We Wonder

O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their savior:

Come and save us, O Lord our God! 

Today’s reading is Jeremiah 31:31-34

God comes to make new promises to people, even when they turn their back on him. I wonder what that shows me about what God is like?

I wonder what it is like to have God’s ways written in our hearts? I wonder if that means we love God’s ways with all our hearts, and love the people that God loves?

Are there times when it is hard for me to know or remember God’s ways? Can I ask God to shape my heart to understand and love his ways?

I wonder: are there times when I know God’s ways perfectly well, but I do not want to follow them? Can I talk to God about that right now?

In Advent, we hope for the day when our lawgiver will be Emmanuel, God with us, again. On that day, we will all see and know Jesus, and will not need to teach one another about him. I wonder: can I imagine and hope for the day when all people -- from the least to the most important -- will know God?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their savior:

Come and save us, O Lord our God! 

Today’s reading is Psalm 10

I wonder: are there places in my world that it seems like God doesn’t see, or care about? Can I be like the psalmist, and tell God about those things right now, and ask him to make them right?

Does God ever feel far away from me? I wonder: are there things in my heart, or in my life, that feel dark like night and far from God’s light? Can I talk to God about that right now?

Am I ever like the wicked person who thinks, “God will never notice what I do. God doesn’t care!” Can I believe that God sees me, and wants me to turn around, because he is always looking at me with love?

In Advent, we pray, “O come, Emmanuel,” because when God comes to be with us, he comes to make things right. I wonder: can I trust that our world belongs to God, and he will make his home with us again?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Today is the third Sunday in Advent, and our reading is from Matthew 25:1-13. 

I wonder why five of the bridesmaids brought oil, and five did not? I wonder what they were thinking about as they got ready for the wedding?

I wonder how the bridesmaids felt as the evening stretched into night? I wonder what sorts of thoughts they had when the groom was delayed and did not come?

I wonder why it was so important to five of the bridesmaids to have extra oil, even when they had no idea the groom would be so late? 

I wonder how the things I do now can help me to rejoice and take part in the celebration when Jesus comes to be with us again? How can I help my heart get ready?

Loving God, we trust that the day will come when you will keep all of your promises and dwell with us again. Still, the delay stretches on and we get sleepy. Send your Spirit to fill us with the oil of your love and mercy. And as we receive it, help us to give it away freely, in the hope that your love never fails and your mercies are new every morning. Come soon, and be with us again. 

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O King of Nations, who is their desire.

O Cornerstone, who holds us together as one:

Come and save the human race, who you fashioned from dust!

Today’s reading is Micah 4:1-4

Can I picture people of all sorts: people from every nation, of every age and shape and color and size; people who are like me; people who are so different from me I can’t imagine being friends? Can I imagine all of these people making their way up the mountain of God, and seeking God’s ways together?

I wonder how this picture makes me feel?

I wonder if there is anyone I don’t want to be in that group. I wonder if there is anyone that I think God doesn’t want to come close to, or to teach. Can I ask God to teach me, and make my heart like his?

Can I imagine all of the weapons in the world being melted down and changed from instruments that kill into tools that grow things and give life? I wonder what would have to change in people’s hearts for that to happen?

Christmas is in six days. As we get ready, I wonder if I can believe that the baby in the manger is also the king who will make all of these promises come true?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O King of Nations, who is their desire.

O Cornerstone, who holds us together as one:

Come and save the human race, who you fashioned from dust!

Today’s reading is Psalm 103:8-19

I take just a moment to feel what it is like to be in my body. I feel myself solid, and taking up space. As my lungs are filled with air, can I say thank you to God for giving me and holding me in life?

I wonder: are there any weak places in my body right now? Are there places that are hurt or sick? Can I trust that God made me, and remembers me, and loves me?

David’s psalm describes God as tender and kind. I wonder: can I hold those words with the truth that God is also the mighty creator who made everything I can see? Can I ask God to teach me to know him better?

Listen to these good words: “He has removed our sins from us. He has removed them as far as the east is from the west.” I wonder: are there any sins or wrong ways that still feel very close to me? Are there things that are wrong that keep coming back into my heart or my life? Can I talk to God about right now? Can I ask God to come and save?

We are made of dust, but Jesus came and was born as a human being just like us. At Christmas we see God’s glory come to live in a small, helpless baby. I wonder: what kind of God becomes one of the people that he made? Can I let myself feel how much God must love us?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O King of Nations, who is their desire.

O Cornerstone, who holds us together as one:

Come and save the human race, who you fashioned from dust!

Today’s reading is Ephesians 2:14, 19-22

I wonder what walls I come up against in my life. Are there places where I feel like an outsider, or where I want to come close but am blocked? Can I talk to God about that right now?

I wonder if there are people that I block or want to keep out of my heart, out of my friend group, or out of my community? Can I ask Jesus to break down any ways that I try to keep out people he has welcomed in?

Can I imagine, for just a moment, Jesus as a strong cornerstone, holding together people coming from all different directions and places in the world, and making them into one beautiful building? What do I see when I imagine this picture?

As people who are brought together in Jesus, we are not perfect. We don’t always fit together smoothly. Some of us are rough, or chipped, or cracked right through. I wonder: can I believe that the Holy Spirit is strong enough to hold us together? Can it be true that I am part of where God wants to make a home in the world?  

In Advent, we know that God’s building work in us is not complete. We know that it will not be done until Jesus comes among us again, and fills all of our cracks and broken places with his light and presence. Can I ask God, right now, to help me look forward to that day?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness, 

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Today’s reading is Luke 1:67-79

Can I imagine, for just a moment, what it was like to be Zechariah? To know such good news, but unable to speak it or share it? I wonder what it was like to hold the angel Gabriel’s words inside his heart for nine months?

As soon as Zechariah’s voice came back, he began to sing praise to God. He had to tell everyone there how good and faithful God has always been. I wonder: are there any words of praise I want to say to God right now?

Zechariah sang, “His kindness will bring the rising sun to us from heaven. It will shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death.” I wonder: where do I need God’s kindness to shine for me right now? What dark places inside of me, or in my life, need warmth and light and truth?

Zechariah also sang that God’s light will guide our feet into paths of peace. I wonder why it is so hard for us to find those paths on our own? Where do I need to make peace right now? Can I ask God to guide me into the ways of peace?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness, 

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Today’s reading is Isaiah 60:1-5, 19-20

How did I feel when I woke up this morning? Was I glad to face the day, or was it hard to rise from my bed? Can I tell my loving God about how I felt this morning?

Sometimes, someone says the words “rise and shine!” to us as a command. Or maybe we hear, “Get up! Get moving! Get ready!” I wonder: can I take a moment right now to pause, and to wait for God to come to me instead of trying to make myself ready to come to God?

I wonder: can I hear these words as a promise of what God will do for me? “Get up. Shine, because your light has come. I will rise and shine on you.”

In these words from the prophet Isaiah, God makes very big promises to people. A new morning will come, when God’s presence will shine brightly for all people to see. There will be no more sadness, no more evil, no more dark and scary places in our hearts. I wonder: can I ask God to help me hope for that time, when we will be safe and warm in God’s light?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

O Morning Star, splendor of light eternal and sun of righteousness, 

Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Today’s reading is Psalm 130

The psalm begins, “Lord, I cry out to you because I’m suffering so deeply.” I wonder why things sometimes feel worse at night? I wonder what was keeping the psalmist awake?

I wonder what it is like, to sit and wait and watch all night, knowing there is nothing you can do to make the morning come?

The person who wrote this psalm was sad and suffering, but they also put all of their hope in God to help them. I wonder if I can trust, just for a moment, that the Lord’s love never fails?

I wonder how Advent is like the nighttime, when we wait and watch for the morning to come? I wonder how Jesus is like the sun, the bright and glorious morning star?

As we wait and watch this season, is there anything I need to give to God? Is there anywhere in my life or my world crying out for the Lord to help me?

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Today is the third Sunday in Advent, and our reading is from Luke 7:18-28. 

John’s parents knew that he would grow up to be an important prophet. The Bible tells us that God was with him in a special way, even when he was very little, and that people all over Israel were talking about him. I wonder what it was like for John to grow up, knowing that he would have the job of preparing people for God to come close? I wonder how he came close to God himself, to get ready for his work?

I wonder why Jesus said to the people who were following him that no one more important than John had been born? 

I wonder why Jesus also said that the littlest and least person in God’s kingdom is more important than John? Can I believe that I am that important to God?

In a different gospel book, John says, “Jesus must become more important. I must become less important.” John was Jesus’s cousin: I wonder what he saw in Jesus, or felt when he was around Jesus, that helped him say that?

In Advent, we are like John. We know that God has promised to be with us again, and we know that God always keeps promises: but we don’t know when those promises will come true. I wonder, can I ask God to help me look around and see, right now, the places where Jesus’s Spirit is at work? Where are people being healed, or getting new chances, or hearing good news? 

And I wonder: what am I still waiting for Jesus to make right? Can I practice waiting and hoping for Jesus’s promise to return and make all things new?

Will you pray with me?

Loving God, you sent John the Baptist to announce that you are coming to us. You gave him your Spirit, so that he could call out to us to turn around, get ready, and see your coming light. And then you showed him the kind of work you came to do: giving sight to the blind; life to the dead; good news to the poor. Help us hear your words today and rejoice in your coming. Make us ready to welcome you, Lord Jesus; come and be with us again. 

We Wonder is written and hosted by Sarah Dahl; produced by Richard Clark; and engineered by Nick Thompson and Noah Kirby. You can keep in touch with us on Instagram and Twitter by following @wewonderpod, or read more at wewonderpod.com. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you tomorrow!