Dear Sisters in Christ,
Advent is full of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. As we studied and discussed our writing, we quickly saw a progression that goes from hope, to peace, to joy, and finally to love. During the Advent season, we celebrate these four words as we wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus into this sin cursed world. When hope is realized in Jesus and peace is made with God, we carry that peace within us everywhere we go. Things are not always going to be rosy, but we have been promised that no matter what, God is with us, and He won’t ever forsake us. This peace creates joy in our hearts, knowing we are no longer condemned. Because this all stems from the love of God for us, we, in turn, want the same for others. There is a heavenly power that helps us to love even our enemies.
We have thoroughly enjoyed the time that we have spent together writing this study and are very humbled to have been given the opportunity to do so. We are not Bible scholars – we are women who love Jesus, women of God who delight in sharing and studying his Word. Come with us on this journey during the Advent season. We hope that you will feel the excitement and wonder we have experienced as we wrote this study.
We will follow the Sweet Selah 4R method of study – Request, Read, Record, Respond. We look forward to studying with you and learning from you through your comments.
We have chosen to provide a day of rest on Sundays, but we have provided a suggested Psalm for a reading each week. No study. Just rest with The Word.
We hope that you find hope, peace, joy, and love during this Advent season.
Peace and blessings to all of you.
Sue Ricedorf and Pam Wolgemuth
Instructions
Request – Always start with a prayer, asking God to open your eyes and heart to His Word as you read.
Read – Read through the passage assigned for the day a couple of times.
Record – Write down a verse from the passage that particularly intrigued, puzzled, or delighted you. When you write out a verse, you remember it better.
Respond – Write a short prayer, responding to the Lord about the verse. You might thank Him for what you learned or question Him, if it confused you. It’s “polite” to respond to someone when they speak. God speaks in the Bible. This is our chance to respond, through prayer.
After you’ve done your lesson, click on the day’s commentary, written by Sue and Pam. Read through their thoughts, and ponder the scripture reading one more time. If you wish, share your verse and response in the Comments section.
