Trusting in God’s leading is risky, and the outcome is uncertain. Can we allow ourselves that vulnerability and become open to the movement of the Spirit?

Through the gospel you remember the promises of God, that the valley is never too low and permanent, and that Jesus is working through it all.

Psalm 80 is a plea for help. Oppression controls the writer and his people. They are waiting to be saved and actively pleading: how long, O Lord? Restore us!

Let us live into the advent season this year with renewed courage that God’s long-sighted plan is larger than our imaginations.  

Advent reminds us to continue to strive to make this world one where “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.”

We can live out God’s values; we can advocate for the poor and oppressed; like Mister Rogers, we can transform the lives of those around us.

I invite you to ponder: What fears can you name with integrity? What joys might you remember or imagine? What glimmers of creativity can you spot within or around you?4