“Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee It happened this way:2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together.  “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.   Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered.

 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.   Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.  The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”  So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.   Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.

After the resurrection, some of the disciples returned to their old way of life.  They had been through so much, and perhaps they were unsure of how to move forward. All night, they caught nothing, yet when responding to Jesus’ instruction, their nets were filled to bursting.  Jesus was waiting for them, as he waits for us.  We may not even realize all the times we try to “go it alone,” and as a result wander off the path the Lord intends for us.  If we can recognize the Lords intentions for us and follow where He leads, we will be on the right path.  This is not easy, and, at least for me, is always a work in progress. 

Reflection:

Sometimes, we may feel like we’re just going through the motions of life, unsure of our purpose or disconnected from what we once felt passionate about. But Jesus meets us right where we are—even in the most mundane or ordinary moments (working, having a meal) and reminds us that our lives matter and that we have purpose.

Reflection Question:

Do you find yourself going through the motions in any area of your life? How might Jesus be inviting you to see your ordinary moments with new eyes?

Prayer:

Lord, help me to recognize Your presence in my everyday life. Even in the routine, remind me that You are calling me to something more. Open my heart to hear Your invitation. Amen

Cecilia Carroll

Scripture: Luke 24:13-16;30-32  (The Road to Emmaus)

Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;  but they were kept from recognizing him.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

On the road to Emmaus, two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem, defeated and disillusioned. They had hoped that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel, but His death shattered those hopes. Little did they know, Jesus was walking right beside them, though they didn’t recognize Him at first.

Reflection:
Disappointment can be a heavy burden, especially when life doesn’t go as we imagined it would. The disciples on the road to Emmaus had their dreams crushed, but Jesus met them in their disillusionment and opened their eyes to the bigger picture. In our own moments of disappointment, Jesus still walks alongside us.

Reflection Question:
What hopes or dreams have been disappointed in your life? How can you invite Jesus into those places of unmet expectations?

Prayer:
Jesus, when I am disappointed or discouraged, help me see You walking beside me. Open my eyes to Your presence and remind me that You are at work, even when I can’t see it. Amen.

Cecilia Carroll
Director, Advent Square

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

The disciples had just witnessed the most shocking and overwhelming event in human history—the crucifixion of Jesus. Now, they were hiding in fear, locked away in a room, confused about what to do next. Jesus, however, didn’t wait for them to figure it out. He didn’t wait for them to call out to Him.  In mercy, He came to them in their fear and confusion, speaking peace, offering reassurance and further revealing who he was and who they were to be.

The peace that Jesus offers is not simply the absence of conflict, but a deep abiding contentment in the assurance of his love and mercy for all time.  No matter where we are, He offers His mercy and peace.

Reflection:

Have you ever found yourself feeling afraid or confused about the next step in life? Perhaps you’re facing uncertainty in your job, relationships, or even your faith. Jesus meets you in that place—not to scold or condemn, but to offer peace and reassurance.

Reflection Question:

Where do you need Jesus to meet you today in your fear or confusion? What does it mean for you that Jesus speaks peace into your life, just as He did to the disciples?

Prayer:

Lord, I bring my fears and confusion before You. Help me hear Your voice of peace and trust that You are with me, even when I don’t understand what’s happening. Amen.

Cecilia Carroll

Each post-Resurrection encounter is deeply human. The disciples weren’t superheroes. They were confused, scared, heartbroken—and yet, Jesus came to them. Not with judgment, but with mercy, hope, love, peace, clarity, and purpose.

Let’s look at where He met them:

• In the Upper Room, huddled together, locked away in fear
• On the Road to Emmaus, downcast and confused about what had just happened
• At the Sea of Tiberius, slipping back into old routines, unsure of what came next
• On the mountain, being sent out to “make disciples of all nations”

In each of these moments, Jesus met them right where they were—emotionally, spiritually, even physically. And then He called them forward.

In this week’s devotions, I want to reflect on what these encounters mean for us today. Life is a journey filled with joy and hardship, faith and doubt. There will be times when we feel like hiding, when our dreams fall apart, or when we’re tempted to go back to “life as usual.” But even then, Jesus shows up. He gently reminds us of who we are and calls us to keep going.

If you’ve wandered, He’s still walking toward you. If you’ve locked the door, He’s already standing on the other side, offering peace. That’s who He is—the Shepherd who never stops seeking the one who strays.

This week, wherever you are on your journey, let Him meet you there.

Cecilia Carroll

I want to end this week’s devotional with how I started. On my first devotional, I shared that in the tragedy of my mom’s  passing, I made a choice to internally “Fight or Flight”. I admit there have been moments that I chose “flight”.  

