"A gift from our community of faith to you. Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is devoted to preparing outstanding leaders for Christ’s church. One of the ways we nurture leaders is by building a loving community of faith and extending God’s grace to others. In this season of anticipation, we extend God’s grace to you and invite you to explore this book of Advent devotions. Through this collection, please join us as we prepare to receive God’s greatest gift—the birth of Jesus Christ."
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Advent Devotional for December 14
• Revelation 2:8-17
“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” – Revelation 2:11a
What comes to mind when someone says, “Advent”? Christmas carols, good tidings to shepherds, lighting candles, perhaps. Probably not two-edged swords, affliction, or conquering.
This vivid imagery pressed the communities who first received this letter with an intense sense of urgency. They lived in a violent, chaotic world, and they needed to know that God wasn’t complacent.
These images press on us today, too. Sometimes we may feel too tired to face a darkness that feels too big. Yet now as then, Christ calls his people to step forward in faith—and he isn’t asking politely. Sometimes, abruptness is what it takes.
Christ’s words may be demanding, but they are also replete with reassurances. Even though the road ahead is rough, we will be all right in the end. This passage invites us to consider what it means to take risks and to challenge the complacency that may go unnoticed in our own communities. And Christ assures us that when we risk, we will “come out victorious.”
In our troubled times, the season of Advent invites us to step into uncertainty, to pray without ceasing, and to trust Christ’s reassurance as we embrace the challenge of discipleship.
Creator God, you call us to step out of our comfort zones, to risk and move courageously in a world that continually threatens us for being faithful to your call. May we persevere in this Advent journey, paying attention to the ways your Spirit beckons from us a response. Amen.
Hierald Osorto
Student from Washington, D.C.
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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