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December 6, 2019 | Acts 13: 16-25
Paul’s speech in Acts 13 reminds us that God is faithful to God’s promises. Paul begins by offering a reminder of God’s work throughout Israel’s history: liberating them from Egypt, leading them through the wilderness, delivering them their promised land, and so on. The list culminates in the greatest act of God’s faithful provision: the Read more about December 6, 2019 | Acts 13: 16-25[…]
December 5, 2019 | Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19
This semester we have been reminded that not every leader will “judge [their] people with righteousness, and [their] poor with justice.” We have been bombarded with messages about injustices all over the United States, China, Bolivia, Sudan, Chile, Syria, Venezuela, and so many other countries. This semester, I have found myself trapped in the midst Read more about December 5, 2019 | Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19[…]
December 4, 2019 | Matthew 24: 23-27
Perhaps it is the mini-class on rappers and religion I took a couple of winters ago at Montreat, or my overuse of the “Top Hits” album on Spotify this semester, but this passage from Matthew cannot stop reminding me of the chart-topping song “Jesus in LA” released by Alec Benjamin this year. Even though the Read more about December 4, 2019 | Matthew 24: 23-27[…]
December 2, 2019 | Genesis 8: 1-19
It’s so easy to get caught up in the wild story of Noah with the ark and all of the animals and the massive flood that you might miss the opening three words of chapter eight: “But God remembered.” In the midst of the action, we can’t forget that in the center of the story Read more about December 2, 2019 | Genesis 8: 1-19[…]
December 1, 2019 | Isaiah 2:1-5
It’s hard to slow down and stop preparing for life’s challenges. Every day, after lunch, I leave the chapel basement, push open the heavy oak chapel doors, and mentally arm myself for the day at Duke. Checklists flash through my mind as I think about the things I should’ve said, the things I didn’t do, Read more about December 1, 2019 | Isaiah 2:1-5[…]
An Advent Devotional from PCM+
Since 2015, Duke’s Presbyterian Campus Ministry+ has created an advent devotional. Though it is the busiest time of year for students, we believe that it is worth the effort for many reasons. First, as students study for finals and then abruptly leave campus for their various homes, the devotional keeps students connected to their PCM+ Read more about An Advent Devotional from PCM+[…]
Trust in God!
December 24 Luke 1:67-80 Jonathan Hill ’17 The time is near at hand! Tomorrow we celebrate Christmas and the birth of our Christ, Jesus. While we have waited in anticipation for only a few weeks of Advent, the people of Israel had been waiting for much, much longer. Indeed, when Mary and Joseph made their way Read more about Trust in God![…]
Unlimited Wholeness
December 23 Rev. Janise Matyas Smith, PCM+ Board Moderator Isaiah 9: 2-7 Peace. It’s a word we see a lot this time of year. Peace on Earth. Joy, Love,Peace. Walk into your local Target or Michaels and you will see this word written in glitter and gold. But what does it mean? Peace. What are Read more about Unlimited Wholeness[…]
Humble before God’s Power
December 22 Luke 1: 39-56 Cole Williams ’19 I like to imagine John leaping. As an unborn child in hismother’s womb, John stirs with joy as his friend andsavior comes near. Even before they were born, John and Jesus already had a beautiful and earth shaping relationship. Elizabeth feels John’s movements and knowsthat the Lord Read more about Humble before God’s Power[…]
Forgiven by God | Advent December 21
December 21, 2018 Emma Friesen ’22 PSALMS 130; ISAIAH 29:9-24; LUKE 1:26-38 In advent, the church assumes a posture of waiting, which appears throughout this psalm. The psalmist repeated the line “more than watchmen wait for the morning” (Psalm 130:6 NIV), and he stated, “my whole being waits” (130:5). In that time of waiting, I Read more about Forgiven by God | Advent December 21[…]
Restoration | Advent December 20, 2018
December 20, 2018 Emma Friesen ’22 PSALM 126; ISAIAH 28; REVELATIONS 20; LUKE 1:5-25 The text of Psalm 126 starts rejoicing and then has a parallel section of waiting for restoration. This reminds me of how Christians in the liturgical calendar make their way through the purple seasons of waiting (Advent and Lent) to the Read more about Restoration | Advent December 20, 2018[…]
#RelatableContent | Advent December 19, 2018
December 19, 2018 Katie Becker ’17 Psalm 53: 3-4 “Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on God.” By any measure, this is an odd Psalm choice Read more about #RelatableContent | Advent December 19, 2018[…]
Sights and Sounds of Advent | December 18, 2018
December 18, 2018 Libby Boehne, Campus Minister Isaiah 11:1-9 It’s easy to breeze through the well-known passages in Isaiah, hardly registering what they say because we know them so well and hear them each year. But on this reading, I was struck by the emphasis on the five senses. Isaiah reminds us of the power Read more about Sights and Sounds of Advent | December 18, 2018[…]
Do you See? | Advent December 17, 2018
December 17, 2018 Brett Stonecipher Divinity ’19 Isaiah 8:16 – 9:1 | Luke 22:39-53 The waiting of the advent season is not all pleasant, as today’s lectionary readings underscore. In them, we see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, betrayed by a man who claimed to be his friend; a man with whom he had Read more about Do you See? | Advent December 17, 2018[…]
How to Pray | December 16, 2018
December 16, 2018 Danny Cordray ’21 PSALMS 25, 150; ISAIAH 13:1-13; HEBREWS 12:18-29; JOHN 3:22-30 In the twenty-fifth psalm, David cries out in weakness and defeat, imploring God to help him and to forgive him for his sins. This psalm is not merely the historical speech of an exiled king in a desert. It fits Read more about How to Pray | December 16, 2018[…]