Thursday, December 25, 2025 Christmas Day

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.”      Luke 2:10

If you’ve been reading these reflections over the last month, you’ve read a lot about waiting that is marked by the season of Advent. And today on Christmas, we remember and celebrate the end of the waiting for Jesus’s birth. God in the flesh, here with us on earth. Jesus the Deliverer, Messiah, Savior, Most High Priest, Carpenter, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, Miracle Worker, Liberator, and Rescuer, has arrived in the flesh for all people. 

For me and probably for a lot of us, candlelight Christmas Eve services hold a special place in my heart. The telling of the story of Jesus’s birth in favorite songs and re-enactments, the glow from the whole church lit up by candles, the evening service, and despite all the chaos that also goes along with the rest of the Christmas season, these moments in church can create a beautiful and comforting experience. 

Pastors, of course, remind us that this is only the beginning of the story. The redemption that comes from the fraught journey to Good Friday and the mystery and power of the resurrection that we celebrate on Easter, is what restores true peace. 

But the angels words here in Luke 2:10 do tell us that the intent all along was always good news…”great joy for all people.” 

So when we go back to our regular day to day, when we go back to the waiting for an end to oppression, injustice, anxiety, and all the other burdens of this life, we have a taste through these sweet words, of what God intends for us and what God ultimately has in store for us because of Easter, and that is good news worth sharing. 

Loving Creator, renew our hope and confidence in you, and bring us and all people everlasting peace. Amen. 

Julia Frank is Director of Community Outreach for Liberty Lutheran and Lutheran Congregational Services.

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.  Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed.”  Luke 1: 46-48

As children we loved to go to my father’s workshop and play with all of the treasures held on the benches and jars and boxes.  One of my favorites was a box of magnifying glasses.  I’m not sure why they were there, or where they came from.  I, frankly, don’t think I ever saw dad use them, but my sister and I would go all around the house and the meadow behind the house magnifying anything in our path.  

Mary, a young Jewish woman, has been visited by an angel whose God message changed her world.  I imagine her as overwhelmed and afraid, but maybe, slowly, also excited and curious.   Faith feels like that sometimes doesn’t it?  Overwhelming.  Maybe even a bit scary in what it calls us to do and to be in the world.  

Mary goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth.  Pregnancy, and faith, call us into relationship, I think.  Who else is going through all the stages, asking the same questions, experiencing the fear and the excitement? 

Elizabeth rejoices!  Was she the first to show joy at Mary’s announcement?  Did she allow Mary finally to sing the song of her heart?  The song that magnifies- notices- makes big- what God has done and is allowed her to participate in.

In this Advent season, as we prepare to tell the familiar birth story of our God, what are we noticing?  Where do we see God?  What do we see God doing in our lives?  Are we filled with enough excitement that we are magnifying God in our lives?  

My sister and I made sure that everyone in our home heard about what we had seen on our magnifying glass adventures!  We didn’t ask if they were interested. We just knew in our hearts that these were things to be told!  I pray now, in Advent, that I might find the same joy in what God is doing.   That when I see God, I cannot wait to magnify what I see and sing my joy to proclaim God my Savior in a life of faith.  

Loving God, you look upon us with loving favor, inspire us by this blessing to live lives that notice your presence and magnify your goodness as we notice and love one another.  Amen.

The Rev. Ghislaine Cotnoir (she/her) is Director of Pastoral Care- Artman Home and The Hearth at Drexel

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would reckon as righteous the gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the gentiles shall be blessed in you.” Galatians 3:8

This verse from Galatians points back to the Old Testament scriptures wherein God foretold that there was coming a means of salvation for all people, not just those of Jewish faith or lineage—but that all people can be saved.  The verse prior (verse 7) states: “Know then that those who have faith are children of Abraham”, which basically means all those who have faith are part of God’s family.  

It tells us that one’s lineage and adherence to religious laws does not make you righteous in God’s eyes (as Jewish people in the time before and the time of Christ believed), but that anyone who has faith in God (and thereby Jesus) is a member of God’s family.  

God’s plan plays out each and every day, in each and every aspect of our lives.  He has known from before time began what He was going to do and how He was going to save mankind from sin.  How awesome is that?  

God knew humans would fall into sin—every one of us—and he put in place a plan that would save us even before we were born.  Whether Jew, Gentile, or anything else---God offers salvation if we just believe that only faith in Jesus and all that He did will gain for us eternal salvation. Nothing we say, nothing we do, nothing we avoid doing—nothing but the blood of Christ will save you from your sins and make you righteous in God’s eyes. We are all “blessed in” Jesus.  

When we pass from this life, we can stand before the throne of God and say only: “I plead Jesus as my savior” because anything else you say –any deeds, sacrifices, or plea you say to God as a way to gain His favor or pardon will not do.  Only Jesus.  Thank God for His pre-ordained plan to offer a way to salvation for every human who ever lives.  

Dear God, we are so thankful to you for providing us with a way to come before you in righteousness—not our own righteousness, but that of Jesus, for there is no other way to be righteous in your eyes.  As we walk this side of heaven, keep us mindful of the way we should walk to bring you glory and to lead others into righteousness and everlasting life with you.  It is in, through, and because of Jesus that we ask and pray all things.  Amen.  

Christine Naessens is staff recruiter for Liberty Lutheran.

