Weekly Sunrise Sermon Devotional
Below you will find a 5-day Bible reading plan and devotional guide based on our latest Sunday Sermon in our series, "Two Men's Journeys"
Monday Devotional
The Candle of Hope
Reading: Isaiah 2:2-5
As we begin this Advent journey, we light the candle of hope. Isaiah paints a breathtaking vision of God's future kingdom—a world where weapons become tools for cultivation, where nations cease learning war. This isn't merely wishful thinking; it's God's promise breaking into our present reality. The hope of Advent isn't passive waiting but active transformation. When Jesus came, He inaugurated this kingdom, inviting us to live as people of hope today. Where do you see hopelessness in your life or community? How might God be calling you to transform that despair into tangible hope? Today, consider one practical way you can be an agent of God's peaceful kingdom, turning your own "swords into plowshares."
Reading: Isaiah 2:2-5
As we begin this Advent journey, we light the candle of hope. Isaiah paints a breathtaking vision of God's future kingdom—a world where weapons become tools for cultivation, where nations cease learning war. This isn't merely wishful thinking; it's God's promise breaking into our present reality. The hope of Advent isn't passive waiting but active transformation. When Jesus came, He inaugurated this kingdom, inviting us to live as people of hope today. Where do you see hopelessness in your life or community? How might God be calling you to transform that despair into tangible hope? Today, consider one practical way you can be an agent of God's peaceful kingdom, turning your own "swords into plowshares."
Tuesday Devotional
Waiting with Purpose
Reading: Luke 15:1-7
Four groups gathered around Jesus—tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. Each brought their own brand of waiting and hoping. Some hoped in wealth, others in desperation, still others in religious performance or intellectual prowess. Yet Jesus welcomed them all. The beauty of Advent is recognizing that our waiting isn't solitary. Whatever has been the foundation of your hope—success, goodness, knowledge, or even desperation—Jesus meets you there. He doesn't wait for you to get your hope "right" before drawing near. The religious muttered because Jesus ate with sinners, but that's precisely the point: hope is for everyone, regardless of where they've placed their trust before. Who are you waiting with? What is the true foundation of your hope?
Reading: Luke 15:1-7
Four groups gathered around Jesus—tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. Each brought their own brand of waiting and hoping. Some hoped in wealth, others in desperation, still others in religious performance or intellectual prowess. Yet Jesus welcomed them all. The beauty of Advent is recognizing that our waiting isn't solitary. Whatever has been the foundation of your hope—success, goodness, knowledge, or even desperation—Jesus meets you there. He doesn't wait for you to get your hope "right" before drawing near. The religious muttered because Jesus ate with sinners, but that's precisely the point: hope is for everyone, regardless of where they've placed their trust before. Who are you waiting with? What is the true foundation of your hope?
Wednesday Devotional
The Lineage of Promise
Reading: Matthew 1:1-17
Jesus' genealogy confirms He was exactly who the people had been waiting for—the son of David, the promised Messiah with the right lineage. Yet his family tree includes unexpected characters: foreigners, sinners, and broken people. This reveals something profound about God's hope: it doesn't depend on our perfection but on his faithfulness. The hope of Advent isn't that we finally become worthy, but that God has come to us in our unworthiness. Every generation in Jesus' lineage was waiting, hoping, trusting in God's promise. Some waited well; others struggled. Yet God's plan continued unfolding. Your past doesn't disqualify you from God's hopeful future. What parts of your story feel disqualifying? How might God be weaving even those threads into His redemptive plan?
Reading: Matthew 1:1-17
Jesus' genealogy confirms He was exactly who the people had been waiting for—the son of David, the promised Messiah with the right lineage. Yet his family tree includes unexpected characters: foreigners, sinners, and broken people. This reveals something profound about God's hope: it doesn't depend on our perfection but on his faithfulness. The hope of Advent isn't that we finally become worthy, but that God has come to us in our unworthiness. Every generation in Jesus' lineage was waiting, hoping, trusting in God's promise. Some waited well; others struggled. Yet God's plan continued unfolding. Your past doesn't disqualify you from God's hopeful future. What parts of your story feel disqualifying? How might God be weaving even those threads into His redemptive plan?
Thursday Devotional
Hope Against Hopelessness
Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Paul writes that hope doesn't put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. The sinners gathering around Jesus had likely given up hope of being worthy. They knew their failures intimately. Yet they came anyway, drawn by something in Jesus that whispered of possibility. Christian hope isn't optimism or wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on God's character and promises. Even suffering produces hope because it teaches us to depend on God rather than ourselves. The tax collectors trusted in Roman power and wealth; the sinners had abandoned hope altogether. Both needed to discover that true hope rests not in circumstances or self-assessment, but in God's unwavering love. Where have you experienced hopelessness? How has God's presence transformed that despair?
Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Paul writes that hope doesn't put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. The sinners gathering around Jesus had likely given up hope of being worthy. They knew their failures intimately. Yet they came anyway, drawn by something in Jesus that whispered of possibility. Christian hope isn't optimism or wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on God's character and promises. Even suffering produces hope because it teaches us to depend on God rather than ourselves. The tax collectors trusted in Roman power and wealth; the sinners had abandoned hope altogether. Both needed to discover that true hope rests not in circumstances or self-assessment, but in God's unwavering love. Where have you experienced hopelessness? How has God's presence transformed that despair?
Friday Devotional
Hope Embodied
Reading: John 1:1-14
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is the culmination of Advent hope—God didn't send instructions or inspiration from afar; he came. Jesus embodies hope, peace, joy, and love. He is the answer to every form of waiting represented by those four groups. For the tax collectors seeking security, he offers eternal treasure. For the sinners drowning in shame, he extends grace. For the Pharisees trusting in performance, he demonstrates mercy. For the teachers seeking knowledge, he reveals truth incarnate. As we approach Christmas, remember that hope isn't an abstract concept or distant promise—hope has a name, a face, a voice. Jesus welcomes all who come to him. How will you respond to this embodied hope? What does it mean for you that hope isn't just promised but present?
Reading: John 1:1-14
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is the culmination of Advent hope—God didn't send instructions or inspiration from afar; he came. Jesus embodies hope, peace, joy, and love. He is the answer to every form of waiting represented by those four groups. For the tax collectors seeking security, he offers eternal treasure. For the sinners drowning in shame, he extends grace. For the Pharisees trusting in performance, he demonstrates mercy. For the teachers seeking knowledge, he reveals truth incarnate. As we approach Christmas, remember that hope isn't an abstract concept or distant promise—hope has a name, a face, a voice. Jesus welcomes all who come to him. How will you respond to this embodied hope? What does it mean for you that hope isn't just promised but present?
Past "The Searching God" Advent Devotionals
November 30: The Hope For All
Click here to watch this week's sermon.
Day 1: The Candle of Hope
Reading: Isaiah 2:2-5
As we begin this Advent journey, we light the candle of hope. Isaiah paints a breathtaking vision of God's future kingdom—a world where weapons become tools for cultivation, where nations cease learning war. This isn't merely wishful thinking; it's God's promise breaking into our present reality. The hope of Advent isn't passive waiting but active transformation. When Jesus came, He inaugurated this kingdom, inviting us to live as people of hope today. Where do you see hopelessness in your life or community? How might God be calling you to transform that despair into tangible hope? Today, consider one practical way you can be an agent of God's peaceful kingdom, turning your own "swords into plowshares."
Day 2: Waiting with Purpose
Reading: Luke 15:1-7
Four groups gathered around Jesus—tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. Each brought their own brand of waiting and hoping. Some hoped in wealth, others in desperation, still others in religious performance or intellectual prowess. Yet Jesus welcomed them all. The beauty of Advent is recognizing that our waiting isn't solitary. Whatever has been the foundation of your hope—success, goodness, knowledge, or even desperation—Jesus meets you there. He doesn't wait for you to get your hope "right" before drawing near. The religious muttered because Jesus ate with sinners, but that's precisely the point: hope is for everyone, regardless of where they've placed their trust before. Who are you waiting with? What is the true foundation of your hope?
Day 3: The Lineage of Promise
Reading: Matthew 1:1-17
Jesus' genealogy confirms He was exactly who the people had been waiting for—the son of David, the promised Messiah with the right lineage. Yet his family tree includes unexpected characters: foreigners, sinners, and broken people. This reveals something profound about God's hope: it doesn't depend on our perfection but on his faithfulness. The hope of Advent isn't that we finally become worthy, but that God has come to us in our unworthiness. Every generation in Jesus' lineage was waiting, hoping, trusting in God's promise. Some waited well; others struggled. Yet God's plan continued unfolding. Your past doesn't disqualify you from God's hopeful future. What parts of your story feel disqualifying? How might God be weaving even those threads into His redemptive plan?
