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Across the Pastor’s Desk by Joy Knoppel

“The holidays are coming!” 

This phrase spins around my mind as I scramble to clean my desk. During the past four years of pastoring in the church I have quickly realized that Christmas and Easter are considered our “busy” seasons. It’s both exhilarating and exhausting to plan out Thanksgiving, Advent, Christmas and everything in between while also practicing healthy pastoral care. I am thankful that this year my church joined Grace Lutheran for a joint Thanksgiving Eve service and am looking forward to worshiping with others in our community. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about our Advent theme this year,  “As We Wonder and Wander,” (for those of you who don’t know, Advent happens after Thanksgiving) and how it relates to who God is and what God can do. One of the topics within this theme is peace, and I’ve been wondering where and how others find it. 

Do you find peace in moments of silence? As you walk around outside surrounded by glistening snowflakes? In a warm bathtub with a candle lit? Sometimes, it seems like finding peace is impossible because of everything that is going on around us. However, the good news (as always) is that God reminds us that we can find the peace that surpasses all understanding through Jesus Christ. As Christians we have been given the gift of peace from God, and this gift can shape anything and everything that we do.

So, as you go out this week remember that you have been given the gift of peace that surpasses any and all understanding. When it feels like chaos is the only thing around you cling tight to the one who created the stars and breathed life into dust. Know that God is with you and will not leave your side as you navigate all that this beautiful and messy world has to offer you. 

The peace of Christ be with you always! 

Thanks be to God, Amen. 

Joy Knoppel is a pastor at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea.