Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 25 Wednesday, December 25 Psalm 98; Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12); John 1:1-14 Thanks be to God, for the blessed day of Jesus’ birth has arrived! Merry Christmas, Gardner-Webb family. I hope that this season of Advent has been filled with wonder, joy, and hope for you and for your loved ones. I trust that in reading […] Gardner-Webb University | December 25, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 24 Tuesday, December 24 Psalm 96; Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14; (15-20) The Christmas season is a time for our souls to find rhythm again. Specifically, this time of year tunes our hearts to the rhythm of grace around us. During this season we look back and we look ahead, and our hearts and minds awaken […] Gardner-Webb University | December 24, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 23 Monday, December 23 Psalm 113; Genesis 25:19-28; Colossians 1:15-20 “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!” Three Dog Night sang a similar song: “Joy to the world, All the boys and girls, Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, Joy to you and me.” While this song is […] Gardner-Webb University | December 23, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 22 Sunday, December 22 Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:46b-55; Hebrews 10:5-10 Mary’s Hymn of Praise . . . “My soul praises the greatness of the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in God my savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because […] Gardner-Webb University | December 22, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 21 Saturday, December 21 Isaiah 66:7-11; Luke 13:31-35 I have to admit that it’s refreshing to come across feminine imagery for the Divine—especially in this season in which women’s lives, experiences, and voices are so central to the story. So often women’s stories and the feminine images of God we find in the Bible are ignored in […] Gardner-Webb University | December 21, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 20 Friday, December 20 Isaiah 42:10-18; Hebrews 10:32-39 Christmas is a special season that encourages Christians passionately to share their faith, celebrating the announcement and birth of the Messiah. Viewed through a cultural lens, Christmas serves as a meaningful occasion to pause and reflect on the incredible goodness of God in sending His Son, Jesus. In my […] Gardner-Webb University | December 20, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 19 Thursday, December 19 Psalm 80:1-7; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 10:10-18 My son loves solving puzzles. Stubbornly practicing the same movement over and over to hone a skill and overcome a challenge? Not his cup of tea. But poring over a riddle for hours or troubleshooting a workaround for a Lego design? He’s there for that. So, when […] Gardner-Webb University | December 19, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 18 Wednesday, December 18 Micah 4:8-13; Luke 7:31-35 This past Sunday, many of us lit the pink candle on the Advent wreath. You know, the one that stands out from all the others, that obscure candle most churches light to give reference to Joy within the Advent season. We approach this season filled with the beauty […] Gardner-Webb University | December 18, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 17 Tuesday, December 17 Numbers 16:20-35; Acts 28:23-31 Each year, our Student Ministry holds Christmas parties for our Middle and High School students. Each year, I offer a choice: do the students want to bring real gifts or gag gifts? Each year, some good-natured student who wants us all to put thought into getting gifts for […] Gardner-Webb University | December 17, 2024
Post 2024 Advent Devotion: Day 16 Monday, December 16 Isaiah 11:1-9; Numbers 16:1-19; Hebrews 13:7-17; Ephesians 2:1-10 During the year, we tend to look forward to enjoying our freedoms and diversity in Christmas holiday traditions. As a child, I can remember spending time with my grandparents on Christmas. Their house would be filled with random acts of love, verbal praises to Jesus […] Gardner-Webb University | December 16, 2024
