Advent 2025
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come.
Protect us by your strength and save us from the threatening dangers of our sins, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
An Advent message from our NALC Bishop, the Rev. Dr. Daniel W. Selbo
December 7, 2025 | Second Sunday in Advent
Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397
​
Amos 6:1–14; 2 Thessalonians 1:5–12; Luke 1:57–68; Psalms 24 & 150 (AM); Psalms 25 & 110 (PM)
​
Luke 1:57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people.
– Luke 1:57–68 ESV
​
When my husband and I welcomed each of our three children, everyone in the family and our friends had opinions about what the babies should be named. Grandparents suggested family names, best friends made lists, even our cousins and coworkers chimed in with their favorites. But when the day came, my husband and I chose names that we prayed on throughout our pregnancies, names we felt would fit our children’s futures.
​
We got all sorts of questions and comments, “Why that name?” “No one in the family is called that!” “That’s a trendy name!” or “That’s an old fashion name!” depending on which child it was. But over time, as each of the children grew, their names seemed perfect, as if they had always belonged to them.
​
That is what happened with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Everyone expected them to name their son after his father as the text suggests was the norm for the time. But God had already chosen a name—John—meaning “The Lord is gracious.” The name was a sign that this child had a God-given mission, (we know that that mission was to call people to repentance and to get people ready for Jesus) and when Zechariah obeyed and wrote, “His name is John,” his tongue was loosed and he burst into praise.
​
This moment reminds us that God not only keeps His promises, but He also calls each of us by name. In Baptism, God writes His name on us ✠Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and gives us a new identity as His beloved children. And just like John, we too are given a mission. Our mission is to live as His witnesses and to point others to Christ.
​
This Advent season as we prepare for Christmas, we are invited to remember our Baptism and the identity we’ve been given. God has called you by name. You belong to Him. And like Zechariah, our response is to open our mouths in praise, to rejoice in His mercy, and to share with others the good news that the Lord is gracious and that He has come to redeem His people.
​
Prayer: Gracious Lord, You have called each of us by name and claimed us as Your own in the waters of Baptism. Like Zechariah, open our lips that we may proclaim Your praise and share the good news that You are gracious and have come to redeem Your people. As we prepare our hearts this Advent season, strengthen our faith, remind us daily of our Baptismal identity, and give us courage to live out the mission You have given us—to point others to Jesus. Through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Teresa E. Peters (tpeters@thenalc.org)​
December 8, 2025 | Monday of the Second Week in Advent
Amos 7:1–9; Revelation 1:1–8; Matthew 22:23–33; Psalms 122 & 145 (AM); Psalms 40 & 67 (PM)
Matthew 22:23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” 29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
– Matthew 22:23–33 ESV
​
This passage we have today is from a challenge the Jewish sect of the Sadducees presented to Jesus. These Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead and thought they had crafted a scenario that would trap Jesus into showing the absurdity of believing there is. The law of Moses said the wife who lost her husband without having a son must go and become the wife of his brother to bear a son to take on the first husband’s name and property rights. They draw this process out to all seven brothers marrying this poor woman and never having an heir born. The Sadducees ask Jesus, “OK, if there is a resurrection, who is her husband.”
​
This is how the Sadducees argued. They put everything under the scrutiny of the first five books of the Bible, and that was front and center. Jesus would have none of it. He tells them, “You don’t know the Scriptures,” saying they read it as if it is an encyclopedia of written rules, not the Word of God. He tells them that they don’t know the power of God either, acting as if God is constrained to follow some law higher than Himself, not possessing the power to raise the dead. The Sadducees did not believe in angels, which Jesus quickly discards.
​
The thrust of the argument then comes to a head. The Sadducees didn’t believe in a life to come; it all ends with earthly death. Nothing to look forward to. But Jesus goes straight to Exodus 3 and God identifying Himself to Moses as “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” That is present tense. Men who went to the grave long ago are still in His care.
​
This is where Jesus speaks to us too. In Baptism, God in His profound grace becomes our everlasting Father. His promise to us is forever, now and in the life to come. The world believes as the Sadducees did, no hope after death. But we have the sure promises of Christ who rose from the grave to new life so that we might follow Him into eternity to be with Him forever (John 5:24, 10:28).
Prayer: Gracious Lord, Heavenly Father, I give You thanks for giving me what the world around me cannot fathom, the promise of eternal life with You. As it is with the forefathers in the faith, I trust in the certainty that Your grace and love—that was assured in the promise of Baptism—will go before me. I pray for that day when I will no longer see You with eyes of faith but be face to face with You. Until then protect and strengthen me to see the future not as the world sees it but as You proclaim it to be, world without end. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Marvin Combs (mcombs@thenalc.org)
December 9, 2025 | Tuesday of the Second Week in Advent
​
Amos 7:10–17; Revelation 1:9–16; Matthew 22:34–46; Psalms 33 & 146 (AM); Psalms 85 & 94 (PM)
​
Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
– Matthew 22:34–40 ESV
​
There may be nothing more exciting than the mounting anticipation that begins to take shape this time of year. Parents have already begun putting up the lights and the trees. Children are already counting down the days and making final adjustments to their lists. The season of Advent is all about preparation for Christmas. Underneath all of this preparation is the desire to show our love to one another: to give, to share, and to receive. But this season has less to do with what is placed under the Christmas tree and more to do with preparing our hearts for who was born for us in a stable and to celebrate this time of year with those we love. Advent reminds us that this season has always been about love—God’s unfailing love entering into this world as a child, and our love reflecting the love He carried with Him.
​
In Matthew 22, Jesus was asked to name the greatest command. He replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything God has done for you, began with love. A love that we did not have to work for or earn, but a love that bound itself to be fully received as a gift by grace through faith. And because we have been so deeply loved, we are free to share this same gift with others. We love our families. We love our neighbors. Even showing love and compassion to the wondering stranger because Christ has first loved us. A love that sought us out, too, when we were the stranger.
​
Love is not a gift to only be received once a year. Or a decoration that will be stored away after the season ends. It is the very life God has given for us to live by, every day, made real for us in the flesh of Immanuel. By the birth of Jesus, God took on human flesh to dwell among us, to redeem us, to make His love known to us. By saving us so that He may offer us an even greater gift: the gift of salvation. So that now, out of the depths of His great love for us, we may love Him in return—like a child loving their father. Not because they are supposed to, but because they want to. Not halfheartedly or when it is convenient, but wholeheartedly, in mind, body, and soul.
​
That is why there may be nothing more exciting than the mounting anticipation that begins to take shape this time of year. When we will celebrate (with love) the greatest gift we could have ever received—not found on any list, or wrapped in paper; not even placed under the Christmas tree, but wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger for you and for me. A humble child, born through love to share His grace with you.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. Help us to prepare our hearts this Advent season to shine Your light on the love You have first given to us. Teach us to love because You have loved us first, and to rejoice in the celebration of Your love made flesh for the even greater gift of eternal life. Amen.
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Hailey Halmstad (rhbenj6@icloud.com)​
December 10, 2025 | Wednesday of the Second Week in Advent
Amos 8:1–14; Revelation 1:17—2:7; Matthew 23:1–12; Psalms 50 & 147:1–12 (AM); Psalms 53 & 17 (PM)
Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
– Revelation 2:1–4 ESV
​
All of our readings for today remind us that Advent is a penitential season, illustrating our need of a coming Saviour. They speak to our life as a nation, our religious leadership, and our congregational life together. While Lent, the other penitential season, focuses on a deeply personal confession and need of forgiveness, Advent’s penitential themes serve to point out our corporate need for forgiveness and repentance. This season, on the heels of Christ the King Sunday, reminds us that we have a Saviour and His name is Jesus. The interesting background to the small-town, shepherd-turned-prophet, Amos, was that Israel was at the height of its territorial ambitions and national prosperity. The introduction to the prophet Amos in my New Oxford Annotated Bible (Brueggemann/Hicks) points out that “he denounced Israel, as well as its neighbours, for reliance upon military might, and for grave injustice in social dealings, abhorrent immorality, and shallow, meaningless piety.” It was a tough task for the prophet Amos during what we might think of as a ‘roaring stock market’ and a nation that believed their fortunes were a sign of God’s favour.
