Opening Prayer:
Almighty God, who came to us long ago in the birth of Jesus Christ, be born in us anew today by the power of your Holy Spirit. We offer our lives as home to you and ask for grace and strength to live as your faithful, joyful children always. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants)
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 85
Scripture for the Day: Hebrews 1:1-13
Reading for Reflection:
Jesus Christ is the eternal Word who became flesh
and lived among us. The personal
revelation of God became, in the words of the Chalcedon Creed, "at once
complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly
man." This act on humility continues,
the Word becomes flesh again and again, through the testimony of
Scripture. Stated another way, the Holy
Spirit who dwelt fully in Jesus Christ and who inspired the apostolic witness
to Him now inspires our reading of it:
through the dynamic work of the Spirit, God's Word meets us in something
that is not dead but "living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword" (Heb. 4:12). (The
Trivialization of God by Donald W. McCullough)
Books of
theology tend to define God by what He is not:
immortal, invisible, infinite. But what is God like, positively? For the Christian, Jesus answers such
all-important questions. The apostle
Paul boldly called Jesus "the image of the invisible God." Jesus was God's exact replica: "For God
was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him."
God
is, in a word, Christlike. Jesus
presents a God with skin on whom we can take or leave, love or ignore. In this visible, scaled-down model we can
discern God's features more clearly. (The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip
Yancey)
Reflection and Listening: silent and written
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Song for the Week: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set our people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone,
By thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Closing Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus!
You are my righteousness. You are my goodness, the cause and the reason for goodness. You are my life and the light of life. You are my love and all my loving. You are the most noble language I can ever utter, my words and all their meaning, my wisdom, my truth, and the better part of myself. Amen. (Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr.)
Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself
Song for the Week: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set our people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone,
By thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Closing Prayer:
Come, Lord Jesus!
You are my righteousness. You are my goodness, the cause and the reason for goodness. You are my life and the light of life. You are my love and all my loving. You are the most noble language I can ever utter, my words and all their meaning, my wisdom, my truth, and the better part of myself. Amen. (Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr.)
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