Plymouth Bible Study

 


Read the Bible in a Year

Have you ever thought about reading the entire Bible?

It may sound difficult, but it’s easy to do if you spread it out over a year.

Many in the PUCC family are currently engaged in reading the entire Bible this year.

Following the schedule below will guide you through the Bible by year’s end.

 

Bible Verse of the Day

Lonely Christmas

a devotional written by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III

Matthew 1: 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.[1][1]

The first Christmas has a lot of elements.  It was a time of fear, perhaps distrust.  Mary was pregnant out of wedlock.  Joseph was certain he was not the father.  They were engaged, but had not had relations with each other.  Perhaps Joseph wondered if Mary had cheated on him.  Did he wonder, “Who was the other guy?  What it someone from her past?  Did she love him more than Joseph?  When did it happen?  Should he report her and have her stoned to death?” An angel appeared to both Mary and Joseph to give them reassurance that what was happening was all part of a bigger plan from God, but it was still a wild and crazy time for the young couple. For Mary and Joseph it was a time of wonder and a time of joy.  It was a time of uncertainty, a time of fear, but also a time of loneliness.

The young couple was lonely because they had no one to share their burden.  They were going though the time of their life together, but had no one to share it with!  They struggled to make sense of what was happening to the two of them, but had no one they could talk it out and get feedback.  There was no cell phone.  No way to text, email or skype.  They could not remain in their home city because of the scrutiny placed on them with the out of wedlock pregnancy.  They would not be able to remain for long in Bethlehem because of the wrath of Herod.  They could not go home.  They could not stay in Bethlehem.  There was no one they could turn to, so following the direction of the angels of God, they made their way to Egypt.

Perhaps you know someone who is lonely this Christmas. Loneliness is real.  I think of the song the Emotions sang entitled, “What do the lonely do at Christmas?”  Listen to the words –

‘Tis the season to be jolly
But how can I be when I have nobody
The yuletide carol doesn’t make it better
Knowing that we won’t be together

A silent night
I know it’s gonna be
Joy to the world
But it’s gonna be sad for me

What do the lonely do
At Christmas
Oh, oh, what do the lonely do
At Christmas time

The children can play with their new toys
While their little hearts burst open with joy
And lovers can kiss beneath the mistletoes
The choirs can sing those glorious songs of old

But what is left
[- From :http://www.elyrics.net/read/e/emotions-lyrics/what-do-the-lonely-do-at-christmas-lyrics.html  -]
Oh, for me to do
Now that it’s Christmas
And I don’t have you

What do the lonely do
At Christmas
Oh, oh, what do the lonely do
At Christmas time

 

Perhaps you know someone or perhaps even yourself who is lonely at Christmas.  I encourage you to remind them that they are not the first to have to go through Christmas alone.  Remind them that while Mary and Joseph may have begun their Christmas lonely, by the time the angels, Wise Men and Shepherds got through with them, they were so full of company and activity they had no time to feel sorry for themselves.  If open ourselves in prayer, God will do the same thing that was done for Mary and Joseph – God will help you to deal with whatever it is that is making you sad and lonely at Christmas.  My suggestion is that if you are lonely at Christmas; find someone to share the holiday.  When my children were young and full of the bustling energy and enthusiasm of youth, there were several childless adults who would stop by our home on Christmas eve to watch us read the Christmas story to our kids.  What I noticed in our visitors was a vicarious joy they received from being around the children.  One of the lessons I learned from this is that we can either allow loneliness to overwhelm us, or we can acknowledge it for what it is and aggressively confront it and establish positive relationships.  In the process, what you will find is that if you let him, the Lord will meet you, greet you and transform your loneliness to genuine joy.

Nick

Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III


 

[1][1] The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Mt 1:18). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 

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