As part of our preparations for Advent at Mount Olivet, we’ve put together a series of devotionals for the community. These devotionals can stand on their own or be read in conjunction with our weekly worship services. I hope you are blessed by them. The following is my offering for December 18, 2020.

Read Hebrews 1:5-14

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

“I will be his Father,
    and he will be my Son”?

6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

“Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 Of the angels he says,

“He makes his angels winds,
    and his servants flames of fire.”

8 But of the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, is[a] forever and ever,
    and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your[b] kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

10 And,

“In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
    they will all wear out like clothing;
12 like a cloak you will roll them up,
    and like clothing[c] they will be changed.
But you are the same,
    and your years will never end.”

13 But to which of the angels has he ever said,

“Sit at my right hand
    until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

14 Are not all angels[d] spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Throughout the course of my life, I have looked up to a lot of people.

Sports stars – Cal Ripken, Jr., Michael Jordan, David Justice, Rueben “Hurricane” Carter and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Historical figures - Ulysses Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Ruth Bater Ginsberg, John Lewis, and more.

Theologians – Fleming Rutledge, Stanley Hauerwas, Howard Thurman, and Will Willimon.

People you’ve never heard of – Greg Shipley, Ron Layman, Larry Parsons, Billie Stokes.

I am positive you have a similar list. Having people in our live to look up to gives us the example of something higher to strive toward. Perhaps it is the person’s work ethic or the way they treat others that draws you to them. Or, it could be the way they acknowledge the presence of God in the lives of others.

Before the arrival of Jesus in a manger the people of Israel were looking up to the heavens prayerfully hoping for someone, something to be sent down by God to free them from their oppressors.

The angels came and spoke to Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph. The angels came and spoke to the shepherds who were watching their flocks by night. The longing of Israel would be answered, fulfilled in a manger in Bethlehem, the continuation of the saving works of God.  

We continue to look to the heavens today. We petition God to come down from on high, liberating us, healing us from the things that stand against us. The earnest prayers of the people of God today are not unlike the prayers lifted up by Israel as they awaited the birth of the Messiah.

As we look up to the heavens today do not forget that the peace of God we seek, the healing hand of God is already present among us. The One who came at Christmas and promises to come again has not left us to wander this life alone. While we can look to others among us for inspiration, guidance, or example it is our Lord and Savior, who by the power of God’s own Spirit remains present with us today. We do not have to look very far or high to find the presence of Jesus Christ. We the church, Christ’s body have been called to this task. It is why we were formed and why we are sustained by the Holy Spirit.

We are to look higher than the angels, looking to Jesus, but we don’t have to look higher than the heavens to find him.

Prayer – Lord God, Master of the Universe, we are looking high and low for you and yet we have never had to look far for your presence. Be with us now as we find ourselves in a season of waiting. Shine your light upon me, reminding me that you are always present, ever close and never out of reach. Amen.