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[meteorologistaustenlonek]

Steadfast Love

Our paths are very different. We often wander away from what is right. That is who we are and what we do. We are not always faithful and we

"Now as Advent nears, we look to the Child of Bethlehem, the Child who is our good and upright Lord. In the coming church year we will follow the Savior's path of steadfast love to the cross. We will turn in humble trust to the Savior, who calls to us: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Our good and upright Lord walked the path to the cross for the sake of our salvation. Now, in steadfast love and faithfulness, He leads us in the right way—His Way."

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

What Matters to You

That was no way to prepare for his wedding night! We told him his bride would murder him if he went through with it, and he changed his plan

"Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.""

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

SO ORDINARY

The contrast gets me every time. On the one hand we have Jesus as the Word of God, God the Son—He who made all things and who lives from eve

"How can it be, that the great and holy God should have any interest in my ordinary life? It is almost impossible to believe—except that God has said it, and God never tells a lie. Small and ordinary as we are, we matter to Him."

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

A QUIET PAUSE

Certainly she had a lot to think about. Her life was being turned upside down. Never again would she be pitied for wanting a child and havin

"But quiet times are normal, and it's okay to step back and let God do whatever He's doing with you in quiet, out of sight—until the day He makes it public."

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

LAUGHTER

Laughter has a place in the Christmas story, because our God is a God of surprises—and a God of mercy, too. When we fall into sin and doubt,

"I always laugh when I get to this part of the story. Zechariah demands proof that God will keep His promise, and the angel more or less rolls his eyes, points to himself, and says, "Hello! You are talking to an angel right here, right now, sent from God! What more do you need? But you want another sign. Fine. How about this: You get to be quiet for a little while. Just about ... nine months.""

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

What Really Matters

If you look at the chapter before, you can see that Jesus had sent His disciples out to teach and preach and heal, and they had just gotten

"At this point, the Pharisees pop up with their complaint about Jesus' disciples not washing their hands. Small wonder if Jesus defended them! They were tired and worn out; they were healing and teaching and preaching the Good News of God's salvation; handwashing was just not on the top of their to-do list. There were things that mattered more. But Jesus takes this opportunity to try, once again, to get the Pharisees to see what really matters. It's not human traditions. It's following the Word of God."