Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 7 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

SURPRISE!

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:26-29)

Dear Mary! What a shock that must have been, to see an angel, right in the middle of washing the laundry or feeding the chickens. And the way he greets her! “Favored one” and “The Lord is with you!” I wonder if she thought the angel got the wrong house?

She had good reason to wonder. After all, she knew her Bible. God had sent angels before to announce the birth of a child, but those had always gone to married women—often women in old age! Virgins didn’t get that kind of visit—until now.

But she listens. And she discovers that God is about to do something wonderful—for He is sending His own Son into human flesh, and He’s going to use Mary herself to make it possible.

As a result, we too are “favored”—all because God gave us Jesus, who became our Savior through His suffering and death—and who rose from the dead to give us life. Now “the Lord is with you” is something God can say to Mary and to all of us who trust in Jesus—for He has promised never to leave us.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, thank You for sending Your Son! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Why would God choose a humble village girl instead of a princess?
Why do you think He chose a virgin instead of a married woman?
What does it mean to you, to know Jesus is with you forever?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 6 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

HIDDEN

And when his [Zechariah’s] time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” (Luke 1:23-25)

I wonder why Elizabeth kept herself hidden for five months. Was it only that she wanted to be sure there would be no miscarriage? Somehow that doesn’t quite fit to me. Elizabeth shows no signs of doubting God’s promise to give them a son.

Maybe she just didn’t want to deal with the reactions her neighbors would give her when they heard of the pregnancy. Because people have all sorts of opinions, and they offer them freely, often too freely.

But I suspect that for Elizabeth, this has a lot more to do with seeking God—with thinking over what He has given her, and thanking Him, and making plans for the future. Certainly being John’s mother was going to be a major task. This baby would prepare the way for Jesus Himself! She must have spent many hours thinking about that—both what John would do, and what Jesus was coming to do.

Because it’s right there in the Scripture—that God Himself was coming into our human race, to make Himself one of us, and to rescue us from sin and death. And He would do it the hard way—not through acts of royal power, but through His own shameful death on a cross, and then rising to life again. Did Elizabeth realize this, as she thought and prayed?

Maybe someday we’ll get to ask.

WE PRAY: Dear God, thank You for coming Yourself to be our Savior. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

What do you do before you start a major life task?
How will John’s work help Jesus’ ministry?
Why do you think God came Himself instead of sending an angel or other creature?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 5 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

GOD’S SENSE OF HUMOR

And the angel answered him [Zechariah], “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:19-20)

I love God’s sense of humor expressed through the angel Gabriel. Because He could have gotten mad, couldn’t He? But He doesn’t. He simply reminds Zechariah of the facts of the case—“Hey, you’re talking to an angel. Right here, see? I stand in the presence of God? Right. So why are you doubting me?”

And then God gives Zechariah the extra “sign” he was asking for, the answer to his doubtful “How will I know this?” “Fine,” says the angel on God’s behalf, “if you want a sign that badly, you can be mute for the next nine months. Will that do you?”

I think of my own husband the pastor, and I wonder. Would he survive for nine months with no voice? What a discipline for a preacher, poor man!

But the discipline is a loving one—for Zechariah will indeed see God’s promise come true, and he will see his son John born, the first visible, touchable sign of God’s coming into the world. For John is Jesus’ forerunner, and he goes before the One who is both God and Man, who will give Himself up into death to save the world—and who will rise from the dead to give life to all of us.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience with me when I am slow to believe—and thank You for loving me anyway. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Does it surprise you to think God has a sense of humor?
Where else do you see it?
Why is John a sign of Jesus’ coming?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 4 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

DOUBTFUL

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” (Luke 1:18)

I have a hard time blaming Zechariah for his reaction. I mean, here he is, an old man, who has been praying for a son for most of his life. I wouldn’t be surprised if that prayer has turned into something automatic by now—something the asker no longer really expects God to take seriously, because it’s just been too long.

But God does take Zechariah’s prayer seriously. He tells him it’s happening now, this very year. And Zechariah—well, I can’t help wondering if he really wants this gift by now! Maybe he is suddenly thinking of screaming babies, and broken nights, and the endless tasks involved in raising a child! After all, he isn’t young anymore.

