As 2025 draws to a close, many of us carry stories of loss, uncertainty, and weariness. The world has not been as stable as we hoped, and the storms we face are real. Psalm 46 does not deny the trouble—it names it honestly. Yet in the shaking of mountains and the roaring of waters, God offers himself as our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. In God’s presence, we are invited to be still—not because life is calm, but because God is near.
Love is at the heart of the Christian faith. Our faith depends on God’s Love Unfailing, and Love Unfailing is the response that God requires of us. This love is sacrificial and self-giving, focusing on the needs of others. God expressed his love most clearly through sending Jesus into this world for us and our salvation. May Love Unfailing shape who we are and everything we do.
Joy is not the absence of pain, rather it is experiencing the presence of God whatever the circumstances may be. In that way, joy is an attitude that we adopt based on our hope in God’s love and promises. During Advent we remember the joy that was born into the world through Jesus, and base our joy in the love of the One who conquered even death so that we may live fully now and in eternity. Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
So often we mistake quiet for peace. As long as conflict doesn’t erupt, we assume peace is present. But that is not God’s picture of peace in the Bible. God’s true peace—God’s shalom—is everything set right, everything as it was meant to be. That peace became incarnate in Jesus, who brings true reconciliation between God and humanity. As we follow the Prince of Peace, God calls us to be peacemakers who embody his restoring work. And as we anticipate Jesus’ return, may we actively pursue shalom and lay aside anything that disrupts God’s work of restoration and wholeness.
This Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, and we will light a candle for Hope. We look forward to the coming of Jesus, who is our hope today and forever. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). We celebrate the hope that came into the world through the birth of Jesus, and we eagerly anticipate the fulfillment of all hope when Jesus comes again!