​This reading is so rich, like the deepest, most vibrant colours of the beauty found in God’s creation. The imagery of crowns and robes, glory and splendour, light and fragrance positively drip with the extravagance of His love and the promises that flow out of it. I love sitting in the tremendous gift that is this picture that has been painted by God through the prophet Baruch.

This beauty draws me in, helping to bring me into the joy and peace that is God; to picture myself clothed in His robes of righteousness with the diadem of His glory on 
my head. A reminder of who I am; to ground me in my identity as His daughter —  so that everything in my life flows from there. 

I have been walking on the spiritual road for long enough to know that God does indeed keep His promises. But despite what I “know”, I can quite easily find myself in a sort of gray area of the day-to-day with God where I don’t see so clearly. I often need to be reassured of my belovedness and I really want to trust the eternal glory of His promises. The part about how I get to the peace of resting in His promises — the so-called nitty-gritty of daily life — can be the more difficult part because it requires the graces of healing, discipline, and a certain fortitude. My participation is required, both in the asking for these graces and in the receiving of them. I also need to always be alert and on the lookout for where to find Him — to find Love — in my days. 

To surrender all to Him and His promises can be so challenging when I find it hard to see God at work in my circumstances. As I reflect on this reading, I’m so grateful for this Advent reminder of the richness of the interior life that is afforded us through His Word, and the importance of steeping myself in these reminders on a daily basis. I cling to the hope that lives in Baruch’s words; the words that I know are God’s for me, and for me alone: but somehow, also, for everyone. 

Thank you, Lord, for Your endless beauty and goodness to us.




Lindsay Elford
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When I was thirteen, I decided to take the teaching of putting others before myself to heart and, privately, made a vow to be intentional about it for an entire year. And I did. So much so, that by the end of it, I had won a special award at school related to service.

To this day, I still remember holding that award, and being struck by the contrast between other people’s experience of my conduct, and what I was experiencing inside. As it turned out, that year was one of the most miserable of my life and gazing at the award, I remember thinking, “If this is what I get for all that I’ve done, then I don’t want to do this anymore.”

After that, my attention slowly drifted from the Lord. I did a lot of things that I won’t even try to defend, but God, in His mercy, was still good to me. His attention to me never wavered, and I don’t think He missed a single opportunity to help me grow and teach me lessons that I would never have learned if I’d insisted on stubbornly clinging to Him for appearance’s sake. Lessons like: there are ways of serving others that don’t require me to compromise my personal boundaries and self-respect. Eventually, when I was finally ready, He brought me whole-heartedly to the Church.

Reflecting on Christ’s words in this Sunday’s gospel, I was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and my own stumbling experiences. Undoubtedly, the ‘dissipation and drunkenness’ that Luke describes here, relates to a life lived in the absence of God, but as the faithful, we are still prone to experiencing it. It’s important to guard ourselves against the temptation to believe that just because we’re physically close to Him, that means we’re spiritually close to Him, too. As the parable clearly illustrates, our entry into the Kingdom of God doesn’t depend on the length or magnitude of our service but on the posture of our hearts. Our works are meant to be the means by which we come to better know and love Him; not the currency we use to earn our way into our Father’s house.

If our actions aren’t helping to draw us closer to God, then we are very much at risk of being utterly asleep. As a faith-filled community, we have a duty to remain alert for His return, and to support our brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same, as well.

So, if you find yourself nodding off, this is my encouragement and wake up call to you! He is coming, and I want you to be ready for Him, standing tall with arms wide open, waiting jubilantly for your redemption.




Laura Dysart

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is widely considered to be one of his earliest writings, probably written around AD 52. He had been preaching in Thessalonica while on his second missionary journey and after leaving under duress (1Thess.2:2), he sent Timothy back to serve and minister to the new believers there. Upon receiving a good report from Timothy (1Thess. 3:6), Paul penned this letter of encouragement in reply.

Paul knew that the new Christians in Thessalonica, a Greek cosmopolitan city, would be exposed to plenty of errant teachings and immoral behaviour. This letter is to inspire them to continue to strive to grow in holiness and love for one another so that this new church would be strengthened in their faith.

When I read this letter and consider the circumstances it was written under, I think about the similarities I see in our world today. In the western world, at least, we are living in a post-Christian era where the majority of people don’t believe in Jesus or the teachings of the Church. We are being inundated with messages that say it’s ok to act however we please regardless of the consequences to our hearts, our families, or our communities. We see more and more people we love rejecting Jesus and accepting the “gospel of self”. I recently read this quote, “The shift in commitment is never from Christ to evil, it is from Christ to self.” (Dennis Kinlaw)
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So how can we be encouraged by Paul’s letter? Paul says, “May He strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father…” (1Thess.3:13) We don’t have to take the weight of the world on our shoulders. Jesus is there to strengthen us. He is the One who will make us blameless before God the Father. Jesus says, “... on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt.16:17) When you are discouraged by what you see happening in the world around you, remember these words and put your faith in the One who has the victory.




Maxine Brown

When I was a hospital chaplain, my colleagues and I would often look at each other, and with a touch of humour encourage each other to “offer it up”. Whether it was a difficult visit with a patient, challenges with hospital staff (or each other), a difficult day, or frustrating policies and procedures, “Offer it up!” we’d say to one another with a smile. It was often a means to break the tension and provoke a smile from the person to whom we were spouting such wisdom. But in the lean into levity there was also great truth in our suggestions to offer up our difficulties to God.


We offer our prayers to God. However, it’s not often that I’ve thought about offering up my soul to God as the psalmist invites. He already knows my soul doesn’t He? And honestly, right now in the ups and downs of today’s world, my soul is a mess. If I were to lift up my soul now I think all God would find is hurt, tiredness, loneliness, uncertainty, frustration, and a zillion other emotions. Our world  seems like such a crazy place right now that my soul feels weakened and beat down. How can I lift up such brokenness to our God?


I think the better question is: how can I not? I know all that God has done for me. When I allow that head knowledge to become heart knowledge I can lift this broken soul to our steadfast and faithful God. He gave me this soul, and placed Himself in it to remind me that He is with me in the joys and the messes — especially the messes — of  this life. This soul is His gift to me, and His gifts work best when they are given to others. And in this case, when I offer that gift back to Him.


My soul holds a depth that I can forget or take for granted. It is so much deeper than I can imagine. On the surface, my soul may be battered and bruised but when I take a moment to lift it up to God, I can, in that same moment, breathe deep and know that He will dust off the surface to reveal the depths of my soul where His Love abides… along with deep joy, hope, and life. God’s love never leaves my soul. My soul can be bruised and beaten but it cannot be emptied of the Light within; a light that can never be extinguished. It may be covered or hidden, or flickering and faint, but it never goes out. It is always there, waiting to be drawn upon and equally anticipating to be fed. And when I cannot feed it, God can. So, I must offer it up. 




Aurea Sadi