I’m glad God is patient and has a sense of humor—not just with Zechariah but with us. Because we, too, have our moments when God answers us and shatters our cozy little world, and we just can’t cope. Even when it’s something good, something we’ve been begging for—suddenly we see all the downsides, and well, we fail to rise to the occasion.

Thank God He knows we are like that, and He loves us anyway. God doesn’t give up on Zechariah, or take away the gift He’s promised him. And He doesn’t give up on us either. How could He—the One who died and rose to make us His own dearly beloved family?

WE PRAY: Lord, thank You that You’re patient with me when You do something new in my life, and I pull back in fear and doubt. Help me to trust You! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Do you think you’d want a baby at, say, age 70?
Why or why not?
When has God surprised you in your own life?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 3 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

SUDDEN GIFT

Now while he [Zechariah] was serving as priest … there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him … But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.” (Luke 1:8a, 11-12a, 13-15a)

What a gift God is giving to Zechariah and Elizabeth! After hundreds of years of silence, God is finally acting as He did in the old days—sending a miracle baby to people past the age of childbearing, and giving that baby a mission. And what is that mission? To “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, … to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16b,17b).

Prepared for what? Why, for God Himself to come into our world—to insert Himself into the human race as one of us, a true human being, who comes to live and to die and to rise again, all in order to rescue us from the powers of evil. Zechariah’s son John will prepare the way for that to happen—for Jesus to become our Savior.

What an amazing gift! And God has given Zechariah the privilege of being part of it. And He has given us the privilege of knowing about it, and rejoicing in it, and welcoming Jesus as our own Savior.

WE PRAY: Thank You, dear Lord, for coming to us. What a gift You are to me! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

What is the best gift you ever received (not counting Jesus)?
If Jesus is a gift, who gave Him? Why?
Is He a gift you get to keep forever? Why or why not?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 2 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

IN THE DAYS OF HEROD

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. (Luke 1:5-7)

Luke starts his story on a grim note. Because “the days of Herod” are more than just a date marker. They are a reminder that Judea was ruled by a mad king—a man who saw enemies everywhere, and even killed his own wife and children when he thought they were plotting against him. He was not a safe man to have in power. Those were dark days.

They were even darker for Zechariah and Elizabeth because of personal grief. Although they loved God and walked in His ways, they were never able to have children, and now they were facing old age. Was God punishing them? No doubt the neighbors thought so—it’s the kind of thing people always say. And that would make life even darker.

But in the middle of this darkness, God was preparing to send light. He was about to send His own Son Jesus, the Light of the world, into the world as a human being. Jesus was coming to save us all through His suffering, death, and resurrection. And Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son would prepare the way for Him.

God had not forgotten them. He hasn’t forgotten us, either.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, You see the darkness in my life. Send me the light of Your Son Jesus. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

What makes your days dark right now?
Do you ever think God has forgotten you?
How do you find help and hope in Jesus?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 1 December 2025 (Advent Devotional)

EMBEDDED

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (Matthew 1:1)

One thing I really like about the book of Matthew is that it starts with a long list of Jesus’ ancestors. You might find that boring—I did, once—but it does this for me: It shows me that Jesus, even though He’s God Himself, is completely embedded in the human race.

I mean, look at the people He has in His family tree! I see one murderer and adulterer (David), one spy who married a prostitute (Salmon), and one king who practiced human sacrifice (Manasseh). I see a man who was called the “friend of God” even though his cowardice caused him to put his wife in danger twice (Abraham). I see a wise man who fell into idolatry (Solomon) and a good king who hung out with bad company, and nearly got himself killed that way (Jehoshaphat). I see a poor foreign girl who married a local landowner and became the great-grandmother of a king (Ruth). I see a man who gave in to the urge to show off and doomed his country (Hezekiah) and another one who had the chance to ask God for any miracle he wanted, and actually turned the offer down (Ahaz). This is a wild group of people to have in your family tree!

And Jesus is embedded into this mosaic. Which means He’s embedded into us, the human race—the sometimes glorious, sometimes sick-and-sorry group of sinners Jesus came to save through His death and resurrection.

