Use this devo as you are able, in whole or in part. Don’t feel compelled to read it all. Simply read and meditate upon whatever catches your attention. The goal is enjoying time with God through His Word and in prayer. Questions about the devotional elements?
Call to Prayer
“Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” (Ps. 80:3)
Scripture Reading
Readings: Psalm 96:1-3, 11-13 + Matthew 1:18-25 + Luke 2:1-20
Read the passages above.
Then spend a moment in quiet stillness before God.
(Click on the link to read each of the passages, or turn there in your Bible)
Dwelling
Christians have sung songs, hymns, and spiritual songs of praise for generation upon generation in the church. Today, and each Saturday throughout Advent, we want to encourage you to sing some Christmas hymns. Try singing and committing to memory these hymns either on your own or with others! Oh, and tonight is Christmas Eve, so sing it out!
Joy to the World
(Melanie Penn offers folk/pop version of Isaac Watts’ classic based on Psalm 98)
Go! Tell it on the Mountain
(Sandra McCracken’s version of a hymn that all children, but perhaps especially my children, love singing with gusto! Enjoy!)
Prayer
God with us, quiet me before the Christ-child, filled with wonder that in this tiny child, you have come near. Amen. (prayer based on the Heidelberg Catechsim, Question 35).
*Prayer borrowed from Philip Reinders’ Seeking God’s Face: Praying with the Bible through the Year
Wonder
Advent begins in the dark. Literally. It is the darkest time of the year. Advent, which begins our church calendar, begins facing this darkness. Advent comes to us as a gift of darkness, emptiness, and says – will you enter this period of waiting with me?
Will you pause to remember and recognize your own emptiness and darkness – and practice longing for the light? These works of art invite us to enter into the wonder and waiting for the Light of the World to dawn on Christmas morn.
MUSIC
(if accessing via email, CLICK these links: Advent Playlist 1 + Advent Playlist 2)
Benediction
May the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven, shine on those living in darkness and guide our feet into the path of peace. (see Luke 1:78-79)
