Daily Advent Devotional

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE December 25 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD Pondering Luke 2:(1-7), 8-20 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. Luke 2:16 Can you imagine giving birth in an outdoor stall? And then, as you begin to re- cover, a group of shepherds show up and tell you that an angel told them that your baby is the Son of God and Messiah? You aren’t surprised...

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE December 24 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD You Are Family Titus 3:4-7 This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:6-7 We are a people born of water and the Spirit. In our baptism we are claimed by God and grafted into a family of faith. One of...

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE December 23 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD Who am I? 2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?” 2 Samuel 7:18 This chapter of 2 Samuel opens with King David pondering how to best play host to God: “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God re- mains i...

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE December 22 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD The Turning Luke 1:46b-55 …indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. Luke 1:50 There is a group of researchers at Samford Center for Worship and the Arts studying the experiences of young people in worship. According to their web- site, “the purpose of the Young People and Christian Worship (YPCW) study is to...

ADVENT WEEK FOUR: LOVE December 21 Rev. Allie Utley, PhD The Origins of Love Incarnate John 1:1-18 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 The poetic first verse of the Gospel is something of an origin story. We often read this passage on or around Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus: God taking the form of a baby. Christ comes to us, fra...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 20 Rev. Jenny Wynn Between Memory and Hope Psalm 126 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. Psalm 126:2a Rituals are an important part of our faith. They provide structure and meaning in our lives while helping to manage anxiety and stress. When we feel disori- ented, rituals can help reorient us to what matters most. Rituals con...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 19 Rev. Jenny Wynn Joy Breaks Through Isaiah 52:7-9 Break forth; shout together for joy, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem… Isaiah 52:9 Advent draws us into a liminal space, a threshold between what is and what is yet to come. Advent invites us to voice our longings along with our bold decla- rations that our br...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 18 Rev. Jenny Wynn More than Crumbs Matthew 15:21-28 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Matthew 15: 27 Mary Oliver wrote in her poem “Don’t Hesitate,” “Joy is not meant to be a crumb.” This wisdom echoes Matthew 15:21–28, where a Canaanite woman seeks mercy for herself and her daughter, who is tormented by a...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 17 Rev. Jenny Wynn Tending Toward Justice John 15:1-11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11 As a child, I was heartbroken watching my dad remove flowers and tomatoes on brand new plants before planting. I couldn’t understand why he would do this to the plant. Eventually, I learned about pinching,...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 16 Rev. Jenny Wynn A New Heart Ezekiel 36:1-37 A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 It may be cliché, but when I read Ezekiel’s words, I can’t help but think of the Grinch. The Grinch is a curmudgeonly character whose heart is famously “tw...

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 15 Rev. Jenny Wynn Joy in Hard Times Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 During seminary I attended a women’s retreat. The organizers invited us to pick a rock inscribed with a word. When I drew my rock, I was not pleased: my word was happy. I quietly traded it in, only to find my new word was cheerful. No better....

ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY December 14 Rev. Jenny Wynn Going Out in Joy Isaiah 55:1-13 For you shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 As I write this devotional on joy, news is breaking of another school shooting. Two children died during Mass. How can I write about...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 13 Rev. Mike Miller The Peace of Advent 2 Thessalonians 3:1-17 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 In the midst of Advent, when the world is often rushing toward Christmas with full-speed anticipation, this prayer in 2 Thessalonians 3:16 brings a gentle re- minder that peace is...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 12 Rev. Mike Miller Advent Rest Psalm 4 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8 (NIV) It seems as if true peace is rare since our world is filled with constant noise, pressure, uncertainty, and hatred. It can be hard to feel peace as we move through our days because we tend to pick up what others are sending out in...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 11 Rev. Mike Miller Peace and Hope Matthew 6:25-34 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus invites us into a radical kind of trust that confronts our deepest anxieties about daily life. He tells us not to worry a...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 10 Rev. Mike Miller The Call of Peace Romans 12:17-21 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, love peaceably with all. Romans 12:18 This passage from Romans 12 has been one of my personal favorite scrip- tures along my faith journey. And it reminds me that if our journey as Chris- tians and Christ followers is easy, I don’t believe we are doing it right. Pau...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 9 Rev. Mike Miller Peace in the Preparations John 14:1-31 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. John 14:27 As Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure, He spoke these words in John 14:27. He knew fear and uncertainty would soon overwhelm them....

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 8 Rev. Mike Miller When Mountains Crumble in Advent Isaiah 54:1-17 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you and my covenant of peace shall not be re- moved, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 Advent is a time when we are to prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of the Christ child...

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACE December 7 Rev. Mike Miller Peace in the Valley Ezekiel 37:1-14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord. Ezekiel 37:14 Advent is a season of waiting. It is a time to prepare ourselves for peace and new life coming into a very weary world. Ezekiel...

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 6 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is about Trust Daniel 3:19-30 Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28 Have you ever felt like yo...

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 5 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is for Everyone Luke 1: 26-28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28 Many of you have probably heard or read this text several times. The angel appears to Mary and greets her as “highly favored.” This is a strange greet- ing given by the standards of her day since she would not fall into...

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 4 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is about Good News Isaiah 40:9-11 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, do not fear… Isaiah 40:9 I believe it is human nature to want to hear good news. If every day the only thing we heard was bad news or how awful things are it would...

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 3 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is about Evidence Luke 21:29-31 Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. Luke 21:29-30 Most of us have watched some version of a crime or court drama to know that so much hinges on evidence. What is the evidence you have that my cli- ent was a...

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 2 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is about Keeping Promises Jeremiah 33:14-16 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jeremiah 33:14 We all at one time or another have experienced someone promising us some- thing and we cling to the hope that one day the promise will be fulfilled....

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPE December 1 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD Hope is a New Reality Isaiah 2:1-5 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning- hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4 Can you imagine a world where there are no wars? It...