An Unexpected Bloom
Sarah Freymuth
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a...
“Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God …” Luke 2:13 (NLT)
“… the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” Romans 4:17 (ESV)
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison …” 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV)
Heavenly Father, as we enter this second Sunday of Advent, kindle within us the flame of peace that only Your presence can bring. Prepare our hearts to receive Christ with stillness and trust, even amid the noise of the world. May the light of the Advent candles remind us of Your enduring promises and faithful love. Help us to walk in Your ways, making room for hope to grow in our lives and the lives of others. We wait with joyful expectation for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9 (NIV)
“We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)
“‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 (NIV)
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! For behold, I proclaim Good News to you, which will be great joy to all the people. A Savior is born to you today in the city of David, who is Messiah the Lord. And the sign to you is this: You will find an infant wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.’” Luke 2:10-12 (TLV)
“I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8 (NIV)
“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17 (NIV)
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a...
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (NIV)
“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9b (CSB)