Part of waiting for God in the Advent season is not resigning ourselves to judgment, as if there is nothing left, but embracing the opportunity presented as a result. Part of the job description of a prophet is to announce God’s correction to his people, and what God is choosing to fill the void left by the uprooting of unrighteous behavior. The coming of Jesus is a chance to see the new direction laid out, and to embrace what will give us solid ground to walk on now.

Christians today have the benefit of knowing who we are waiting for as the sign of God’s promise and salvation to the world. So how do we prevent this season of anticipation from becoming stale or meaningless due to the lack of surprise? Jesus tells us to watch for the signs of his coming, and to know the times we live in. Only by looking at the world around us, and seeing the signs for what is lacking, can we understand and appreciate the depth of healing that God promises to bring.

As we approach the end of the Christian calendar, we focus on going into the unknown with the assurance of God’s rule and power in our lives. When it seems like everyone wants to be our ruler or god, but not willing to prove it, we are assured of the one who has come to prove his worthiness to lead us.

As we approach the end of the Christian year, we are confronted by Jesus when he speaks about the events that usher in the end times. Purposefully cryptic and ambiguous, they are made to make us think about what we are trusting and looking to for assurance. Will we trust in our ability to know when the end will come and by who, or stand confidently and boldly by the one who promises to award perseverance in the midst of conformity?

All Saints’ Sunday is a time to remember and be thankful for those in our lives whose work gave us the faith we have. We all have someone who has allowed us to understand, and see, the love of God and truth of Jesus in a way we could not have before. We acknowledge that work as an extension of what Jesus does for the whole world, and what allows us to live and be the example someone else needs to have faith themselves.

Reformation Sunday marks the day Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, which sparked the Protestant Reformation. But we do not celebrate, or revel, in the separation of churches or the superiority of one tradition over another. Instead, we celebrate how the work of God’s servants within this event helped the gospel of Jesus to reach more people than ever before. Through the desire to be present with the people, the church makes the good news of God understandable and able to be grasped by others. So they might understand their place and purpose in the world, and under the One who truly matters before all else.

The art of living well under God (wisdom) often comes through a good amount of struggle and challenge. In an attempt to live freely for God, we must step away from other’s expectations and ideas to see how God wishes to use us. And through our individual sufferings, understand how the power and confidence of God places and equips us. So what is God asking you to do that allows others to find life, and live?

“How does God answer our plight?” In the midst of suffering and evil, we cry out to God and demand to know why he is not answering. But God does answer, and often confronts us of what we want from that intervention. What do we demand of God and want him to answer for us? Are we willing to listen and accepts his hard truths and change ourselves to accept them?

“Who can God be for us in times of suffering?” Evil may not be able to overpower or overcome God, but is certainly good at convincing us we are alone in our suffering. It seems like when difficulties arise, we are on our own. But God is a confidence and assurance for us in those times. But how do we recognize that confidence, and use it going forward into difficult circumstances?

One of the oldest questions humans have asked is: Why do evil things happen to good people? We develop foolish thoughts about how God's punishment of evil works, and think we are somehow better than others because we don't experience it. But is evil as strong a force as we made it out to be? Is God truly powerless in the midst of suffering and catastrophe? How does this understanding enable us to live in the presence of evil in our lives?