Redheadedrev

Advent Week 1: HOPE

Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning coming. During the season of Advent, we prepare and wait with hope to celebrate Jesus’ birth at Christmas. Advent can be a season where we open our hearts to the presence of God.

As we sing in “Silent Night,” Jesus is “Son of God, Love’s pure light.” We are people of the light, who are called to share the light of Christ out into the world. Through our small acts of service, love, and care, we bring the light of Christ to give hope to the hopeless.

The prophet Isaiah writes:

Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
    I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
    a light to the nations,
⁷    to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:5-7).

In many churches, lighting a candle on an Advent wreath is an important part of Advent services. The wreath is a circle, because God’s love for us is forever. The greenery symbolizes life. Each week we light a candle to remind us of the hope, peace, joy, and love that God gifts us.

Prayer: God of Hope, fill me with your hope, that I may share your light of hope this Advent season. Give me the courage to respond to your call, and open my eyes and hearts to the people you place in my path. Amen.

Activity: Create an Advent Wreath. As you create it and use it this season, know that you are one of God’s beloved children.

Make with materials you already have:

5 Vases and colored ornaments – 3 purple (or blue), one pink, one white

Candles -3 purple (or blue), one pink, one white

Use an Advent wreath you already have

Cardboard Tube Advent Wreath

Cardboard Tube Advent Wreath

Materials:

1 paper plate

1 sheet of green construction paper, 1 1/4 sheet of white and pink, 1 sheet of blue or purple

3 empty paper towel tubes cut in half OR 5 empty toilet paper tubes.

5 strips of yellow tissue paper

Scissors

Glue

Cut out the center of the paper plate to make a ring/wreath.
Use the green construction paper to cover the wreath. (Extra: trace handprint and glue hands on paper plate.)
Cover three tubes with blue or purple paper.
Cover one tube with pink paper.
Cover one tube with white paper.
Place the 3 purple and 1 pink tube on the wreath. Place the white tube in the center.
Each week use a strip of tissue paper to “light” your candle. Week 3 is the pink, and the white is lit on Christmas Eve or Day.

Advent Candle Lighting at Home Liturgy

Read: Jeremiah 33:14-16 – The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Light the first candle, the candle of hope.

Reflect: Having hope is not being overly positive that everything will turn out all right. Nor is it just a wish list of what we want to receive this Christmas. Hope comes from our trust in God. Whenever I am overwhelmed with all the problems around the world, I remind myself that God is near. I look for the ways I see God at work in, around, and through others. I see the way people bring those who cannot drive to church. I feel the compassion from a friend when I am having a tough day. I listen for stories of human goodness, both locally and globally. All that gives me hope. Christmas comes during the darker times, shorter days, in the Northern hemisphere. Amid all the darkness, both literally and figuratively, we prepare to celebrate that Jesus is the Light of the World.

Pray: God of hope, you are steadfast and remain with us. Help us to turn to you in our moments of sadness. Fill us with your spirit so that we are not only hopeful, but ready and willing to do the work to make our hopes a reality. Prepare our hearts this Advent to receive the gift of Jesus. Fill us with your light of hope. Amen.

Advent Devotions

Advent runs November 30-December 24 in 2025. It is the season of preparing our hearts to once again receive the baby Jesus on Christmas.

United Methodist Communications is sharing my weekly Advent devotions again this year. Included is an idea for an activity/craft each week. The first week is making an Advent wreath for the home, and then you can use my Home Advent wreath liturgy to light a candle each week.

I was inspired this Advent by the third verse of “Silent Night,” which says “Son of God, love’s pure light.” Jesus is Love’s Pure Light. As followers of Jesus, I believe we are called to share light with the world.

If you are a pastor, and would like me to send this in a different format, please contact me.

Generosity

My latest devotion is available from United Methodist Communications. You can read “Respond to God’s Grace with Generosity” here.

Generosity is about so much more than just money. I want to be more generous with finances, but also in my relationships. Every day is so full, that I get laser-focused on what has to be done, rather than opening my eyes and heart to opportunities around me. My personal goal for the month of November is to be more mindful for ways God invites me to be generous. Would you join me?

September is National Suicide Prevention Month

A teen in our community died by suicide this summer. Even more recently, a father died by suicide. I run out of fingers before I finish naming my friends who have lost someone dear to them to suicide. The world is better with you here. Suicide is never the right or only answer.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a wealth of resources. You can find both national resources, as well as those within your state. In a crisis, you can call or text 988 anytime. In Minnesota, the Department of Human Services site has many resources as well.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also has great resources to find help and support for yourself or others.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention site has stories, ways to volunteer, as well as resources.

I have put our local and county crisis lines, as well as our local police in my teens’ cell phone contacts. In addition, they have 988 and the NAMI number. I told them what they were and why they were now contacts in their phones. I encourage them to share with their friends. We do not know what is in someone else’s mind, and I never want someone to believe they are alone.

