Devotion: Advent and Thanksgiving

You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful. Christ’s message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts. Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:12-17

So much to think about in so few verses & so much to live up to! I want so much to clothe myself in these beautiful attributes of compassion, kindness, humility, patience – but right now I have supper to make, floors to sweep, emails to send, this devotion to write, children to listen to, and all the other things I cannot even remember from my to-do list for today. Patience? Not my forte´. I greatly admire others who exhibit and offer me patience, but I often find myself coming up short when I reach down into my own well. I grope around the bottom of this well and my fingers grasp uglier things – like criticism, frustration, exasperation. My well seems to be empty and yet my day is not done.

“And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.” Really? I am supposed to find love at the bottom of this empty well too? Breathe, close my eyes, breathe, reach again. LOVE – there it is, right where I left it. A prayer emerges – Lord, thank you for loving me and filling me enough to love others. Give me your patience. Amen.

This time of year brings it’s own busy-ness and anxiety. I want so much to fill myself with wonder and anticipation and joy. I want to know God’s heart for me and the world. I want to be washed over with the ‘peace that passes all understanding.’ But the world is so loud!

“Sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.” Thanksgiving.

More than a gathering of family and food, more than the beginning of shopping and lists. Thanksgiving.

My greatest desire is to know thanksgiving in my heart, to know God’s love so intimately I cannot help but be thankful. Thanksgiving.

Lord, do your work in me. Make my heart so full to overflow with thanksgiving and love and patience and compassion and humility and kindness. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Amen.

An Advent Retreat
Join us Sat., Nov. 29 | 8:30am – 10:30am
A sacred time and space, specially designed to help you discover your heart’s desire for more this Advent.
More Love | More Peace | More Joy | More Jesus.

This devotion is written by Patty Forsberg.

If you would like to serve as a member of the Sheridan Lutheran Writing Team and help to write devotions based on the text for the weekend, contact Patty Forsberg.

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