Advent Devotions Door County 2025

Each Christmas, our hearts and minds are drawn to a familiar scene: shepherds watching their flocks, angels filling the sky and a manger holding a baby wrapped in cloth. But behind that familiar story lies something much deeper, a mission fulfilled. Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the One anointed by God’s Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim freedom for the captives. Seven hundred years later, in a small synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus stood up, unrolled the scroll, and read those very words. Then He declared,  “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”  ( Luke 4:21 ). With that sentence, Jesus announced that the long wait was finally over. The birth of Jesus was not the beginning of God’s plan; it was the unveiling of it ( Ephesians 3:3–6 ). The Child in the manger was the same Messiah Isaiah had foretold, anointed to heal what sin had broken ( Isaiah 53:5 ).  As we celebrate t...

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. – The Prophet Isaiah …And of his kingdom there will be no end. – The Angel Gabriel I want it to go on forever – the lights, the carols, the sheer delight. All that I experience on Christmas Eve- chasing away the darkness, heralding peace on earth… I never want it to end, especially in the winter, when darkness wraps itself like a blanket over my heart. When God spoke to Isaiah the prophet, darkness had already descended on his people. King Uzziah, whose reign brokered a decades-long peace, was dead. The drum-beats of war echoed through his land. And yet, God spoke. Through the lens of the Spirit, Isaiah saw beyond the impending disasters to a new age- peace for all time and for all people. When God spoke to Mary through the Angel Gabriel, the land had been in the grip of darkness for centuries- wars, conquest and eventually, occupation by the brutal Roman Empire. Can you imagine the one blazing moment of hope, wh...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2) Hope, Fulfillment and Expectation.   Every time I get in my vehicle, put my key in the ignition or press the Start button, my expectation is that the engine will turn over and start up, and that I will be able to drive said vehicle to my destination.   But, what about the day when it won’t turn over, and it won’t start up? The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were the first tribes taken away into slavery by the Assyrian Empire. Then, 700 years passed before Matthew wrote his Gospel, which quotes the prophecy of Isaiah 9, included with this devotion. After 700 years, from a worldly perspective, hope in restoration for these tribes was all but lost.   But, even before their enslavement, God had already prophesied what would happen, including both their enslavement and their future hope.   In Matthew 4, Jesus begins His preaching...

Throughout the ages, the voice of God has been heard in many ways, through prophets, through dreams, through signs and visions – each time calling those who would listen out of fear, bondage, and oppression into greater freedom.   Hosea 11:1 recalls, When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The prophet tells of a divine love that was not willing to leave Israel enslaved, but rather led the people from the grip of Pharaoh to the promise of a better life. Many generations later, that same voice spoke again.   In Matthew 2:13-15, an angel warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt with young Jesus, to protect him from Herod’s murderous rage. Once again, divine love acted to rescue and preserve life, fulfilling the earlier words of Hosea, and showing us that the divine impulse to call us from death to life is not confined to one moment in history but continues to speak and nudge us to act in every age. Our challenge as people of faith today is to...

It’s an interesting exercise to study a Bible passage that I’ve known since childhood. Unsurprisingly, I found my perspective has changed over the last 60 years. Questions that I would have asked then would have been about logistics: How far did the magi walk (possibly as far as 1000 miles) and how long did it take them (maybe as long as a year)? It was a remarkable endeavor given that their only clue that the journey would lead them to Jesus was a 700-year-old prophecy.   I wondered whether I would be able to make that kind of commitment.   But then I started to compare my own journey to theirs and realized it has challenges of its own. I, at least, have been blessed with far more clues: the life of Jesus laid out in the New Testament is a huge advantage, but the path it lays out is crowded and the other travelers, who believe they are faithfully following the same map, often make choices that are far different than mine.   At a minimum it’s distracting; at its worst, ...

The Most Transforming Gift of All! While the secular and economic world in these weeks leading up to Christmas would have us focus on spending for presents and gifts, followers of Jesus Christ have a different focus. It likewise is on gifts, but emphasizes the reality that God first gave to us… … by bringing us into this world and inviting us to acknowledge God as Lord in our lives; … by God giving us God’s Son, Jesus Christ, the one foretold in Isaiah 53:12c, “Yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” This brings to mind the Gaither hymn, “God sent his Son, they called him Jesus, he came to love, heal and forgive; he lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives” He was the Gift of all gifts. Equally significant is how Jesus demonstrated the gift in action; while being nailed to the cross he still looked down upon the nail drivers, not with anger, not with hate and resentment, but with compassion, uttering in...

[He] was numbered with the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12b) What is a transgressor anyway? It’s not a word we’re familiar with or use often. In English, it merely means someone who “breaks the law,” which could imply anything from a small infraction to something more egregious. In Hebrew, “transgressor” is a person who “revolts against, breaks away from, or behaves as a criminal towards” authority or law. In fact, it is God’s most condemnatory term for his people, Israel—rebels. The Servant of Isaiah 53 is counted among the most heinous of society—one who breaks from God’s perfect command to become a pariah among the faithful. There is nothing redeeming here. Beyond help and beyond hope, the Servant is counted as a criminal worthy of the eternal wrath and fury of a holy God. Jesus tells his disciples (Luke 22:37) that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in himself. The Messiah of God was about to be considered the law breaker par excellence of all humanity. He would trade his righteous...

When a child is born, most parents can’t help but dream a little. They imagine what their child might become — maybe a professional athlete, a caring parent, or someone who carries on a family tradition. Above all, they hope for a healthy life filled with love and joy. God’s plan for His Son looked very different. He knew Jesus’ life would be marked by poverty, hardship, persecution, and even death on a cross. And yet, in that short, difficult life, Jesus showed us what it truly means to live faithfully and righteously. At every hard moment, He could have taken an easier path. No one would have blamed Him. But He didn’t. He gave Himself fully, body and blood, so that God’s plan of salvation could be complete. In doing so, He not only forgave our sins, but He also gave us an example of how to live in right relationship with God. This Advent, as we picture the baby Jesus in the manger, we can celebrate not just His birth, but the life He was born to live. And as we look at our own ...

In my youthful days, I spent much time agonizing over God’s will for my life. It was a constant focus of my prayers and I read countless books that were supposed to provide sharp, focused clarity to my questions. I felt like none of it really helped. The crystal-clear sign written in the sky never materialized. As I have matured in my faith, I have come to the place of believing that God’s will for my life is less about taking the proper fork in the road, and more about making sure my life is spent in enacting God’s will for the human community and for all creation. Jesus understood this deeply. From the time he began his ministry, he had in mind his destination: he was on his way to Jerusalem and the cross where he would accomplish God’s will for his life and for the world. His eagle-eyed determination to accomplish this mission was the prospering of God’s will, leading to the prosperous blossoming of a relationship with God offered to all of us. It’s what Jesus called life abunda...

…although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:9b) He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:22-23) Today’s verse in Isaiah gives us two characteristics of the coming Messiah. First, “having done no violence” and “having no deceit in his mouth.” Peter confirms in his writing that Jesus not only fulfilled these characteristics but adds that he did so by continuing to entrust his actions to his Father. In our time, we only have to read a day’s headlines to confirm that deceit and violence fill men’s hearts. In John 1:47 when Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael’s reply was, “How do you know me?” Our character matters, our reputation matters. How do people know you? More importantly, how are you known to...

It amazes me that centuries before the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus it was foretold what was to take place in detail. For Isaiah told us that Jesus would die a criminal’s death, by dying on a cross with other criminals. But then be buried in a tomb where the rich would be buried. We need to ponder those words in our heart just as Mary did that night when Jesus was born. What courage Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus had, to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body after what all took place. For there was great fear. Plus, to take this so-called criminal’s body and put Him in a new tomb in a garden which would have been for the wealthy. In addition, have Nicodemus, a Pharisee, come to help prepare His body for burial in the Jewish custom. And to do all this in a timely fashion. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in getting ready to celebrate the birth, we don’t take the time to ponder what it is all about. That this child came into this world for a purpose. To teach us how...

From the very beginning, God’s Word held power in its living, spoken form. “Let there be light” broke the nothingness and ushered in the Creation of the heavens and the earth. The Word, manifested in the person of Jesus Christ, likewise held power in His speaking – healing people, calming storms, casting out demons, and forgiving sins. So, the Lamb of God going silent, and “open[ing] not His mouth” seems like it might be a deliberate holding-back of His power – an act that would lead the servant of God to be the salvation of the suffering. Note what Philip encountered in Acts 8: he heard the Ethiopian reading from the prophet Isaiah. Otherwise alone, and certainly not sharing the words with somebody else, the man was reading out loud – to himself – a prophecy about Messiah. And, upon an invitation, Philip opened his own mouth to tell the eunuch the good news about Jesus. When you are prompted to speak, let it be of Christ and His love for the world. When you are silent, let yo...

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more inclined I am to avoid pain. My personal comfort drives me to sit in a favorite chair, avoid foods that I used to love and wear sensible shoes over fashionable ones. The idea of purposely inviting pain on myself seems one step from insanity. But isn’t that exactly what Jesus did? The plan was cemented the moment Adam and Eve chose to be independent from God. Isaiah describes the Messiah agreeing to be born as a sinless baby, ultimately dying for the sins of people by allowing Himself to be delivered over to the worst of human cruelty. That the God of heaven would die as a man is scandalous enough, but that humiliation, agony and isolation were a necessary part of the plan is beyond imagination. No wonder God “turned off the lights” halfway through Jesus’ crucifixion. His innocent baby received on himself all our pain and suffering, and all our sin and iniquity. Darkness hid the gross reality of God’s judgment on human depravity ...

As we prepare for Christmas we may be putting up our beautiful trees, lights and decorations. We may sing happy songs and think of the good gifts and family joining us. We may also be heavy with concern, or disappointment or even despair. We might be tempted to think of the Nativity and baby Jesus and maybe want to ignore the challenges or difficulties we face. We are reminded in today’s texts that the life Jesus was born into wasn’t all roses. Jesus, the Christ child, was born into HUMAN life, which includes the magnificent and beautiful, but also the tragic and the difficult. In Isaiah 53:3, it was said of Jesus: He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity. In Mark 14: My soul is grieved; and the hour has come, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Jesus was born into this sinful world and lived a full life of a human, with all its hurt and betrayal and suffering just as we were, but unlike us, he was born to conque...

“Does anything I say or do matter to anyone?”   We all have moments when that question rises up within us.   Such was the plight of the prophets called to redirect people’s lives and the prophet Isaiah was not immune to wondering if his words and actions mattered (Isaiah 53:1-2).   Yet, the Jewish context is crucial to understanding the prophet’s question.   Whether people heard God’s message or not; whether people responded to God’s message in words and actions or not, God was always actively moving about and within the people.   It was understood that even God can use our doubts and disbeliefs to build his kingdom. Today we, too, prophesy with our words and actions that lead others to new understandings of God’s love and grace.   Granted, there are always challenges and roadblocks that confront us on this highway of life we travel.   And, amid everything, God is working – God’s wisdom and power is on display in the use of gentle, uplifting words a...

Jesus would not be deterred…or detoured. When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) This verse begins the largest section of the Gospel of Luke and provides the theme: Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, knowing it was there he would be crucified. Nothing would deter him from the cross. And nothing would detour him, either. While on the way, he told his disciples he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised . (Matthew 16:21). In response, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16-22-23) Jesus was born in order to die. When we see the Christmas Tree, we do well to keep in view the Calvary ...

The Orchestration of the Father & the Obedience of the Son Long before the birth of Jesus Christ, God the Father set in motion his plan to redeem the world through his son. God’s power is so all encompassing that he even foretold smaller details in his plan, like the beating and mockery Jesus would experience on his way to Calvary.  Jesus came to fulfill the plan of his father, through perfect obedience “to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). The perfect innocence and obedience of Jesus is highlighted in him offering up his back to be beaten and bearing the vocal blasphemy from the Roman soldiers. There is also an irony in the arrogance of the soldiers who mocked him by yelling “Prophesy!” If God foretold the beating and mockery of Jesus 700 years before it happened, it would have been a simple feat for Jesus to identify his torturers.   When we look at the baby Jesus in the manger, we must see the bloodied, beaten, and scorned man. When we ...

Advent is a time of great anticipation, when we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus. We look back on the prophecies that have been fulfilled by Jesus. These familiar passages remind us of the hope that we have in the midst of great trials in our lives. Advent is a time to remind ourselves of our need for Jesus. It is a time to remember that we are not sufficient in ourselves, but that we need a savior. The good news is that Jesus is that Savior. He is the one who seeks and saves the lost. In our passage today, we can find great comfort that we are the bruised reed and the faintly burning wick. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by healing the weak and the wounded and the sick and the sore. He fulfills it completely by saving not the strong and the mighty, but the weak. Jesus does not break the bruised reed and does not extinguish the burning wick. This should fill us with great joy in the midst of our weakness and brokenness that Jesus will not crush us, but instead He was crushed f...

When I was growing up, the day after Thanksgiving was the day my mom always decorated our house for Christmas. She would spend all day getting containers out of the attic, putting up artificial trees, and preparing the room where the fresh cut tree that we would later go chop down as a family would be placed. Hours were spent just on decorations, and even more time during the season was devoted to her baking Christmas cookies, wrapping gifts, and discussing how she wanted my dad to hang the outdoor lights on the bushes. It made for a festive environment and some great Christmas memories but there was a lot of preparation that went into our Christmas celebration long before the day arrived. Over 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the book of Isaiah was written. In the first 39 chapters of that book a message of intense judgment is delivered and then Isaiah 40 fundamentally shifts the tone of the message to one of hope, comfort, and restoration. In Isaiah 40:3-5, Isaiah prophesied ab...

“Behold the days are coming” Jeremiah said – words of promise and hope. God promised a new covenant with his people – unlike the old one they “broke”.    That word “broke” reminds us of Moses throwing the tablets and literally breaking the covenant God just gave him.   Truly a sign of things to come. But God had a plan – a new way, a new covenant in the making – not written on stone, but on our hearts – in the blood of his own Son. Paul wrote in Corinthians: “On the night in which he was betrayed,” Jesus took bread and he took wine and declared: “THIS is the new covenant, in my blood” – His body given, his blood poured out. Hours from that moment the word he spoke came to pass, his life sacrificed saving ours, receiving the punishment for our sin so that as Jeremiah spoke, God would forgive OUR sin and remember it no more. Scripture speaks of the many ways that God spoke to us, but now he speaks to us through His Son, Jesus, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among ...

Advent is a season of longing, for healing, for wholeness, for the promises of God to be fulfilled. When I read Isaiah’s words and hear Jesus’ response to John the Baptist, I can’t help but think of my son, David.  He lost his vision at the age of 8.   He now resides in heaven, where his sight has been restored. These scriptures speak directly to my heart and my hope. They remind me that Jesus didn’t come only to fix what’s broken, but to usher in a kingdom where all things will be made new. He is the One who makes the blind see, sometimes now, often later, but always entirely in the end. As I wait during this season, I find peace not in what I can control, but in the One who sees perfectly, even when we can’t. Jesus, we ask for your healing.  Thank you, Jesus, for healing David.  You are a promise keeper. Prayer: Jesus, You are the healer and the hope of all who wait. Give us eyes of faith, knowing you will one day remove all gloom and darkness.  Am...

It was a Friday during Lent in the year 1994. I was eating lunch at my Catholic School when my friend Katie took a big bite of her chicken nugget.  I gasped and said “Katie, you can’t eat meat today! It’s Friday!”  Embarrassed, Katie asked “Why does it even matter?”  Turns out, I had no idea why it mattered, but I was convinced Jesus must love me more because I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I was one of the hypocrites. As I read the words from the prophet Isaiah and Jesus in the Gospel of Mark, I was brought back to my childhood at St. Mary’s. I knew all of the rules and could recite any prayer at the drop of a hat. Oh, and I was so proud of it. I gleamed with pride when I knew more than my classmates.  When I started to care about the why behind the what, my life changed. My relationship with the Lord changed; I met a gentle and caring Father who has a heart for the poor and the hurting. When I started going to the Lord with my ...

At his ordination, a Catholic priest promises obedience to his bishop.   At that moment, one does not think about the cost of obedience.   The cost for me.   Sometimes I have been sent on mission to places that I would not choose to go.   And other times being withdrawn from missions that I loved and found fulfilling.   While I have always obeyed, I am a stubborn man and have often resisted in my heart.   This resistance has never served me well.   Resistance has caused me to stumble and be broken to pieces or led my heart to being crushed (see Matthew 21:44). It is the bishop who orders me, but really Christ calls me.   I was resisting Christ.   Just as Christ told Peter that one day “another will lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18), Christ will not always lead us where we would like to go, but rather he will send us where we are needed for mission.   The life with Christ is ironic: when the resistance is finally worn...

When looking at Jesus’ family tree (Matthew 1, Luke 3), it is filled with unlikely men and women… people who, humanly speaking, should not have been included…not to mention be in the family tree at all. Time and time again, major surprises appear regarding who did / didn’t make the “list.” Yet God, in His sovereignty, had a plan. This plan - specifically! - involved each individual…people intentionally chosen by God…and this plan ultimately culminated in Jesus. Jesus…the one, only, and perfect Son of God. Jesus…full of wisdom and understanding. Jesus…full of counsel, might, and knowledge. Jesus…the legal descendant of David, “rooted” in Judah. “Branch,” referring to Jesus, is seen in the Old Testament. The picture continues throughout the Gospels, each one focusing on a different aspect:                     - Matthew - David’s righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5)              ...

Into the darkness, the prophet Isaiah heralds the promise of God: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel . God with us . It is the angel of the Lord who repeats this promise to St. Joseph on his own darkest night. Take heart , the angel seems to say, in what appears impossible is the quickening of salvation . This astonishing salvation breaks upon us even now. In Advent, we are welcomed into refreshed assurance that God is indeed with us, gathering up the impossible and pursuing the heart of creation – the hearts of each and every one of us. As the cold earth of winter quietly prepares the blossoms of spring, the stillness of these days prepares us to welcome again the One who is always already seeking us: our beloved Emmanuel, Jesus Christ. St. John of the Cross (1542 - 1591) wrote of God’s passionate pursuit. In The Living Flame of Love , John writes:             How gently and how loving...