Morning Devotional 122625 The Day After

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

December 26, 2025 

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

12 Brothers and sisters, we ask you to respect those who are working with you, leading you, and instructing you. 13 Think of them highly with love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are disorderly. Comfort the discouraged. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure no one repays a wrong with a wrong, but always pursue the good for each other and everyone else. 16 Rejoice always. 17 Pray continually. 18 Give thanks in every situation because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t suppress the Spirit. 20 Don’t brush off Spirit-inspired messages, 21 but examine everything carefully and hang on to what is good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil. 23 Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. 24 The one who is calling you is faithful and will do this.

Good Morning! Continue basking in the glow of Christmas!

How is it with your soul on this morning after Christmas? You may be at home or traveling, but where is your soul? It is the morning after, so now what?

Imagine hosting a big event: you plan every detail, prepare all the elements, and finally, the big day is here. At this point, one of two things is likely to happen. If everything goes as planned, you can enjoy a wonderful party; if things start falling apart, you become the fixer, trying to keep the boat afloat. 

Within the context of this scenario, you might find yourself thinking, “I can’t wait for this to be over, so everything can get back to normal!” Sometimes, I find myself having those thoughts after an unusually busy week.

Christmas Day is oftent he climax of days, weeks, and months of planning for family gatherings. It is easy to become so consumed by the planning and preparation that we forget the “why” of Christmas. Yes, our earthly celebrations are wonderful. We create wonderful memories, but there is also a lot of mess to clean up: the wrapping paper, the dirty dishes, and a desire to get back to normal. 

What is normal? Each year, John the Baptist’s call to pay attention and prepare the way for the Messiah is an opportunity for us to regain our footing and reclaim our faith journey. The day after Christmas should not be focused on getting things back to normal, but on reigniting our souls. 

The day after Christmas is a time to set forth on our faith journeys with renewed vigor as we rejoice always, pray continuously, and give thanks for all things!

Redeeming Lord, you bless us abundantly! We are looking for normalcy, but you take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.  Thank you. We love you. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Thought for the day: Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks

May your faith journey be filled with hope, peace, joy, and love! Pastor Liz