Today’s Always Uplifting Verse and Devotional to start your day off right!

Celebrating Christmas in the Kitchen

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Luke 2:11 — For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

“What are we baking?” I asked, eyes wide.

I stood by the counter, wooden spoon in hand, trying not to make a total disaster of the kitchen. It smelled incredible—vanilla, butter, all the good stuff—and the sunlight made the mess of flour I’d created look almost artistic.

Mom laughed under her breath. “We’re making a birthday cake.”

“Okay, but who for this time?” I asked. “Someone at church?”

She shook her head. “For Jesus.”

I stared at her. “Like… Jesus Jesus?”

She nodded, completely calm about it.

I wasn’t sure what baking a cake for someone I’d never actually met was supposed to feel like, but as I stirred the batter, something about it felt oddly meaningful—like we were doing more than just following a recipe.

I did not know it yet, but this little tradition would stay with me, long after the flour had been swept from the floor. Each year we followed the same recipe, and each year my sister and I argued over who would lick the spoon first and who would sprinkle the sugar.

Mom never rushed my sister and me. She let us spread the icing and carefully place the candles on top. She wanted us to know, deep down, that this celebration was about more than a cake. It was about joy that came to the world and hope that would not let go.

As I grew, and faith became my own, I finally understood. The coming of Jesus is worth throwing a party over year after year. His birth was not a story in a dusty book. It was a rescue. A beginning.

Now in my own kitchen, flour and sugar lined the counter. My daughters peeked around the corner.

“What are you doing?” they asked.

I motioned them in and told them we were about to bake a birthday cake for Jesus. Soon there was laughter, batter on the floor, and three spoons too many in the bowl.

As we stirred, I leaned in to tell them what my mom once told me, reading softly from the Bible: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11. I hoped they would carry this moment with them, the way it stayed with me.

After all, if anything is worth celebrating, is it not the birth that changed the world?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What Christmas tradition has helped shape your faith or understanding of Jesus over the years?
  • How does remembering Jesus’ birth as a rescue — not just a story — change the way you celebrate Christmas?
  • Who in your life might God be inviting you to pass faith along to through simple, meaningful moments?
  • When was the last time you paused to truly celebrate what Jesus’ coming means for you personally?
  • How can you make space this season — through tradition, conversation, or worship — to honor the Savior who changed everything?
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Hand Picked by God

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John 15:16 — You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

A few years ago, Bri and I went Christmas shopping for the radio station. We started the morning with coffee in hand and a mission in mind. We were going to make a lot of kids’ Christmas mornings brighter.

We both knew it would take hours, and we were ready for it. We mapped out our route, and started a friendly competition: who could spot the best toys at the best prices first?

We moved down the aisles like treasure hunters, testing buttons, reading labels, and shaking boxes just to see if a toy might survive rough little hands. I held up a puzzle and said, “This could be good, but will they like it?”

Bri held up a stuffed animal and declared, “Maybe, but how about this instead?”

By the third store, our carts were overflowing, energies were draining, and our imaginations were fading. We were working hard just to stay intentional for each kid because, still, we wanted to make each child’s Christmas Wish possible.

We pictured kids opening these gifts, surprised and squealing. We remembered the generosity of each and every listener of 88.7 The Cross whose generosity made this possible. It mattered deeply, so we pressed on.

When we came to the end of our day’s labor of love, I stood there in the self-checkout line and a thought struck me. It was something like this.

We were being intentional on behalf of strangers and thinking through each choice with care. If we could do that for people we would never meet, how considerate must God be in choosing us?

John 15:16 came to mind: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.”

God does not pick us at random. He chooses with purpose. He knows us completely and loves us. And just like Jesus says in John 15, He chooses us so that our lives would bear fruit — the kind that lasts.

By the time the final bags were loaded into the car, my feet were sore but my heart felt so full because I hadn’t thought of it quite like that before.

I am Hand-picked. And so are you. I hope you will remember that today.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When was the last time you felt truly chosen or seen? How did that change the way you showed up?
  • John 15:16 says God chose you with purpose. Where might He be inviting you to bear fruit right now — in your family, workplace, or community?
  • How does remembering that you are “hand-picked” challenge the doubts or insecurities you carry?
  • What gifts or callings has God placed in your life that are meant to last beyond this season?
  • How might believing you are chosen affect the way you treat others today?
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Finding Jesus on the Long Road

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Psalm 16:11 — You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The star hovered above the horizon calling them forward like a song. The Magi trudged onward, carrying treasures, hope, and exhaustion. Each step felt heavier than the last, yet the drumbeat of hope continued.

