December 13, 2025 - Divine Disruption

 Divine Disruption

by Hattie Patillo

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Key Verse: Luke 1:28-29

The angel went to her and said, 

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! 

The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words 

and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 

We can all think of traditions and routines we hold dear to. And if you are like me you keep a mental plan that you constantly adjust and hope that you can make even a little of it work out.  

Most of us pray for peace to come with that plan in some form, yet God often answers with disruption—holy interruptions that shake what’s comfortable so He can reveal what’s truly important. It’s in these moments that we quietly face a truth we rarely speak out loud: sometimes our desire of safety suffocates our passion. And God loves us too much to let our calling die for the sake of life staying comfortable. 

Think about the stories of Scripture—nearly every major move of God begins by disrupting someone’s carefully prepared plans. Noah left behind his life for a calling that got him called crazy and brought a wave of change. Moses was living a quiet life when God disrupted his escape with a burning bush and a rescue assignment that required him to lead people he never imagined he would relate to. 

And then there is Mary, her life is a story many of us hear so often this time of year. She probably had a life plan she expected to follow, at least somewhat closely—until an angel’s words turned everything upside down. What looked like disruption to her and so many around her was actually a journey that not only saved her but generations after her. While our disruptions may look much different than the major one showcased in the Christmas story, the theme stays the same: disruption is a divine tool of redirection to move us toward our calling. For Noah it resulted in an eternal promise, for Moses - the freedom of Israel, and for Mary- the birth of the savior. Every one of these people overcame their fear of change and grief of their lost plans and spent time looking for the value in their new life because they all had one thing in common: They didn’t want safety if it cost them their passion. 

But what about all that peace you’ve been praying for? Maybe you’re in the midst of it. Biblical peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God in all that trouble. Peace is a mindset that many of us leave behind because we are too busy doubting a God that has never failed us. So maybe the bravest thing you can do is not pray for comfort but change and hold tight to your faith through the disruption because change is terrifying but maybe staying the same is worse. 

Please, Lord, join me on the road, 

enter into my closed room, and take my foolishness away. 

Open my mind and heart to the great mystery 

of your active presence in my life, 

and give me the courage to help others 

discover your presence in their lives. 

Amen.

Henri Nouwen

December 12, 2025 - What Do You Want for Christmas?

 What Do You Want for Christmas?

By Donna Taylor

Friday, December 12, 2025

Isn't it interesting to think back through the years about the different answers we have given this question. What are some of your favorite memories? As Christmas approaches this year I am spending a little quiet time remembering, reflecting, recording some of mine.

As a child growing up on a farm in northeast Missouri in the 50s, the Sears and Montgomery Wards catalogs were my wish books. From them, I remember picking out dolls, toy dishes, books, new pajamas. One year, after I learned that the beautiful china-looking dishes broke rather easily when we used them outdoors making mud tea and mud pies, I asked for a metal set of dishes the next year. When I was 11, the “big” item on my Christmas list was a camera, and I got it! It was a black Kodak box camera. I was so proud of it, felt so grown-up with it and used it for years.

Two of my teen Christmases are particularly memorable for me. When I was 13, I was so excited to receive a large, beautiful blue bottle of Evening in Paris perfume. That is, until my younger sisters, Patricia and Nancy, without my knowledge, opened the bottle and spilled much of the contents on my bed! Phew!! The pungent smell of the perfume went from fragrance to odor. On a happier note, the Christmas I was 16 I really wanted some jewelry. That was the year Mom and Dad gave me a single pearl on a gold-colored chain. The chain did not withstand wear through the years, but the pearl continues to shine with beauty.

Ever present in my Christmas memories is the Christmas I spoiled for myself. I'm not sure of my age, probably 7 or 8. The family was loaded into the car ready to drive to church to practice for the Christmas service. Mom realized she had forgotten her Bible and asked me to go get it from her dresser drawer. When I found the Bible, I saw a folded piece of paper in it. I unfolded the paper and there were lists of gifts for all four of us kids and Dad. I read the list of my gifts. There, at the top, was what I wanted: Betty the Beautiful Bride. It was a 3-foot tall doll with real hair, eyes that opened and closed, wearing a lovely bridal dress. I refolded the paper, replaced it, ran the Bible out to Mom and never said a word about what I had done. While I was happy to receive my gift Christmas morning, I had to pretend I was surprised. It was disappointing to me to not have a surprise. Also, I didn't feel right pretending to feel something that wasn't true for me.

In my adult years, two very different happy Christmas memories stand out for me. As already mentioned, I like to be surprised. I don't want to know exactly what gift I will receive Christmas morning. With this in mind, when Terry asked me what I wanted the first Christmas we were married, poor as we were, I went to Target and wrote down the names of eight or nine bath products. My thinking was that I would have the surprise of not knowing which item he would choose for me. Well, Christmas morning I was indeed surprised. Terry bought every item on my list, wrapping each one as best he could. Years later, when our children, Tad and Jenny, were 16 and 9 years old, due to the accumulation of family Christmas traditions, church responsibilities and activities and professional work/commitments, I was functioning but exhausted. The day before Christmas Terry organized the kids, packed our bags, loaded the Suburban with ALL the Christmas gifts and a few decorations the kids chose. He drove us to South Padre, Texas, where we celebrated Christmas at and on the white sand beach.

This will be my third Christmas without Terry, as he died in 2022. I am so thankful for the 48 years we shared together. Through successes and failures I learned so much about love, forgiveness and joy I can testify to the fact that God's love is boundless, endless, unconditional, available if we only ask. Last year I spent the Christmas holidays with my son and his family in Austin, Texas. This year I will enjoy Christmas brunch with my daughter, her family and my fiancé.

Yes, this year I will enjoy Christmas with my fiancé, Russ Ingraham. As Russ and I celebrate the birth of Jesus, we will rejoice in God's love to us and for us in this season of our lives. New memories will be made, added to the precious ones of years past. Through the years I can see how my wants have moved from earthly things more to God's gifts of love, peace, joy and hope, all found in Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.
So, what do you want for Christmas this year? What memories will you make?

Holy Spirit, awaken us to the greatest Christmas gift of all: Jesus. Whatever our circumstance, rich or poor, in good health or poor health, lonely or overwhelmed, flood our hearts and minds with all the love, peace, joy and hope Jesus brings into our world. It's real! It's coming! Don't miss it! Thank you, God. Amen

December 11, 2025 - Mary's Other Journey

Mary's Other Journey

By: Diana Groe

Thursday, December 11, 2025

While I was pregnant with our second daughter, we moved twice. Once was cross-country, from Denver to Minneapolis where my husband had taken a new job with a new airline. The other move was across the river a few months later, from our temporary apartment to the house we'd bought in St. Paul Park. What I remember most about that time was the sense of being terribly unsettled when all I really wanted to do, as my belly swelled, was nest somewhere, cuddle with our toddler, and put my feet up. 

When my hubby was at work, I was also feeling alone. We knew no one in the Twin Cities, had no church home, and back in the time of no GPS, I had to learn my way around two massive cities that had morphed into one giant megalopolis. We didn't even have a doctor picked out for our upcoming arrival. It was a frenetic time. 

But my uneasiness during our season of upheaval was trivial compared with the challenges and journeys that faced Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, I said "journeys." 

We all remember that epic, "how-on-earth-did-she-manage-90-miles-on-a-donkey" trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem. But we tend to gloss over Mary's first long trek while carrying Our Lord in her young body.

It was to visit her cousin Elisabeth. 

After the angel Gabriel told Mary she would bear God's Son and answered her straightforward questions about how something like that could happen, she didn't ask for a sign or proof.

But God gave her one anyway.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elisabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail." Luke 1: 35-38

Mary believed God, but she had also been given an incredible gift of knowledge about something momentous that was about to happen. Something she had to see for herself. She knew she must go to Elisabeth.

Scripture is light on details of this trip, but we know it must have been quite an undertaking. Nazareth is located in the north, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee. Elisabeth lived with her husband Zechariah, in the hill country of Judea far to the south, but near enough to Jerusalem for Zechariah to serve as priest at the Temple periodically. (In fact, it was during his last service in the Temple that the angel Gabriel appeared to him to announce that God was giving Zechariah and Elisabeth a much longed-for son, who would be called John. He was struck dumb till the boy was born because he was foolish enough to ask for a sign!) 

