Advent 2025, Day 4

Day 4, December 3, 2025

Theme: Hope

Readings: 

Reading: Is 25:6-10a Gospel: Mt 15:29-37

Reflections:

Look at the inspiration in Isaiah for all Jesus' banquet stories! Meditate on the reality that God loves all of us and each of us. Imagine the tenderness of God...  consider that he'll walk around the table and look at us with love, wipe our tears, and give us a long, warm hug and a kiss... It's all gone. All the trauma is evaporated, all the division and sin are washed away. No one has "issues". We will relate to one another with nothing but the love of God and His Spirit between us. This is a deeply reassuring hope. It is not reality...yet. But this is such a rich image to return to multiple times today. Pray for this repeatedly today, set an alarm on your phone, or write it on a sticky note: "The banquet is coming, gonna be great." We need to know it will get better eventually. All evil and awfulness will be trampled like manure on the barn floor, ground up in the straw, and swept away.

Song: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, Paul Zach

Bonus! My Advent 2025 playlist is ready for you to listen to on Apple Music. It's diverse, and it was so much fun to put together as I read through the scriptures and wrote this series.

NOTE the songs are on Apple Music, which you can get for a month for free if you are new... I just didn't want an obnoxious YouTube Ad ruining your quiet time :-)

If you are looking for a nondenominational church in the Denver area, check out denverchurchofchrist.org