Mary’s song of joy

Mary’s song of joy

But God notices

Luke 1:46-55

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,

And from now on all generations will call me blessed.

For the Mighty One is holy,

And he has done great things for me.

I saved Mary’s song for this week because the theme of Advent 3 is joy. Few songs in Scripture are as joy-filled as the Magnificat as Mary praises the Lord with her whole being.

When our daughter Karis was thirteen, she imagined what it might be like to be Mary and wrote what she called “Mary’s Diary.” It’s available as a booklet, which I’ll be glad to mail to anyone upon request.

Karis imagined Mary writing:

“I guess that’s when God seems the greatest: when he takes a nobody (like me) and makes something out of them. Oh, thank you, God, for your amazing grace … Oh, even this moment, I praise the Lord. Jehovah gave me a song that I have written down, and I am singing it back to him every day. … Oh, how my soul praises the Lord! All my fears for myself have been put to rest. How amazing is Jehovah.”

What song can you sing to the Lord today, from delight at his work in your life?

Magnificat (with Wexford Carol), Keith and Kristyn Getty

Sitting in darkness

But God’s light breaks in

Luke 1:68-79 Zechariah’s song:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.

He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,

Just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. …

So we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness

For as long as we live. …

Because of God’s tender mercy,

The morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

And to guide us to the path of peace.

Do you, too, “sit in darkness”? How would you describe that darkness: anxiety and worry, fears for the future, stuckness over wounds in the past and harmful habits in the present? Do you, too, long for guidance to a path of peace?

Shutterstock: Vlue

Last week the prophet Zechariah from the Old Testament spoke to us about a Day of the Lord bringing life-giving waters to our parched souls. Five hundred years later, the Holy Spirit prophesied through another Zechariah, a priest, father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:67), this time about the gift of light breaking through our darkness.

Three months before Zechariah gave this prophecy, the angel Gabriel informed Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus, that another miraculous pregnancy had taken place: her barren elderly relative Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, also expected a baby!

Mary hurried to visit Elizabeth, who by the Spirit recognized the baby growing in Mary’s womb as her Lord. “You are blessed because you believed,” Elizabeth told Mary, in contrast to her husband, who had spent the last six months unable to speak because of his early, shocked disbelief in Gabriel’s message to him. Mary responded with a song of praise we call the Magnificat. We’ll look at this song next week.

After his son John was born, Zechariah prophesied that his child would prepare the way for the Lord, a mighty Savior who would provide salvation and forgiveness of sins to his people. Quoting Malachi and Isaiah, Zechariah foretold Mary’s baby’s birth as light from heaven about to break upon them, offered to the dark world through the tender mercies of God.

Two surprise visits from the angel Gabriel. Two miraculous pregnancies. Two sons. Four celebratory songs. A host of angels. Multiple shepherds. Two elderly witnesses. The fulfillment of ancient covenants and prophecies.

Luke compressed unspeakable wonder into the first two chapters of his Gospel. No wonder Mary needed to take a step back and ponder all that had broken into her heretofore unremarkable experience (Luke 2:19).

Advent offers us space to do the same: to consider the marvels of her baby’s first coming and what they mean to us. To open our hearts in hope of receiving the Spirit’s tender mercies. To welcome his light into our darkness. To deepen our hope as we anticipate his return in glory. And to find the path to the Prince of peace.

Shine Jesus Shine, Graham Kendrick

How long?

But God’s Spirit is more effective than force or strength December 3, 2025

Zechariah 4:6, 7:12 “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. … They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.

Zechariah 9:9, 16; 14:1, 8-9 Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey … On that day the Lord will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep. … Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming. … On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem … and the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.

Image by Carol Amidi

As we enter Advent, the prophet Zechariah offers our last insight into the Holy Spirit at work in the Old Testament. Through God’s Spirit, Zechariah envisioned Advent themes: the sanctification of God’s people ushering in a new age of holiness, and a great shepherd, Messiah, coming to reign over a new kingdom of perfect harmony. Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming, when all earth will be rescued from evil, renewed, rejuvenated, restored.

Zechariah assisted his fellow prophet Haggai, encouraging the people living in Palestine after the Exile to finish rebuilding the Temple and reinstitute worship there under a revitalized priesthood. Centuries later, after the Messiah did come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, Paul would explain to believers in Messiah’s redemptive work that they themselves, their own bodies, were now the Temple of God, through the Holy Spirit living within them. We, too, need rebuilding from the impact of evil in our time, our worship reinvigorated.

We, too, seek the Lord’s transformation, both personally and collectively, as we also await the Messiah’s coming for the “last battle” as CS Lewis called it. This time, he will usher in the Kingdom, uniting heaven and earth.

We, too, watch and wait for the coming of the Lord, our Shepherd and King.

Zechariah’s words resonate today. We, too, must turn from our evil ways and practices:

Don’t be afraid. But this is what you must do:

Tell the truth to each other.

Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.

Don’t scheme against each other.

Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth.

I hate all these things, says the Lord. … So love truth and peace.

(Zechariah 1:4; 8:15-17, 19)

How, though? How can we change these things that are so embedded in our culture, in our own hearts? Not by force, nor by strength, but by God’s Spirit, Zechariah tells us. This Advent let’s open our hearts to God’s Spirit so he can do beautiful, regenerative work within and among us.

“How Long” by Ann VosKamp, Leslie Jordan, and Trillia Newbell, sung by St. Andrew’s Lutheran

“Here I raise my Ebenezer” by Bonnie Budzowski, author

But God wants us to remember and tell how he has helped us

1 Samuel 7:12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

[Debbie] I’m delighted to introduce you to Bonnie Budzowski, who offers not just a blog post but a whole book dedicated to noticing, remembering, and sharing with others what God does in our lives. I asked her to do this for Thanksgiving since it’s such a perfect time to begin a lifestyle of intentional honoring of the Lord in this way. As always, I would love for you to share your “But God …” story with me and with the readers of this blog.

Here’s Bonnie:

Sometimes I purchase a greeting card that I’m reluctant to send. It might be the perfect picture, the sentiment, or both that I want to hold onto. Is it a sin to hoard a greeting card?

Once such card features a photograph of a young girl reading from a book. The girl looks to be about six years old. She is happily reading to a dog that is bigger than she is. The dog sits with rapt attention, his pink tongue hanging out of his dog-smile.

The sentiment below the photo is a quote attributed to the poet and activist Muriel Rukeyser: The universe is made of stories, not atoms.

For more than fifteen years, my job as principal of Gravitas Press was to act as a story whisperer, to help people find and articulate their stories in compelling ways. Even before those years, I knew I would one day write a book chronicling the stories of God’s surprising grace in my life. I knew the project would wait until I was near retirement.

What I didn’t know was that in the process of writing the book, something new and fresh would once again surprise me. I would discover a spiritual discipline that is largely missing in people who are otherwise devout Christians.

I discovered that God’s people have always intentionally created memorials to commemorate God’s acts in their history.

For example, following encounters with God and his promises, Abraham built altars. Jacob anointed the stone he used as a pillow the night he saw angels climbing a ladder between heaven and earth. Joshua instructed representatives from the twelve tribes of Israel to each contribute a stone to create a memorial to mark the miraculous crossing of Jordan River. Samuel set up a stone memorial to mark the time God sent a display of raucous thunder to defeat the Philistine army. Samuel called his memorial ebenezer, a word meaning “stone of help.” The psalmists continued the tradition, using words rather than stones. And Jesus commanded we practice a meal of remembrance.

What’s the purpose of this pattern of remembrance? It’s to ground us in the biblical story of God’s work and repeatedly draw us back to trusting in God’s faithfulness. Ebenezer Chronicles: The Missing Spiritual Practice invites you to consider what might happen if you added a practice of intentional remembering into your prayer life, around your table, and in your everyday conversations. It’s also a collection of stories of God’s amazing grace in my broken life. It’s a book in which God is the hero.

Ebenezer Chronicles, The Missing Spiritual Practice is available at Amazon.com. To read the first chapter, visit me here and learn about workshops for your group, including a virtual book club.

“Here I raise my Ebenezer …” Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, sung by Chris Tomlin

This is what God says is good

But God’s Spirit fills us with justice, strength, and boldness

Micah 2:7, 3:8 Should you talk that way, O family of Israel? Will the Lord’s Spirit have patience with such behavior? If you would do what is right, you would find my words comforting. … But as for me, I am filled with power— with the Spirit of the Lord. I am filled with justice and strength to boldly declare Israel’s sin and rebellion.

Micah 6:8 The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right [act justly NIV], to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

At our May annual event, Sisters Celebrating Diversity focused on God’s requirements of us in Micah 6:8. Participants were each given a bracelet that says, “Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.” I wear mine often. It reminds me to walk into any situation I may encounter with those three principles in mind. It reminds me to ask the questions, from God’s perspective, what does justice look like here? Am I conscious of his merciful heart? Is my chief aim that he and his ways be honored, including the lives of anyone I interact with, each one beloved by God?

Can I do this on my own? No way at all. Only through the Holy Spirit’s guidance and grace.

Sometimes acting justly requires naming wrongdoing, that which hurts God’s heart and other people, so that it can be dealt with and injuries healed. Through the Holy Spirit, Micah found the courage, wisdom, and boldness to do this. A difficult task indeed, and no easier now than it was then. The false prophets were the ones saying, “Hey, everything is OK, nothing to worry about—God’s on our side” (Micah 3) while they made decisions based on bribes and twisted justice for their own profit and idolized their own comfort and power and success.

Yet the Spirit kept reminding beleaguered Micah—and through him, us—that God longed to heal his people and restore their land. That was the goal, like an oncologist who must locate and name a cancer to treat it appropriately.

And he reminds us today that no matter what anyone says, these three matter to God: justice, mercy, and humility.

God said to Micah, “My people’s wound is too deep to heal,” (1:9) and devastation was coming. But later, he said, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah … a ruler will come from you. … And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God … and he will be the source of peace” (Micah 5:2-5; Matthew 2:6).

Just out! The Gladness Book: Fun for Kids who Love to Write

What does obedience look like?

But God’s Spirit teaches us

Ezekiel 36:26-27 [A message from the Sovereign Lord] “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

John 14:15-17, 26 [Jesus told his disciples at the last supper] “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. … He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

While waiting in stillness for a worship service to begin, my heart and hands open to what the Lord would offer me that day, God’s Spirit told me clearly, “It’s time to let this go.”

Shutterstock: Wanan Wanan

For years, I had struggled with my relationship with a member of this church. This person had moved away, yet every time I walked into the building, I still automatically steeled myself, still reacted to memories of difficult encounters with that person in this place. In word and intent, I had forgiven her, yet my soul had not released her.

“How do I let this go?” I asked Spirit.

“Give her to me.”

I did, and just like that, the anguish of years lifted and has not returned.

Why did it take so long? Had my deep sense of injury dulled me to Spirit’s prior attempts to free me from this burden? Likely. I don’t know. Perhaps I was just ready to hear and obey Spirit’s prompting to release a root of bitterness in my heart.

We all obey.

The question is who, or what, holds authority over us. Our lives reflect whoever, or whatever, we bow to: our own inclinations and desires and perceived injustices, the influences and pressures of our culture and society, the temptations fashioned to match our individual vulnerabilities by the enemy of our souls, the urge to conform to our peer group …

Or, the King of Love, our Shepherd, creator, redeemer, advocate, and teacher, who wants us to live in freedom and joy.

The King of Love My Shepherd Is, John Rutter (Scroll down for the lyrics of this beautiful Irish hymn.)

Right place, right time?

But God’s Spirit has special powers!

Ezekiel 8:3 The Spirit transported me to the north gate of the inner courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem …

Acts 8:39-40 When Philip and the eunuch came up out of the water [after Philip baptized the eunuch], the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

Getting from point A to point B in the city of São Paulo, Brazil (22 million people in one metropolis) can be tricky. Once after Dave traveled to another part of Brazil, a pastor friend died. Dave asked me to attend the funeral in his place. The catch: I would have to drive to the (for me) confusing and intimidating eastern zone of the city.

A view of one slice of São Paulo

I dropped our kids off at school and started out. I didn’t have a cell phone or GPS. I had a thick book of maps, each one a small piece of the city. The night before, I had pored over the maps, figuring out which page to go to from the previous page to take me to my destination. As you can imagine, this is much easier to manage with a navigator next to you!

On my way, I nervously watched at one intersection a car being burglarized. (Whenever possible, one doesn’t stop at intersections in São Paulo). A kilometer or so later, a car in flames in the middle of an intersection stopped traffic in all directions. I had to recalculate my carefully charted map plan to accommodate this detour, and then another: a road closure for construction. And then another, this time a three-car accident.

When I finally arrived at the church, the service was over, and mourners had moved to the cemetery. I navigated to the cemetery and found the correct grave site, only to see the last cars departing. I wasn’t able even to greet the pastor’s family to convey our condolences.

I took a deep breath, recalculated my return trip, and set out once again, arriving at our children’s school late enough to cause them anxiety. No cell phone, remember? As they climbed into the car (“Mommy, where were you?”), I sat trembling, so grateful I had made it back safely: no accident, no burglary, no car theft or breakdown, no getting lost—thanks to my trusty book of maps. Just a “wasted” day filled with “Lord, help me! Protect me!” prayers.

So, when I read about the Holy Spirit picking up Ezekiel and transporting him from place to place (eight times! Ezekiel 2:2, 3:12, 3:14, 8:3, 11:1, 11:24, 37:1, 43:5) and recall our long days of travel last week to Bogotá and back, I feel just a bit jealous. Except for the one where the Spirit took Ezekiel by the hair (8:3). And I’m not sure I want my destination to be a valley filled with dry bones (37:1), even in this month of Halloween, the American holiday I have never understood.

The thing is, God showed Ezekiel something important at each of the places he found himself snatched away to. So, I asked, “What did I learn from my apparently worthless trek across São Paulo?” I failed in my mission—to offer solidarity and comfort to the grieving family of a friend. I caused my children considerable anxiety when I didn’t show up at the end of their school day.

I realize now, though, two things: I have deep empathy for those who must drive to work in São Paulo every day, like my son-in-law. Moreover, I recognize that at no moment in that solitary challenge was I alone. The Holy Spirit accompanied, steadied, and guided me and brought me home safely. I see this now as a “dry run” for so many times after that when I had to navigate life alone, especially during the difficult Karis years when each day held enormous challenges.

But no, I wasn’t alone. For the Holy Spirit faithfully shepherded me, through each moment and each place Karis’s journey took us.

Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant

Hey, remember 750 years ago?

But God’s Spirit gives us rest

Isaiah 63:10-14 But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. … Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? … As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.

Isaiah 12:4-5 Tell the nations what God has done. Let them know how mighty he is! Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world.

The theme of remembering we considered in the last post continues in Isaiah 63, when Isaiah looks back 750 years to Moses leading the people of Israel in their great exodus from slavery in Egypt. Isaiah cries out for the Lord to show himself anew in his time as he did way back then.

Timeline by Anthony Scott Ingram. Isaiah prophesied approximately 750-700 BC. The Exodus occurred approximately 1500 BC.

Think about that for a moment. What do you know about your history 750 years ago, in 1275 AD? That date means nothing to me. I asked Google what was going on in the world back then:

“In 1275 CE, the English King Edward I issued the Statute of Westminster to define landowners’ rights, the Marinids captured Algiers, and a significant British earthquake occurred. In the East, Kublai Khan sent more ambassadors to Japan, leading to the execution of messengers and prompting the Japanese to fortify Hakata Bay. Marco Polo reached China and entered the service of Kublai Khan, beginning his significant journey across Asia …”

Then I asked Google what was happening in Christianity in 1275 AD:

“In 1275 CE, a key event was the arrival of Marco Polo in China, where he presented letters from the previous Pope, Gregory X, to Kublai Khan. This followed the Second Council of Lyon in 1274, which Pope Gregory X had convened to attempt to reunite the Eastern and Western churches but ultimately failed to provide a lasting solution to the Great Schism.”

The Great Schism, I learned, “was the formal separation of the Roman Catholic Church in the West from the Eastern Orthodox churches in the East in 1054, a division that continues to this day.” A rupture in God’s family never repaired, except perhaps in individual relationships.

What I can’t ask Google is what was happening in my ancestors’ lives 750 years ago. Did they love and serve the Lord? Did they see him do mighty acts on their behalf?

What was God doing among his people in 1275 AD, not just in major historical ways, but personally? I don’t know. I don’t even know my own family story—not in any detail—past two generations before me. We haven’t done a great job of passing down from generation to generation God’s great acts in our lives.

I can’t change the legacy I received. But I can change the legacy I pass on, by recording the miracles God has done in my life; the works of the Spirit that I have witnessed. I want my great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren to have a record they can look back to, as Isaiah looked back to Moses: a testimony to God’s faithfulness that may bolster confidence that he sees and cares for them too.

In the long run, this may be one of the most important things I ever do. You too?

When I wrote the Karis book, I was thinking only of my grandchildren, yet unborn. Perhaps, though, later generations will read it. If they do, I hope they will see that God is alive, active, and attuned to their needs as he was to ours. I hope they realize he sees them.