The distance between Nazareth and Elisabeth's home was bad enough. The trip was complicated by the need to avoid the more direct route through Samaria, because Jews and Samaritans weren't on the best of terms. So Mary, likely in the company of a small caravan since solo travel would invite bandits and all sorts of dangers, probably followed a route along the Jordan River to the Dead Sea, then climbed over 3100ft past Jerusalem into the hill country. 

But the trip was so worth the effort. 

We don't know if Mary told Joseph about her pregancy before she left Nazareth. My guess is yes, since he needed a special word from God before deciding to go forward with their marriage. How difficult, how heart-wrenching that conversation must have been on both sides. 

And how crushing for Mary not to be believed. 

But Mary didn't even need to tell Elisabeth what was happening in her body. She already knew. 

When Elisabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb , and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" Luke 1: 41-45

What an affirmation! Imagine how important that confirmation from Elisabeth must have felt to Mary's heart. God had revealed to Elisabeth that her much younger cousin Mary was being used to bring the Savior, the Lord, into the world. Mary had been carrying the most explosive secret since the world began and if Joseph's initial reaction was any indication, it wasn't going to be easily accepted. 

But to have God's outrageous plan to save humankind be greeted with such joy must have been a respite to Mary's weary soul. She entered into an ecstatic stream of worship and praise that resounds through the centuries. 

Mary didn't know yet what was to come. She hadn't heard Simeon's ominous warning that "a sword would pierce [her] own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed." She didn't foresee that when God's Son died, it was her son who would bear the pain and anguish.   

But in this precious moment with her cousin Elisabeth, Mary's faith became unshakeable. No matter what would come, she knew God was merciful and He was using her to do a mighty thing in His world.  

In this holy season, I'm reminded that we cannot see all ends. But we trust the One who can. Jesus Christ is the definitive Word of God, sent to redeem us. 

And as Gabriel said, "No word from God will ever fail."  

Thank You, gracious LORD, that we can trust Your Word because

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." 

Let us see the Lord Jesus more clearly than ever during this blessed season. 

And may we be changed by the seeing. Amen. 

December 10, 2025 - Young Woman of Courage

Young Woman of Courage

By Patricia Lamb

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Scripture: Luke 1: 26-38 The Annunciation

I googled Angel Gabriel and Mary and only one of the first 36 images that came up portrayed a realistic Mary seated with a water jug beside her, as though she had just stopped to rest from her chores. The Angel Gabriel didn’t have huge wings and a sword, just dressed in white robes with a shimmer around him.

Mary’s doing her daily chores, most likely dreaming of her life with Joseph. Is it any wonder that she’s troubled and confused by the sudden appearance of this being who said “Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!” The people of Israel had waited generations for the promised Messiah. Mary didn’t have any expectation that God’s time was now. What amazes me is the courage of this young woman to listen.

And when the next thing out of his mouth is “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you.” You know there’s something really hard going to happen when you’re told to not be afraid. But Mary listened. And the Angel tells her wonderful things about a son she will conceive. All of which is lovely, but there’s a practical side to Mary who asked  “How will this happen since I haven’t laid with a man?”

Gabriel’s answer is stunning. “The Holy Spirit will come over you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son….  Nothing is impossible for God.”

The Jewish people had one God Yahweh and many prophesies for Immanuel and a Messiah. This is so much more. In this moment Mary hears the full character of God: God the Holy Spirit, God the Most High, and God the Son.

And she replied “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” Mary didn’t fully understand the how, but she had faith and trusted that nothing is impossible for God.

Mary wasn’t some meek and mild teenager sitting around with her hands folded waiting for an Angel to appear. She was a young woman of courage and practicality who, while going about her daily chores, encountered an angel. Although not understanding fully, this ordinary person brought hope to the world through her limitless faith in God.

Oh, to be ordinary like Mary.

An Advent Benediction

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you, scatter the darkness from before your path, and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you, upon those whom you love, and those whom you would pray for today and always. Amen.

