December 8th 2025

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

When I was little and my younger brother and I were fighting, my dad used to make us stand nose to nose and look directly at each other until one of us broke and started laughing. We absolutely hated it. My dad could have sent us to separate rooms to cool off, but he knew that while distance might bring quiet, it doesn’t bring peace. You can’t make peace from afar. Peace requires leaning in—moving toward—being with. Peace in its fullest requires presence.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did.

 He made His dwelling among us.

 He came close.

 He showed up.

As followers of Jesus, if we want to be like Him and do what He did, then it requires us to be people of peace, people who also show up. People of peace who stand nose to nose until the tension breaks. They hold the hands of friends who are hurting. They show up to the parties, the funerals, the hospital rooms, the recitals— This is how we bring peace to a hurting, messy world, we get closer!

Is there someone in your life today who needs your presence? Not a text. Not a quick card. You. Face to face. Can you carve out space in your day to show up in a way you hadn’t planned?

- Lacy Wagler