Advent Devotional by Carroll Makemson
2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Each of you must give as you made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7, NRSV) Child. Mean cat. Santa Claus. Small mall. That’s the crux of this story about giving. One Christmas morning our four-year-old granddaughter came bouncing into the […]
Advent Devotional by Sanford Beckett
Luke 3:1-18 The people were waiting expectantly . . . Luke 3:15a NIV People were going to the desert to hear John’s message about repentance. They had an expectancy of the coming of the One who would bring them peace. They had been waiting for a long time. Often (probably too often) I will go […]
December Monthly Letter from Pastor Jason Edwards
Christmas in Person I got the call a week before Easter in 2012. Christy had taken 7-month-old Luke to a checkup, and the meticulous fingers of his doctor had discovered what we would later learn was a baseball-sized tumor growing on his liver. He’d need surgery soon. Right after Easter. Would it be successful? […]
Advent Devotional by Linda Greason
Philippians 4:4-7 Peace that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:7) Relocating to Liberty in 1983 was more than a move, it was part of many challenges which included learning to parent a tow-headed baby boy, working full-time, pursuing advanced degrees, and breaking away from extended family. This was the perfect recipe for “biting off more than […]
Advent Devotional by Larry Kuhlman
Isaiah 12:2-6 Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 12:2-6) The privilege of being a writer in the middle of the Advent booklet is a joy. Christmas cards, holiday candy and gifts, busy shopping, fancy meals, family get-togethers, church services, Christmas music, and lovely decorations; all are uniquely personal and are […]
Advent Devotional by Connie McNeill
Jeremiah 29:7-14 The arc of living abundantly and experiencing peace. (Jeremiah 29:11) God’s prophet, Jeremiah, is in Jerusalem. He writes a letter to a group of Israelites who have been taken from Jerusalem to live in exile in the city of Babylon. This was ordered by King Nebuchadnezzar. The group included elders, priests, prophets, the […]