If you were with us on Sunday morning (December 18), you should have received a booklet full of five guided devotions to take you to Christmas. It is our hope that you will take some time before the 25th to reflect on the season and all that God has in store for you. We will post each devotion here as a reminder to dig into the Word and seek Jesus in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the show of death,
then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace. — Luke 1:78-79

Advent, a season that invites us to keep watch and remain attentive to all the ways Christ comes into our world and into our lives. Advent is a season of prayerful preparation, a season to practice hope – not the kind of hope synonymous with “wishing for” certain outcomes, but a hope firmly rooted in the person, work, and promises of God in Jesus Christ. We are called to be Advent people, to live in a posture of readiness and expectation, every day of the year.

During Advent we are reminded of the paradoxes and incongruities of life: light and darkness; faith and fear; joy and sorrow; vulnerability and power; weakness and strength; done, but not complete; already and not yet.  These pairs of contrasting ideas are not just for Advent. They are the daily themes and dilemmas of ordinary, everyday Christians.

December 20: Day One – Keeping Watch          

December 21: Day Two – Waiting in the Dark           

December 22: Day Three – In a Place Like This      

December 23: Day Four – Love Descends        

December 24: Day Five – Let the Star of Morning Rise

reflections taken from Two Steps Forward: A Story of Persevering in Hope by Sharon Garlough Brown