New Life Lutheran Church Family Advent Devotional Family Advent2020 Devotional Warmest Greetings, beloved New Lifer, Choosing joy in the midst of it all, we happily share New Life’s 2020 Advent Devo- tional. Inside you will find what is really real. You will hear echoes of your life and read words that mirror your thoughts. You will find that many others, like yourself, are right now choosing to unearth joy, love and hope. Not just because we need an anti- dote from the gloom no longer creeping in but now paying rent, but because joy, love and hope are really there. Here. They are real and are plentiful. Faith comes alive in hard times and our collective witness to the divine blessing within and around is terri- bly vital. Indeed, Christ comes into our lives in the midst of pandemic. Without fail the love of God is made known throughout this world, shaky and tearful as it is. There is no question that 2020 is about as rickety a manger as there ever was, and yet, the Christ child will be laid to rest in it, transforming splinters into a sturdy frame for something wonderful to come forth. Read on to hear from 3rd & 4th graders, middle & high-schoolers, adults, active par- ents, and retired folks. Hear from men, women, and our youth. People just like you, wearied by this year, yet daring to be hopeful. Grateful for the small things. Blessed by others. Finding Christmas music on unexpected albums. Use the devotional in a way that works for you. You may wish to read each day’s devo- tion and then turn to the suggested Scripture, and whisper the prayer provided. You may wish to fill up a big cup of coffee and get comfortable because pages of hope and love are what you need today. There are lots of ways to use this devotion. You can’t read these beautiful essays too many times. En- joy as often as you can. Deep thanks to all who contributed this year and to Monica in the office, who so lovingly laid out the art and writings as an exquisite gift for us all. Happy Advent & Merry Christmas. This is temporary. Keep praying. Stay connected. You are loved and missed. Pastor Rakel Sunday, November 29 Read Psalm 118:1-4 So, as this crazy year nears the end, don’t you wish you hadn’t spent that money to buy that planner for 2020??? It has been a wild ride through this year. I just hope and pray that you’ve been able to retain (or regain if you’ve been sick) good health through this nasty pandemic time. Last year at this time, who would have thought what this year would bring to us? We are all so anxious to get back to normal, return to enjoying our Church celebrations, getting out and about everywhere, seeing our many loved ones and travel about freely like we used to before the pandemic changed all that. I just hope and pray the pandemic crisis period will end soon so we can return to enjoying all of the wonderful gifts of life that our good Lord has allowed us to en- joy in the past. So, until then, how can we enjoy life and be of service to Him and others as we continue through these trying times and return to the new normal – whatever that will be??? I believe the most important thing we can do right now is to continue to pray and stay close to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – even more fer- vently than before – all the time while we do our best to protect ourselves and each other. When is the last time you reached out to someone to check up on them and just say "HI, HOW ARE YOU DOING"? As we are unable to gather and give hugs, phone calls and socially distanced "air hugs" are always a welcome substitute. Always remember that "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trou- ble." (Psalm 46:1). Therefore, I find great comfort and guidance in this familiar Seren- ity prayer: God, grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change... Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen. Don Costello Monday, November 30 Read Psalm 118:24-29 Christmas time is a happy and joyous time when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I learned this early on as a child, along with the belief in Santa Claus. Mom and Dad always wanted to make sure we were happy, and understood the Christmas story and its importance. Christmas Eve service was always a happy and fun service to attend. It will be different this year, but I will still sing the carols and light a candle and hold it high when I sing Silent Night. Afterwards, I will have tea and cookies like I did for years with Mom and Dad after the service. While Christmas is still a rough time for us, with both Mom and Dad celebrating in heaven, we carry on some of the traditions they taught us and that keeps them close in our hearts. This year it is important to keep the traditions alive because of the sepa- ration we all feel because of what is going on in the world right now. So, even though we might not all physically get together this holiday, the cookies and candies will be made and passed out, and the little ones will receive their gifts. The birth of our Lord Jesus rises through this pandemic we find ourselves in, and His love conquers all. Je- sus truly is the reason for the season! Dear Lord, thank you for coming into this world to save us and make us your own. Please touch the hearts of those who have loved ones who are celebrating with you in heaven. Let the world know your peace during this Christmas season and always. Amen. Kathy Aspeitia Tuesday, December 1 Read John 21:15-17 Where did you see God at work this year? When I try to find the bright side in these troubled times, I think of one of the things I enjoy about the ELCA: our charity work, and specifically our September event “God’s Work, Our Hands.” I love the title, as in only four words it encapsulates how Christians should behave in the world. We are the doers of God’s work and we can bring about miracles with our own mortal hands. With the interference of the pan- demic it is harder to connect with others, but that has just presented us with a new challenge, how do we play out our civic and moral duty to serve God’s people, all peo- ple, in ways that don’t risk harming them? The example I’ve seen and that gives me the most hope is the poll workers. Everyone in America knows that on Election Day the people who will be taking your ID and handing you the ballot are going to be elderly members of the community. But this year, sitting in one place as a thousand people pass through could be deadly. But if all those poll workers stayed home for fear of contracting a potentially lethal disease, their locations would have to close from lack of staff. The result would be crowding more people into less voting locations, making the threat of catching the disease all the greater. So around the country, the call went out. “We need healthy volunteers to man these polling locations so everyone can vote, and the most at-risk groups can stay safely away.” News anchors, Late Night Show hosts, celebrities, and other groups spread the word. And the response was immense. Counties and states that needed a few thou- sand workers got tens of thousands of volunteers. This level of involvement would have been unthinkable a year ago, but a need arose. And people everywhere stepped up to meet that need. So, I take my comfort in that. When people see a problem, some will walk away, but many, many others across this country will step up to protect others, to solve that problem, to meet that need. And that is God’s Work being done with Our Hands. Dear God, may those who take up God’s work with their own hands be filled with God’s Spirit, that all will see and know the goodness of Christ. Amen. Stephen Tomsky Wednesday, December 2 Read Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” 2020 has been a wild year. The pandemic has had huge effects on all of us. Not being able to go to school, not being able to go to church, or even simple joys like going out to a restaurant. But in- stead of focusing on the negative things, look at the bright side. The verse Isaiah 41:10 says do not fear because God is always with you.