BREATH WORLD THAT CHANGED THE. Daily Advent Devotions & Prayers. Reverend Dr. Paul Strawn. For Individuals, Small Groups and Congregations.

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1 THE BREATH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD Daily Advent Devotions & Prayers For Individuals, Small Groups and Congregations Author Reverend Dr. Paul Strawn Presented by

2 COVER ARTWORK Used by Permission Emerging Star By Virginia Wieringa

3 THE BREATH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD An Advent Devotional Guide Author Reverend Dr. Paul Strawn RENEWAL MINISTRIES Who are we? What do we do? We all need time and space set apart from our daily lives to be alone with God! At Renewal Ministries Northwest we provide this for individuals, congregations, and church leadership. We offer guided prayer retreats and other ministries that assist us to: grow in intimacy with God through prayer and reflection on Scripture; receive God s healing grace from sin and brokenness; and discern God s best by learning to listen to the voice of Jesus for life and ministry. HOW TO USE THIS DEVOTIONAL GUIDE The following devotional guide is intended to be a blessing to you and/or your church or fellowship in any way you may choose to use it. Among the possibilities will be: Basis for launching the Renewal Ministries Northwest Advent Retreat, Dec. 14, 2013 (reservations required). Consider supplementing your Advent study by attending this retreat. Individual prayer, study and reflection Family Advent Devotional time Small Group study and sharing Teaching tool for your Sunday School or Adult Education class Personal Spiritual Growth You will find devotional material for each of the four weeks of Advent organized around a theme for that week. There will be background material, suggestions for reading and studying key texts, prayer exercises, questions for reflection and daily readings that supplement the main theme. In addition to the four weeks of Advent you will also find devotional material for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This guide is available to download and duplicate for a suggested donation. Those using this material for group study or church-wide ministry are asked to make a pro-rated contribution to Renewal Ministries Northwest ( based on the number of copies that will be made for distribution. This donation is so that we may continue to offer quality resources.

4 SMALL GROUP USE In addition we have included questions to be used in small groups if you so choose. The timing for the exercises will need to be adjusted depending upon the day of the week your small group meets. Small groups will benefit most when participants do the individual prayer and meditation before the group meets as a whole. We recommend that a facilitator be selected to lead your group each week.

5 THE BREATH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD An Advent Devotional Guide THEMES FOR EACH WEEK OF ADVENT Advent Week 1: Breath of Creation Jesus Christ was present in Creation and still breathes life into all that exists. Advent Week 2: Breath of Surrender Mary, the mother of Jesus is our perfect example of willing obedience. Advent Week 3: Breath of Love Joseph, often forgotten in the nativity narrative, offers a very human model of selfless love. Advent Week 4: Breath of Expectancy The Shepherds, caught in fear, wonder and glory, discover the difference between expectation and expectancy. Christmas Eve: Breath of Heaven Tonight we experience the very breath of the Holy Spirit. Christmas Day: Breath of Life This day of celebration marks the beginning of a new way of breathing for us.

6 THE BREATH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD Introduction When was the last time you thought about breathing? Every minute, on average, we take in and give out breath times and more, of course, when we exercise. When breathing becomes challenged in any way we call it respiratory DISTRESS. When exerting a great deal of energy we stop to CATCH our breath. When anxious we often take a DEEP breath. When stimulated or alarmed our breath QUICKENS. Singers practice mastering breath CONTROL. Halitosis is often remedied with a breath MINT. When caught in a tight spot we wait with BATED breath. When swimming under water we HOLD our breath. And when exhausted we say we are OUT of breath. If this all leaves you breathless, you re not alone. Think about this: The oxygen we breathe is 0 2 or two atoms of the element oxygen. If what I recently heard is correct there are a limited number of oxygen atoms in the earth and its atmosphere always has been and always will be. These atoms are constantly rearranging themselves in different molecules, but the number of actual oxygen atoms remains constant. This means that the oxygen we breathe has been recycled over billions of years and it is possible that I am at this very moment breathing oxygen that has been taken in by George Washington, Amelia Earhart, Genghis Kahn, Jesus or even YOU. Our breathing, miracle that it is, is beyond the scope of my comprehension. And so I trust God for my every breath, without ever thinking about it unless, of course, I am writing Advent devotional material on breathing! With all this behind us, biblical use of the breathing metaphor is, perhaps, even more complex and inspiring. Do you know that the word for breath in both biblical languages (Hebrew and Greek) is the same word as the one used for Spirit and also wind? Ruah (pronounced Rew-achh, with a whole lot of sputtering guttural dexterity) is the Old Testament word for Spirit, wind and breath. Hence in the Genesis Chapter One creation story we find that, The Spirit (wind or breath) of God was moving over the face of the waters. This hovering, holy breath of God was an important instrument of creation and still is. The Apostle John records Jesus speaking to Nicodemus, The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or wither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit. (John 3:8) John is drawing a parallel between the wind of nature and the Holy Spirit of the Trinity. Here, and throughout the New Testament, the Greek word for Spirit or wind or breath is pneuma. For our purposes in studying The Breath That Changed the World, we will be reflecting on the interrelatedness of each person of the Trinity as they reveal God s incarnate power and love to the world. Before we arrive at the Incarnation (what Advent is all about), we will begin with the Creation.

7 THE BREATH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD WEEK ONE: The Breath of Creation OUR THEME Jesus Christ is a participant in all Creation, still breathing life into all that exists. OUR TEXTS Genesis 1:1-2:9, John 1:1-18, Colossians 1:15-20 FIRST THINGS This week we look at the creative power of God unleashed in a timeless fashion through the breath of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The power of God is, perhaps, nowhere more evident as in the first chapter of Genesis where the wind/spirit of the Creator was blowing across the formless void and God spoke into existence all of creation as we know it. From this event we know that the very voice of God holds the power of life. But there was more. In the second Genesis account of this divinely inspired beginning we read about the creation of human beings: then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7) And there is still more. The Gospel of John has its own Trinitarian beginning, the concept of God as Father, Son and Spirit, in divine community, all participating in the creation account. And so we listen to these marvelous words of foundational faith: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5, NRSV) The Apostle John asserts that Jesus himself, the (Living) Word, present at the moment of creation, participated in the breathing of life into all that was. And Jesus, now at the right hand of God, is still actively participating in creating and sustaining this gift of life. It is the divine, Trinitarian breath that changed the world. May that same breath speak Emmanuel (God with us) into our Advent study and prepare us anew for the Coming of the Messiah in our own hearts, homes and world. Finally we look at the Apostle Paul s Christ Hymn in Colossians 1: It is here that Paul concurs with John in affirming the Trinitarian partnership in Creation.

8 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-17, NRSV) While the Greek word for Spirit or breath is not present in this passage, the sense of the Son being present in the creation act is made very clear and it is the work of the Son and subsequently the Spirit that is the glue holding creation together today. REFLECTIONS ON THE TEXTS Note: You may want to keep two or more translations or paraphrases close by. Read Genesis 2:4b-7 several times and then reflect on the following questions: 1. Picture in your mind this act of creation when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being (vs. 7b). There is great mystery in this act of creation. While it is impossible for us to fill in all the blanks in this divine sequence, what, in your mind is the essence of this creative act? 2. What was God s motivation?

9 3. What might have been God s reaction to the newly created, living, breathing Adam and Eve? 4. How, if at all, is the creation of life any different today? Read Genesis 1: This first account of Creation uses the first person plural pronouns us and our, when God says, Let US make humankind in OUR image Many biblical scholars believe this is evidence once again of the presence of the Trinity from the beginning of creation. 1. What does it mean for you personally to be created in the image of God? 2. And what does it mean to have been created by the holy community of Father, Son and Spirit?

10 3. Using your imagination spend some time contemplating the dialogue between the three persons of the Trinity as you were being fearfully and wonderfully designed and your inward parts were being knit together in divine mystery. (You may wish to read Ps. 139.) Can you hear some of the interaction? What is being said about the person you are to become? What is the mood of this divine planning session? Share some of your reflections and feelings. What might the Father, Son and/or Holy Spirit be inviting you to consider as you understand more about yourself and who you were created to be? 4. What newness is Jesus creatively breathing into existence in you today? Read John 1:1-18. At least eight descriptive titles for Jesus can be found in this birth story authored by John, the Beloved Disciple. 1. List as many titles for Jesus within this passage as you can.

11 2. Which one(s) resonate most with you as you reflect upon what Jesus means to you? 3. Perhaps no one knew Jesus on earth to the extent that John knew him. Remember, John was there for it all and then gave a very long life to the service of his risen Lord. There seems to be no question about the relationship between Jesus (The Word) and God (The Father). How do you think and feel about what is often referred to as the Divinity of Christ? Read Colossians 1: This magnificent poetry is often referred to as one of Paul s Christ Hymns. 1. What truths does this passage add to your understanding of creation?

12 2. What does John mean when he refers to Jesus in two different places (vv. 15 & 18) as the firstborn? 3. What are the various roles mentioned in this passage that Jesus is playing today in individual lives, the church and the world? 4. Where in this year s Advent world that you experience, do you need Jesus to breathe his creative power of fullness, reconciliation or peace?

13 ADVENT TRUTH What image, truth or word from God will you carry into Advent and Christmas from your prayer or study this week? ADVENT CHALLENGE If you are the creative type or are simply looking for a new challenge. Use the texts you have just studied as the basis for writing your own Advent Hymn or poem. You may want to share your work with your family, friends, small group or post it to our website, DEEPER REFLECTION Daily readings for meditation on this week s theme The Breath of Creation. First Sunday in Advent Psalm 8 Monday Romans 8:18-25 Tuesday Psalm 104 Wednesday Job 38:4-41 Thursday Psalm 95:1-7 Friday Ephesians 3:7-13 Saturday Revelation 4:9-11 AND THE WIND STILL BLOWS All things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man... the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. This quote by Chief Seattle reminds us of our unity with the rest of creation through the power of God s breath. This deep truth transcends our human religions and institutions and connects us with the Holy. Breath has a vocation. It is meant to point us to the Almighty!