Come and See: Advent Amazement, God With Us

Devotional

Day 1: Amazed by the Word Who Came Near

In a world where God can feel distant, Advent reminds you that God chose to come close. The Word did not shout from far away but stepped into our world with vulnerability, presence, and relationship. You are invited to be amazed that glory now walks, speaks, weeps, and loves. Let this nearness steady your heart and shape your days with quiet hope. Watch for how He is already at work, and wait for how He will move next with grace and truth [02:17].

John 1:1–5,14: Before anything began, the Word already existed, with God and truly God. Everything came into being through Him, and nothing that exists is outside His making. In Him was life, and that life shines for all people; the darkness has never been able to extinguish it. And the Word became human and lived among us; we saw the radiance of God’s own character, overflowing with grace and truth.

Reflection: Where did you notice God drawing near in an ordinary moment this week, and how might you respond to that nearness today?

Day 2: Hope in the Furnace of Trial

Choosing faithfulness in the heat of pressure is not denial; it is trust that you are not alone. Like the three friends in Babylon who refused to bow, you can stand firm even when the cost is real. In the flames, Another stands with you, turning terror into testimony. Hope in the furnace does not ignore fear; it names Presence that is stronger than fear. Take courage: the fire that was meant to consume can become the place where God’s care becomes visible [03:41].

Daniel 3:16–27: God’s servants answered the king that they would not bow to the idol, whether God rescued them or not. They were thrown into an overheated furnace, yet a fourth figure appeared with them, like a messenger from God. When they came out, not a hair was singed and the smell of smoke was not on them, and all saw that God had been with them.

Reflection: Where is the “heat” turned up in your life right now, and what one small act of faithful obedience will you practice there this week?

Day 3: Peace in the Valley of Dry Bones

Waiting faithfully is not pretending everything is fine; it is trusting God to breathe where everything feels brittle. In the valley of dry bones, God asked for words of faith before life returned. As breath came, what was scattered and exhausted was gathered and strengthened. Your dry places are not beyond God’s restoring Spirit. Speak hope, ask for breath, and look for signs of quiet renewal [04:09].

Ezekiel 37:1–6,10: The Spirit led the prophet to a valley full of bones and asked, “Can these live?” He was told to speak God’s words, and as he did, bones connected, tendons and flesh formed, and breath entered them. They stood on their feet, a vast, living people, revived by the word and Spirit of the Lord.

Reflection: What specific area in your life feels like a valley of dry bones, and what honest prayer of life will you speak over it each day this week?

Day 4: Come, All Who Are Thirsty—Receive Joy

God’s invitation is simple and without a checklist: come as you are. The thirsty are welcomed, the weary are received, and the hungry are fed by grace, not payment. Joy grows when you turn toward the One who satisfies. Advent reminds you that restoration is a gift you receive, not a wage you earn. Open your hands and come, and let God’s joy meet you in the place you are most in need [01:56].

Isaiah 55:1–3: Everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters; come and receive what you cannot buy. Listen carefully and you will truly live; I will make with you an enduring promise, like the faithful love I showed to David.

Reflection: What simple, concrete way will you “come” to God this week—setting aside ten unhurried minutes for honest prayer, sharing a meal with someone lonely, or joining in worship—and when will you do it?

Day 5: Witness that Flows from Encounter—Come and See

Witness does not demand that you explain everything; it invites you to point to what you have seen. In busy days, pay attention to where the Word is still becoming flesh through mercy, generosity, and quiet faithfulness. You can be a signpost to Emmanuel by naming grace at work in your life and in our community. Like pressing your face to a window, you may not see it all, but you can see enough to invite others to hope. Let your life gently say, “Come and see—God is here” [05:22].

Romans 8:38–39: I am convinced that nothing—life or death, spiritual forces or earthly powers, things now or things ahead, high places or deep places, or anything in creation—can tear us away from the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection: Who is one person near you who needs hope, and what small, tangible invitation could you offer this week—a listening conversation, a cup of coffee, or a quiet act of service—that simply says, “Come and see”?