WE PRAY: Lord, I’m glad You came so close to us. Thank You, and please stay with me! Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Does your family tree contain unusual people?
Why do you think God highlights the failings of Jesus’ ancestors and not just the good sides?
If Jesus’ ancestors are like this, what does that say about how God thinks of you?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries: 30 November 2025 (Advent Devotional)

A NEW THING

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. (Matthew 1:18a)

At Christmas we celebrate the time God did something absolutely new, something nobody had ever heard before. As human beings, we are used to gods who rule heaven and earth … powerful gods who demand to be worshipped … gods who expect people to sacrifice to them. Every nation on earth has a god like that.

But who has a God like this one, who comes down from heaven to become a Man Himself? Who becomes a baby, lying in a manger, worshipped by shepherds. Who has a God who humbles Himself to serve, not to be served, and to give His life as a ransom for many? Who has a God who suffers and dies on a cross, and then rises to live again forever—all so that He can share that everlasting life with anyone who trusts in Him?

We do. We have that God—because He has made us His own. And this God who made us and redeemed us now calls us to trust Him.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, as I hear the story of Your coming once again, let Your Holy Spirit give me true faith in You. Amen.

Reflection Questions:

When did you first hear about Jesus?
Who have you told about Jesus?
What difference does Jesus make in your life?

Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Look! I remembered to post before December started this year!

Hello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means

karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.

The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.

( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )

Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.

On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.

Current Mood: thoughtful

YMI -- ODB: 29 November 2025

ODB: God’s Sufficient Grace

Nov 29, 2025/in Our Daily Bread/by YMI

November 29, 2025

READ: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

I was given a thorn in my flesh. 2 Corinthians 12:7

Born Mary Flannery O’Connor, she’s best known as Flannery O’Connor, one of the American South’s most celebrated writers. Her stories brim with suffering and grace. When her beloved father died of lupus when she was fifteen, a devastated O’Connor threw herself into writing her first novel. Soon she herself was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable disease that took her life at thirty-nine. O’Connor’s writing reflects her physical and mental anguish. Novelist Alice McDermott said, “It was the illness I think that made her the writer that she is.”

We don’t know what the apostle Paul’s “thorn” was (2 Corinthians 12:7), though many have offered conjecture. We do know that Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me” (v. 8). We also know God didn’t do so (v. 9). This humbled Paul. He notes how it kept him “from becoming conceited” (v. 7). Paul’s thorn formed him and made him the apostle that he was. But the thorn wasn’t all, for with the thorn came God’s sufficient grace and perfecting power, so the tormented apostle could declare, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (v. 10).

The thorns in our lives, whatever they may be, form us. They make us who we are. But the thorns aren’t all there is. As Paul and Flannery O’Connor and countless others have witnessed over the long arc of human history, God’s grace is sufficient for us.

— John Blase

What are the “thorns” in your life? How can you permit God’s grace and strength to be enough for you today?

Dear God, Your grace is sufficient for me. For further study, read God Was There All Along.

Source: Our Daily Bread

Current Mood: thankful

UpWords - Max Lucado: [From] 26 November 2025

The White Flag of the Heart

Maybe your past isn’t much to brag about. Maybe you’ve seen evil and you have to make a choice. Do you rise above the past and make a difference? Or do you remain controlled by the past and make excuses? Many choose the convalescent homes of the heart. Healthy bodies, sharp minds, but retired dreams. Lean closely and you’ll hear, “If only.” The white flag of the heart. “If only…”

Maybe you’ve used those words. Maybe you have every right to use them. Perhaps you were hearing the ten count before you even got into the ring. Can I show you where to turn? Go to John’s gospel and read Jesus’ words in John 3:6 (NCV). “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from one Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace. God is willing to give you what your family didn’t.

Read more When God Whispers Your Name

Current Mood: nostalgic

Psalm 100 (NRSVUE) - A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Psalm 100

All Lands Summoned to Praise God

A Psalm of thanksgiving.

¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.

³Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;^[a]
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him; bless his name.

