Daily Devotional (GPS)
God Used Caesar’s Power to Bring Us Love
Daily Scripture
Luke 2:1-5
1 In those days Caesar Augustus declared that everyone throughout the empire should be enrolled in the tax lists. 2 This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. 3 Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. 4 Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. 5 He went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Caesar Augustus (a title–his given name was Octavian) wanted more tax revenue for his vast empire. He didn’t care that his decree created hardship for his subjects. Yet God used the emperor’s decree for divine purposes, bringing Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem—Joseph’s ancestral home, King David’s city, and the place where the prophet Micah (cf. Micah 5:2-4) said Israel’s eternal ruler would be born. It was a long, hard trip for pregnant Mary, with or without a donkey. *
- Luke grounded Jesus’ birth in historical reality: Israel was a Roman-occupied territory at the time. Pastor Ginger Gaines-Cirelli noted that “the powers of the occupying forces could not have known that they were no match for the one being born who would occupy the whole world in a brand-new way.” ** How has Jesus ‘occupied’ and transformed your life in ways no earthly power could?
- Emperor Octavian took the title ‘Augustus,’ meaning ‘revered’—a human declaring himself divine. His decree forced Mary and Joseph to make a grueling journey. Yet the unborn child those humble peasants carried to Bethlehem would ultimately transform the world, bringing a kingdom that has outlasted Rome’s arrogant empire by centuries. In your daily choices, whose example do you follow: Caesar’s pursuit of power, or Christ’s way of humble service?
Prayer
A daily reminder from Pastor Hamilton: Our hope is that tonight or tomorrow morning, continuing through Christmas, each of you will, either in the morning or at night, take the time to write down three things you are thankful for. You might write these in the form of a thank you letter to God or simply write down a journal entry.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” Today I again step away from the throne of my life and gladly take up my place as a citizen of your kingdom. Amen.
GPS Insights
Emily Stirewalt
Emily Stirewalt, who serves as Resurrection's Silverlink Pastor specializing in pastoral care of elderly adults, wrote today's Insights. She is an ordained Elder in the Missouri Annual Conference and has served since 2007. She is married to Randall, a special education teacher. They have two daughters, Elliott and Marlowe. Emily enjoys binge watching "Friends" or "Golden Girls."
In my seminary studies over a decade ago, I took a class called The Ethics of Biblical Interpretation. It was taught by a New Testament professor and my advisor, an Ethics professor who shaped my studies and ministry greatly. For our final project, we were given a story from Scripture and an ethical problem through which to approach it. As Advent approached, I found myself writing a paper on Luke 2 as it related to the social issue of immigration in the United States of America all while trying to preach that same story on Christmas Eve to my small, rural congregation in Orrick, Missouri. Talk about a learning curve!
I learned that Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to a different place to register themselves. It was in the name of empire, of someone who wanted to seem powerful and untouchable. They were bowing down to an emperor who wanted to seem powerful. While they were doing this, God showed up in a new and unexpectedly powerful way. One that got the attention of even the night watch shepherds, also people who had been pushed to the margins and deemed less than.
I wonder… who might be like Mary and Joseph today in our world? Who is being forced to comply with powers and principalities today? Who are the shepherds? The ones we have deemed unworthy? The ones who we would never think God would include…
Most importantly, what good can God force to come of all of this? That is the question Advent demands us to ask. That very first Christmas–so long ago–God did the unthinkable. I find hope immeasurable in that story today. Thank God–we need hope.
What is the GPS?
Resurrection offers a free tool for those who wish to read the Bible daily. Our Grow/Pray/Study guide (GPS) provides a Bible reading, Scripture reflections based on the passage, inspirational quotes from leading Bible scholars, questions to help readers apply the Bible to their faith journey, and a daily prayer guide at the end of each day’s reflection. Many readers have told us the GPS has strengthened their spiritual growth and helped them better understand how to let the Bible guide them in Christian living.
