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.

Today is the final day of this devotional series! We hope it has helped you grow in Christ in this holiday season!

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 my refuge, rescuer and rest. You reign in majesty and splendor. You rule will know no end. You are a rock that I can stand on. You are the resurrection and the life. You revive my spirit when I am tired. You restore my life and rescue me from my enemies.”

Devotional: As we finish our devotional series and celebrate Christ’s incarnation, we will close by reflecting on one last parable Christ gave to inspire and instruct us with regard to his return. As you consider Christmas, let His words motivate you to live a life that stores up the oil of God’s presence as you await His return.

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.

Matthew 25.1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 powerful and present. You provide generously for me. You are my protector and my priest. You are the Prince of Peace and you are pure in heart. You pick me up when I fall and you persevere with me in my failings.”

Devotional: And while we look ahead to the return of Jesus, it means incredible news- the grave is not the end. When Christ returns, he will raise his people from the grave. This hope was so powerful and meaningful to early Christians that when they were preparing to be baptized, they would gather around tombs to let it sink deep that the grave was not the end. John Chrysostom said that the graves of believers were “tombs with life, tombs that give voice.”

As you meditate on Scripture today, let the power of Christ’s return sink in!

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.

1 Thessalonians 4.13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 only begotten of the Father who overcame death and Hell. You are omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. You open up life before me. You are the one true God who gave yourself as an offering to save us.”

Devotional: And while we look ahead to the return of Jesus, we are told over and over again, that no one knows the day or hour, but that his return will be like a thief in the night. This metaphor rather than to discourage us is meant to awaken watchfulness so that we do not get lulled into the lie that this world is all there is.

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.

1 Thessalonians 5.1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 name above all names, who never fails and never grows tired or weary. You are the One who draws near, and you are making all things new. You sit in the heavens and need nothing.”

Devotional: Some say it is a waste of time to consider the return of Jesus, that it is more important to get on with the here and now. But the Scriptures presents an opposite view- that our hope of his future return, purifies our lives in the here and now.

When I was engaged to my soon-to-be wife, the upcoming wedding motivated me to eat better, workout harder, take better care of myself and get my house in order among other things. It was purifying. The same is true for us as we look to Jesus’s return.

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.

1 John 3.3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 mighty God who made heaven and earth. You are meek and humble of heart. Your gentleness makes me great. You are mindful of my weakness and that I am but dust. Your presence is more than enough for me. Your mercies are new every morning.”

Devotional: Advent is not just about looking back at the Incarnation of the King, but it is also about looking forward to his return. What does the Bible say about the coming return of Jesus? Too much to include in a few devotional posts, but over the next few days, as we head toward Christmas, we will be looking at Scriptures about Jesus’s return. May these stir your hunger and faith!

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.

John 14.1 (Jesus speaking to His disciples) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 light of the world and the Lord of all Lords. You are the lover of my soul and you draw near to the lowly of heart. You are the best leader and being with you is where I find life. You are the Lion of the tribe of Judah and you listen to my prayers.”

Devotional: As Isaiah 61 continues to prophesy about the coming of the Savior, the theme moves forward into not only being restored but being rebuilt from the ground up. What is interesting here, is the ones who are doing the rebuilding. It is not the Savior who is directly doing the rebuilding, but it is those who have been restored by the Savior that are now, in turn, rebuilding the world around them.

Jesus doesn’t just want to restore our lives; he invites us to build with him and to be a part of His transformation of the world. Take note as you read the Word today, God wants to move through you to rebuild lives and places that have been devastated for generations.

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.

Isaiah 61.4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 my king, and you are kind. You are my keeper and my kinsmen redeemer. You are the king of kings, and your Kingdom is good news! You hold the keys of death and Hades and true life is found in knowing you.”

Devotional: Isaiah 61 is the extended quote which Jesus references in Luke 4, and as we read further in that quote, we see other aspects of Jesus's ministry and calling that help us understand what He is doing in our lives and in the world around us.

These themes all relate to restoration of things that have been lost- beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, and praise instead of despair. The result of this restoration would be a community of people who have the strength and splendor of a mighty oak tree.

This restoration is what Jesus wants to do and is doing in our lives and in our world.

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.

Isaiah 61.2b….to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

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

“Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin, Mother, Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born

Christ, Christ, the Savior

Christ, Christ, the Savior is born.”

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.

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 intentional and my inspiration. You invite me into friendship with you. With you, nothing is impossible. You are interceding for me. Your creativity is infinite and you initiate with me and give me insight.”

Devotional: Building on Jesus as our high priest, in Luke chapter 4, we see that Jesus is our liberating king. In Luke 4, Jesus introduces his ministry by quoting a passage of Scripture from the prophet Isaiah.

This Scripture, he states, is his mission statement and what is being fulfilled in him. Each line is pregnant with promise.

The anointing of the Spirit was deeply tied to the inauguration of kings. As king, his agenda was to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom to prisoners of sin and injustice, sight to the blind (both physically and spiritually), freedom for all who are oppressed and the favor of God to the world.

He then goes on to fulfill each of these statements in his ministry, in his death and resurrection, and ultimately at his second coming.

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.

Luke 4.18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

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.

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.

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 forgive sin and are faithful in all that you do. You are the first and the last. You are the Father who is building a family and fulfilling your promises. You are a friend of sinners and a consuming fire. You are the founder and perfecter of our faith. You are filled with joy and the whole earth is filled with your glory.”

Devotional: While in the same breath as saying Jesus is fully God (the devotional yesterday), the author of Hebrews continues our introduction to Jesus by teaching us that Jesus is also fully human.

The fullness of his humanity is important for us to realize because it speaks of the depth of God’s love for us in that Jesus took on our frame and frailty out of love for us, and it speaks to the depth of his healing power because, as church father Gregory of Nazianzus said, “What has not been assumed (speaking to Jesus taking on or assuming humanity) has not been healed.”

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 2.14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

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.

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 everlasting Father, who encourages His people. You are enthroned as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You are Emmanuel- God with us and you are engaging and not aloof. Nothing can separate us from your everlasting love.”

Devotional: When you meet someone, one of the first things you do in an introduction is to find out the person's name and probably a bit about their relationships and their work or study.

Here's an example: "Hi my name is John, I am married to Jane, and we have three kids. I am an assistant principal at a middle school."

With Jesus it is no different. As we meet Him, the writer of Hebrews begins to give us an introduction to who Jesus is both relationally and vocationally. We see that He has a unique relationship with God, he is God's Son. When we speak of Jesus being God's son, we do not mean that he was born of God, or created by God. Christians believe that Jesus is uncreated and eternal. When we say he is God's son, we are saying that He is of the same essence as God the Father and God the Spirit.

As God's Son, God speaks uniquely through Jesus to the extent that Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact representation of his being. To put it simply, when you see Jesus you have seen God. When you hear Jesus, you have listened to God. It's not just that Jesus is like God the Father, but also that God the Father is like Jesus.

The author of Hebrews also tells us about Jesus's vocation: to provide purification for sin and to sit as a King over all.

So as we look to Jesus this Christmas, we see one who has come to show us the Father, to purify us from sin, and to be our King.

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 1.1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

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.

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 who caring and close You counsel your people are our comforter. You are our confidence and our covenant-keeping God. You never change, you are consistent. You are creative and capable. You are deserving of ceaseless praise.”

Devotional: After Jesus was born, his parents took him to the temple to dedicate him to the Lord. The dedication was customary for all firstborn males. When they arrived at the temple that day, though there would have been many religious people around, only two had the awareness that the Presence of God had come into the temple that day.

Their names were Anna and Simeon. One had lived a life of prayer and fasting as a response to a great personal tragedy (the loss of her husband). One had lived a life of prayer and fasting as a response to a promise they had received from the Lord about the coming of the Messiah. Whether by pain or by promise they had cultivated a life of prayer which made them acutely aware to what God was doing in Jesus.

This Christmas, many people will celebrate Christmas and Christ’s birth. But as in the day of Anna and Simeon, there will probably only be a few who are profoundly and acutely aware of what God was doing in Jesus and the Presence of God in our lives.

Whether from pain or from promise let us follow their example.

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.

Luke 2.22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

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.

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 who is delightful and a deliverer. You are the door to life and my defender. Your love is deep yet declarable. You defeat demons. The worship of every human is your due.”

Devotional: In the days of Jesus, shepherds were viewed as low-class and insignificant. They had a dirty, smelly, menial job. Although the tasks they performed were vital to the community, their status was second-rate at best.

So it may seem strange that at the birth of Jesus, God decided to send angels to proclaim the good news to a lowly band of shepherds. Why not the religious leaders? Why not the political leaders? Why not the movers and shakers in society?

God sent the angels to lowly shepherds so that everyone who heard or read about this would realize that Jesus is not just for a particular group or class of people, if he is for lowly shepherds, he is for whosoever would come and drink from the water of life that He offers.

Let us be of those who come and drink!

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.

Luke 2.1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

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.

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 who is breathtakingly beautiful and better than life. You bind up the brokenhearted and you bless people. You are boundless in grace and you are building your church. You are the Bread of Life and you are brilliant in wisdom.”

Devotional:

What does the Incarnation of Jesus mean? There are few things in life as powerful as having a partner who is in something and committed alongside you. And on the other hand, there are few things as terrifying as feeling utterly alone.

That being said, we live in a world where it is easy to feel completely alone- separated from others and separated from God. But, one of the deep meanings of Christmas is that no matter what we may feel, we are not alone. In Christ, God has come to be with us, to partner with us. He is committed with a fierce loyalty to humanity.

He is Immanuel, God with us.

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.

Isaiah 7.14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us).”

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.

Theme For The Series: In this 21 day Advent devotional we are focusing on anticipation and the Incarnation, Christ’s presence In the world, 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 who is abundantly generous and who is approachable. You are attentive to my life and my needs. You are abounding in love and almighty in power. You are active and my Abba Father.”

Devotional: In the Old Testament, the rainbow was the sign of God’s faithfulness to his promises. As Luke open’s his Gospel, we hear Mary, speaking about the coming of Jesus as the new sign of God’s faithfulness to His promises.

It is easy for to be tempted to assess God’s faithfulness based on our circumstances. If our relationships, career or other dreams we have are going well, we often will credit God’s faithfulness. But it is essential for us to remember, that while we should be grateful for things going well, God’s faithfulness is confirmed not in our circumstances, which we know will rise and fall like the tides, but in the sending of His Son, Jesus to heal the world.

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.

Luke 1.54 “He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.

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

“God you are wise and your ways are wonderful. By your will we live and move and have our being. You are at work in our world and at work in my life. You speak to me through your Word and you guide me in your ways. You weep with those who weep. You welcome prodigals home and you are with us. You will be with me even into my old age and you will not leave me to the grave.”

Devotional: John’s Gospel opens describing the great mystery- the Incarnation of Jesus. He uses several powerful images to describe this event like God’s word, God’s light, and God’s Son. And while there is much to be said, about all of them I want to focus you in on the line:

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The word John uses for dwelling is rooted in the Old Testament word of The Tabernacle: The place where God dwelled. At the incarnation, God made his home among us, by taking on human flesh and coming in the likeness of a man. Hope took on skin and, as the Message paraphrases it, came to live in our neighborhood.

As an aside, if you have ever been confused about what Christians mean when we say, “Jesus was born” and you are wondering to yourself, “How can God be born? Wouldn’t that cease to make him God?” You are asking a good question, and I put together a talk for you to explain it a bit more. You can listen to it here.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work as you contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation!

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.

John 1.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.

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

“Jesus, You are the Vine and I am the branches. The Father is the viticulturist who cares for me and prunes me and helps me to be fruitful. You make the invisible God visible. You were victorious on the cross. You give your people vision and you are with us in the valleys of life. You view all of our days before you. Not one escapes your attention.”

Devotional: In Matthew 1, we begin to read about the arrival of our Hope. Matthew starts in an unusual place: a genealogy- the family tree of Jesus.

At first glance, this genealogy might seem like details to skip over, like some sort of random Bible trivia. But if you stop and look at the names and the lives of the different people mentioned, you will see that Jesus's family tree is filled with dysfunction, scandal and so many people who are surprising to find there.

