As the days shorten and the year comes to a close, we find ourselves in a world fraught with discord, restlessness, and violence. It’s tempting to shelter against the onslaught of troubling news by looking out only for ourselves and turning our backs on our neighbors.
It is into that world that Jesus comes — meek when power seems to have the loudest voice, giving when entitlement reigns, and ultimately victorious when it seems that disorder is winning.
During the season of Advent, we anticipate his coming and hope for a different way of living. We long for the peace he offers in anxious times. We lean into his light to reveal places of joy. We are inspired by his embodiment of love to guide how we care for others. In surrendering control, we greet Jesus’ arrival with hearts open to these themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
This year’s Advent Devotional series begins each week with a Pastor’s video on the sermon scripture, followed on Mondays by an essay on the same text. Various writers reflect on familiar passages through the lens of the weekly Advent themes on following days. Our Friday prayer and Saturday journal prompt come from Kate Bowler, our 2025 Willard Lecturer.
Join me in daily reading and in the practice of looking for signs of God with us in every facet of our lives.
Written by
Garrell Keesler
Director of Adult Formation