Clothed in Christ
As people who have been clothed with the love of Christ in baptism, we are called to live in that love every day. Christmas is a great reminder of that love, but how can we carry the joy of Christmas into every day? In Christ, we are clothed with compassion, freed by forgiveness, and we persevere in peace.
The gift of grace
On this special day, we celebrate the gift of grace. God’s saving grace, revealed to us in this baby born in Bethlehem, is the greatest gift we could ever receive. God’s grace appeared to save us. God’s grace renews and transforms us. God’s grace gives us hope for our future.
The Magnificat
Advent is a season of waiting, but in this final week, our anticipation turns to joy and proclamation. Mary’s song, the Magnificat, offers a profound glimpse into how God works through humble people to fulfill His promises. Her words invite us to magnify the Lord and to live in alignment with God’s transformative vision for the world.
Preparing with purpose
In the years and months before Jesus’ arrival in the world, John the Baptist preaches with intensity and urgency, but his words are a call to a real, joyful transformation. Today, John lays out for us three ways to prepare this Advent with purpose: through repentance, generosity, and hope.
The dawn of a new day
During long nights with a baby that just won’t sleep, it can be difficult to see the end of it. But, when the dawn starts to break, there is hope that it’ll all be OK. There will still be a new day in front of us. There will be a tomorrow, and there is a chance it’ll be better than today was. This is the kind of hope that Jesus brings into the world.
Living in hopeful anticipation
Advent begins with the theme of anticipation—not just for Christmas, but for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises. In a world filled with anxiety and uncertainty, Christ calls us to live in hopeful anticipation as we watch for His redemption.
Light in darkness (Lk. 1:67–79)
Before we join the narrative of Jesus’ birth and everything that happened around it, we remember who it is that is coming to us. We remember the King that Jesus is and what his reign means. We take a moment to try to understand the weight of this King’s arrival and why we make such a big deal of Christmas.
Blessings and woes (Lk. 6:20-31)
It seems as though Jesus is quite aware of the ups and downs of this life. In a way, he might even be taking some responsibility for it. Today, he addresses life’s blessings, woes, and the love we experience through it all. These all come from God, and they are all good for us.
Free indeed (Jn. 8:31–36)
As we celebrate 40 years of St Martins Lutheran College in Mount Gambier, South Australia, we also remember what it means to be Lutheran.
Keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:6–8,16–18)
As his ministry and life on earth inevitably comes to an end, Paul reflects on his life with three statements which we can take as encouragement.
Faith from outside (2 Tim. 1:1–14)
Paul wants to encourage Timothy by showing him that the pressure is not on him to deliver. His faith does not belong to him, nor is God’s love dependent on what he can do.
More, more, more (1 Tim. 6:6–19)
Paul urges Timothy to be content with what God has given him, to be generous with what he has, and to hold on to his identity as a child of God. There’s something in that for all of us.
God save the king (1 Tim. 2:1–7)
We could not have had a more well-timed reminder to pray for our authorities, including our new king. Paul offers some helpful tips for prayer in general, but particularly our prayer for those in high positions.
Thankfulness in the mess (1 Tim. 1:12–17)
Despite the mess of his ministry, Paul was thankful to God because without him, he would’ve been nowhere. What does that mean for us?
A considered approach (Lk. 14:25–33)
The path of faith is dangerous and demands our whole self, but the destination at the end of that path is worth the cost. We follow a leader who has been there before and can guarantee safe arrival if we trust in him to get us there.
Please God in three easy steps (Hb. 13:1–8,15,16)
We know that God is a righteous judge. We need to make sure he isn’t angry with us. The letter of Hebrews gives us three easy steps to please God. Is it really that simple? Even simpler, in fact.
An unshakable kingdom (Hb. 12:18-29)
The writer of Hebrews contrasts Mount Sinai with Mount Zion, the old covenant and the new covenant, the fear and trembling of Moses and the confidence and joy of believers in Christ.
Peace and division (Lk. 12:49-56)
There are Christians and non-Christians. Jesus has a way of telling us how things are… But where do we find peace?
The dreaded word… (Lk. 12:32–40)
From the technology we use every day to the rising house prices, we live in a very different society than we did 2, 10, 20, and 50 years ago.
Bigger barns (Lk. 12:13–21)
Greed is not simply the accumulation of things. It’s about the way we find safety and security in them. Individuals can certainly do that, but what about churches?