 

Source: https://thewell.intervarsity.org/podcasts/advent-well-annunciation.html

 

December 9, 2025 - The Most High will Overshadow You

 The Most High Will Overshadow You

By Alexandra Graham

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Luke 1: 26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,* and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived* a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

 As I was reading this, I was caught by the word “overshadow,” in verse 35 and decided to do a deeper dive. Of course, I had to find the right search terms because in our modern vernacular, “overshadow” is pejorative—no one wants to be overshadowed by someone else, or overlooked because of someone else. Honestly, sometimes I wonder about the end result of our “me first” culture. If we are all the time playing a zero-sum game, then there always has to be winners and losers. It’s so boggling to me because teamwork feels good. It feels so great to accomplish something with other people, creating something better than you would have alone. When it really works, teamwork is soul satisfying in ways that really can’t be measured and can only really be viscerally understood. Sort of like what the biblical “overshadow” means: “Overshadowed by God” refers to a state of being covered or enveloped by God’s presence, signifying His power, guidance, and intimate involvement.

Now, I’ve never had a situation like Mary, with that kind of “intimate involvement” with God. No kids coming out of this womb. But I have had the “enveloped by God’s presence” experience. Usually, it results in crying because my emotions all leak out my eyes.  

Last year, I was wrapping presents, happily listening to Christmas music, and I came across a new to me song: “Driving Home for Christmas” by Dermot Kennedy. I just sobbed like my heart was breaking. Listening to it now, and snotting all over the laptop, I think this particular rendition of the song hits my visceral longing for home. Not just the home we make here, but you know, home. The real one. The one where we are all finally at peace, the one where we are “enveloped by God’s presence” all the time. The place where we can relax and just be. If I were there, I would be very happy to be overshadowed by God (but I’d probably still cry).

I feel like most people get moments of God wrapping them up in His love, guiding them through life, but I don't feel like it's our quotidian experience. Most of the time, I guess we all just have to be a little like Mary: square up our shoulders and say, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Prayer 

“May it be to me as you have said.” Thank you Father, for Mary’s faithfulness and willingness to be the mother of Jesus. Thank you for her example to us of Christian obedience. Help me to be faithful to you in every arena of my life – intellectually, vocationally, with my finances, my family, my body and my whole heart.  I am your servant Lord – may your word to me be fulfilled today.”

For Jesus’ sake,

Amen.

by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing at PropelWomen.org

December 8, 2025 - The Parable of the Lost Son

The Parable of the Lost Son 

By Crystal Houston

Monday, December 8, 2025

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Key Verse: Luke 15:20

But when he was still a long way off, 

his father saw him and felt compassion for him, 

and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 

This morning, I overheard some ladies speaking of the coming Christmas season. They were discussing how important it was for them to have a family Christmas celebration in their own homes. The desire these ladies have to want their families close got me to thinking. I’ve not always had the luxury of being home for Christmas (Home is being with my mom, my husband, my kids and grandkids). Although I’ve desired this closeness of family and the joy it brings, military life and missionary life caused me to be away from family for extended periods of time. Guilt over being away often creeped in and stole my Joy.  I truly had a few blue Christmas’.  

Over the last few years, God has shown me how life changes. We grow older much too suddenly and often times we feel left behind by the very family we gave so much love and care to. As we read through the parable of the lost son, we can see that God is teaching us to persevere even in our grief and loneliness, to love our family unconditionally, and to forgive those who have hurt us the most. When that child comes to visit, love them. When that grandchild returns to the family after a challenging time, love them and hold their hand. When that mother or father begs for your forgiveness, forgive them. When that prodigal son returns, celebrate the return as the greatest moment in your life. And when that devoted child comes home, celebrate the time you have with them also. We should extend the joy of forgiveness to those who have hurt us. Not because we are the better person, but because we are not. We are all in need of the same forgiveness we give others. Love your family this Christmas. Find joy in showing God’s love to each and every person God has place in your family.  

As we celebrate this wonderful season, the joy we find in loving and forgiving our families will last for this Christmas season and on into the rest of our lives. 

Lord, Thank you for sending your son and forgiving us when we don’t desire it. Teach us to love and forgive Others, especially those we care the most for. This Christmas season help us to rebuild families with your love and forgiveness. Give us opportunities to bring your love to the lonely and left behind. Help us to remember those who can’t be with families this Christmas (Our Military, Missionaries throughout World, those that work abroad, and those Prodigals who are estranged from their families). In all things, give us peace this Christmas. In Jesus name, Amen. 