 

Monday, December 22

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. Matthew 1:21

Immanuel—God with us. Over the years, I’ve heard countless sermons on what those words mean. Some messages fade quickly, but others stay with me because they touch a deep place in my spirit.

It is profoundly comforting to know that God, who became human in Jesus, fully understands our struggles and the emotions they stir:

the pain of losing someone we love, 

the despair of losing a home and belongings in a fire,

the anxiety of not having enough to provide for our families,

the fear that comes when our health is threatened.

Yet the God who created us has also given us a remarkable capacity for love and compassion. And in Jesus—Immanuel—we see clearly how to live as God’s beloved children to one another.

As I write this, Lutheran Congregational Services has just completed God’s Work, Our Hands, where God’s people prepared kits for those who are overwhelmed by the devastation of a disaster. These simple gifts, born of generosity and compassion, are powerful signs of God’s love. They tell survivors: You matter. You are beloved. You are not alone.

Dear God, as we approach Christmas, help us embrace Jesus as our model of love. Give us eyes to see the struggles of others and hearts strong enough to respond with compassion. May our words and actions remind people that they are not alone, for you—Immanuel—are with us. Amen.

Patty Cline is director of advancement for Liberty Lutheran. 

Saturday, December 20 and Sunday, December 21, 2025

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we all got a sign that said we were doing all right? Who has not asked for a sign from above at least once? 

In this crazy world we live in, I often keep praying on my way into Paul’s Run in the morning for a sign that God has got me and all of us. I am not even sure if it’s really for me, or if my prayer is more for those I serve to give everyone a sign that God is with us, even in those tough moments. 

But in Isaiah 7, the sign that God gives us is, the sign, Mary the mother of Jesus miraculously expecting the Savior of the world and through him all of will be forgiven and loved unconditionally. Emmanuel- God with us. And its my favorite reminder in this Advent season, that God does indeed have us- always, to the ends of the age. 

As we continue through this journey of Advent, may we remember that in the tough and dark times, God has already sent us a sign- Mary the Mother of Jesus, who will bring that amazing savior into the world. 

Holy God, remind us in this human-filled world that you do indeed have us and you give us signs you are with us all the time. May this season be another one of those signs that shows you are in fact Emmanuel- God with us. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Rev. Michelle Wildridge is the Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life at Paul’s Run.

Friday, December 19, 2025

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

In this Advent season, we’re focused on the coming of Jesus. Our scripture today takes us back to a promise God made to King David, centuries before the first Christmas. God told David that from his family line would come an eternal king—the Messiah.

David’s response to this breathtaking news wasn’t a cheer or a boast. Instead, he sat quietly before God and asked, “Who am I... that you have brought me thus far?” David knew he was just a shepherd, a flawed man, and yet God chose his family to bring the Savior into the world.

This is the very heart of Advent. We are preparing to celebrate the birth of a King who came not because we earned it, but because of God’s perfect grace. The promise made to David was fulfilled not in a palace, but in a humble manger in Bethlehem.

So this Advent, let’s follow David’s lead. Let’s sit in quiet awe of God’s love and humility. The greatest gift ever given was not something we deserved, but a gift of grace from a God who loved us so much He came to us.

Thank you, Lord, for your amazing grace. As we await the celebration of your Son’s birth, fill us with a spirit of humility and wonder. Amen.

Pastor Rolf Schmidt serves St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sinking Spring, PA.

Thursday, December 18, 2025

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:28

I am writing this the day after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah.  

Let me write what should be obvious to all of us and especially to those of us who strive to be followers of Jesus:  violence is never the answer, violence has always and forever will only lead to more violence.  

Kirk’s death is tragic because he was a human being, a child of God.  Period.  Every life that is stolen by violence is tragic.  Which is not to say that I agreed with Kirk on pretty much anything, or with his understanding of Christianity. 

I have felt recently, and yet even more so today, after reading too many news stories and watching too many videos, that there is only one side or the other, only poles of thought set far apart with a vast chasm of danger in between.

And then there is this biblical passage.  For those clothed with Christ in baptism, Paul writes, “there is no longer Jew or Greek…slave or free…male or female.”  We, all of us, are heirs to God’s promise that we are one in Christ. 

In the juxtaposition of what I am feeling and seeing today and what Paul writes, I am full of angst; I don’t know what to say.  

But then I remember the season for which this devotion is being written.  Advent.  

Advent is expectation, a rumor unleashed but unconfirmed.  It is girded in anticipation, its garments a hopeful, bright blue.  But it walks in the gray before the dawn, in the darkness prior to the sun’s arrival.  Urgent, with eager longing, Advent leans forward toward the promise that the Lord will come.  And then?  No longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. 

On this day when I am weary with waiting, and my hope diminished, this promise nudges me to lean forward toward the living flame of Christ, far away as it may sometimes seem.  Not one side or the other.  One.  In Christ.  A chasm bridged by love that itself suffered the ultimate violence but Godly resurrection resumed.

In Advent we grope about in familiar darkness but, by God, we are clothed in a royal, hopeful blue.  Our words may fail us, our fears may stalk us, our hearts will grieve, but we wait, ever watching, for the light that lives and enlivens us, we who dwell in shadow and doubt.

Come, Lord Jesus.  Come.  Open our eyes to your light, open our hearts with your love, open our hands with your compassion, that especially amid the darkness of our days, we might find that we are all one in you.  Amen.

The Rev. Richard (Rick) Summy is Program Director of Love Revolution, a ministry of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA.