Dreaming of Acceptance: Embracing Unexpected Gifts of Advent

Devotional

Day 1: Do Not Be Afraid of Holy Disruption

We often cling to our plans, yet God sometimes interrupts them with mercy we did not foresee. Like Joseph, you may stand at a crossroads between quiet dismissal and courageous acceptance. The Spirit invites a deeper trust: to welcome what doesn’t fit the script because God may be doing a saving work within it. This acceptance honors human dignity—yours and others’—and opens space for redemption to unfold. Take heart: holy disruption is not chaos; it is God’s kindness arriving by another door. [20:27]

Matthew 1:18–21: Mary was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit before she and Joseph lived together. Wanting to protect her, Joseph planned a discreet separation, but in a dream God’s messenger urged him to receive Mary, because this child was Spirit-conceived. A son would be born, and Joseph was to name him Jesus, for he would deliver his people from their sins.

Reflection: Where is God inviting you to accept an unexpected turn—in your family, work, or plans—and what is one gentle step you can take this week toward that acceptance?

Day 2: Light Returns in Our Longest Nights

Advent speaks into the longest night, not by denying the dark but by promising a dawn. The light does not merely flicker; it rises, steady and sure, even as winter presses in. In the world’s deep shadows—fear, loneliness, or loss—God sets a manger where hope can be cradled and grows. You can carry that light: a word, a visit, a small act that pushes back the gloom. Let the promise of returning light steady your heart today. [20:59]

Isaiah 9:2, 6: Those who walked in deep darkness see a bright light rising on them like morning. For a child is born to us, a son is given; authority will rest on him, and his names will speak of wonder, wisdom, strength, and peace.

Reflection: What small practice could you adopt this week to “turn on a light” for someone in a dark season—perhaps a handwritten note, a ride, or a warm meal?

Day 3: Surrendering Control to Trust God’s Guidance

We love our options and buttons to press, yet life with God is not managed by our dashboards. Trust loosens the white-knuckle grip and makes room for grace to guide our steps. Rather than forcing outcomes, you can welcome God’s timing, even when it feels inefficient or unclear. Surrender does not erase desire; it purifies it. Today, choose trust over total control and see what God can do with your open hands. [57:01]

Luke 1:38: Mary answered with willing trust, placing herself in God’s care and welcoming God’s word to take shape in her life; then the messenger departed.

Reflection: Identify one decision you’re micromanaging; what would a simple, specific “yes, Lord” look like in that situation today?

Day 4: Let Ambition Yield to Compassionate Blessing

Sometimes our dreams run ahead and our neighbor gets left behind. The Spirit gently brings us back, not to shame us, but to teach us love that remembers names and stories. Acceptance means more than tolerating others; it means honoring their dignity, even when it costs us a spotlight. Where repair is needed, blessing can begin—through prayer, apology, or a practical kindness. Let your goals serve people, not the other way around. [53:44]

Philippians 2:3–4: Don’t chase status or self-advantage. In humility, treat others as weighty and worthy, attending not only to your own concerns but also to what will serve their good.

Reflection: Who comes to mind when you think of a dream you pursued that may have sidelined someone else, and what concrete act of repair or blessing could you offer this week?

Day 5: Awe-Filled Gratitude When Plans Fall Apart

Hard weeks and hospital rooms can strip away pretense and leave a single, shining truth: you are alive; the people you love are alive. Gratitude grows in the unplanned places—quiet days that didn’t go as scheduled, yet somehow turned beautiful. Awe reframes disappointment and opens your heart to wonder in the ordinary. Let gratitude be your practice today; speak it, write it, show it. The good news still arrives in the night and calls forth joy. [01:05:05]

Luke 2:10–11: The angel said not to be afraid, because news of great joy had come for everyone: in David’s town a Savior was born—Messiah and Lord.

Reflection: Who will you greet with awe this week by saying or showing, “I’m grateful you’re alive,” and how exactly will you express it?

Sermon Summary

Advent invites me to watch for the light that insists on returning just when the long night feels final. I set our focus on “Dreaming of Acceptance” through Joseph’s story in Matthew 1—how his carefully held plan is interrupted by a dream that asks more trust than certainty. That same dynamic lives in our lives: we make goals, we design futures, and sometimes the surprise is that the very thing we chased isn’t as life-giving as we imagined, or it costs more than we understood. I told on myself—the barbershop dream I chased so hard that I couldn’t see Paul, the classmate whose voice failed. My ambition got what it wanted; my soul saw who paid for it.

We talked about control—how we say we want it, but we actually live on the oxygen of surprise. I used an elevator experiment and a thought-experiment with super-smart AI that could optimize our lives and accomplish our goals. The catch: we’d lose the freedom to change our mind, to be interrupted, to be human. Oddly enough, what we resist—uncertainty—often becomes the space where we find grace, humility, and a fresh path.

