Daily Advent Devotional

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACEDecember 8 Rev. Mike MillerWhen Mountains Crumble in AdventIsaiah 54:1-17For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfastlove shall not depart from you and my covenant of peace shall not be re-moved, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10Advent is a time when we are to prepare our hearts to celebrate the comingof the Christ child. But sometimes in the middle of the busyness of our prepa-rations for Christmas services and celebrations, the uncertainty we see inthe world, and even sorrow that can surface during this season, Isaiah 54:10offers a grounding truth: God’s love is unshakable and no matter how busy oruncertain or sorrowful we are, God’s love will always surround us.Mountains and hills are some of the most stable features in nature and canrepresent the unshakable parts in our lives. Yet even if they were to crumble,God assures us that this divine love will not. Unfortunately we know that theseemingly unshakable parts of life can be easily disrupted. Relationships mayfail, health may falter, finances can collapse, but in all of these moments, Godspeaks a profound truth: God’s love for each of us remains unshaken.Isaiah 54:10 is a powerful promise for those who feel as though their world isfalling apart, especially during the holiday season. When we feel like our life isin a season of chaos or grief, this verse becomes an anchor. It shifts our focusfrom what is shaking around us to the one who remains steady. It reminds usthat even in the storm, we are not abandoned. God’s compassion is near, per-sonal, and unrelenting.So whether we find ourselves on a mountaintop of joy or in a valley of difficul-ty this Advent, hear God’s words: “My love for you will not be shaken.” Let thispromise steady you. Let it soften your hurried soul and remind you that God’slove and peace is always near. Let it draw you into the quiet awe of the sea-son.

ADVENT WEEK TWO: PEACEDecember 7 Rev. Mike MillerPeace in the ValleyEzekiel 37:1-14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on yourown soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, saysthe Lord. Ezekiel 37:14Advent is a season of waiting. It is a time to prepare ourselves for peace andnew life coming into a very weary world. Ezekiel 37:1–14 gives us a vivid imagethat speaks powerfully to this theme of new life.Addressing the despondent and displaced exiles in Babylon, Ezekiel speaksof a valley of bones that are not only dead, but long past the point of life. Thisimagery reflects how many people can feel during the holiday season. Cut off,forgotten, spiritually lifeless. But Advent reminds us that God does not aban-don God’s people in valleys alone. Instead, God sits with them in the valleysand promises restoration and new life.In this scripture text, God commands Ezekiel to prophesy, and as he does, thebones come together, flesh forms, and breath enters. What once was deadstands alive again. This breath-Spirit of God is the same Spirit that hoveredover the waters at creation, the same Spirit that filled Mary’s womb, and thesame Spirit that brought and continues to bring new life into our midst.During Advent, we sit in the tension between the brokenness of the world andthe promises of peace, hope, joy, and love. Ezekiel 37 reminds us that Godbrings life where there is death, hope where there is despair, joy where thereis sadness, and love where there is hatred.Our Advent journey reminds us that just as Jesus once came to a wearyworld, Jesus comes again and again into our lives to make everything new.As we wait, we do not wait in fear. We wait in hope—trusting that the God whobreathes life into dry bones is still at work, even in our valleys.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 6 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is about TrustDaniel 3:19-30Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach andAbednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted inhim. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies ratherthan serve and worship any god except their own God.” Daniel 3:28Have you ever felt like you were in a dire situation? I am not sure it gets moredire than being thrown in a furnace so hot that even those doing the throwingdie from the heat. I know when I have been in dire situations the tendency isto feel sorry for myself or to try and figure out how I ended up in this situation.Rarely do I trust that all will be well given the situation I find myself in at thetime. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego trust that no matter what happens,all will be well for them.The three of them are not letting the situation define who they are or theiroutlook on life. They trust that they have been faithful to God and are not wor-ried about the outcome of being in the furnace. In this instance God sends aprotector to be with them so that the flames do them no harm.I am not suggesting that when we personally face a dire situation that God willprovide a solution in the way he did for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Iam suggesting that we should learn from them that hope is connected to ourability to trust that the future will work out. If we do not have trust in God, it ishard to have hope that something transformative can happen. Trust is needed.Many of us face dire situations at some point in life. The question is, “Will webe able to trust that God will be with us during our trial? Can we maintainhope for transformation even when the furnace is hot?” When we have thiskind of hope it means that we are not stuck defining our lives by the world’sstandards. Our hope is built on things not seen.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 5 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is for EveryoneLuke 1: 26-28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”Luke 1:28Many of you have probably heard or read this text several times. The angelappears 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 a categoryof one typically considered favored. If you keep reading, even Mary wonderswhat kind of greeting Gabriel brings.I think that Gabriel’s choice of words is not an accident. The greeting indi-cates being highly favored by God is not about status or economic means. Itis a greeting that lets us know God sees everyone. God saw Mary who, by theworld’s standards, did not fit how most would define someone highly favored.If God sees Mary, then God sees us. Our hopes for the future are not wishfulthinking because God sees us. We must be cautious not to think that becauseGod sees us, our lives will be only wonderful. Just ask Mary!The news that Gabriel shares later in the chapter about giving birth to Jesusprobably did not feel like she was highly favored. It likely felt like the very op-posite, but she realizes she who is the most unexpected of all has a place inGod’s plan for the people.I believe it is no accident that God chooses Mary. For me, it is indication thathope is not just for those who have status and means, but for everyone.Those who are trying to oppress others will often try to takeaway or diminishhope. This text reminds us that we should remain hopeful because God doessee us. God highly favors those whom the world marginalizes or tries to makeinvisible.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 4 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is about Good NewsIsaiah 40:9-11Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up yourvoice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, do notfear… Isaiah 40:9I believe it is human nature to want to hear good news. If every day the onlything we heard was bad news or how awful things are it would grate on usquickly. We need to hear and experience good news so that we can havehope for the future.This text in Isaiah begins with the sharing of good news for Zion and Jerusa-lem in exile under Babylonian rule. The news is so good that those who bringit are implored to “shout it” and make sure everyone hears something wonder-ful is happening and is going to happen.Here is what I love about this text, it reads, “you who bring good news.” Itdoes not yet say what the good news is. Twice it emphasizes “you who bringgood news.” This means we are called to participate in creating hope for thefuture. We must share the good news that is happening so that others canhear it and have hope. In fact, we should be shouting the good news to makesure everyone hears it.Of course, if we literally shout it, people will ignore us, but the point remainsnot to keep the good news quiet. I believe we are often reticent to share goodnews because it can feel like bragging. The key is that the good news is notabout us, but about the way God cares for all of us. All of us!We do indeed need to hear good news. We also need to be the purveyors ofgood news. We need to give hope to others that God truly does take care ofus all. This is a message that is not shared enough in our world. This text re-minds us that we are the ones who are called to share it.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 3 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is about EvidenceLuke 21:29-31Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you cansee for yourselves and know that summer is already near. Luke 21:29-30Most of us have watched some version of a crime or court drama to knowthat so much hinges on evidence. What is the evidence you have that my cli-ent was at the scene of the crime? We are focused on the evidence becauseit provides something tangible for us to hang our hats on when we have ques-tions.Another way to put it, we believe evidence can give us a degree of certaintythat without it does not exist. In this text, Jesus uses the fig tree as an exam-ple of something tangible we can hang our hats on as evidence.The evidence of summer coming is that the fig tree is sprouting leaves. Whenthe leaves start sprouting it is a sign that summer is around the corner. Wemay not say it out loud, but we are often looking for evidence for the thingsin which we hope. We want a tangible sign like the sprouting leaves to let usknow that it is around the corner.Here is the thing, around the corner does not mean immediate. Jesus istalking about the sprouting fig leaves being evidence for the reign of God be-ing near. While it is true that the reign of God is present now, it has not beenfully realized. The evidence indicates God’s reign is among us yet it may notbe fully realized for a while.Evidence is helpful in giving us something tangible to hold on to as we wait.We should not mistake evidence as a sign of something happening immedi-ately. We should take it as a sign that even as a fig tree sprouts leaves, it willtake a while for full leafing.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 2 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is about Keeping PromisesJeremiah 33:14-16The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise Imade to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Jeremiah 33:14We 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. In thisJeremiah text, it begins with God saying, “the days are coming when I will ful-fill my promise.”For those who have been clinging to the hope of the promise being fulfilledthis is a welcome relief. God is going to deliver the people from exile in Baby-lon, restore the Davidic king, and re-establish Jerusalem.As you continue reading the text notice the details provided for how thepromise will be fulfilled. God will bring forth a sprout from David’s line that willbe good news to both Israel and Judah.Sometimes when we are clinging to hope that a promise will be fulfilled, weneed the type of details provided in this text. Simply repeating the promise nolonger bolsters our hope. We need something more concrete to keep us mov-ing forward so that our hope will come to fruition.During this time of Advent consider what promises you have been making toothers. If you intend to keep these promises (hopefully you do), then what arethe details you can share so that those seeking fulfillment of the promise donot lose hope? Keeping promises goes a long way to helping all of us to main-tain hopeful expectations.

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPEDecember 1 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is a New RealityIsaiah 2:1-5He 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 learnwar any more. Isaiah 2:4Can you imagine a world where there are no wars? It does seem unimag-inable, especially since there is always a conflict happening someplace in theworld.In this text we read about the hope of one day the very weapons we use to doharm to one another become instruments of provision for one another. Ourswords will till the ground, and our spears will help us to catch fish.At first glance this seems unrealistic given what we have experiencedthroughout our lives. What catches my attention is in verse three when it talksabout God teaching us God’s ways. This new reality is not something that wecan achieve ourselves but requires learning.It involves learning, for example, a new way of being with one another thatdoes not move toward violence. The good news is we already have a modelfor what this looks like from Jesus. The truth is it is even challenging for us asChristians to follow Jesus’ model.Advent is a time when we should anticipate a new reality. This reality movesus closer toward God’s intent for instruments of destruction to become instru-ments of provision. Our hope for this new reality as Christians should move usto action now. We should model Jesus’ behavior as individuals and communi-ties of faith. One day we truly will say, “we no longer are training for war.”

ADVENT WEEK ONE: HOPENovember 30 F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhDHope is Predicated on TruthJohn 18:36-37Jesus answered, “You say that I am a King. For this I was born and for this Icame into the world to testify to the truth.” John 18:37bJesus shares with Pilate that he was “born and came into the world… to testi-fy to the truth.” As Christians our hope during advent is in anticipating Jesus’reign that looks nothing like what this world has seen. Jesus’ word choiceabout testifying to the truth should give us all pause.Do we see our own missions like Jesus’ of testifying to the truth? Not the con-venient answers being promoted by various interests around us, but the truth.Testifying to the truth seems more challenging today because what I may seeas the obvious truth to someone else is perceived as a political agenda. Thistext reminds us that hope is not a made-up belief, but is in fact predicated onthe hard work of testifying to the truth.This requires consistently seeking the truth even when we may not like whatwe learn. It means testifying to the truth which will put us at odds with otherswho prefer the truth to stay hidden.This advent season, as we anticipate the arrival of Jesus, our hope shouldbe predicated on testifying to the truth as Jesus did when facing Pilate. In aworld where we easily dismiss the truth or want to manipulate the truth, testi-fying to the truth of our hope in Jesus’ reign being different from anything thisworld has ever seen or experienced is a part of our calling as Christians.