Wednesday, December 17, 2025

O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! Isaiah 2:5

In these beginning days of Advent, our reading from Isaiah asks us to take a look at what it means to “walk in the light of the Lord.”  Isaiah’s verses (2:1-5) describe the world that God has in mind for all nations to enjoy when people have learned to live in accordance with God’s teachings.  There will be justice and peace for all nations – for everyone.  But, living in this way will take some preparation – and instruction – from God.  Come, let us learn what God has to teach us.  Let us walk in the light of the Lord.

In the times of Isaiah, the people of Israel were living with instances of violence, corruption, unfaithfulness, desolation and war in nearby countries, poverty, injustice for the poor and weak ... the same as existed in the times of Jesus ... and the same dark places we still see existing in today’s world.  We long to see God’s light triumph.  And, through the weeks of Advent, we call out,  “Come, Lord Jesus.”  “Come now, O Prince of Peace, make us one body.  Come, O lord Jesus, reconcile your people.”

So we ask what can we do to bring about God’s peace?  Well, the simple answer is that we can’t.  Only God can.  But, we can express it in our own lives – as we try to “walk in the light of the Lord.”  In a commentary by Barbara Lundblad she told of a program developed by community activist Pedro Reyes, from Culiacán, Mexico .  Culiacán was described as “the city with the highest rate of gun deaths in the nation.”  In response, Reyes collected 1,527 guns for the project Palas por Pistolas, melting these guns down into 1,527 shovel heads. But the project didn’t stop there. The 1,527 shovels were used to plant 1,527 trees in the open spaces of the city.  Matter used for death transformed into matter promoting life. Walking in the light of the Lord.

The first Sunday in Advent we light a candle for hope and peace.  Let us pray that God’s reign of peace will come to the world as we wait in hopefulness for the Christ child to come to us again.

O God, enlighten us with your grace and prepare our hearts to welcome the Child you have sent us with joy and hopefulness.  Amen.

Paulette Obrecht is interim pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown and serves on the Advisory Board for Lutheran Congregational Services, and as an as-needed case manager for Lutheran Disaster Response of Eastern PA.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish once these waters reach there. It will become fresh, and everything will live where the river goes. Ezekiel 47: 9

Where do you go for refreshment?  Where do you go for healing?  Could Advent be a time to ask these questions?  

Ezekiel 47 presents a vision.  It is a vison of hope, of restoration, of radical welcome.  It is a vision of God’s presence spoken to a people who, after exile, are sorely in need of such a word.  Ezekiel is led to the temple where he sees flowing water coming out from under the door.  As we discover, this water,  which flows with increasing volume, is the presence of God.  Ezekiel first just dips a toe, but soon is immersed in the water!  Ezekiel is immersed in God’s promise to heal and restore what was broken.

I’m not sure that we often think of Advent as a time of reflection and repentance.  There is a lot to do!  Choir practice, Christmas pageants, gifts, parties!!!  Everyday seems to have a seasonal activity.  But, I wonder, in the midst of all the prep, are we willing to take a moment or two to consider…to ponder.  Where is the brokenness God comes to heal when God is born into the world?  This birth we are awaiting, is it a refreshment?  Does it flow into our lives opening us to visions of hope, healing, welcome, restoration?  

Every Advent the carol that rings in my ears speaks the words, “Christ is born for this.”  To be a flowing river of God’s presence into a waiting world.  

Let us pray.  O God incarnate, we are waiting in a world, and in lives, with brokenness, and need and division.  Remind us that you are coming to bring healing.  Let your loving presence flow into our hearts and restore our hope.  Amen.

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

Monday, December 15, 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

I have taken these words to prayer many times but this year it is a little different as we look at what is happening in our World today. ​

We know that God is with us but when we look around us, when we listen to the news, when we see children starving it is hard to walk in hope. ​ Then I look at Mary who gave her unconditional “yes” when God planted the seed of Jesus in her virgin womb, she did not know what life would be for her. ​ Would the people stone her, would Joseph abandon her, what would become of her family, how would she raise the Son of God? ​ She did not know what her life would be like or how she would raise the young child but she said yes because she trusted that God was with her. ​

After presenting the child in the temple she was told by Simeon that a sword would pierce her heart and we know that she stood at the foot of the cross the day that Jesus reopened heaven for all of us. ​ Through all of this she knew that God was with her and working through her. 

These days I think of Mary and what is going on today—hate, violence, lack of justice. ​ This was part of what Mary experienced in her life and yet she had hope. ​I know I also have to give my unconditional love to those I work and live with, and even those I do not know or like. ​

I look around and see that many children in our world are starving to death, not because of lack of food, but because people in power want more power, and won’t release food for starving children. ​ And as Mary stood at the cross powerless to help Jesus in that moment, there are mothers today too, who feel helpless watching their own children suffer. Yet I live in hope that our world will be a better place because God is with us. ​

I’m going to trust in the Lord, I’m going to trust in the Lord, I’m going to trust in the Lord till I die. ​ I’m going to hope in the Lord, I’m going to hope in the Lord, I’m going to hope in the Lord till I die. ​

Lord, create in me trust and hope. Amen.

Sr. Carole Eden Resident at Paul’s Run

Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, 2025

Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7 

Reading this bible verse gives reflection to “what is patience and perseverance?” Here’s some examples: living through a pandemic, experiencing childbirth, living with a long-term illness, being unemployed with no one calling, and the constancy of troubling world events.

Each day we are confronted with life events that truly weigh heavily on our hearts and our spirit.  Those events can cause emotions like fear and anxiety.  As Christians we know that we are to remain faithful and not succumb to fear.   When you live through a pandemic, you learn the importance of resilience.  While in the gestation period of childbirth, you await the miracle of a new life.  As you live with a long-term illness, you learn to accept the things you cannot change and resolve to live through the circumstances.  When unemployed and no one is calling, you learn to self-motivate and self-educate in order to remain encouraged and relevant.  When confronted with the non-stop barrage of troubling world events, you lean on your faith.  

In all situations, faith is what allows you to be patient.  Matthew 21:22 reads “and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”   Hebrews 11:1 reads “now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is what gives us confidence in things we do not fully understand yet we live with assurance.  Faith gives us the courage to keep believing and moving forward even during life’s difficulties.  As James 5:7 reminds us, “be patient” because through all of this, our Lord is in control and will return in his time.  Be reminded of his time as described in 2 Peter 3:8 “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  

God of all creation, give us both the patience and faith of the farmer in James 5:7, especially in challenging times. Remind us that through it all, you are in control. Amen.

Charmaine R. Maddrey-Smith is the Director of Training and Leadership Development for Liberty Lutheran.

Friday, December 12, 2025

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you, to turn back from following you!

Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16

In this verse, Ruth is speaking to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who had moved to a new land and then lost her husband and sons. Facing this new reality, Naomi tells Ruth to go back to her people so she can have a chance at a new life. This is Ruth’s response, she refuses to turn her back and chooses to stay. 

When it feels like the world is crashing down around us, it can be difficult to feel that there is hope. At times it can seem kinder to push people away so they don’t need to share in our heaviness. It is in these times that we can often feel the love of God through those that surround us.  

In this time of Advent, reflect on who has been a loving presence in your life or who you’ve made the decision to stand beside. When we are struggling to feel God’s love or to understand why life’s twists and turns are happening, take a moment to look into the faces of the people in our lives who show up. 

There are the big, life-changing moments that can be seen and acknowledged and there are quiet struggles that can be overlooked or brushed over but can be so tough to carry every day. In our daily lives we are faced with the decisions of how to be present with those around us, what are you choosing to do today?

Make the phone call, bring the cookies, show up at the performance, send a silly card, have the conversation, listen – do the things you think about but may not always make the time in your schedule to do. You may never know the impact that a gesture, big or small, can have on someone. 

It can be hard. Allow others to stand by you. Be there. 

Dear Lord, As I reflect on my relationships during this Advent season, open my heart and mind to ways that I can support those around me. Help me to be a source of light, love and comfort. And when I am the one in need of your loving embrace, allow me to see the countless blessings all around me in the form of those who show up. Amen.

Sharon Schmidt is an employee at The Manor at Yorktown

Thursday, December 11, 2025

But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you, to turn back from following you!

Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16

Ruth was a Moabite, an outsider to the Hebrew people.  And yet, she commits herself to following her relative, Naomi, to Israel and becoming a follower of God.  This incredible act of trust brings blessings not just to her and her family, but eventually the entire world as her great-grandson will be King David and her lineage will include Jesus.

