READ: LUKE 15:1-7; COLOSSIANS 1:13-14; 1 PETER 2:22-25

I’ve learned a lot about God’s grace from my cat. I know that sounds weird, but hear me out! When I was in high school, I looked out the living room window and saw a fluffy gray cat striding through the trees in our backyard. After talking with all the neighbors, we concluded that he had no home. So, I made it my mission to give him one!

I began leaving small bowls of food out on the porch for him. I was delighted to see him creep up the steps one day to eat. He came back every day for food, slowly becoming more comfortable with my family. It wasn’t long before he allowed us to pet him.

A few days after that, my mom was cooking dinner in the kitchen, and when she turned around he was sitting on the floor staring up at her. He just snuck right inside the house! I named him Oliver, and in no time at all my entire family considered him to be a permanent resident. We gave Oliver a home, an identity, protection, love, and even medication for a nasty ear infection. We embraced our new furry buddy with open arms. What exactly did this homeless cat do to deserve any of it? Absolutely nothing. Does that sound like grace to you? Because it sure did to me!

I was reminded of how God adopts us and gives us a new identity. Without Him, we’re all broken. But Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The entire Bible is one enormous story of grace. God showed grace to the nation of Israel, even when they messed up time and time again. This pointed forward to how God would show us all grace in Jesus. He came to die on a cross and rise from the grave to offer us the free gift of salvation! Through Jesus, we can become children of God—fully forgiven, forever saved from sin and death.

There is nothing we have done or ever could do to earn such an enormous gift, but Jesus gave Himself for us anyway. And He did it so we could have a family, an identity, love, and eternal security…just like Oliver. Only better! • Emily Tenter

• In what ways can you relate to Oliver the cat?

• What are some ways God has shown grace to you in your own life?

• Without that grace, how do you think your life would be different?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 1:18-25; LUKE 2:1-21

I was gifted a beautiful Advent wreath for Christmas. The ceramic candleholders depict a winter scene, with the four words that represent the four weeks of Advent labeled in gold. I must admit, for a few years the labeling bothered me. The word wonder was used for the first week of Advent instead of hope. When I hear the word hope, I think of anticipation for something to happen. When I hear the word wonder, it makes me think of feeling doubt or surprise at something beautiful and unexplainable. For me, hope and wonder weren’t interchangeable words.

Then one year, while reading Matthew 1, I considered Joseph’s point of view. Joseph had to wonder, “What on earth is happening?” In good faith, he’d pledged to be married to Mary. She’d accepted, then they found out she was expecting a baby that Joseph knew wasn’t his. He had doubts about the situation and formed a plan. Matthew 1:19 says, “Joseph…was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.”

After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, he had even more to wonder about. The angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (verse 20-21).

So Joseph accepted Mary as his wife. The message from the angel may have removed some of Joseph’s doubt, but for months he had to wonder what exactly was going to happen. After a long journey to Bethlehem, Mary gave birth. Joseph was there when the shepherds found the newborn Jesus and praised God for the message the angel had told them: “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” (Luke 2:11). Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds witnessed something beautiful and unexplainable. Wonder was turned to hope by Jesus’s birth—for them, and for us. • Rose Ross Zediker

• For years, God’s prophets foretold the advent (coming) of the Savior. In dark days, the prophets’ message gave people hope of light coming into the world, yet they must have wondered how and when this Savior would come. Now we know the answers! When you read the Scriptures about Jesus’s birth, what makes you wonder— what questions or doubts do you have? And does anything fill you with wonder—with awe and amazement?

• Why does Jesus’s coming mean hope for the world? (If you want to know more, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished. Luke 2:18 (NLT)

READ: 1 SAMUEL 1:9-20; MATTHEW 28:19-20; JOHN 16:33

Sun sets.

Moon rises.

Joy dies

Within me.

Silver stars

Cool and pure.

Pain inside

Black as night.

A prayer.

No answer.

I cry out

In the dark.

You still hear,

I will not fear.

Joy comes

In the morning. • Lorna Garlets

• Have you ever felt like there was no way anyone could understand the troubles you’re facing? We all feel like this at times, but the truth is, Jesus always understands us, and He always has compassion on us. God’s great love for us moved Him to endure the excruciatingly painful death of the cross and the cold darkness of the grave so that we could be with Him. Now, we can know that Jesus is truly able to empathize with us. He has entered into our pain, and when we are in distress, He sits beside us and weeps with us. (John 11:32-35; Hebrews 4:14-16)

• If we know Jesus, we can rest knowing that everything will be okay—perhaps in the near future, and certainly when He returns and makes all things new (Revelation 21:1-5). As we look forward to the glorious dawn of the new creation, how does Jesus’s promise to be with us give us the freedom to lament, to honestly cry out to God in all our pain and sorrow? Consider taking a moment to bring Him your lament.

Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5 (WEB)