The villages they passed offered little—some bread as well as suspicion. Still the star hung unwavering above them as if to say, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come!”

The desert wind cut across their faces as they paused to rest. But the melody continued in their bones: “Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room.”

They pressed on. They had studied the stars for decades, and they knew the signs. The long-awaited Savior had come. He was deserving of their gifts of praise and so much more.

When the star finally rested above a small house, they approached slowly, holding their breath, hearts pounding.

Inside, a child lay in wide-eyed wonder. The Magi laid down their gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Kneeling, they felt layers of joy rise—relief, awe, and nearly weightless gladness.

Here He was, the promised Messiah. He comes to make His blessings flow. He, alone, rules the world with truth and grace.

A dream warned them not to return the way they had come, and they obeyed. Everything—the star, the dream, the child waiting—reminded the Magi why they had kept walking. Every sleepless night, every risk, every mile in the dust had led them to this.

And the joy they felt was worth it all because the song in their hearts came from Him.

As they knelt, the Wise Men finally understood the truth Scripture had been pointing to all along: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

And now, kneeling before the child, he felt joy like never before that comes from finally arriving where you were meant to be, from standing before the One who makes every sacrifice matter.

Today, no matter what journey you are on, keep moving toward Him because…oh, the wonders of His love. Bring your gifts, bring your heart, and follow the signs.

And when you find Him, the joy waiting for you will rise like a song—let heaven and nature sing, because He is always worth the journey.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What journey are you currently on that feels long, uncertain, or exhausting? How might God be using it to draw you closer to Him?
  • The Magi kept moving even when the road was hard. What helps you continue seeking Jesus when joy feels distant?
  • Psalm 16:11 says joy is found in God’s presence. Where do you usually look for joy first — and how might that need to shift this season?
  • When have you experienced joy not because circumstances were easy, but because you sensed God was near?
  • What gift — time, attention, trust, worship — might God be inviting you to lay at His feet this Christmas?

L Y R I C S 

Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and nature sing
And Heaven and Heaven and nature sing

We will sing sing sing
Joy to the world
We will sing sing sing

Joy to the world the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods rocks hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat repeat the sounding joy

We will sing sing sing
Joy to the world
We will sing sing sing

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders wonders of His love

(We will sing sing sing)
We’re singing we’re singing
Joy to the world
We will sing sing sing

Joyful joyful we adore Thee
God of glory Lord of love
Oh Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above

Joy to the world
(Joyful joyful we adore Thee)
We adore You God
(God of glory Lord of love)
There’s no one like You
No one like You God
(Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee)
Opening to the sun above

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A Hug That Calmed The Storm

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Galatians 5:14 — For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.

In a department store crowded with shoppers and twinkling lights, a little girl’s cry pierced the air. She was sitting in a shopping cart, face red, blotchy. Her tiny fists were curled tight.

Her mother crouched beside her, whispering reassuring words but nothing seemed to comfort her. The woman’s shoulders were braced because she knew she was carrying not just her child, but the judgmental glances of everyone around her.

Shoppers sidestepped them and hurried past.

Then a boy, no older than four-years-old appeared from the next aisle over. He ran toward the crying girl he had never met and wrapped her in a hug. There was absolutely no hesitation in this.

Then the crying stopped. Within seconds the toddler was giggling again.

The mother covered her mouth, and that is when she began to cry. It was just a hug, but it calmed the storm going on inside that anxious mother’s heart.

I have told this story to friends before, and every time, I catch myself imagining the love it takes to step toward someone else’s chaos. The boy did not lecture, he did not calculate, he simply noticed and acted.

That is exactly what Scripture calls us to do: “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14).

It struck me that small gestures carry immense weight. Peace does not always arrive with grand plans or elaborate words. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a hug from a stranger, a kind word, or a hand offered when someone is struggling.

As I reflect on it now, I realize how often I hesitate. How many moments pass me by because I am afraid to step in? And yet, if one four-year-old can quiet a storm, what might we accomplish if we simply move toward each other instead of away?

The next time someone near you is struggling, consider this: a small act of care, offered without expectation, can make a world of a difference in their life. More than you’ll ever know.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When you notice someone else’s struggle, do you tend to step closer or quietly move on? What usually holds you back?
  • Think of a time when a small act of kindness changed your day. How did it affect you emotionally or spiritually?
  • Who might be feeling overwhelmed, judged, or unseen around you right now — at home, work, or even while running errands?
  • What simple act of love could you offer today without overthinking it — a word, a gesture, or your presence?
  • How might loving your neighbor “as yourself” look different this season if you responded with compassion before calculation?
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Learning to Welcome Jesus

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Revelation 3:20 — Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

My dad surrendered his life to Jesus when I was about seven, and everything changed in our house. He started taking us to church and singing in the choir. One of my biggest memories of his singing was Christmas — because he was always in the church Christmas musical.

As much as I loved hearing my dad, my favorite singer was Mr. Roy Reynolds, the church bass. When he sang, he would curl his lower lip and rumble out these deep notes you could feel in your chest. As a kid, he was my favorite to watch because of all the funny faces he made.

Every Christmas, Mr. Roy played the innkeeper — which was huge to me — because he sang a solo called “No Room.”

Our musical had one of the deacons and a sweet lady from church dressed as Joseph and Mary — bathrobes, cloths over their heads, and a baby doll in their arms. They would walk from door to door on the set, knocking, hoping someone had space for them.

Then they’d reach the inn. Mr. Roy would step out, chest high and voice booming with joy because he knew his one line was coming:

“NO ROOM!”

As a kid, I thought the innkeeper was the villain. I imagined him wearing a black hat like in old westerns — the man who turned away Jesus. Jesus came to save the world, and this guy put Him in a barn.

It made all of us feel better about ourselves. We’d never turn away Jesus… right?

But years later, after I’d grown in faith, I realized the innkeeper wasn’t a bad guy. He was just… a guy. Busy. Overwhelmed. Trying to handle life. And when the holy moment knocked on his door, he didn’t recognize it for what it was.

I told a pastor this story once. He smiled and said, “You know… the innkeeper gave Him a place. He just didn’t give Him the place.”

And suddenly Revelation 3:20 took on a whole new meaning: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”

The innkeeper didn’t reject Jesus with malice. He just didn’t make room for Him. He offered something — but not his best.

And if I’m honest, I see myself in him more than I’d like to admit.

This Christmas, as the calendar fills and the urgency of life crowds in… how willing am I to stop and make room for Jesus? Not just a place — but the place?

— Mark Hall, CASTING CROWNS

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  1. Where in your life do you feel “crowded” — emotionally, mentally, or spiritually — making it harder to slow down and notice Jesus knocking?
  2. What would it look like to give Jesus not just a place in your day, but the place?
  3. Think of a time when you almost missed something meaningful because you were busy. How might that relate to letting Jesus in more fully this season?
  4. Are there habits, distractions, or pressures that are keeping you from opening the door more widely to Him?
  5. How might you intentionally create space for Jesus — in your home, your schedule, your relationships — as you move through the Christmas season?
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Speaking Peace into Panic

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Ephesians 4:29 — Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

So, I am crouched down on the driveway, tossing jackets and bags like I am searching for buried treasure. My keys are gone.

I had driven five hours to see my best friend, imagining quiet mornings with coffee and conversation, but now panic pins me to the pavement. I picture my cat pacing back and forth at home. I picture missing work and the long explanations that follow. Every possible disaster blooms in my mind.

The roadside helper arrives. His coat is dusted with white. A soft glow from the lights reflects in the windshield behind him. He does not sigh or flinch. He asks calm, simple questions like “Where did you last have them?”

He listens while I spill the story of my scattered morning. He does not rush me. He does not make me feel foolish. Almost like a cup of cocoa, his warm presence feels comforting. And for the first time in an hour, I can breathe.

Of course, the keys were exactly where I had left them, under the windshield wipers on my friend’s car. Relief rushes through me. I laugh at myself. But more than relief, I feel so thankful for how that jolly, gentle, AAA man treated me. It felt like a gift.

Looking back on that whole thing, I feel reminded that words matter. Tone matters. How we show up for people in stressful situations matters.

Ephesians 4:29 teaches us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Now, in this season of twinkling lights and cinnamon-scented candles, I think about how easy it is for holiday stress to make us spiral. Maybe the best gift we can give today that matters most is not wrapped in a box.

Maybe it comes from a calm Christ-like voice, your steady presence, and your hands reaching out with confident kindness to people who need reassurance.

Who in your life might need that gift this year?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When stress rises, how do your words tend to sound? What would it look like to pause and let your voice become a source of calm instead of pressure?
  • Who in your life might need gentle, encouraging words today — someone overwhelmed, anxious, or carrying more than they admit?
  • Think of a time someone spoke kindness to you when you felt stressed or scattered. How did it change the moment? How could you offer that same gift this week?
  • What simple shift could help your conversations reflect more of Jesus — your tone, your patience, or your willingness to listen?
  • How might God be inviting you to use your voice as a way to bring peace, comfort, and hope into someone’s holiday season?
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A Man on Fire

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Isaiah 58:10 – If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness.

When a man has been cold long enough, he either grows numb or he learns how to make his own fire. Charles Dickens learned to make a fire, and he did it with a pen.

London was not gentle that year. 1843. Smoke and industry had squeezed the city until people’s hands were thin and their patience thinner. Dickens had known hunger; as a boy he had watched his family struggle because of money. He himself had married, worked, risen, and stumbled again. Now there were more mouths and fewer coins.

Then one night, with frost crunching beneath his boots, a different kind of idea tapped him on the shoulder.

It was the idea of a story rooted in memories of his own fear, his father’s shame, and the ache of seeing children robbed of joy. And it was set in that stubborn season that insists on light even when the world feels dim. Christmas.

He imagined a man who hoarded his heart.
A haunting that revealed who he had become.
A redemption so unexpected it felt like a miracle.

Charles felt a thrill. He rushed home to begin writing. He wrote with such intensity and inspiration that his family heard him crying out character names from downstairs. His youngest children peeked in, half frightened, half delighted.

Their father was on fire—in the best way.

Six weeks went by. He barely stopped to eat. The pages stacked up. And when he finished, he held a little book that felt like it could breathe on its own.

The publishers balked. The story was too strange, too risky, and too expensive to print with so many illustrations. So Charles did something bold—he paid for it himself. He staked what little he had on a Christmas dream.

And it worked. It more than worked.

A Christmas Carol spread across England like warmth from an open flame. It sold out in days. People read it aloud, wiping their eyes. Through it, Parliament discussed the morality of poverty. Businesses softened their policies. And Charles Dickens accidentally became the patron saint of Victorian Christmas.

But here’s what I love most: the story wasn’t really about a grouchy old man.

It was about grace slipping into the corners of a weary world.

It was about how a single act of generosity can lift a life.

It lived out Isaiah’s promise: “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry… then your light will rise in the darkness.”

And rise it did.

Every December, we step into the world of Dickens—one where compassion is celebrated, hearts can soften, and hope refuses to stay quiet.

And maybe that’s the invitation for us today:

To look around our own streets and see who is burdened.
To listen for that quiet inner nudge that whispers, “You could help.”
To believe that what we give—kindness, forgiveness, presence, generosity—can ripple farther than we will ever see.

After all, one man’s desperate December once warmed an entire world.
Who’s to say what your small spark might do?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where do you see “the hungry and the oppressed” around you today? Is God nudging you toward someone who needs compassion or encouragement?
  • What small act of generosity could become a spark of hope for someone else this week?
  • Is there a place in your own life where God is inviting you to “spend yourself” — your time, your presence, your kindness — more freely?
  • When have you felt your own “light rise in the darkness” because someone showed up for you? How can you pass that forward?
  • What could change in your home, workplace, or relationships if you lived with the belief that even small kindnesses matter deeply?
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Love is Enough This Christmas

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1 John 4:9 — God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.

The flight is booked, and I already feel the pressure. You know—the juggling of calendars, schedules, and all the holiday “who’s going where and when.” It should be simple. It never is.

I’m flying to Seattle to visit my parents and brother, and I want my son with me too. On paper, that sounds easy. In real life, co-parenting means conversations, compromises, and careful timing. I’m not complaining—I want him to experience the best of both his worlds—but by the end of the day, my brain feels tapped out.

So I close my laptop. I pause.
And in the quiet, I feel a gentle nudge in my chest: “It’s going to be all right.”

It hits me that the Heavenly Father understands this ache—the desire to be close to your child, to draw them near. And right in that moment, I sense His dad-heart for me.

Then I remember: God had His own travel itinerary for His Son, too. But His was a rescue mission. A mission of love. Scripture says, “God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son…”—not to stress us out, not to burden us, but so we might live through Him.

That reminder loosens something inside me.
Yes, I’ll still pack.
I’ll still coordinate.
I’ll still have to navigate the handoffs and the holiday logistics.

But the point isn’t the schedule or the plans or getting everything perfect.
The point is this: I am loved. And at the end of the day, God’s plan is steady, and He will take care of the stress.

Maybe that’s the invitation for all of us today:

If God’s love comes first—if we don’t earn it, maintain it, or negotiate for it—then perhaps we can carry that same quiet confidence into the places that feel heavy.

Into the stress.
Into the planning.
Into the daily balancing acts.

Because love is already here.
And it’s enough.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where in your life today do you feel the pressure to “make everything work”?
  • How does knowing God sent His Son for you shift the way you approach that stress?
  • What would it look like to pause and let His love lead you before you take your next step?
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A Moment of Peace This Christmas

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Matthew 11:28-30 — Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

Every year, I start the Christmas season with good intentions.

This year will be different.
I will not run myself ragged.

But somehow, every year I do the same thing. One minute I am sipping coffee on a quiet November morning, and the next I’m neck-deep in Christmas programs, gift shopping, work events, and family traditions.

They’re all things I genuinely love—things I wouldn’t trade for the world.
But even good things can leave you feeling stretched thin and anxious.

One evening, after three meetings and a grocery run, I came home feeling the weight of it all. After putting my daughter to bed and turning down the lights, I put on a worship song and stared at the tree.

It was there that I took the first real breath I had breathed in a week.

Somewhere in that quiet, my mind began to wander back to a dusty stable. There, a tired, young woman had just brought a child into the world. She had no midwife or epidural. She didn’t even have her own bed. A steady man stood beside her, doing his best to protect what he could not possibly understand.

I pictured Mary holding the baby the world had been aching for. Her heart must have been pounding with wonder and fear at the same time.

Something in me shifted.

The rush, the lists, the pressure—they all felt smaller. Somehow, in view of that tiny child’s life, I could breathe again.

And right there in my dim living room, Jesus’ invitation rose softly in my heart:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary
…and I will give you rest.”

That’s what Mary found in that stable—not ease, not simplicity, but the presence of the One who brings rest.
And that’s what I found again as I sat by the tree.

My inbox was still full.
The casserole still needed a dish.
Nothing in my circumstances had changed.

But I had.

Because remembering the One who came gentle and lowly—the One who still calls us to come and rest—lifted the weight from my shoulders.

And I can’t help but wonder: if simply remembering that first quiet night can steady me, could it steady someone else too?

So this year, I’m offering you the same invitation Jesus offers us all: Pause long enough to remember that holy night. Hold its peace close. Let it carry you through the rush. Even your busiest moments can reflect the hope that first arrived in a manger.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where in your life are you feeling the weight of “good things” that have become overwhelming?
  • What would it look like for you to take Jesus at His word when He says, “Come to Me… and I will give you rest”?
  • How can you carve out a small, quiet moment this week to breathe and remember the manger?
  • What burden are you trying to carry alone that Jesus is inviting you to release?
  • How might your perspective shift if you believed rest is something Jesus gives, not something you earn?
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Emmanuel Is Here Even Now

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Matthew 1:23 — Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”

No one asked Mary and Joseph if the timing worked for them.

Caesar’s decree swept across the land like a winter wind—sharp, impersonal, and completely unavoidable. Suddenly everyone had somewhere they had to be, even if it made no sense at all.

Roads clogged. Tempers rose. Plans buckled under the pressure of forced obligation. It almost felt like the whole nation of Israel was humming the same ancient longing:

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel…”

By the time Mary and Joseph finally reached Bethlehem, the town was exactly what weary travelers dread—crowded, chaotic, bursting at the seams. Every innkeeper shook their head. Every doorway was blocked. Every room was full.

Joseph kept knocking anyway.
Rejection. Then more rejection.

Mary steadied herself against a wall, breathing through the ache of a body stretched thin and ready to deliver.

They took the stable because it was all that was left.

And there, in the very town that should have felt like home, they felt the sting of being out of place. They were “mourning in lonely exile here,” waiting—aching—for the Son of God to appear.

Yet underneath all the interruptions, all the inconvenience, something steady hummed in the background. A promise older than Bethlehem. A prophecy still warm with hope:

“Look! The virgin will conceive… and they will call Him Immanuel—God with us.”

Mary and Joseph didn’t need to speak it out loud.
They were carrying the promise itself.
Those words held them together the way a melody holds a song.

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”

Friends, if God chose a crowded town and an unlikely stable to bring His long-awaited Messiah into the world, that tells us something about who He is.

It means He isn’t intimidated by chaos.
He isn’t hindered by imperfect timing.
He isn’t limited by the places that feel too small, too ordinary, or too uncomfortable.

Maybe—just maybe—that’s exactly how He wants to meet you, too.

If you’re facing detours you never planned, if you’re weary, overwhelmed, or craving peace… God can meet you right there.

If you feel out of place, unheard, or unseen… He hears the quiet songs you sing and the hidden cries of your heart.

So take comfort today.

Immanuel has come. And He is with you—even here. Even now.

— Linda Meyers

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where do you feel like the timing of your life isn’t lining up the way you hoped?
  • What “crowded” or chaotic place in your life needs the reminder that God is with you in it?
  • How has God shown up in unexpected or unlikely places before?
  • What part of the Immanuel promise—“God with us”—do you personally need to hold onto today?
  • How might your perspective shift if you believed God could meet you even in the places that feel small, ordinary, or uncomfortable?

LYRICS:

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight

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