I’ve not always been super great at keeping up with an Advent devotional. I’m not sure if it has to do with how busy this season is or what my normal excuse might be but this year has been different. I’ve found that the only way I’m going to be a working mom, serving in ministry, serving my church, my community, my family is to get up before my kid and have a few minutes alone with the Lord.

I grabbed an old favorite off my shelf this year, Paul David Tripp’s “O Come, Let Us Adore Him”. I grabbed it on Nov 30th, not even thinking about how it wouldn’t start until Dec. 1st and so I spent that time reflecting on Advent, on my pastor’s sermon at church the day before, and what this season means to me in the midst of one of the hardest year for all of us collectively in my lifetime. I opened the Notes app on my phone as I do 50 times a day and jotted down these words:

“Imagine living in 2020 without knowing and believing that God is making all things new.

Now think about people in your life who do not have the hope we have in Christ.

Keep them in your heart.”

I’ve flipped back to that note in my phone multiple times over the last two weeks and I’m here today to tell you that I’m burdened deeply for people who do not know Jesus, who do not recognize that this world is not our home, who might have insurance for all the disasters to come in this life yet no assurance for their eternal life.

My desire to share this with you is two fold:

1. To remind you of the abundance available to us through Christ, through His peace, in the here and now and the abundant eternal life that awaits us when our time on earth is done.

2. To ask that you would have eyes opened to those around you who are hopeless and who need Jesus.

I can’t imagine a greater gift to give this Holiday season than the gift of Jesus in the form of the grace we extend to others, the kindness we share to those in retail spaces, the prayers we offer to those who are hurting, the encouragement to those who are discouraged, serving your neighbors with a token of love and peace.

My prayer is that we as the Church would be bold in our proclamation of the hope we have in the baby born in the manger who came to rescue us and save us from ourselves.

We need it in 2020 more than ever.

We need the hope.