The difference with simply “running away” is where and who am I seeking to find shelter. The world wants to offer us  “solutions” and “refuge” in moments when we need shelter. They can come in many different forms: substance,  relationships, adrenaline-induced activities, or things of great monetary value. If you have ever found yourself engaging in  any of these forms of “solutions” to sufferings, you may come to find that they don’t have lasting effects. The world’s  solutions to present problems are temporary.  

The Psalmist is encouraging its reader that there is an everlasting solution when trials and tribulations come our way.  David, the author/poet/musician, of Psalms knows very well what it’s like when faced with choosing between “fight” or  “flight”. His inspiration in Psalm 91 is from Moses. Moses also knew. Both men when choosing “flight” sought their shelter  and refuge in God Almighty. They put their trust and faith in God alone and out of that they experienced His peace like  nothing else the world could offer in the middle of life’s tragedies.  

The reimagined hymn that forever transformed my life at the tender age of 16 during a youth group mission trip in  Alabama, is by Judson W. Van DeVenter, published in 1896, “I Surrender All”: 

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give 

I will ever love and trust Him 

In His presence daily live 

All to Jesus I surrender 

Humbly at His feet I bow 

Worldly pleasures all forsaken 

Take me, Jesus, take me now 

I surrender all 

I surrender all 

All to Thee my blessed Savior 

I surrender all 

All to Jesus I surrender 

Make me Savior wholly thine 

May Thy Holy Spirit fill me 

May I know Thy power divine 

Giving my whole body, soul and mind to Jesus Christ on that summer night, and inviting the Holy Spirit to dwell within me  transformed how I viewed the world and lived my life on a daily basis. Ultimately my faith in Jesus Christ is what has  allowed me to not drown and suffocate under the pain and sufferings of this world, including but not limited to having a  loved one be taken away way before I thought it was time. I seek to find refuge and shelter in the Only One who gives  eternal hope and that’s Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I pray for anyone reading this if they find themselves internally battling with the trials and tribulations of  this world and they feel they don’t know how to “escape”, may the power of your Holy Spirit speak volumes with  gentleness into their lives right now. Affirm them in their spirit that you are a God who protects and shelters them from any  and all storms that comes their way. And increase their faith in the midst of those things. Declare to them that you are  faithful and you will not leave them nor forsake them. Help them seek shelter and refuge in You and You alone. In the  mighty name of Jesus, I pray! Amen. 

In His Hands, 

Angel Kruse

Today’s passage I wrote out from Zephaniah 3:16-17, “The time is coming when they will say to Jerusalem, ‘Do not be afraid, city of Zion! Do not let your hands hang limp! The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will take delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you.’”

I started this week’s devotionals sharing a small glimpse of what I experienced when I lost my mom to cancer 6 months ago. I want to share with you today about my dad and how he embodied this passage on the day of my mom’s funeral.

There are two things that my dad enjoys in this world: sports and music. Growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, ESPN and VH1 were always on the television. But it wasn’t until my parents, at a later age when they immigrated from the Philippines with me in tow, experienced what Zephaniah 3:17 describes “in his love he will give you new life” they accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives. 

My dad loves learning and teaching himself familiar and new songs on his guitar. So when Jesus transformed his life, he began to learn and sing worship songs. My dad led worship with just his guitar every Sunday growing up and he’s still leading worship for a small congregation in a city church of St. Louis. 

Fast forward to the day of my mom’s funeral. My dad stood on the stage of that church and he led worship at her funeral. His hardest performance to date. But all that flowed out of him was what Zephaniah says: “He will sing and be joyful over you.” 

I read a small excerpt in a commentary about the prophet Zephaniah, “The call to rejoice is a call to believe in God’s faithfulness.” That is exactly what my dad will tell you how he lives daily without my mom by his side: he continues to rejoice in the Lord with a song and his guitar because it affirms God’s faithfulness in his life and it upholds his faith in God. 

I leave you with a chorus from a song titled Hard Fought Hallelujah performed by Brandon Lake feat. Jelly Roll:

Yeah, I don’t always feel it

Yeah, but that’s when I need it the most

So, I’ma keep on singing

‘Til my soul catches up with my song

There’s times when my hands go up freely

And times that it costs, oh-oh

There’s days when a praise comes out easy

Days when it takes all the strength I got

I’ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt

Been-through-hell hallelujah (ooh, ooh)

And I’ll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail

Story-to-tell hallelujah, oh

‘Cause God, You’ve been patient

God, You’ve been gracious

Faithful, whatever I’m feeling or facing

So I’ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, it-is-well hallelujah.

In His Hands,

Angel Kruse

Confession: I spend about 5-10 minutes most days starting my day in God’s word as a pastor’s wife! 