From there, I named our week: ER visits, scans, long hours, and the quiet, stubborn kindness that shows up in hospital hallways. That story brought me to my favorite anniversary—the 11th—when we drove home from the hospital with meds for Vicki while our preemie fought to live. Not the Paris-London-Hawaii years, but awe. Awe that someone you love is simply alive. Awe that plans can fail and love still holds. Awe that the darkest room can be the place where light starts speaking again.

Joseph had a dream for a normal life; instead, he received a call to love Mary and raise a child whose origin story broke all categories. Acceptance isn’t resignation—it’s a courageous faithfulness to God’s unexpected work, right here, right now, in people and paths we didn’t pick. That is why Advent’s promise matters: the light does not wait for perfect plans; it comes straight into our unplanned lives. The manger is God’s way of saying that dignity, presence, and joy can be born where we never thought they could.

Key Takeaways

1. Acceptance often interrupts our best plans Joseph’s dream did not confirm his expectations; it redirected them. Acceptance here is not passive—it is active courage to love Mary and welcome a future he didn’t design. Faith matures when we choose fidelity over the safety of our own scripts. The interruption becomes the doorway to a larger story. [13:11]
2. Ambition without love wounds our neighbor Chasing a worthy goal can still turn unworthy when people become expendable. My barbershop story only became wisdom when I could finally see Paul, not my résumé. Love asks us to measure success by who is cared for, not just what is achieved. Holiness looks like protecting people while pursuing purpose. [53:44]
3. Surprise can guide better than control We think efficiency will save us, but it often starves us of change, humility, and wonder. Control flattens life into predictability; surprise keeps us relational, responsive, and awake. The Spirit often speaks in disruptions, not dashboards. Let your plans breathe; leave room for the holy detour. [57:01]
4. Awe grows in hospital hallways In rooms we never wanted to visit, we learn to cherish what we cannot manufacture: breath, presence, a hand that stays. Awe reframes disappointment, not by denying pain, but by locating goodness within it. Gratitude becomes specific: “You are alive,” becomes a daily liturgy. That is not small; it is sacred. [63:21]
5. Light speaks in our longest night Advent is not denial of darkness; it is defiance within it. The light’s first word is not “move on,” but “arise.” Hope begins when we hear that address and take the next faithful step. The manger is God’s answer to a world that thought it had run out of daylight. [20:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[13:11] - Scripture: Joseph’s dream of acceptance
[13:59] - Christmas Eve services and pageant
[14:53] - Advent devotions on our calendar
[16:04] - Interpreter welcome and Solstice turn
[20:27] - Light speaks into the darkness
[49:35] - Surprises and lived-out dreams
[51:09] - Barbershop ambition and obsession
[53:44] - When ambition wounds a neighbor
[55:08] - Joseph’s plans upended and reframed
[57:01] - Elevators, AI, and human agency
[60:16] - Five-star service and failure
[61:55] - ER week and unexpected grace
[63:21] - The anniversary I’ll never forget
[65:05] - Choosing awe over perfect plans

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Matthew 1:18-25

Observation questions

In Matthew 1:18-25, what plan had Joseph already resolved regarding Mary, and what specific message from the angel interrupted that plan?
What titles and reasons are given in the angel’s message (“son of David… do not be afraid… from the Holy Spirit”)? How might those details shape how Joseph hears the call?
In the elevator story, what single design choice made the system fail, even though it was faster and more efficient? [57:01]
In the barbershop story, what happened to Paul, and what immediate opportunity did that create for someone else? [53:44]

Interpretation questions

What is the difference between acceptance and resignation in Joseph’s response? How does his obedience (taking Mary as his wife) show active faith rather than passive surrender in Matthew 1:24-25?
What does the barbershop scene reveal about how ambition can blind a person to their neighbor’s pain? How might “success” be mismeasured when people become expendable? [53:44]
What might the elevator/AI thought experiment suggest about why God leaves room for surprise, change of mind, and interruption in human life? What spiritual good is found in that space? [57:01]
How does awe reframe hope? Consider the line “She’s alive” as a lens: what vision of goodness does awe grant that plans alone cannot? [01:03:21]