⁵For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Footnotes

100.3 Or and not we ourselves

Current Mood: hopeful

YMI -- ODB: 26 November 2025

ODB: Count Your Blessings

Nov 26, 2025/in Our Daily Bread/by YMI

November 26, 2025

READ: Ezra 3:1, 4-6, 9-11

All the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord. Ezra 3:11

When I was a little girl, I loved the old hymn “Count Your Blessings.” The song encourages those who are “tempest-tossed” and “thinking all is lost” to “count your blessings, name them one by one.” Years later when my husband, Alan, was discouraged, he would often ask me to sing that simple song to him. Then I would help him to enumerate his blessings. Doing so took Alan’s focus off his struggles and self-doubt and centered his thoughts on God and his reasons for thankfulness.

The book of Ezra describes God’s people facing overwhelming challenges through focusing on God’s power and provision. After they’d endured decades of captivity in Babylon, King Cyrus allowed the Jewish exiles to return to Israel to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1-2). Only a fraction returned (2:64). Despite their “fear of the peoples around them” and the great task before them, they rebuilt the altar and laid the temple’s foundation (3:3, 10). Then “with praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: ‘He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord” (v. 11).

If you’re discouraged or facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles, turn your thoughts toward God. “Count your blessings . . . and it will surprise you what the Lord has done,” and continues to do, for those who love Him.

— Alyson Kieda

How has counting your blessings helped you in a difficult situation? What are you thankful for?

Dear God, please help me to be grateful and praise You for who You are and for all You’ve done.

Source: Our Daily Bread

Current Mood: hopeful

YMI -- ODB: 25 November 2025

ODB: Asking for God’s Help

Nov 25, 2025/in Our Daily Bread/by YMI

November 25, 2025

READ: 1 Samuel 7:7-12

Thus far the Lord has helped us. 1 Samuel 7:12

When I was younger, I thought it improper to ask God to help me meet writing deadlines. Other people have greater needs, I told myself. Family problems. Health crises. Job letdowns. Financial needs. I’ve faced all those things too. But meeting a writing deadline seemed too small to take to God. I changed my view, however, after finding multiple examples in the Bible of God helping people regardless of the challenge they faced.

In one story, the Israelites were dismayed because they faced an attack at Mizpah by their enemies, the Philistines. “[The Israelites] said to Samuel, ‘Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines’ ” (1 Samuel 7:8). In response, Samuel sacrificed a lamb to God, crying out to Him on Israel’s behalf, “and the Lord answered him” (v. 9).

“While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites” (v. 10).

Later, “Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us’ ” (v. 12). Samuel placed the stone to commemorate God helping His people. Ebenezer means “stone of help.”

Asking God for help is always proper. Let’s call out to Him today.

— Patricia Raybon

What help do you need from God? Why is it vital for you to call out to Him?

Please help me today, loving God. I need You!

Source: Our Daily Bread

Current Mood: hopeful

YMI -- ODB: 24 November 2025

ODB: Hope in the Waiting

Nov 24, 2025/in Our Daily Bread/by YMI

November 24, 2025

READ: Jeremiah 25:4-11

“You did not listen to me,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 25:7

Alida took a DNA test in 2020 and discovered a strong match to a man living on the opposite coast of the US. Later, she and her daughters found news articles from the 1950s that led them to conclude that the man was Alida’s long-lost uncle, Luis! He’d been abducted from a park in 1951 when he was six years old. That DNA test, taken seventy years after Luis’ disappearance, eventually led to a happy reunion with his biological family members. Alida said, “With [our] story out there, it could help other families . . . . I would say, don’t give up.”

Seventy years is a long time to keep hope alive. Jeremiah and the people of Judah must have been heartbroken and fearful when God said they would “serve the king of Babylon seventy years” (Jeremiah 25:11). But they hadn’t listened to God and turned from their “evil ways and . . . practices” (v. 5), which had deformed them into “an object of horror and scorn” (v. 9). The people were condemned more than thirty times in Jeremiah for not listening to Him. Seventy years might have felt like forever, but God would be with them, and He promised that the hard season would eventually end (29:10).

As we face challenging seasons that seem to go on and on, let’s remember that while we may struggle to trust God, He promises that He’s with us and loves us (30:11). As we listen to Him and wait expectantly, we can find hope.

— Tom Felten

How is it possible to endure difficult times? Where can you find comfort in God’s promises?

Loving God, please help me find hope in You. Find out how you can find comfort in who God is and what He says He will do.

Source: Our Daily Bread