O Holy Night
2002 Advent Devotion Collection
December 17
READING: Acts 27: 13-25
For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, "Do not be afraid, Paul, you must stand before the emperor, and indeed, "God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you." Acts 27:23
In this story of Paul and his companions,
they are caught in a storm at sea, frightened and running out of options.
They are throwing out that which is unnecessary for the moment, struggling
to find their way out of the storm and to a calm spot. They scramble around,
doing all that they can to survive. In the midst of all the activity,
Paul brings a message of hope and comfort. He acknowledges that an angel
of God came to him in the night, bringing assurance of not only his safety,
but the safety of his companions.
Paul seems to me to be a night person,
one who is equally comfortable meeting God in the darkness as in the light.
I, too, am a night person, have been all my life. I even found written
in my Baby Book: "The baby seems to have her nights and days mixed,
she wants to sleep all day and play all night." Even as Paul, I find
the night brings me messages of comfort.
My mind seems to be more creative
and receptive in the night. I find the stillness and calm of the night
more conducive to meditation, contemplation and prayer. Some of my best
ideas come to me in the middle of the night. Not everyone sees things
that way, there are those who find their best times in the early morning,
what I refer to as "O'dark thirty". People who are early risers,
wake with a smile on their faces and a song in their hearts. They awake
ready to begin the day, brains in full force; however for night people,
we struggle awake in the early morning, mind groggy, brain just beginning
to stir and eyes fighting the effort to open.
How wonderful life is, that there
is room in this world for all kinds of people, those early risers and
those night people. What a wonderful God we worship, who is always ready
to listen and speak to us, in the early morning, or even in the middle
of the night. God is always near, eager to hear our prayers and meet our
needs.
PRAYER: O Holy God, whose attention is available for all people, those who seek you in the early morning, or late night, we praise you and offer our thanks for your constant loving care. We welcome this special time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, your son, Jesus. -- Ernestine M.
Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
(217) 428-4336