Sermon Summary

Thank you for leaning into this Advent season with open hearts. Today we celebrated love—love made visible in Jesus—and we named how God’s love shows up in concrete ways among us. We gathered gifts for the Pregnancy Center and shared that Thrivent is matching financial gifts, doubling the impact for our neighbors in need. We lingered longer to thank our staff and volunteers—especially Shannon—for the quiet, faithful work that keeps our church and community cared for. We also prayed for those walking through loss, illness, and weariness, asking God to draw near with comfort and strength.

As we turn toward Christmas, I invited us to look back at our Advent journey: hope in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; peace in the valley of dry bones; joy for the weary who simply come to the waters. All of this leads us to John 1, where we’re reminded that the Word became flesh and moved into our neighborhood. God didn’t stay distant. He chose vulnerability, presence, and relationship. That truth challenges our waiting. Advent is not pretending the darkness isn’t real; it’s trusting that God is already at work within it.

So what do we do in a busy week? We bear witness—not by winning arguments, but by naming where we’ve seen God at work: in acts of mercy, in honest prayer, in small faithfulness that points beyond us. Our task is to pay attention to where the Word is still becoming flesh among us and to say, “Come and see.” Like a child at a window, we may not see everything clearly, but we see enough to know something good is coming—and someone good is here.

We closed with that simple invitation: be amazed, be attentive, and be available. Let your life become a window where others glimpse the light. Grace and truth have come near. Now we watch, we wait, and we witness—together.

Key Takeaways

1. Waiting is not denial of darkness Waiting faithfully means we don’t paper over pain or rush past grief. We confess the real limits of our vision while trusting the character of God. Advent trains our hope to be patient and truthful at the same time. That kind of hope can breathe in dark rooms and still sing. [57:39]
2. Incarnation means God chose nearness God did not shout from a safe distance; He took on flesh and entered our story. Nearness is costly—it involves vulnerability, attention, and love that refuses to stay abstract. Because glory walked among us, no corner of life is outside His reach. This changes how we pray, serve, and wait. [58:25]
3. Witness flows from honest encounter You don’t need complete understanding to bear faithful witness—you need a lived meeting with grace. Tell the truth about where you’ve seen God at work, even if the picture isn’t finished. Witness grows from gratitude, not from arguments. It’s an invitation, not a performance. [60:31]
4. Be a signpost to Emmanuel Small acts—mercy given, prayers spoken, burdens shared—point beyond us to the God who is with us. When we live attentively, our ordinary routines become windows where others glimpse love. Don’t try to be the light; make space for the Light to be seen. That is holy, everyday work. [62:50]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:58] - Offering and Matching Gifts
[39:08] - Candle of Love Lit
[40:30] - Linger-Longer and Staff Thanks
[42:37] - Celebrating Shannon’s Hidden Service
[46:04] - Committee Reports Reminder
[46:58] - Christmas Eve Invitation
[47:35] - Community Prayer Needs
[50:10] - Advent Pastoral Prayer
[53:29] - Advent Journey Recap
[56:12] - John 1: Word and Light
[58:25] - The Word Became Flesh
[60:06] - Witness in a Busy Week
[63:24] - The Window: Come and See
[69:28] - Benediction and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- John 1:1-14

Observation questions

In John 1:1-5, what claims are made about the Word and the Light? What contrasts do you notice between light and darkness?
In John 1:14, what words describe how the Word came to us, and what qualities does He bring with Him?
What specific choices were named about how God came near to us (vulnerability, presence, relationship)? [58:25]
What concrete examples were named of where the Word is still becoming flesh among us (acts of mercy, honest prayer, quiet faithfulness)? [01:01:57]

Interpretation questions

If the Word has “moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14), what does that say about how God views ordinary places and ordinary people? How might that reshape expectations for spiritual growth?
“Waiting isn’t denial of darkness; it’s waiting faithfully.” What makes this kind of waiting different from pretending everything is fine or doing nothing? [57:39]
“Witness flows from encounter, not complete understanding.” Why might that free someone who feels unqualified to speak about Jesus? [01:00:31]
If glory now “walks and speaks and eats and weeps and loves,” where should people look for God’s glory today, and why might that challenge old assumptions? [58:59]

