33 Rev. Charles St-Onge on John 7:1-6 Rev. Raymond Salemink on Luke 4:13 Rev. Andrew V. Guagenti on Hebrews 4:9-10 Rev. David Tannahill on Romans 13:11 Rev. Daniel Guagenti on 2 Chronicles 36:19-21
November 30
Mark 1:15, 13:33
2 Chronicles 36:19-21
December 5
“The time [ , kairos] is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
The ancient Greek word “kairos” ( is often translated “time,” but it means more than this. If I ask all who are reading this to look at the clock, it may be 7:42 AM for one of you and 11:58 PM for another. On the other hand, whatever the clock may say, this may be your devotion time, a time you have appointed for prayer and meditation. And after years of devotion, you may know you need to start or end your day this way. “Kairos” means an appointed or proper time. When an ancient writer used “kairos,” he meant it was the right time for something significant. Mark bookends Jesus’ teaching with simple claims about the time. Jesus begins His ministry by saying, “The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15). As He is about to be arrested and is giving last directions regarding His return, He says, “You do not know when the time (kairos) will come” (Mark 13:33). The time of the Messiah was known because the last prophet was given to foretell it (Mark 1:7-8). Jesus knew this time because it was marked for Him in His baptism (Mark 1:911). But the last time is given to no one to know except the Father (Mark 13:32). So what time is it now? The writer of Hebrews answers this question just as Mark’s structure indicates. As long as Jesus’ Gospel is proclaimed, it is the time of mercy (Heb 3:1215). “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps 5:7-8). Today is the appointed time for mercy. Just as Jesus heard this in His baptism, so you heard it in your baptism, renewing that pattern of new life in daily devotions.
Parents use various punishments to discipline their children. The “time out” punishment sends a naughty child to a corner to sit in exile, to think about what he has done. Ideally, this punishment disrupts bad behavior and also gives the child space to calm down. Perhaps the Babylonian Exile was the original “time out”? The Old Testament speaks of the exile as the Promised Land being given a Sabbath, a rest for seventy years. The land the Lord called holy had struggled under the feet of so many willing to trample the widow and the orphan. So the Lord who loves the widow and the orphan gave His land a rest. His people were sent out, given time to consider what they had done. More than that, at the end of this Sabbath, they were given a chance to begin again. We know that all the history of God’s people and land foreshadow the story of the Christ (John 5:39). Just as judgment against God’s people was followed by rest and then return and restoration, so God’s Son took our judgment, rested on the Sabbath, and rose on Sunday, the first day of the new week, bringing us restoration and a return to our Father in heaven. The beginning of the exile to Babylon must have seemed to many to be the final defeat. By God’s grace, it was not. In the same way, death seems to many to be a final defeat. Thankfully, Jesus shows us how God’s love overcomes even death, restoring us to Him forever.
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me ears to hear Your voice today. Give me a full measure of Your Spirit to live in this time of mercy, forgiving as You forgive me. Amen.
Lord Almighty, keep us from sinful ways and give us wisdom to see when a “time out” may be an opportunity for restoration to You and Your people around us. Amen.
December 4
Romans 13:11
John 7:1-6
December 1
You know the time [ , kairon], that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
Jesus said to them, “My time [ has not yet come, but your time [ always here.”
Do you know how many days are left until Christmas? Even children may not know the exact number, but that doesn’t stop them from yearning with ever greater anticipation each morning. The reality is that Christmas is nearer today than it was yesterday. Perhaps you’re not counting down the days to Christmas this year. The spring in your step may be gone if you have lost someone you loved. You may not feel like celebrating. It’s difficult to hear the festive sounds over the somber silence at the graveside of a loved one. This year, look past the mirth and merriment to the manger. We celebrate this birth because Jesus came to bring life where there was once only sorrow and death. He did this by being born, living a perfect life in our place and giving His life for you and me and our loved ones. This Baby in the manger came to suffer and die for us on a cross. He did that so that He could conquer sin, swallow up death, and walk out of the tomb alive on Easter morning. Now stands before us the joyous day when we will see Him and rejoice in the blessed reunion at the resurrection with our loved ones who have died in faith. You do have a wonderful reason to celebrate. The bounce will return to your step when you visit the graveside of your loved one. We’re closer now to the day when we will soon see them again. As God’s children, we don’t know the exact number of days between this moment and the resurrection, but that doesn’t stop our hearts from yearning with ever greater anticipation that each new day brings.