​
Our familiar Gospel reading picks up the theme of a piety that was primarily for show and personal advancement and chastises religious leaders who had forgotten the concept of servant leadership. Honour, comfort and security can easily become traps for all of us in pastoral and leadership roles, distracting us from the urgent tasks of the kingdom.
​
The reading from the Revelation to John appointed for this day is the first letter to the seven churches. Most of the letters highlight something positive about the life of each congregation and then draw attention to what is lacking. The church in Ephesus is commended for attention to the truth and faithfulness in teaching; however, they have lost something in their pursuit to root out false teaching—the love that they had at first. It brings to mind a saying I have had occasion to use several times in congregational discussions, “just because you’re right, doesn’t mean you’re helpful.”
​
This season of Advent invites us to consider how our congregations might be like the church at Ephesus: commended for faithfulness to the apostolic witness and certainly wary of false teaching but having lost the foundation of what makes us caring and compassionate communities of faith, missionally driven, and places of healing and redemption—in a word, love. In the admirable quest for right thinking (orthodoxy) and right living (orthopraxis) we also must be wary not to “abandon the love you had at first.”
​
The whole of this season points us to the joy of divine love incarnate among us. As we prepare to gather at the manger and witness divine love take flesh in our very midst, how might that love also take flesh and be born in us again. How might the boundless love of God reframe our relations with our neighbours, empower our servant leadership, and revitalize our congregations as caring communities and beacons of redemption and hope.
​
Prayer: Love divine all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down! Fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art; visit us with thy salvation, enter every trembling heart. In your holy name we pray. Amen. (Lutheran Book of Worship)
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Kevin Ree (kree@thenalc.org)
December 11, 2025 | Thursday of the Second Week in Advent
Lars Olsen Skrefsrud, Missionary to India, 1910
Amos 9:1–10; Revelation 2:8–17; Matthew 23:13–26; Psalms 18:1–20 & 147:13–21 (AM); Psalms 126 & 62 (PM)
Revelation 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
– Revelation 2:8–11 ESV
​
Beginning this past Monday, our second readings have come from the book of Revelation and will continue until December 21. Thus, we have the opportunity in the days ahead to read a significant portion of this fascinating book and consider what God is saying to us in these inspired words from sacred Scripture. Revelation is a letter from Christ to seven specific churches in Asia Minor as recorded by John on the isle of Patmos. It is a challenging book to interpret in that much of it is filled with strange signs, allegories, angels, symbols and pictures. There are colors and numbers that have special meaning. There is much to be decoded and interpreted.
​
But Revelation is not just a letter to these seven churches. It is also a message of hope, encouragement, and promise to Christians and Christian churches of every time and place who are suffering persecution. And that message is clear: Hang on! Keep the faith! You are engaged in spiritual warfare: it is good vs. evil, God vs. Satan, Christ vs. Antichrist! Although your circumstances are such that it appears to you that the Christians are losing and that the Gospel is not true, hang on! Don’t give up! Keep the faith because ultimately, God wins! In fact, God has already won! Trust the promises of Christ! He is the Lamb of God who was slain at the cross and is risen from the grave victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who now reigns upon His throne! He is your Lord and Savior! So, keep the faith because the end of this story has already been written and God wins!
​
Today’s reading is Christ’s word to His church in Smyrna (2:8-11). Here we see Jesus knows the kinds of tribulation, poverty, and slander we suffer because we are practicing Christians. His word to us is do not be afraid, the faith with which I have graced you, will sustain you. When the final judgment comes you will inherit eternal life. Your hope is in Me: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (10b-11).