Application questions

Where do you sense a “dark room” in your life right now—loss, confusion, or weariness? What would it look like to wait truthfully there this week without papering over pain? [57:39]
Think of one person you could draw near to with costly nearness—showing up, listening, or serving in a small way. What step will you take and when? [58:25]
Practice witness as invitation. In one or two sentences, name a recent moment where you noticed God at work. How could you simply say to someone, “Come and see”? [01:03:24]
Choose one of these this week: an act of mercy, a time of honest prayer, or a quiet act of faithfulness. What will you do, and how will it point beyond you to Emmanuel? [01:01:57]
Look at your busy week. What is one commitment you could release so you can be more attentive and available—to God and to others? What will you put in its place (prayer, rest, presence)? [01:00:06]
Where might your home or routine become a “window” for others to glimpse the light—hospitality, generosity, a word of encouragement? What concrete plan will you try in the next seven days? [01:03:24]

Sermon Clips

``I want you to think back to these past weeks as we read about Israel's time in exile. Their story is marked in anticipation. The prophets spoke, the promises were given, but the full vision hadn't yet arrived. Ezekiel spoke of the dry bones coming to life and restoration by speaking the words of God. And Isaiah said all the people had to do was to go to God, to come to the water. They would be restored. [00:56:51] (34 seconds) #ComeAndSee

But the restoration didn't happen overnight. It wasn't immediate. There was anticipation for how and when God would act as they lived in struggles of Babylonian captivity. But waiting in anticipation, just like you do in Advent, isn't denial of darkness. It's waiting faithfully. It's knowing God will act. And through that waiting, we long to experience God's restoration, God's healing, God's mercy, and compassion hope. [00:57:25] (32 seconds)

So John establishes a connection right here with verses 1 and 2 that the Word is Christ and that Christ was with God at the beginning of all creation and that Christ is God. And John reminds us that God does not remain hidden, but that God comes near to us. And this should be something that amazes us. [00:58:12] (24 seconds)

The Word does not simply shout out from heaven sitting upon a lofty golden throne. The Word took upon flesh to walk among us. In sending Christ, God chose vulnerability instead of distance. He chose presence instead of inattention, and He chose relationship instead of remoteness. This means that the glory that John speaks to, and if you remember way, way back, we've talked about what the glory of God means. [00:58:35] (32 seconds)

It's that God's divine character is displayed through all of creation. This is love. So what John is saying is that because we've seen the glory through all of God's creation, that through Christ, glory is no longer confined to a temple. It's not confined to a cloud or to a mountain. Glory now walks and speaks and eats and weeps and loves. [00:59:08] (28 seconds)

We're not waiting for God to act someday. We're remembering that God has already come. And we wait in anticipation of not when, but how He will work in our lives and in our world. And this is the heart of the Advent season. The heart of Advent amazement. That as we see God working in the world around us, we become a witness to tell others about the glory of God. [00:59:36] (29 seconds)

So how do I have time to be a witness for Christ? How do I ensure that my life reflects the grace and love that has been poured out for me? I think there's some good news in those questions. Because being a witness doesn't require a full understanding of who God is. It instead, being a witness flows from encounter. [01:00:22] (24 seconds)

So just like the Israelites experienced God's restoration and the years of exile, we also experienced restoration in Him. Even John doesn't explain everything. He points to different things. He points to how, and to when, and to where God has been at work. For us Christians, witness isn't always about knocking on doors. It's certainly not about winning arguments or debates. [01:00:47] (43 seconds)

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Come and See: Advent Amazement, God With Us

Devotional

Day 1: Amazed by the Word Who Came Near

Day 2: Hope in the Furnace of Trial

Day 3: Peace in the Valley of Dry Bones

Day 4: Come, All Who Are Thirsty—Receive Joy

Day 5: Witness that Flows from Encounter—Come and See

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Come and See: Advent Amazement, God With Us

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