As we enter the last few months of 2025, the days grow shorter, and the nights seem longer. Sometimes it feels as if the darkness is winning. Tragedies and challenges that we have faced and continue to face, like the assassination of Charlie Kirk, school shootings in Minneapolis and in Colorado, the Federal government shutdown, and the general violence in our communities and the world, can leave us feeling shaken and helpless. But Scripture reminds us that we are never truly helpless. We have the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, who walks with us, strengthens us, and intercedes for us. God is always ready to help us in our helplessness.

One of the ways God steadies us is through the gift of Scripture, especially through the Psalms. In their raw and honest prayers, we hear cries for deliverance, pleas for healing, and songs of hope in the face of despair. These ancient prayers are for us today. They remind us that the same God who was faithful then is faithful now. The question is this: will we bring our needs, personal, local, and global, to the Lord? Like the psalmists, we must choose to move from “Where are you, God?” to “Come, Lord, into this place of pain.”

God is also present with us when we pray. As we pray, we must also remember who we are in Christ and know that prayer leads to service. Jesus calls us “salt and light.” In this, he says we are made to bring flavor to a weary world and to shine in its darkest corners. Mr. Rogers, the famed 20th-century children’s television educator, once recalled his mother’s words to him as a child: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Glen Mar is a church of helpers. Perhaps some of the anxiety we feel comes from forgetting that we are called not to worry, but to act: to love, to serve, and to shine in Jesus’ name. Where are your prayers leading you to take action?

Above all, we must remember that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit dwells with us and among us. The Spirit binds us together as a community, strengthens us in our trials, and leads us forward with courage. This is the greatest promise: God is with us.

So, as we enter this final stretch of the year, do not lose hope. While it feels a long way off, later this month we will enter into the liturgical season of Advent. Advent is a season of waking up to what God has done, is doing, and has promised will do one day when Christ returns and sets the world right. Let us not wait too long to wake up. Do not wait until December to awaken to God’s presence and activity in the world. Let us begin now. Hear Paul’s words as a command for us all: “Awake, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

Friends, Christ has already gone before us into the darkness. The Spirit empowers us to follow today, to reflect his light wherever he leads. Let us finish this year not with fear, but with faith as we hold fast, rejoice, and shine brightly for the world to see.