2025 Advent Devotions from CNH Staff

Advent greetings from the CNH District staff! Each Wednesday during Advent, we will

post a short devotion to you, written by one of our staff members. We pray that these

reflections help you prepare for the coming of our newborn King!

For additional Advent resources, please read Advent Reflections: Rest, Peace, Love, Joy and Hope from Jennifer Ferguson.

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For

salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” Romans 13:11

Advent is a time of the year when we are called to be watchful. Not a fearful watching,

but a hopeful, eager expectation, based and rooted in Christ’s promises. In a world

distracted into spiritual drowsiness, our Lord, through His Word, shakes us awake:

Christ is coming! His return is certain, and His mercy toward us is sure. And yet how

easily we drift, forgetting that the Lord is always at work, calling sinners to repentance,

comforting the broken-hearted, and strengthening His people through Word and

Sacrament.

To “wake up” is to live alert to God’s plan for us, to hear again the call to repentance,

and trust that the same Savior who once came in humility will come again in glory. Each

day, we experience the gift of His grace, drawing us closer to the final fulfillment of our

salvation.

During this Advent season, may the Holy Spirit “awake” our hearts, open our eyes, and

keep us steadfast in our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not sleep through His presence

among us, for the Lord is not far from us. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen!

Written by Joel Wahlers

Assistant to the President – Schools and Congregational Support