One of the most powerful and meaningful things anyone has ever done for me was sit with me in silence through my deepest grief. Sometimes there are no words powerful enough to speak comfort to the hurting. Sometimes presence is the greatest gift.

Being with those in pain is not easy. Our natural inclination is to move away from suffering, not towards it. But that is not God’s way. Throughout scripture, we find that where there is sorrow or anguish, God draws near. Where there is grief, there is grace.

God does not abandon God’s people. That is a promise. God’s intention to dwell with us is such an inherent part of God’s character, the prophet Isaiah reminds us, that we can call Christ Jesus by the name Immanuel, God with us.

The name Immanuel speaks comfort to me in this holy season, but it also challenges me. It reminds me that I am not alone, but also that no one should feel alone. As I ask God to keep perfecting me in love, as I seek to be more Christ-like, I am called to move closer to those who are suffering. I am called to enter into new spaces where people are in distress. I am challenged to be present with the ones who are most in need, just as God is.

God with us is a promise, but it is not a secret. It is meant to be shared, and there is no greater way to share God’s promise than to perform it, to embody it.

Immanuel, God with us, during this busy season, may we not be so hurried that we forget to give the gift of our presence to those who need it most. Give us the courage to enter into the painful places, knowing that we will find you there. In Christ Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Recently, I again reflected on the fact that in the Gospels, Jesus’ life is bracketed by the word “Peace.” When the angels announced the good news of his birth to the shepherds, their song contained the hope of Peace for the world.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus, in one of the last conversations he had with his disciples, promises them the gift of peace.

Peace is a gift that we still need. Tonight, many of us will gather for worship. The high point of this evening is when the lights are turned off, and we pass the light of Christ from candle to candle.

For many years, as pastor, I had the privilege to not only start the light moving out through the congregation but to be able to watch people's faces illumined by candlelight as they sang. I was always touched to literally see Peace settle on people in that moment.

I saw a family where the main breadwinner had just lost their job. For just a moment, they weren’t worried about tomorrow. They were celebrating being together as a family, surrounded by church friends who loved and cared about them. I would look specifically for people whose loved ones had died recently, and this was their first Christmas alone. In almost every situation, there was that brief moment you could see that they shed the blanket of grief that weighed on their hearts and were filled with loving memories of the past. Those memories brought them joy and peace.

For some it was the first time I had seem them smile since the loss of their beloved. The gift of Peace, sung about by the angels and promised by Jesus, is real and available if we but open our hearts.

Peace, we all need it. The message of this night and the day to come is that into a world of darkness, light is dawning. In a world of hurt, love breaks forth. In a world of loss, new life is ours. Jesus asks us to let this message fill us and gives light and peace. And if we do this, our troubled hearts will find rest, and our fears will subside, just as Jesus promised.

O Lord, giver of Peace, on this Holy night, fill us with your presence. Help us to quiet our minds so that we may hear the angels sing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace,” knowing their message was not just to shepherds but to us as well, AMEN.

This devotion was written by Bill Green and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Our theme for the Grace for All Advent devotions is Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. This verse in Paul’s letter to the Romans just about says it all. He concludes by reminding us that we have this hope, as well as joy and peace, because of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Have you ever known a person who showed the strength and power of the Holy Spirit in all circumstances? I have had the privilege of knowing several, but my 98-year-old mother-in-law is to me the ultimate role model. She has lived through so much in those 98 years. She shared with me how much she missed her father while he served in the Pacific in World War II, as well as her fear that he would not return. She prayed without ceasing for his safety and return.

As a young woman, she desperately wanted to go to college and become a teacher, but she was unable to continue after one year due to family circumstances. So she set about working with children at every opportunity while raising her own two children.

She led Sunday school classes and Bible school classes, having a profound effect on hundreds of children, and she prayed for every one of them.

Later, she was chosen to be trained in the first class of Title I teacher assistants in Knoxville City Schools. She faithfully worked with the children in the poorest of schools in the city and shared hope with them as well as math lessons.

Then came the losses over a period of years: first her grandmother, who greatly influenced her in many ways, especially her faith, then her parents, her in-laws, her only brother, her husband over 60 years, and finally the most cruel loss of all – her beloved son. While these losses caused her pain and sadness, her faith never wavered. She still found joy and laughter with those who remained, especially her granddaughters, grandsons, and great-grandson. She knows without a doubt that she will see the loved ones who have gone ahead again someday.

Many people would become despondent, even bitter, about the experiences she had. But she had the power of the Holy Spirit to guide her in holding onto hope, joy, and peace, and, most of all, love. Her physical strength is failing now, but her spirit is not. As long as she has breath, she will depend on God to guide her, even into the next life. I thank God for her love and example of faith in my life and the lives of all who have known her.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which allows us to experience hope, joy and peace in all circumstances. We thank you for your love and the strength and assurance it provides. We thank you for friends and loved ones who show us how to live out our faith and inspire us to be better followers of Christ in this world. Finally, we thank you for the gift of your Son, who came to this world at Christmas to shine a light in the darkness and give us the gift of salvation. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Pat Scruggs.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church