You have Jacob, a known deceiver. You have Judah who slept with his daughter-in-law Tamar as a prostitute. Tamar, who posed as a prostitute to get revenge of Judah. You have Rahab, another prostitute and this one from a foreign people. You have King David who was an adulterer and murderer. You have Solomon, David's son, who's wickedness ended up fracturing the nation he was supposed to lead. Manasseh was another wicked king, whose legacy was for leading his people astray.

Jesus came into the world through a broken, dysfunctional family. You probably have some brokenness and dysfunction in your family tree as well. Jesus came to make broken people and broken families whole. He entered into the world through a family filled with scandal to make the point that no one is too far from His grace and saving power.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work as you reflect on healing that Jesus came to give us.

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.

Matthew 1.1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.

Theme For The Series: In this 21 day Advent devotional we are focusing on anticipation and the Incarnation, Christ’s presence In the world, 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 of unfailing love. You are upright in all you do. You are unique, there is no one like you. You are the uncreated creator. And though everything around me is changing, you are unchanging and consistent. You understand me more than I understand myself.”

Devotional: In Isaiah 35, we have the record of the Holy Spirit speaking through the prophet Isaiah about this coming leader who was going to rescue and redeem the people. One of the fruits of His redemption was to bring his people home to the city of God (Zion).

Sin has displaced all of us from our real home, the city of God. The Coming One was going to bring us home.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work as you reflect on the homecoming that Jesus gives us.

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.

Isaiah 35.And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.

Theme For The Series: In this 21 day Advent devotional we are focusing on anticipation and the Incarnation, Christ’s presence In the world, 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 true and trustworthy. You are my teacher and you talk with me. If I were to count your thoughts toward me, they would outnumber the sand at the beach. You are triumphant and tender. Time is in your hands. You give generously and at times and with wisdom take away. You are more valuable than treasure.”

Devotional: As the Spirit of the Lord was speaking through Isaiah, the topic turns from the character of the coming promised leader to the fruit of his leadership. As you read through today’s text, you will see the fruit is that of reconciling things that seem at odds with one another- like a wolf and a lamb. This coming leader would reconcile the world and cause the knowledge of God to spread and fill the earth like the waters fill the seas and in so doing bring peace to our broken and unreconciled world.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work as you looking at the fruit of God’s promised leader.

And into Isaiah’s darkness, God began to speak about a new hope and a new leader who would be marked by wisdom and justice. This leader would not fail but would succeed in leading establishing justice and leading His people to real life. The Spirit of God was breathing living hope in a dark world.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work in you of both realizing your need and realizing that origin of real hope is from God.

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.

Isaiah 11.6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.

Theme For The Series: In this 21 day Advent devotional we are focusing on anticipation and the Incarnation, Christ’s presence In the world, 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 source of my life and my shepherd. You sent your Son and the Spirt for me. You are my savior and salvation. You strongly support me. You speak to me and silence the accusations of the enemy. I know the sound of your voice.”

Devotional: The prophet Isaiah lived at a time when each hoped in human ruler was failing. Each person that was supposed to lead the people to life and peace was, in the end, corrupt.

It was a dark, dark time.

We can relate to Isaiah’s situation because we all know what it is like to hope that certain people or certain circumstances will lead us to life and peace only to find out, in the end, they were corrupt or made false promises.

But, as we learned yesterday, times of darkness make us appreciate the light more.

And into Isaiah’s darkness, God began to speak about a new hope and a new leader who would be marked by wisdom and justice. This leader would not fail but would succeed in leading establishing justice and leading His people to real life. The Spirit of God was breathing living hope in a dark world.

As you meditate on today’s Scriptures, let them do a deep work in you of both realizing your need and realizing that origin of real hope is from God.

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.

Isaiah 11.1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Worship: Worship forms the truths of Scripture deep within our lives. This week we will be worshipping to the song O Come O Come Emmanuel sung by Lauren Daigle. It is a classic song reminding us that Hope is coming. (If you are reading this via email, here is the link to the video.)

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.