The Season of Advent

Advent Daily Readings and Prayer

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening sentence

“Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” (Mark 1:2-3 NLT)
__________

Morning Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-13 NLT

“And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.

“You saw for yourself what the Lord did to you at Baal-peor. There the Lord your God destroyed everyone who had worshiped Baal, the god of Peor. But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today — every one of you.

“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai, where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’

“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness. And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn’t see his form; there was only a voice. He proclaimed his covenant — the Ten Commandments — which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets.

Morning Reading: Romans 3:20 NLT

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Morning Reading: Galatians 3:23-26 NLT

Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
__________

Prayer:

Lord God: Your Law gave us rules, boundaries and limitations so that we could live wisely and intelligently with You as obedient children.

+ Thank You for the protection and guidance that they provided.
+ Thank You for the revelation of holiness that they provided.
+ Thank You for the respect and love for You that they engendered.

Lord God: Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, You have released us from custody under the Law into the freedom of Grace.

+ Thank You for Your loving-kindness revealed in the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
+ Thank You for Your matchless gift of Life by grace, through faith in Christ Jesus.
+ Thank You for making us Your children, to live and reign with You forever.

Lord God: Your have given us Your Word and Spirit to live with us, to live in us, and to live through us.

+ Make us more like Jesus, who lives perfectly in tune with Your purpose and will.
+ Deliver us from any lingering bondage to sin and death so that we can live freely as Your children.
+ Set our hearts and minds on Christ’s return so that we may wait for Him with joyful expectation.

Lord God: You have adopted us into Your family through faith in Jesus Christ. Fill us with courage, strength and power to love and serve You today. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You, one God forever. Amen.
__________

“No Longer Slaves “ – Jonathan David & Melissa Helser (Bethel Music)

_________

Canticle

Christ, as a light illumine and guide me. Christ, as a shield overshadow me. Christ under me; Christ over me; Christ beside me on my left and my right. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Be in the heart of each to whom I speak; in the mouth of each who speaks unto me. This day be within and without me, lowly and meek, yet all-powerful. Christ as a light; Christ as a shield; Christ beside me on my left and my right.

Blessing

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. (Revelation 22:20-21 NLT)

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen