Advent 1 Devotional

Isaiah 7:10-16

“Do you know how much I love you?” I ask my youngest during bedtime, knowing how much she delights in this game. “To Burkina Faso to France to Minnesota” she responds with a smile, listing the names of places she knows I’ve been. “And back,” I answer with a kiss on her cheek.

Once she’s fallen asleep, I take my dogs outside and look up at the darkness, because this is a routine that I love. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, and so when it is a cloudless, winter night, the stars shine even brighter with
clarity and sharpness.

“Do you know how much I love you?” God asks me. As deep as Sheol and as high as Heaven, I think. And even though I’m a tiny speck of sand underneath this massive canvas that is our Creator’s universe, I feel God’s kiss upon my cheek in return.

Dear God, thank you for bringing us a sign of the depth of your love—the child named Emmanuel. Give us hope in times of joy, and ordinariness, and dread alike. Trusting in your abundance we pray. Amen.

Source: Luther Seminary, “Fling Open the Door” devotional series

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