December 7, 2025 - God Callls the Ordinary for the Extraordinary

 God Calls the Ordinary for the Extraordinary

By Terri Tompson

Sunday, December 7, 2025

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:26-38

Key Verse: Luke 1:30-31

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. 

Picture it. The year is 1 B.C. – before there even is a “B.C.”! The place is a small, ordinary village of about 400 people, called Nazareth. It is so ordinary that it doesn’t even show up on a map of the region and no one ever talks about it. Living in the small village is Mary, an ordinary 14 or 15-year-old young peasant woman. As is the custom of the time her parents have arranged for her to marry a young man from the village, a carpenter named Joseph.

One day, Mary is busy with the usual chores – fetching water from the town well, weaving, cleaning, cooking and more – when an extraordinary visit from an angel disrupts her from her thoughts. The angel greets her by saying, “You are truly blessed! The Lord is with you.” She feels a little confused, and most likely a little bit fearful, because it isn’t just every day that an angel appears and starts a conversation. I mean, at least not to ordinary young women like herself. She has grown up hearing about how angels appear to great men like Abraham and Jacob, but to her?! No way! 

He continues by telling her, “Don’t be afraid! God is pleased with you, and you will have a son. His name will be Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of God Most High. The Lord God will make him king, as his ancestor David was. He will rule the people of Israel forever and his kingdom will never end.” Imagine the eye roll and head shake of a teenage girl who asks, “How can this happen? I am not married!” Gabriel, for that’s the angel’s name, continues to explain how “Nothing is impossible for God!” 

At this point Mary doesn’t argue or decide it would be easier to just continue with her ordinary life but she accepts the mission set before her with resolve by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And just like that Gabriel disappears and leaves her to wonder, “Did that really just happen?” “What now?” “What have I gotten myself into?” “How will I ever tell Joseph, not to mention my parents?” “Well, this is not going to be easy!” (Sound familiar?!?)

Fast forward 2000 years. That ordinary city is now the largest Arab city in Israel and is a bustling center of commerce with about 70,000 people, a third of which are Christian Arabs. I was blessed to be able to stay in and visit Nazareth in June of 2023 while participating in a Volunteers in Mission trip to Israel and Palestine. We experienced what it would have been like to live and work in the time of Jesus at “Nazareth Village”, an authentic first-century farm and archaeologically accurate re-creation of the hometown of Jesus. Can I just say how spoiled we are with our modern conveniences?! 

We also toured the Roman Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation built on which many believe to be the site of Gabriel’s visit to Mary. We walked about one half of a mile up a gentle hill to the site of the spring where Mary would have walked daily to fetch water. (It probably took Mary 10 minutes to reach the well; it took us more than that! And I am sure she was glad to carry full water jars back home DOWN the hill.) A Greek Catholic church sits atop the spring and is where others believe Gabriel appeared to Mary. No matter where the site, all of us on our tour agreed that an extraordinary visit had happened amongst very ordinary surroundings – whether in a house or at a well.

I wonder if Mary had any idea that people 2000 years in the future would remember who she and Joseph were. Would she be surprised that we are still talking about that ordinary girl and the extraordinary decision she made? It is clear that Mary has definitely not been forgotten and she is held in highest esteem by all kinds of people of all backgrounds and faiths. In the courtyard of the Basilica of the Annunciation stands a white statue of Mary, its hands blackened by the thousands of pilgrims who have touched her hands.

Surrounding the Basilica as well as inside the walls of the upper church are wonderful mosaics from nations around the world with their interpretations of the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus.

I imagine Mary was a lot like most of us, going about our daily business, worried about the choices we make – or don’t make – and wondering how we will get it all done.What would happen if we slowed down and listened for God’s voice? What would happen if our “ordinary” life were to be interrupted by heaven? Would we embrace it with faith as Mary did? God calls the ordinary for the extraordinary. Each of us are called to love God and to love others, no matter our position in life. We don’t need title, wealth or influence to be chosen and used by God. And just as Mordecai told Esther in the book of Esther Chapter 4, Verse 14: “Who knows, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” God will equip each of us, just as He did Mary, according to His purpose. For nothing is impossible with God. 

Father, help us each to pray, saying, 

"I give you my life today with all my weaknesses, shortcomings and failures. 

Use me for your glory. I pray for Jesus' sake."; 

Amen.