As High as the Heavens
Read: Psalm 103 Great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. (v. 11) My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a film about a man
Ben Van Arragon December 10, 2025
As you prepare for Christmas, do you find it hard to feel the promised hope, love, joy, and peace promised in this season?
Advent is a season of waiting—but also of longing. While the world rushes to decorate, celebrate, and check every box, our souls may feel the quiet ache of deeper questions. What do I hope for? Does God’s love reach even here? Can joy really break through sorrow? Where can I find peace?
During this season, take time to light the candles of Advent. Each week, we’ll light a new candle and focus on a new theme, starting with hope, then love, joy, and peace, culminating in our shared celebration of Christmas. Drawing from the voices of prophets, psalmists, and apostles, each reflection helps you discover how God’s light shines in the very real darkness of our world—and our hearts. From Eden’s first promise to Bethlehem’s quiet miracle, you’ll follow the story of a God who draws near, redeems brokenness, and brings light that cannot be overcome.
Whether you come to this season with weariness, anticipation, or a mix of both, this devotional helps you slow down and open your heart. You’ll find a God who sees your waiting, welcomes your longing, and meets you with faithfulness.
Jesus, the Light of the world, has come—and he will come again. Until then, we wait not with empty hands, but with full hearts. With hope. With love. With joy. With peace.
Let this be a season where you not only remember the light—but walk in it.
This series was written by Ben Van Arragon, an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, Ben now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Read: Psalm 103 Great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. (v. 11) My favorite Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a film about a man
Read: Luke 1:26-38 Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! (v. 28) Mary was an unmarried teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared. I once heard a preacher observe
Read: John 3:16-21 God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son . . . (v. 16) John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous verse of the entire
Read: 1 John 4:7-21 We love because he first loved us. (v. 19) When my wife and I got married, I thought my love was complete. Nearly ten years later,
Read: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 I rejoice in your salvation. (v. 1) What makes joy so important that we celebrate it all week during Advent? It’s easy to confuse joy for
Read: Isaiah 35:1-10 Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. (v. 10) You are reading these words about halfway through Advent. If like me, you live in the Northern Hemisphere,
Read: Zephaniah 3:14-20 He will rejoice over you with gladness. (v. 17) For much of my life, I was self-conscious about my musical ability and my singing voice. Then my
Read: Psalm 30 . . . but joy comes with the morning. (v. 5) Advent is a season of waiting. Waiting can be difficult, but it can also be infused
Read: Luke 1:39-55 My spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (v. 47) Mary and Elizabeth had tremendous adversity ahead of them. As an older woman, Elizabeth faced a risky pregnancy
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.