I know, I know, there are some who may find this shocking as I do not devote a longer time deep diving into the Bible on a daily basis. My excuse is probably similar to that of some of you who may be reading this.

I find myself in a season of life running from one thing to another whether it’s for my job, getting my kids from one extracurricular activity to another, calendar meetings with my husband and managing my home. All while maintaining a healthy balance of prioritizing my marriage, nurturing and engaging my kids and, if time allows, taking care of myself!

A practice I have been doing for years to help me start my day off in the right direction and in an encouraging mindset is scripture writing. I followed a blogger by the name of Shannon Long who introduced this concept. She encouraged her readers/“followers” to write Bible verses daily to help with memorization and as Proverbs best describes it “write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Today’s passage I wrote out from Mark 4:39-40, “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

I like the Book of Mark in the Bible. When I participated in Bible Study Fellowship while my children were toddlers through lower elementary age, one of my group leaders described the Gospels of Mark as written for busy moms! Mark is constantly pointing out to the readers that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Mark witnessed that a lot of people around Jesus still did not believe in him, including the religious leaders and when the crowds got to be too much, Mark is always giving account how Jesus was always on the move. 

But here in these passages, we get a glimpse of Jesus resting…but in the middle of a storm! With just three words out of His mouth, he calms it.

This is one of my favorite songs about this verse, #nowplaying 🎧 Peace Be Still performed by Hope Darst:

“Peace be still

Say the word and I will

Set my feet upon the sea

‘Til I’m dancing in the deep

Peace be still

You are here so it is well

Even when my eyes can’t see

I will trust the voice that speaks.”

Jesus doesn’t ask us or tell us to devote hours and hours of deep diving in His word, He simply asks us if we have faith. Is there something in your life that you need Jesus to “calm” and proclaim peace over? Tell and ask Jesus, in faith, your fears and He will “calm” the storm of your life. 

In His Hands,
Angel Kruse

As my husband, Aaron, shared in his “Mother’s Day” sermon with tremendous compassion and gentleness, I lost “The Best Mom in the World”, Julie, on November 27, 2024, the day before Thanksgiving, to a “cancer of unknown origin”. I hold back tears even as I write this out… 

Listening to worship music was my solace during the times I flew back home to St. Louis, Missouri, to be with my mom while she was in the ICU and eventually moved to hospice care in the hospital. This particular song came on KLove and it became my anthem: 

“Still waters run through any valley I could find. I’m laying fear down here at Heaven’s riverside. Your word has been true in every season of my life. I believe, yes, I believe still waters run through any valley I could find” Still Waters (Psalm 23) performed by Leanna Crawford. 

I repeated the chorus “your word has been true in every season of my life” over and over in my head and my heart until my soul believed it. I was experiencing a paradox of rejoicing in the truth that in death as Paul declares in Philippians 1:21, “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,” that my mom was gaining forever life because of her personal relationship in Jesus Christ and yet I wrestled with Philippians 1:22-23, “If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two…” – my flesh and my faith battled inside of me as I faced the reality that I would not have my mom with me on this side of heaven. 

What’s your immediate response when you are struck with tragedy: “fight” or “flight”? I chose to “fight”, a spiritual battle. I could have easily allowed the enemy to speak lies in my life that God was no longer good because my mom is dying of cancer. Instead I fought to speak truth to myself, the truth of God’s word which is life in Jesus guarantees and promises eternal hope. Will I still be struck with sudden sadness and moments of grief? Absolutely. But I rest assured daily that God’s word has been and continues to be true in every season of my life and I believe, yes, I believe. 

In His Hands,

Angel Kruse

Today is our last day focusing on Joy in serving, following the way of Jesus, and our focus is looking to Jesus and seeing what The Joyful Life of a Servant looks like.

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure… Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. – Philippians 2:14–15

We often associate service with obligation, but Paul speaks of a joy that transforms how we serve. Not just what we do, but how we do it. When we serve without complaining or bitterness, we shine like stars in a world that’s quick to grumble and slow to love. Servants of Christ don’t have to be loud or flashy. They simply show up, faithfully and cheerfully. And that cheerful presence becomes a witness to the world.

Whether it’s in a classroom, hospital, workplace, or kitchen, joyful service stands out. It draws people to Jesus because it reflects His heart. What opportunities do you have today to serve joyfully? What attitude might you need to surrender so you can let Jesus shine through? Let’s pray together Jesus, help me to serve with gladness. Strip away bitterness and fill me with joy. Let my life shine brightly for You. In Jesus Name we pray, amen.

And remember Jesus loves you and so do I.

Pastor Will