Little Lambs Childcare

TEARS ON SUNDAY

"If you see me crying in my Father's house on a Sunday morning, do not worry or be sad for me.

I’m not falling apart.
I’m being put back together.
My tears are not weakness, they are release.
They are the pains my God is taking from me.

These hymns I am singing aren't just music, they are my lifeline to a God who draws near and listens
I sing them not from a hymnal but my heart.
In song, I am laying down a weight I was never meant to carry alone.
And this Sunday morning He meets me, and is giving me promised rest.

In worship, I choose surrender over the spiraling chaos of this week.
Here in this place and on this Day, Heaven meets me in the middle of my mess.

So if from another pew you catch me in a moment, where my eyes are closed, my voice is cracking, chest is heaving.
I am fine, let me be.

This is not my breakdown, my God is putting me and all the pieces of me, back together. He restoreth my soul."

+ Pastor Dan

TODAY'S ADVENT DEVOTION: Day 22
Light to the Nations
Scripture: Isaiah 9:1–2

Today I’ve been thinking about ‘shadows’. Simply put, a shadow is created by anything that blocks the light, and we live in a world full of shadowy places. In our lifetime, we have seen light removed and shadows growing. Measures taken to block prayer in schools, removal of the 10 commandments from public places, and we have allowed so many dark things to grow in our culture and to entertain us. No wonder we have seen a shadowy growth of violence, hatred, and evil in our land.

The season of Advent begins in the dark. Isaiah spoke to a people who also once knew the light but saw darkness grow in their land. Yet into that shadowed place, God made a promise: a great light will shine.

This light is not earned or discovered; God graciously gives it to us. God does not wait for the darkness to lift before acting. Instead, He enters it! Wow! The promise of Isaiah points beyond one nation and extends to all peoples—anyone who finds themselves surrounded by darkness, finds light because Jesus enters our world.

Just as light is silent, so our Savior silently is born in a manger’s darkness. Yet this promised Light changes the dark world around Him and makes shadows disappear. Darkness and shadows are dispelled wherever the Light shines!

Prayer:
God of light, shine into the dark places of our world and in our lives. When in a dark place, remind us to open up Your Word. It’s like lighting a candle in the darkness. Amen.

Love,
Pastor Dan

TODAY’S ADVENT DEVOTION. Day 20
“In My Hands” Scripture: Luke 2:25-35

When the infant Jesus is brought into the Temple for circumcision, Simeon takes the child into his hands and is amazed that he is holding not just a child, but God in the flesh. You can hear the awe and the worship in his voice, the humility and the adoration! He has seen the Lord’s salvation and held the Son of God in the palms of his hands!

We sing Simeon’s words, the “Nunct Dimitis”, after taking the Lord’s Supper. We too experience the awe of having met and communed with God in a very special way. If it is true that what we partake of in Holy Communion is truly a participation in the incarnation of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16), we too have held, in a mysterious way, the Savior in our own hands! The same awe and adoration that Simeon had, we also share. To think that our God has come to us as Savior and gives His body and blood for our salvation, we too are ready from that point forward to depart into everlasting life, away from the sufferings of this world.

Advent is a good time to reexamine the wonder of how Jesus still comes to us in such a special way to forgive our sins. May it put a song in our heart and on our lips to sing of such wonderful grace that we have held in our own hands!

Prayer:
Lord, teach us again the wonder of how You still come to us and fill our hearts with joy eternal! Amen.

Love you,
Pastor Dan

TODAY’S ADVENT DEVOTION: DAY 19
“It’s All In His Name!” Scripture: Luke 2:21

I love a good nickname. I heard of one man so named “Pot Hole”, because once you met him, you always tried to avoid him again! Maybe you know a Pot Hole too lol.

Jesus was given the name “Jesus”, here at His circumcision but it is duly noted that this was the name given to Him before He was even conceived. The name Jesus means, “The Lord saves”. How interesting that before He teaches, before He heals, before He preaches a word, His name already tells the story of who He is...a Savior come to us.

Whatever you are carrying with you this Advent season, let His name speak to you. Speak it to your guilt, to your doubts, and to your worries. When you speak His name, let it pour over you, just as it was in your Baptism, remembering that you have a Savior in this life and for all eternity. I can think of no better way to prepare our hearts for Christmas!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, how sweet your name is to the believer’s ear! Refresh us with this one word, which is the most beautiful word ever spoken. Amen!

Love ya,
Pastor Dan