Our youngest little this week, turning 3.

Lord, look down from heaven; look from your holy, glorious home, and see us. Where is the passion and the might you used to show on our behalf? Where are your mercy and compassion now? Surely you are still our Father! … Return and help us, for we are your servants (Isaiah 63:15-17).

What are our kids learning from us?

But God’s Spirit will not leave us

Isaiah 59:21 “And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Have you seen The Chosen Season 5, Episode 4, where the disciples recite the traditional 14-point Dayenu (“it would have been enough”), detailing some of God’s miracles in the history of Israel?

Later in the episode, the women recite their own Dayenu, but they personalize it in a moving recital of God’s wonderful works in their own lives. This prompted me to articulate (in Spanish) some of God’s acts in my own experience, spanning seven decades, several continents, and a series of seemingly impossible situations.

I recommend trying this. It’s more than an encouraging exercise—it’s a stimulus for praise! The biggest challenge is to contain all he has done in fourteen points.

I haven’t talked with my family about this yet, but I’ve been thinking about how we might do something similar this Thanksgiving, in part to pass on to our children and grandchildren some of what God has done for Dave and me. That’s what the Jewish Dayenu tradition does: it rehearses and passes down God’s acts from generation to generation.

Shutterstock: Carlo Prearo

And God doesn’t change. When he does marvelous things in my life, it’s not just for me. It’s a revelation of his character and purposes for all who witness or hear about it. That’s true for you too, hence this blog, where I long to showcase him through YOUR “God stories.”

As Mary expressed it in her song of praise (called the Magnificat):

The Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me

He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

What great things has God done for you?

Song of Mary by Liturgical Folk

Peace like a river

But God’s Spirit tells us what matters to the Father

Isaiah 48:16-18, 22 And now the Sovereign Lord and his Spirit have sent me with this message. “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea.

The wonderful song “I’ve got peace like a river” has a prerequisite: obedience to the Lord.

Shutterstock: Elena_Alex_Ferns

This idea isn’t always popular. But even Jesus had to practice obedience to his Father (Hebrews 3:2, 5:8).

I just read through the book of Hebrews. Here are a few of the statements and instructions that stood out to me, that I need to embrace and obey:

Jesus’s throne endures forever. He rules with a scepter of justice (1:8). No human authority can take his place in our hearts.
Today, when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts (3:7). Keep my heart soft and receptive to the Lord (3:10). Deal with any bitterness or anger (12:15).
For the Word of God is alive and powerful … he is the one to whom we are accountable(4:12-13). When Scripture teaches something different from what others are saying, I must obey Scripture.
Solid food [of God’s Word] is for the mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong (5:14). Lord, keep growing me and teaching me.
Keep on loving others as long as life lasts(6:11). Don’t give in to the hate, slander, rude speech, and categorizing of others as “evil” so prominent in public discourse today. Give others honor and respect. Don’t speak disparagingly about others. Don’t assume that I know their hearts.
I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins … the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds (8:12, 9:14). Don’t keep grudges or hold on to hurts, even against myself.
Christ said [to his Father], “Look, I have come to do your will” (10:9). If even Jesus was obedient to the Father, how much more I must be.
We can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus … let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him(10:19-22; 4:16). Several times the author of Hebrews reminds us of our welcome in the very presence of God, because Jesus opened the way for us. This is faith: trusting God’s judgment over my own.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (10:24). Not to acts of harm or violence.
Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us (10:29). When I see people behaving badly, even those claiming to do so in God’s holy name, I should feel compassion, because their judgment is coming. As God gives me mercy, I must extend mercy to others.
They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth … looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. … God has prepared a city for them (11:13-16). Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” So I should not let myself get tangled up in earthly affairs to the point of failing to invest in the world that will last forever (12:2, 13:14; 2 Cor 5:1, Col 3:2, 2 Tim 2:3-4).
Think of all the hostility Jesus endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up (12:3). This encouragement not to give up is a word I need to hear every day.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life … Look after each other(12:14-15). No matter what is going on around me. “Everyone” is inclusive!
Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking to us from heaven. … Let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe (12:25-28). Tender, thankful heart.
Keep on loving each other … brothers and sisters, strangers, those in prison, those being mistreated (13:1-3). Those whom our society is treating as if they are sub-human, without the rights we insist on for ourselves.

Now may the God of peace …

equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

(Hebrews 13:20-21)