Reading Micah’s prophecies is a challenge of endurance. Back and forth like a divine pendulum, the prophet alternates harsh words of condemnation for God’s rebellious children to tender appeals of comfort and restoration. It leaves the reader asking: Which is it? Mercy or wrath? Pardon or punishment?

In hope and trust, we turn to Jesus, our Wonderful Counselor.

Like a worldly counselor, he is available to advise and help us work out problems and feelings that may arise during the holiday season.

Unlike the human counselor, his answers and guidance, found in the Word, are extraordinary and perfect.

Advent is the season of waiting and looking forward to a celebration. Essentially, it is all about hope.

While hope is, generally, forward-focused, it can also mean looking back. Especially around Advent, we reflect on the goodness we have already received - the Savior born in the manger who died, was buried, and rose again - and let it help us to anticipate what is still to come - Jesus' mighty return.

So, God sayeth: "Go down, Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaohs to
Let my people go"

We must be there to help our Native brothers and sisters find deliverance from the bondage of their past trauma and pain, so they can worship the Lord!

As Lutheran Indian Ministries moves into the new year, our mission and focus continue to be: Proclaim. Disciple. Heal. And as we do this, we feel a special urgency when it comes to healing trauma and addiction in order to help our Native brothers and sisters experience the joy of God’s peace, bodily health, and faithful, Christian friends and mentors.

Jesus, the Son, in His humanity, showed the physical expression of the deep love the Father has for all humanity, including you and me. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Our world is going through troubling times. I have no idea what you may be going through this Christmas. But I do know one thing: Because Jesus came, there is hope.

God sees the potential; we trust him and help to begin the restoring and renovating process. There are hiccups along the way, minor repairs, easy patches, big tear downs, projects that seem to last for a long time, and projects that come together miraculously. You really feel like progress is being made and then WHAM, sewage backs up and you take several steps back. You wonder why you even started, but you roll up your sleeves and you (figuratively) start shoveling out the poop, wondering if you were even making progress to begin with. Months later, you are still at it and look up and realize: Wow God, you saw this masterpiece the entire time! You just asked us to be faithful. We give you the glory, God, because we didn’t see it. We saw work, steps backward, an impossible outcome but You saw the finished project.

In this time of waiting and anticipation, we are reassured that God is always with us.