Application questions

Where is there a plan in your life that feels set—like Joseph “had resolved”—that might be getting interrupted? What would choosing fidelity (rather than certainty) look like this week in that situation? (Matthew 1:20-24)
Who might be “Paul” in your story—someone who bore the cost of your drive or goals? What one act of repair, honor, or care could you offer them (a note, a call, an apology, a practical kindness)? [53:44]
What “no buttons on the elevator” controls do you cling to—places you don’t allow change, surprise, or holy detours? What is one margin-making choice you could build into your week to leave room for God to interrupt? [57:01]
Think about a present hallway you’re walking—medical, relational, financial, vocational. How could you practice a daily liturgy of awe there (for example: naming three specific mercies, saying “You are alive” to someone you love, or pausing to notice small kindness)? [01:03:21]
“Arise, shine” is spoken into darkness, not after it. Where do you need to hear that address right now, and what is the next faithful step you can actually take in the coming 48 hours? [20:27]
Where have you recently received quiet kindness—especially in hard places—and how might you mirror that for someone else this week (a ride, a meal, a text at the right time)? [01:01:55]
If a super-smart plan could optimize your life but cost you the freedom to change your mind, what would you lose that matters to God and to you (humility, wonder, relational responsiveness)? What practice could help you keep that freedom alive (Sabbath margin, unscheduled time, open-handed goals)? [59:05]

Sermon Clips

Palace thing You know That I didn't go Hey why don't we Just not sing And we'll just Sort of gather around Paul Paul are you okay Nope I was like I'm ready to sing Let's go That was my dream So single minded That I was willing To step On someone Happy to step on I didn't even know I was stepping on him You ever had a dream Like that Surprise I mean sure The barbershop Quarteting was fine But as you can tell I've never forgotten Paul [00:54:04] (34 seconds) #BlindedByDreams

In very tall buildings I'm talking about 100 plus stories They have express elevators They don't just go To all the floors They go to some Of the floors So that you can Speed things up And get people To where they're going Efficiently Right That's the dream And so they They built this system It must have been In New York City Right They built this system So you didn't Push buttons In an elevator You pushed buttons In a lobby And then the AI Figured out What was the optimum Way to get everybody Where they were going [00:56:30] (31 seconds) #OptimizeTheJourney

Go to the grocery store now Because it's the optimal time For groceries You know In terms of your life And by the way The parking lot's not that full And they've just done stocking So everything's full This thing knows everything Remember And it's better than you are At your life So it would say Right This is what you want You want to lose 10 pounds That's what you said Right And here's the menu Oh Brussels sprouts What are those And you lose 10 pounds Just like you wanted Just like you said Right Do you know I've never met a single person Who says Yeah I would do that That sounds pretty good [00:59:23] (51 seconds) #LifeByAlgorithm

We like our options We're used to being thrown We're used to I mean I think it's part of life That things don't go well Do you know what they say Do you know what they say Is the secret to getting five stars If you run a hotel And then the person goes Hey our toilet stopped up And it's like I am so sorry We're going to comp you the room And we're going to give you The penthouse suite Five stars [01:00:16] (52 seconds) #UnexpectedUpgrades

Having the toilet stop In one of the rooms For the guests And you're like You're putting me on You're making that up I know you make stuff up I watch Vicki shake her head When you preach She's not even here And I know she's shaking her head No it's true It's true Because if you just do If you just do a great job And the toilets work well And everything goes fine You get four stars But in order to get five stars The toilet has to stop up [01:00:31] (27 seconds) #SmallThingsMatter

But boy I'll tell you what There's something about a hospital Isn't there And nine hours In an ER And tests At one point It's not just the doctors It's the other people At one point This person comes out And they go Would you come to the room with me I was not allowed I said this to Vicki So Vicki goes off To the room And this woman I swear Right across me She leans over And in this stage whisper You know what stage whisper means They can hear it in Kent County She leans over And she goes That's where they took dad When they told him about the brain tumor [01:02:10] (38 seconds) #HospitalStories

It's okay Like We know something now Like I wish things weren't bad But I already knew they were bad Right We both knew they were bad And then Yesterday we had this This extraordinary day together We just sort of Just kind of Rested We set things up We had some rental thing going on Aisha took care of that We were just together It didn't go according to plan But In some ways I kind of like this plan better It's interesting how that works Isn't it [01:02:50] (32 seconds) #BetterThanPlanned

Can you imagine Treating a friend Or a parent Or a brother Or a sister Or a partner Like that Right You're alive Oh my gosh And it's like Yeah Do you know something I don't What a miracle What a miracle Not Oh man This didn't go According to plan They call it Aw And it's not Just a part Of this season And the present Unwrapping That will happen Shortly And then Be done with [01:05:07] (37 seconds) #CelebrateLife

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Dreaming of Acceptance: Embracing Unexpected Gifts of Advent

Devotional

Day 1: Do Not Be Afraid of Holy Disruption

Day 2: Light Returns in Our Longest Nights

Day 3: Surrendering Control to Trust God’s Guidance

Day 4: Let Ambition Yield to Compassionate Blessing

Day 5: Awe-Filled Gratitude When Plans Fall Apart

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Dreaming of Acceptance: Embracing Unexpected Gifts of Advent

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