Love Your Neighbor This Advent: A Devotional for Faith in Action
ELCA World Hunger's 2026 Advent devotional, Filled With Good Things, invites individuals, families, and congregations to deepen relationships with their neighbors through Scripture, reflection, generosity, and faithful action. The resource is available to download or order through the ELCA.
Organized around the four Sundays of Advent, the devotional explores what it means to be neighbors in a world where God's call to love extends beyond our immediate communities. Each weekly reflection includes Scripture, discussion, practical actions, and activities for children.
The four weeks focus on:
Community and connection: Recognizing our shared identity as God's people and expanding our understanding of who belongs to our community.
Advocacy and justice: Responding to John the Baptist's call to prepare the way of the Lord through faithful public engagement.
Generosity and hope: Sharing our abundance with neighbors experiencing homelessness and other challenges.
Building relationships: Following Mary's example of faith and openness by reaching out to neighbors and strengthening community connections.
The devotional also features "Stocking the Streets," a hands-on Advent project encouraging households and congregations to assemble bags of essential supplies for neighbors experiencing homelessness. Participants can collect items throughout Advent and distribute them after Christmas or donate them to local organizations serving unhoused neighbors.
Rooted in the Lutheran understanding that faith finds expression in love and service to our neighbors, Filled With Good Things offers practical ways to connect Advent's message of hope with the needs of our communities.
Congregational leaders throughout the Grand Canyon Synod are encouraged to share this resource with members, small groups, families, and ministry teams as they prepare for Advent, beginning November 29, 2026.
Explore the resources:
