Advent Devotional by Diane Roberts

Luke 1:68-79

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79)

During the Christmas season, I think about family, lights, friends, joy, hope, and of course, God’s greatest gift to us, Jesus. Mercy is usually not on that list because we think of mercy in terms of one who holds power over another and gives forgiveness instead of punishment. Yet, another definition of mercy includes “comfort, the alleviation of suffering, and caring about those in distress.” I have experienced this type of mercy at Christmas.

After 25 years of trying, we were finally moving to Kansas City! Easel got the job and moved to Kansas City in the early fall while I stayed in Seattle to sell the house. Unfortunately, the house was not selling, and Christmas was coming. Easel and our oldest, Jared, a Jewell student, were in Kansas City and Chris, Elizabeth, and I were in Seattle. We were staring down a bleak, separate Christmas. I tried to be stoic, but I had never been separated from Easel or Jared for Christmas! If anyone asked, I would say, “It will be hard, but we’ll get through it.”

Then I got a call from a friend at church. She and her husband owned a company and received airline travel vouchers as a perk. In an act of comfort, she offered me three vouchers for round trip tickets for Chris, Elizabeth, and me to fly to Kansas City for Christmas! All she asked was that I not share where the tickets originated. Done! We were reunited and got to have Christmas with each other as well as the extended Kansas City family. It truly was a gift of mercy.

Our friend gave the gift of mercy to our family, as a blessing, to allow us to share Christmas together. Mercy is always a gift, whether it is in the form of forgiveness or blessing.

Diane Roberts