Have you ever found it hard to get work done because of the distractions all around? Maybe your co-workers are too loud. Maybe the phone is ringing off the hook. Maybe the kids keep interrupting, or the emails keep coming, or the texts keep beeping. No matter how hard you try, you simply can’t find the free time to do what needs to be done. Jesus had a distraction greater than any we normally face. A growing group of people were threatening to take His life. Of course Jesus knew full well that the end of His ministry would be death. But it could only happen once, and it had to happen at just the right time. Murderers can repeat their evil acts over and over again unless they’re stopped. But you are only a murder victim once. Timing was important. “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” The evil and wickedness of the world and our own hearts fills the calendar, constantly seeking to distract from the goodness of God. They’re distracting, mundane, regular, and boring. You don’t schedule sin and unbelief anymore than you schedule waking up or going to bed. But goodness and forgiveness and salvation come at special times. When Jesus decides the time is right to work, nothing can distract him. His actions always cut through the beeps and tweets and ringtones of life, announcing that God has come to save us. God is mercy and forgiveness, and God will come to His people to deliver us at just the right time.
Heavenly Father, thank You that “salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Amen.
, kairos] , kairos] is
Lord of time, heal our unbelief that believes every time is right, and grant us to have faith in the rightness of Your time of salvation. Amen.
December 2
Luke 4:13
And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time [ , kairou] Is it really ever an “opportune time” for temptation? Temptation always come at the worst possible time, doesn’t it? It comes when we are distracted or lulled into a false sense of security or vulnerable, which is pretty much all the time. The devil's timing is impeccably bad for us. The devil thought Good Friday was the opportune time, but little did he realize that the Lord’s timing is impeccably perfect. Jesus was born at just the right time in history, in just the right place. At the divinely appointed hours, Jesus bled and died on the cross. On the most opportune of mornings, Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sat down at God's right hand. At no other time could God's plan of salvation have worked out as perfectly as it did. This the Bible tells us is so (Gal 4:4). At the opportune time, according to God’s perfect will, He acts in our lives, bringing good from bad, using and manipulating Satan’s impeccably bad timing for our good and His glory. We see with hindsight that God’s timing has been perfect in every way, on every day, even when things seemed totally out of control. At the opportune time, God will receive us into His kingdom to live eternally with Him. At just the right moment, Jesus will return in glory and we shall rise in triumph from the grave. By faith, we trust that God's timing is perfectly timed.
Lord God, all praise to You for keeping all things under Your control, especially our lives. Give us the eyes of faith to see and the heart to trust that Your ways are always best. Amen.
Hebrews 4:9-10
December 3
There remains a Sabbath [ ]הַ שַ ָּ֖֜בתrest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. When God created at the beginning of time, not only did He create the physical and spiritual world, but He also created time itself in days, weeks, seasons and years. “So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation” (Gen 2:3). This became one of the Ten Commandants. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exod 20:8-10a). The Sabbath rest was more than just take the day off and think about God. The Sabbath was integrated into life and culture. People brought their offerings for sin, received temporary forgiveness, rested from work, and then began the process again. The people had to work at keeping the Sabbath rest. But in Christ we have received a Sabbath rest now. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His” (Heb 4:9-10). We do not need to work for our salvation. Jesus did all the work of salvation on the cross and then He rested from that work and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Thus we have by faith received that rest. The Sabbath rest also points us to the final rest from our physical labor when we enter into heaven. It points to the time of recreation, when we will be made like Him and enter into eternity. The fullness of time and time itself will be complete in that day.
Lord Jesus, who has passed through the heavens, help us in our time of need to receive mercy and find grace. Amen.
