Epheserbrief 2:13

Wenn du nicht mehr verstehst, was Gott in deinem Leben zulässt, und du das Gefühl hast, dass deine Gebete nicht mehr erhört werden, du überrumpelt wirst von schlechten Neuigkeiten und all deine Pläne schief laufen, was tust du dann? Mit dieser Frage wollen wir uns in diesem Leseplan beschäftigen und uns gemeinsam ansehen, wie wir in solchen Momenten neue Hoffnung finden können.

For some, Christmas time can be full of grief, tragedy, hurt, and division. Yet Christmas celebrates that God became a human and stepped right into the middle of our hurting, angry, chaotic world to bring us peace—peace among people and, even more importantly, peace with God. Join us this Advent season in looking at the peace brought by Christ.

As New York pastor Rich Villodas defines it, a deeply formed life is a life marked by integration, intersection, intertwining, and interweaving, holding together multiple layers of spiritual formation. This kind of life calls us to be people who cultivate lives with God in prayer, move toward reconciliation, work for justice, have healthy inner lives, and see our bodies and sexuality as gifts to steward.

The Bible speaks repeatedly to God’s heart for those who are refugees—individuals who have been forced by persecution to flee their country of origin and take up residence in a new land. This reading plan is adapted from Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis.