Devotion for: December 17, 2016 Reading: Isaiah 33:1-24 Focus Verse: Isaiah 33:20 “Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up.” Devotion: If you have ever camped with a tent you know the importance of a good location. I have to admit that I’m not an expert. More than once while hiking as a youth, I thought I had found a suitable place to pitch my tent. A soft grassy area looked alluring. It promised me a comfortable foundation for the night’s sleep. The stakes and poles went up easily. The cords were extended to hold the tent in place, or so I thought. I discovered my mistake during the night when the wind loosened those cords. Worse still, the rains came and flooded that grassy area until my sleeping bag was soaked. Luke’s gospel tells us, “And there were shepherds in the hills keeping watch over their flocks by night.” I wonder if these shepherds, and other Bedouin Shepherds like them, ever suffered similar difficulties with their tents. In our reading for today from Isaiah 33 God gives a clear distinction between those who rely on God and those who pitch their tents elsewhere. Isaiah says that when the noise of the storm comes, one group flees and is scattered. Isaiah then speaks of the other group this way, “your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up.” (Isaiah 33:20) So, why all this talk about tents so close to Christmas? At Jesus’ birth the gospel writer John will say, “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled (tented) among us.” (John 1:14) Even for tent-dwelling shepherds out on the hills keeping watch over their flocks by night, even for people like you and me, whose life too often seems caught in storms, God provides a secure tent whose stakes won’t be pulled up. We find such a tent in Jesus! Advent is a good time to reflect on where you pitch your tent. Our own tents will often be misplaced and turn out to be flimsy. In Jesus we have “a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its sakes will never be pulled up.” Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for “tabernacling among us.” Always be my secure tent. Amen .