12.19.2025 | Third Friday in Advent

Mercy in the Ordinary
 
The sun is shining in the Garden on this chilly December morning. Coffee is brewing, music hums softly in the background, and the twinkling Christmas tree glows behind me. I am choosing, for now, to turn away from the news and hold onto joy in this season.
 
Today I want to notice.
Notice those who keep trying.
Notice the small kindnesses that happen every single day.
Notice the quiet courage of simply showing up.
 
There are mornings when rising feels like a struggle, yet still we rise. We show up. We try our best. We become grace for one another. We offer hope in hopeless times. We become the love we need. We do the works of mercy.
 
So many are feeding the hungry in countless ways. Clothing the naked. Giving drink to the thirsty. Friends visit prisoners week after week, even in their weariness. We care for the sick. We bury the dead, more often now as the years go by.
 
The works of mercy are not showy or flashy. They are not influencer-ready moments. They are work. Hard work. Necessary work. Sometimes it is a few dollars for the food bank. Sometimes a box of food. Sometimes simply showing up. We do our best, the best we have right now.
 
Thank you to everyone who keeps trying. Everyone who keeps doing their very best. Love conquers all. Love breaks through the darkness. Love breaks through.
 
Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
-Galatians 6:9
​