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December 4 — Romans 13:11–12

And do this, understanding the time: it is already the hour for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. — Romans 13:11-12 Advent is the season when Scripture calls us to pay attention—to recognize that God is doing something, that His purposes are unfolding even when we are tempted to drift through life half-awake. Paul’s invitation echoes the themes of the prophets: Wake up. Look up. Take notice. The night is fading, and God’s light is approaching with ever-increasing brightness. Our salvation—God’s complete, final redemption—comes closer with each passing day. Advent reminds us that we live not in a closed story but in a story that is moving toward fulfillment. Christ’s first coming anchors our hope; His second coming completes it. Paul’s language of night and day suggests that the world around us often d...
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December 3 — Isaiah 40:1–5

“Comfort, comfort My people,”      says your God. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,      and proclaim to her that her forced labor has been completed;      her iniquity has been pardoned. For she has received from the hand of the LORD      double for all her sins.” A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness;      make a straight highway for our God in the desert. Every valley shall be lifted up,      and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground will become smooth,      and the rugged land a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,      and all humanity together will see it.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. —Isaiah 40:1-5 Isaiah 40 opens with a word so gentle, so unexpected, that it breaks like light into a weary soul: “Comfort, comfort My people.” God does not begin with rebuke, instruction, or strategy—He begins wit...
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December 2 — Psalm 80:1–3

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Rally Your mighty power and come to save us. Restore us, O God, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved. —Psalm 80:1-3 Psalm 80 is the cry of people who know they cannot rescue themselves. They appeal to God as their Shepherd—the One who leads, protects, guides, and restores His people. Yet their plea comes from a place of deep sorrow, perhaps even confusion. They wonder where God’s light has gone, why His blessing feels distant, and why their lives seem marked by struggle. In this cry, Advent finds its expression. Advent is the season in which we name our longing honestly, without losing sight of God’s goodness. It is the season where we acknowledge both the world’s brokenness and God’s power to restore it. The refrain at the heart of the psalm—“Restore us… cause Your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved...
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December 1 — Jeremiah 33:14–16

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up for David a righteous Branch, and He will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. —Jeremiah 33:14-16 Jeremiah spoke these words at a time when the future looked anything but hopeful. The kingdom was collapsing, the people were scattered, and Jerusalem’s walls would soon fall. Into that painful reality, God did something unexpected: He spoke a promise of restoration. Not a vague encouragement or a temporary comfort, but a specific, concrete commitment— “the days are coming… I will fulfill My gracious promise.” Advent echoes this same assurance. Even when circumstances appear broken, God’s promises stand firm, rooted in His unchanging character. He is a God who completes what He begins, who restores what has fall...
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November 30 — Isaiah 9:2

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned. —Isaiah 9:2 Advent begins in the dark. It is the honest recognition that the world does not yet look as it should. Isaiah speaks to people who are “walking in darkness”—people who know fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and longing. Yet into that darkness, a promise breaks open: a great light has dawned . Advent invites us to step into that promise, even before we fully see its fulfillment. The dawn does not erase the night immediately, but it announces that the night is ending. God’s light is coming—not because we found our way to Him, but because He has come to us. As we enter this season, the message is clear: God begins His saving work at the very place where we feel most lost. The great light Isaiah promised is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who enters our world quietly and gently, yet powerfully enough to drive back every form of darkness. Advent is not about preten...
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Go and Do Likewise

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus took up this question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. “Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. “So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side. “But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. “The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy,” replied the ex...
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Serving the Least of These

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’  “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ “And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’”  — Matthew 25:34–40 Jesus’ words make clear that how we treat “the least of these” is, in His eyes, how we treat Him. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned are not ...
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