​
Prayer: Gracious God, when I am suffering and persecuted because of being Your faithful disciple, empower me by Your Spirit to cling to faith in Jesus and trust His promises. Help me to be faithful unto death and receive the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Dr. William E. White (bwhite@thenalc.org)
December 12, 2025 | Friday of the Second Week in Advent
​
Haggai 1:1–15; Revelation 2:18–29; Matthew 23:27–39; Psalms 102 & 148 (AM); Psalms 130 & 16 (PM)
​
Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
– Matthew 23:27–35 ESV
​
As is true of many texts in this season of Advent, there is an overwhelming sobering note struck in our readings today. We have spent Advent thus far considering the unshaken Light that is the Lord of creation. We find again and again that this Truest of Constants, this unbroken, staggering ray of glory brings a shaking and a reckoning to all that is touched by it.
​
It is a shaking that troubles us, but it is a shaking that saves us, for sin likes to hide in the shadows. In the shadows of our pressures to “busy ourselves with our own houses” while the house of the Lord lies in ruins (Haggai 1). To abound in good works, in “love, faith, service, and patient endurance” yet tolerate hidden sin, the stuff that is difficult to address, hard to expunge (Revelation 2). It is so easy for us to slip into the role of the scribes and Pharisees—to clothe ourselves with the trappings of righteousness—and yet to be rotten inside, full of rotting flesh and bones devoid of the breath of God.
​
In the light of this Sun, all is laid bare and open. We are brought to ourselves, our true selves. Our attempts to whitewash with good works the sin that lies within, burns to ash in the unshakable light, and we are left with nothing except the prayer of the publican “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And this is just the first step. Properly understood, the first and continuous, in the sense that we always come back to this posture of baptismal nakedness before the Lord. But first step in the sense that as we humble ourselves before the King, He cleanses us, renews us, transforms us, and sends us out to bear His glory, earthen vessels though we are, to be heralders of His kingdom and ministers of His grace throughout this broken world.
​
Prayer: Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice… If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness,so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning...
​
Devotion written by the Rev. Dcn. Shannon R. Ames Fuller (samesfuller@thenalc.org
December 13, 2025 | Saturday of the Second Week in Advent
Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse, c. 304
​
Haggai 2:1–9; Revelation 3:1–6; Matthew 24:1–14; Psalms 90 & 149 (AM); Psalms 80 & 72 (PM)
​
Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.
– Matthew 24:6–8 ESV
​
“But the beginning of the birth pains...” For anyone who experienced giving birth or witnessed a loved one giving birth, when you hear that phrase it may bring up some vivid memories of pain, pressure, tears, maybe even some loud vocalizations before the happy conclusion when the baby finally arrived. Giving birth is no joke. It is a painful, bloody, and dangerous business. So, when Jesus talks to His disciples about others trying to lead them astray or hearing of wars or rumors of war (more painful, bloody, and dangerous business), He equates it with labor and says these awful things must take place before the arrival of God’s kingdom on earth.
​
But why?
​
To remind us that all of humankind and God’s creation must go through a type of labor before Jesus returns. Wars and persecutions, false prophets, continual sin—the world’s contractions—have been building for centuries. Earthquakes and famine, increasing lawlessness in our society... labor is progressing. We can all see it just by reading history or the daily news.
​
But the question is are we still in early labor? Or are we going into active labor? Only the Father knows. And Jesus warns us in Mark 13:35: “Stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning...” We cannot nap between contractions when things are peaceful but remain alert and ready to meet Jesus when He finally does return.
​
Mary went through labor and experienced increasing pain and pressure until the infant Jesus was born, a fact we will celebrate in a few short weeks. The world has been going through labor for centuries waiting for Jesus’ second arrival. Let us always remember that even though the world is groaning in its own birth pains, in the end we will see Jesus’ arrival, not as a helpless infant, but as our resurrected and living Savior who will return to bring us all home. Come, Lord Jesus!
​
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, although You alone know the time of Jesus’ second coming, we yearn for that day despite all the pain we feel while we wait. Give us patience, peace of mind, and the faith to remain alert to Your continued presence and Your guiding hands in our lives until that great Day when Your Son is revealed in His glory; through Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
​
Devotion written by Robin Harris (rharris@thenalc.org)