Susiej

Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:17 Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Luke 1:38 Surrendering Like Hannah, Trusting Like Mary From the expectant faces of children anticipating Christmas morning, setting out treats for Santa and his reindeer, Advent is a season pregnant with expectation. We are swept up in a race toward one specific day. Virtual and real shopping carts, oven timers that tell us when the cookies are done and calendars bursting with events. All of it pulls us further and further…

 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 It’s in the waiting places, the…

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1) It happens quietly, almost unnoticed. The first Advent candle flickers in the dark, its flame delicate yet certain. It doesn’t shout its presence; it simply glows. And isn’t that the call of Advent? To be a light in the waiting, a steady flame in the deepening night? Advent comes to whisper what the world often forgets: You are the light of the world. Yes, you. With your imperfections and worries, your worn-thin days and weary nights, you carry the glow of something eternal. Not because you’re perfect, but because God has…

  “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19   “When You Least Expect It” Sometimes it feels like we’re walking through the wilderness, doesn’t it? The clutter of unanswered prayers, the wasteland of routines that stretch too long, too thin. The tree is up, the lights are twinkling, but the heaviness of what hasn’t happened yet presses quietly on your chest. Will it ever be enough?  But Advent leans close and whispers: “See, I am doing a new thing!” New things don’t always come with trumpets…

“I am sending you grain, new wine and olive oil,     enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you     an object of scorn to the nations. Joel 2:19 Fields of Joy: Joel 2:18-32 The fields were empty, stripped bare by relentless swarms. The barns, once bursting with promise, now stood hollow and silent. The people whispered of the “northern army” as though it were the only story they’d ever known—a tale of what was lost and what might never return. Not a single sprout in sight. The barns are empty, the wells are low, and the people? Let’s just say they’re not exactly bursting with Christmas cheer.  The locusts. Those…

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10:31 Our days are wrapped in anticipation, the kind that jingles faintly under the hum of everyday life. Are your lights strung? My tree sits in all its glory with lights twinkling, garland wrapped — but the box of ornaments is still full — still missing on the tree.  The cookies are not baked — I’m still decluttering. I clearly am not enough enough. Does It Even Matter?” Makes you pause and wonder—Does it even matter? Who will care? But Advent whispers louder, gentler:  It’s not about making enough. It’s…