Advent Devotions
All are invited as we Make Room this Advent season.
What Language Do You Speak?
Today’s author is Prince of Peace member & retired ELCA Pastor, Rev. Gary Olson.
John the Baptist was in prison; put there by King Herod Antipas because John had dared to speak truth to power. John told Herod and whoever would listen that it was illegal for Herod to take his brother’s wife as his own. So, at the instigation of his new wife, Herod locked John up. He would not get out.
Reading Luke seven, I can almost hear the wheels turning in John’s mind. He had turned people to God with his preaching and baptism. He had promised that “one greater than he was coming” who would “baptize them with the Holy Spirit.” The implication of John’s preaching was that the Messiah was coming soon. It is what Israel longed for, the Messiah, sent by God, who would restore their country to its former peacefulness and glory.
But now John is in jail and there is no Messiah. I can imagine that John may have wondered if his expectations of what Messiah would be like were mistaken. Then he hears from his own followers what Jesus was doing—healing the servant of a Roman Centurion, telling people not to judge but to forgive, healing people of diseases and plagues, advocating for the poor.
John wonders, perhaps, can this be the Messiah? Can this helper of the helpless be the one God has sent? With, I think, incredulous wondering John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another?” Jesus’ answer in Luke seven, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard…” is the yes to John’s question.
I had breakfast with a friend a few days ago. He asked what language I thought Jesus spoke. “Aramaic,” I said; “also Hebrew and I think he understood some Latin and Greek but I’m guessing at that.” Then I realized I had missed the most important language. “God’s love,” I said. “No matter what other daily language Jesus spoke, he spoke the language of God’s love.” That’s God’s message to John and to us. Jesus spoke and lived God’s love in the world and for us. We are called to speak that language too in our living.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for speaking God’s love language to us. May we continue to learn your language and speak it as we are able in our daily living.
Previously…
Solomon Dedicates the Temple
Today's author is Prince of Peace member, Jim Armstrong. 1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:27-30, 41-43 I want to build a Temple for my Lord, a place of worship, just like all of the other nations of the earth said David the King. Not so, said the Lord. You are a man of war. I want a...
A Sunday Trifecta
Yesterday, we wove together the story of Solomon’s temple, the celebration of Reformation Sunday, and the Confirmation ritual for three of our young members. Each element individually reflects God’s call to build communities that welcome, transform, and serve beyond themselves. Combined, these moments remind us that God’s presence cannot be confined—whether in a temple, a tradition, or a single moment of faith.
Building a Reforming Church
On Sunday, this community will gather around three of our young members and celebrate as they affirm the baptismal promises God made to them long ago. As they are confirmed, the congregation too will reaffirm its promise to support of them in their lives of faith. As is the case again this year, we conduct this ritual on Reformation Sunday, remembering our Lutheran heritage for embodying a church that is always being made new.
Clinging to God’s Promises
Today's author is Debbie Jorgens, Prince of Peace's Director of Congregational Care and Visitation. When Prince of Peace members write a mid-week devotion, the norm is to follow-up on the previous Sunday’s text. However, we’re explicitly told that we have the freedom...