Day 13: Our Great High Priest

Theme For The Series: In this 21 day Advent devotional we are focusing on anticipation and the Incarnation, Christ’s presence In the world, and the return of the King.

Intro Prayer: “Jesus, please help me in this time to be fully present to You and to myself that I may commune with You for the sake of your glory and the world around me.”

Silence: In this time, try and become silent before the Lord both internally and externally for 5 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back to stillness.

Praise: Bless the Lord by declaring these truths about Him!

“You are the God whose greatness knows no end. You are the good shepherd, and you guide me with your goodness. You are filled with gladness, and you are a generous giver in all you do. You give good gifts to your children, and you are the guardian of my soul.”

Devotional: As one who is both fully God and fully human, Jesus is positioned uniquely to be our great high priest. Everyone on the planet is looking to someone or something to bring them salvation and bring them into the good life. For some, it is a girlfriend, boyfriend, parent, spouse or a child. For others, it is a career or income level. For others, it is a specific religion or political aspiration. Although we live in a culture that is foreign to the concept of the high priest, experientially we all have a high priest to whom we look.

In Jesus, we are introduced to the one high priest who is worthy of our hope and allegiance. He alone has the power to truly save and the power to bring us into life as it was meant to be lived. Additionally, he is sympathetic to our weaknesses, and so we can have the confidence to come to him in our need.

Scripture: Read today’s text slowly. Feed your spirit on the words. Your goal in this time is to commune with Jesus through His Word. Take note as you sense His Presence.

Hebrews 4.14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Holy Night performed by Matt Nickel Music. Lyrics are listed below as well. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

“O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from the Orient land.

The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

His power and glory evermore proclaim.”

Listen: Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Write down anything you sense the Lord speaking.

Obedience: What from today is the Lord calling you to put in practice? Could be to pray for someone, to call someone, to serve someone etc.