Ruth’s story is one of an outsider, someone who should not be welcome according to tradition and culture, challenging division and being brought into a community.  In our lives, we are challenged to welcome outsiders and open ourselves to what they may bring to us.

The devil’s work in this world is often focused on dividing us, on setting us up against each other.  People “on the other side of the aisle” become our enemies, instead of our neighbors.  Yet scripture calls us to seek reconciliation, which transforms our relationships.  It doesn’t mean we simply give in, but it means we forge a new way of living together in community, and the Holy Spirit gives us strength to do this.

I spent time in South Dakota, with many Lakota people as my neighbors.  The racial divisions and historical tension runs deep in many places there, yet God was already at work.  I quickly learned a Lakota phrase, Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ, that can often be translated as “we are all one” or “all my relatives.”  In a Lakota congregation, this phrase was used as the “amen” at the end of prayers, reminding us all that God’s family is larger than any social or cultural divisions we may have in this world.

This Lakota congregation, Woyatan Lutheran Church, worked to make space for strangers, as Naomi and other welcomed Ruth into the land of Israel.  Facing some of the worst divisions I have encountered in the United States, this group of faithful people made space for outsiders, for those outside the Lakota people, to be part of their community.  In wonderful acts of trust and reconciliation, the Holy Spirit was forging new relationships.

In this Advent, let us remember that God makes a place for us, and the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to welcome strangers.  In this work, the love of Christ is embodied, as people are able to see the reality of Immanuel, that God-is-with-us, making us one.

Lord of all peoples and nations, of all tribes and cultures, of all times and places, come and be with us.  Break down divisions where they exist, and stir in us the compassion for others that you have for us.  Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ.

The Rev. Jonathan Steiner is associate pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Lansdale, and serves on SEPA Synod Council.

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 

Years after the Flood and years after the collapsed Tower of Babel, God was in the midst of another “do-over”, choosing to work through an individual human and his family – Abram and Sarai – to renew and restore God’s relationship with humanity. Abram and Sarai were both quite old (as old as me!) when they left their country, their people, and all that was familiar to them to begin a journey. It is unclear what qualifications God looked for. Do you ever wonder how it came to be that God chose you and called you? In what ways was your response to God a brand new adventure of leaving behind to go forward?

God made wonderful promises to Abram of land, many descendants, and blessing to all the families of the earth through Abram and Sarai. What do you sense that God has promised you?

In truth, Abram wasn’t always “all in” as an unwavering believer. To save himself, he once shoved his wife into Pharaoh’s arms with the pretense that Sarai was his sister. (And this wouldn’t be the last time he used this ploy.) Thinking that God hadn’t studied the reproductive abilities of seniors, Abram suggested that his younger male slave Eliezer could be the first branch in that promised family ancestral tree. Sarai would also offer an alternative solution. Can you recall, admit, and now chuckle at some of your own missteps as you stepped forward bearing the name, spirit, and mission of Jesus Christ? Aren’t you glad that the Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love? 

In Genesis 15:1-5 God offers Abram blessed words of reassurance. Where in your life do you need God to say, or to pass on through God’s human ministry partners and angelic messengers, “Don’t be afraid, I am your shield, your great reward.”?

The entire journey of Abram and Sarai to that first promised child would take a name change for each, plus twenty-five years of waiting and wondering in the midst of sore feet and long divine silences. And, after the birth of Isaac, there would be more challenging moments.  But, the fact that Abram (and Sarai) didn’t quit the journey along the way and didn’t give up on the vision, brought joy to God’s heart, as today’s Bible verse suggests. “The Lord reckoned it as righteousness.” Like Abram and Sarai in today’s verse, you are still in the midst of that journey. There are days, miles, and challenges ahead.  

Dear God, we are grateful that You have given us life and breathed into us your Spirit… that You have led, fed, and blessed us along the way… that You have pledged your love to us and called forth our hope, trust, and faith… and that You have promised us both a meaningful journey along the way and an unfailing treasure in heaven at the end of the journey. Help us to hold on just a little while longer.  We are ready to step forward again.  Amen.  

The Rev. Neil A. Bond is pastor at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, West Oak Lane, Philadelphia, PA