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Advent Meditation: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

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Psalm 79  •  Micah 4:1-5  •  Revelation 15:1-8 

Life is not easy. Nor does it magically become easier when we become Christians. What does change is how we respond because we have promises of restoration, redemption, and salvation from God. This shifts our perspective from the problem, our exile experience, to God’s Word.
Micah’s words remind us that, 1) God is with us even when we cannot see or feel God’s presence. Though we are living through an unprecedented time and face a variety of uncertainties, our faith can be strengthened because of God’s presence. Our challenging times often draw us closer to God, inviting us to seek wisdom and direction from scripture and from the great cloud of witnesses who provide testimony of surviving and thriving.
2) We can look to our history as a community of believers and within our own personal lives to witness God’s faithfulness and redemption. Reflecting on the past few decades reminds us how we and our families have overcome and survived. Remembering can be a source of support amid trying times. We can hold on to the hope that if God did it before, God can do it again.
So yes, we recognize that life is not easy, that we may experience ‘exile,’ but also that we can hold to the hope and faith that God restores and is able to bring us out of exile experiences.

Thank you for your presence in difficult times. Guide us through our exile experiences into the hope of a restored future.

Dr. Awa Jangha
Loise Henderson Wessendorff Assistant Professor of Spiritual Integration in Counseling
Seminary of the Southwest
Listen to Awa read her meditation and prayer:


Dr. Awa Jangha earned a PhD from Loyola University Maryland in Pastoral Counseling (a Counselor Education and Supervision Program). Her research focuses on experiences of power in the pastoral counseling identity development of African-American female pastoral counselors in training and utilizes art as the means of exploration. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC). Her training in pastoral counseling reflects her passion for spiritual integration in counseling and in counselor education. As a member of both the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) and the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), she infuses creativity into her teaching of spiritually integrated practices within the classes she has taught (such as Clinical Practicum, Professional Orientation and Counselor Identity, Addictions Counseling, Assessment and Testing).


The Advent Meditations and Prayers are a gift to our seminary community and are made possible through gifts to our Annual Fund. Seminary of the Southwest appreciates the support of its friends, alumni, and the communities around the world that its graduates serve for the glory of God. This support ensures that Southwest, as an institution made of individuals dedicated to service to God and their fellow members of the body of Christ, can continue doing its part to build the body of Christ.

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