Day 4: Hope Against Hopelessness
Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Paul writes that hope doesn't put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. The sinners gathering around Jesus had likely given up hope of being worthy. They knew their failures intimately. Yet they came anyway, drawn by something in Jesus that whispered of possibility. Christian hope isn't optimism or wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on God's character and promises. Even suffering produces hope because it teaches us to depend on God rather than ourselves. The tax collectors trusted in Roman power and wealth; the sinners had abandoned hope altogether. Both needed to discover that true hope rests not in circumstances or self-assessment, but in God's unwavering love. Where have you experienced hopelessness? How has God's presence transformed that despair?
Day 5: Hope Embodied
Reading: John 1:1-14
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is the culmination of Advent hope—God didn't send instructions or inspiration from afar; he came. Jesus embodies hope, peace, joy, and love. He is the answer to every form of waiting represented by those four groups. For the tax collectors seeking security, he offers eternal treasure. For the sinners drowning in shame, he extends grace. For the Pharisees trusting in performance, he demonstrates mercy. For the teachers seeking knowledge, he reveals truth incarnate. As we approach Christmas, remember that hope isn't an abstract concept or distant promise—hope has a name, a face, a voice. Jesus welcomes all who come to him. How will you respond to this embodied hope? What does it mean for you that hope isn't just promised but present?
Day 1: The Candle of Hope
Reading: Isaiah 2:2-5
As we begin this Advent journey, we light the candle of hope. Isaiah paints a breathtaking vision of God's future kingdom—a world where weapons become tools for cultivation, where nations cease learning war. This isn't merely wishful thinking; it's God's promise breaking into our present reality. The hope of Advent isn't passive waiting but active transformation. When Jesus came, He inaugurated this kingdom, inviting us to live as people of hope today. Where do you see hopelessness in your life or community? How might God be calling you to transform that despair into tangible hope? Today, consider one practical way you can be an agent of God's peaceful kingdom, turning your own "swords into plowshares."
Day 2: Waiting with Purpose
Reading: Luke 15:1-7
Four groups gathered around Jesus—tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, and teachers of the law. Each brought their own brand of waiting and hoping. Some hoped in wealth, others in desperation, still others in religious performance or intellectual prowess. Yet Jesus welcomed them all. The beauty of Advent is recognizing that our waiting isn't solitary. Whatever has been the foundation of your hope—success, goodness, knowledge, or even desperation—Jesus meets you there. He doesn't wait for you to get your hope "right" before drawing near. The religious muttered because Jesus ate with sinners, but that's precisely the point: hope is for everyone, regardless of where they've placed their trust before. Who are you waiting with? What is the true foundation of your hope?
Day 3: The Lineage of Promise
Reading: Matthew 1:1-17
Jesus' genealogy confirms He was exactly who the people had been waiting for—the son of David, the promised Messiah with the right lineage. Yet his family tree includes unexpected characters: foreigners, sinners, and broken people. This reveals something profound about God's hope: it doesn't depend on our perfection but on his faithfulness. The hope of Advent isn't that we finally become worthy, but that God has come to us in our unworthiness. Every generation in Jesus' lineage was waiting, hoping, trusting in God's promise. Some waited well; others struggled. Yet God's plan continued unfolding. Your past doesn't disqualify you from God's hopeful future. What parts of your story feel disqualifying? How might God be weaving even those threads into His redemptive plan?
Day 4: Hope Against Hopelessness
Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Paul writes that hope doesn't put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. The sinners gathering around Jesus had likely given up hope of being worthy. They knew their failures intimately. Yet they came anyway, drawn by something in Jesus that whispered of possibility. Christian hope isn't optimism or wishful thinking—it's confident expectation based on God's character and promises. Even suffering produces hope because it teaches us to depend on God rather than ourselves. The tax collectors trusted in Roman power and wealth; the sinners had abandoned hope altogether. Both needed to discover that true hope rests not in circumstances or self-assessment, but in God's unwavering love. Where have you experienced hopelessness? How has God's presence transformed that despair?
Day 5: Hope Embodied
Reading: John 1:1-14
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is the culmination of Advent hope—God didn't send instructions or inspiration from afar; he came. Jesus embodies hope, peace, joy, and love. He is the answer to every form of waiting represented by those four groups. For the tax collectors seeking security, he offers eternal treasure. For the sinners drowning in shame, he extends grace. For the Pharisees trusting in performance, he demonstrates mercy. For the teachers seeking knowledge, he reveals truth incarnate. As we approach Christmas, remember that hope isn't an abstract concept or distant promise—hope has a name, a face, a voice. Jesus welcomes all who come to him. How will you respond to this embodied hope? What does it mean for you that hope isn't just promised but present?
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