You matter.

Diversity

Diversity has become a buzz word, and lately with a negative connotation. However, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul writes about the importance of diversity within the church. You can read my latest article on umc.org here.

1 Corinthians 12 precedes the famous chapter on love that is often read at weddings. Paul segues from his discussion on the variety of gifts by saying that he will show us “an even better way.” That way is love. When we love our neighbor, we can celebrate our differences, and be grateful that we are not all carbon copies of each other.

We Are the Church Together

My latest article on umc.org is about the ways the United Methodist Church is united in mission across our global connection. I also get to highlight the ministry in Ukraine that one of my colleagues is leading. You can check it out here.

Also, thanks to my editor and former student, Laura, who always makes my articles better.

Praying for Peace

One of my favorite parts of our church is the music. I even got to join the choir for one song last fall, and I hope I will get to sing with them more often this fall. The girls have had the opportunity to play their instruments, sing with the children’s choir, and even have had some solo lines. Since they are in band and orchestra at school, I love that they get to use their voices at church. Music there is not the same each week, and can range from a brass group to bluegrass, along with piano and organ music.

Our fantastic music staff and volunteers have introduced me to lots of new music. One of the songs that has really touched my heart is “Plowshare Prayer” by Spencer LaJoye. I encourage you to watch the video, with lyrics or read the lyrics. A plowshare is the sharp blade that breaks up and turns over the soil to create the field ready for planting. Isaiah 2:4, Joel 3:10, and Micah 4:3 all talk about beating “swords into plowshares” as fighting ends.

I pray if a prayer that has been used as a sword

Against you and your heart

Against you and your word

I pray that this prayer is a plowshare of sorts

That it might break you open

it might help you grow.

I am praying the Plowshare Prayer as I pray for peace. I hope you will listen to this song and join in praying with me. May all hardened hearts be broken open to others so that we may love one another as Jesus taught us to love.

The Deep Roots of Discipleship

I wrote another devotional for umc.org. You may access the article here. In it, I share about how the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion in The United Methodist Church unite us, and help us grow in our faith. I also share about some recent experiences at church.

Holy Week

This week we turn our focus to Jesus’ final days, crucifixion, and then celebrate the joy of Resurrection on Easter. I invite us to consider the women who stayed with him, even when the men ran and hid.

I’m quoted in this article about the tradition of Mary Magdalene, towards the end. Heather Hahn does a great job explaining how Mary Magdalene has been viewed throughout the centuries.

The podcast “Get Your Spirit in Shape” will air an episode on Good Friday, April 18, 2025 that includes a conversation about Mary Magdalene with me and the host, Crystal Caviness. You can access it here.

Finally, my original devotion about Mary Magdalene invites us to stay with Jesus to the end during Holy Week, and then to proclaim the Good News that He is Risen on Easter and always. That article is here.

May you have a blessed Holy Week and Easter!

Lent 2025

The season of Lent this year is from Ash Wednesday, March 5 – Easter Sunday, April 20. I have a few resources to share with you, that I am using this Lent.

First, you can read more about the season of Lent here, in a blog I wrote in 2022.

Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite worship services, because our humanity is highlighted. As the ashes are drawn in the shape of a cross on your forehead or hand, the pastors say, “from dust you have come, and to dust you shall return.” Or something similar. Right now I could use that reminder, that everything is temporary. While good news is fleeting, so is all the bad news. A day to us is but a blink of an eye in the timeline of the world. Even when things feel scary, unmanageable, or infuriating, we know that there are many good people in the world. We can speak truth in love. We can stand up for what we believe in. I learned this kid’s song, “Stand Up, Stand Up” by Miss Katie, in church about ways we can take action. You can listen here. We can do our part to make sure our little area of the world is better because we are sharing our love.

Not every Christian church will have an Ash Wednesday service. If you are looking for one near you, I always recommend this, which is a tool to find a United Methodist Church near you. I am sure there are other tools, but this is my denomination.

Many Christians give up something for Lent to “fast” from it. Others take on a spiritual practice. Both are designed to help you focus more on God during the 40 days leading up to Easter. One thing I am doing is using the book Draw Close: A Creative Companion for Lent by my friend and colleague Stephanie Dunn. You can buy it from Upper Room Books or other sites. Here is a preview. I tend to use words, and I am sure I will as I contemplate each day’s word and reflection. I hope that I also let my other creative parts doodle, or at least not use only words to express my feelings and thoughts. #DrawCloseLent

Finally, this Lent, I invite us to consider using Mary Magdalene as our guide as a way to follow Jesus. You can find my devotion here, on my denomination’s website umc.org.

However you decide to journey through the Lenten season, I hope it draws you closer to God. You are a beloved child of God!