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.