Advent Devotions: Week 1

This Advent, prepare for Christmas with a unique devotional written entirely by members of the Southminster community. Each day features a meditation on a different word along with a breath prayer. You can find the first week of devotions below!

Each Sunday, the next week's devotions will be posted. You may also pick up a print copy of the devotional from the church. We hope this collection will be a source of blessing, inspiration, and meaningful preparation in this Advent season.

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In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God during his section’s turn of duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified, and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

-Luke 1: 5-13

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November 30th; First Sunday of Advent

Hope

by Jenny Thagard

Let’s brainstorm phrases with “hope.” I hope so; faith, hope and love; It’s what I’m hoping for; hope for the best, prepare for the worst; beyond hope; a glimmer of hope; a hope chest; while there’s life, there’s hope; don’t get your hopes up; …

While brainstorming “hope,” I realized hope is a universal craving. An absence of hope is the presence of despair. When early Christians adopted the anchor as a symbol of hope they could have been referencing the passage from Hebrews 6 that speaks of hope as “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered…” As we travel together during this Advent season, actively choose this joyful hope to anchor your holiday preparations. 

Inhale:

Hope that trembles

Exhale:

is still hope.

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December 1st

Longing

by Kara Kilpatrick 

The word calls to me,

whispers of adventures just beyond the horizon,

promises fulfillment around the bend;

leaves me wanting

what is yet to be.

Still the longing is vague-

A magician’s trick-

fool’s gold, shiny on the ground

playing on my emotions,

my need, my greed.

Yet it fills me even as it hollows,

Pushes me to the next goal

Transforms the present

To anticipation

To grief

A restless heart

Needing. . . rest

The stillness of sanctuary

The peace beyond understanding.

So this journey

begins in silence

noticing the shape and contour

of all the spaces

Longing whistles through

and offering it up as prayer.

Inhale:

God listens

Exhale:

to my deepest longings.

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December 2nd 

Break In

by Natalie Reed

Glimmer - “a micro-moment of joy, connection, and safety that fosters feelings of well-being” (Deb Dana)

At Campfire Church, we always ask, “Where did you see God this week?” Some days or weeks it seems harder to see those glimmers or God-moments. The news cycle, social media, loneliness, health issues, loss - it is all so much. Yet God does break in. Whether it is the laughter of children, the antics of the local squirrels, an un-looked-for helping hand, an angel saying, “Don’t be afraid,” those glimmers are God with us - God breaking in. The glimmer may not fix a broken heart or heal an ailing body, but it does remind us that God is always near, hearing our prayers and holding us close.

Inhale:

May your light break in.

Exhale:

May your love bring healing.

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December 3rd 

Fear

by Garrett Chow

Fear not things that can take this life. Nothing in this world can take body and soul. Extract courage from the source that is out of this world by being still and immersing yourself in God’s majesty. Don’t let tomorrow get in the way of now. Be still. 

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

 Lord help us connect to you in the midst of fear. Remind us you are supreme, and your everlasting love gives us the courage to conquer every form of fear.

Inhale: 

My fears are valid,

Exhale:

and God is near.

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December 4th 

Possibility

by Laura Bannon

Advent invites us to look beyond what is and imagine what could be. It’s the season of holy possibility; the quiet trust that God is still creating, still stirring life in unexpected places. When we let go of how we think things should be, we make space for what God can do. Mary said yes to what seemed impossible; Joseph believed in what he could not yet see. We, too, are called to that same hope, to look at our ordinary days and notice that grace might already be growing there.

Inhale:

God, help me see

Exhale:

all that is possible.

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December 5th 

Presence

by Erika Raper

"When you go through deep waters, I will go with you." Isaiah 43:2

As God's people, we are told again and again that God's presence is always with us, to comfort and sustain us.  

But what about the other times? What about the good times? The mundane times? The busy times? God is with us then too, and perhaps that is truly when we need  a reminder of God's presence,  as well as a reminder to be present in our own lives. 

Life gets busier; time goes faster. As a busy mom of an even busier family, I often feel like my kids' childhoods are slipping away at an alarming speed, especially during this packed holiday season. If only there was a way to slow the progression of time!

There is. You can slow down time with presence. Be more present for God, for those around you, and for yourself.

Sit peacefully in the presence of God. Put down your pen, your phone, your book, and turn to face the person who is speaking to you. Sit down and talk on the phone like it's a landline. Muse quietly with your own thoughts, instead of drowning them out with noise and scrolling.

Slow time in this way: Every day be present with God, with those around you, and with yourself. 

Inhale:

When I’m afraid,

Exhale:

God responds with presence.

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December 6th 

Be

by Ty Thornton

Psalm 46:10 BE STILL and know that I am God . . . .

In English (and in most other languages), the verb “to be” functions as an essential verb. We use it to express states of being (“I am happy”), to describe people or objects (“he was a kind person”), or indicate events (“the concert is on Saturday”). Forms of the verb “to be” also help us construct several different verb tenses by serving as an auxiliary verb—“the  child was crying.” We also often associate this verb with the “passive” voice, where the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action of the verb rather than the actor—“the symphony was composed by . . . .”   I would like to suggest, however, that “to be” can also be an active verb, although perhaps not in the traditional sense.  In this way, “to be” becomes an action in itself, no other “doing” is involved.  We step back from all the busy-ness, the anxiety, the frustrations of our lives and take a few moments just to breathe, to be still, to exist, without the need to do anything else.  These few moments can allow the Spirit to speak to us when we need it the most, so take a few minutes every day and enjoy the quiet satisfaction of “being.”

Inhale:

Let it be.

Exhale:

Let it be with me.