Advent Daybook 1: This is gonna change everything
Look: Messenger At Departure, Arcabas - source
Listen*: Everything, Taylor Leonhardt - Bandcamp (w/lyrics) | Spotify | YouTube
Read**: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44
Excerpts:
"It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say:
'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.' "
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"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!' Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David."
*
"Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. "
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"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ...
Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
- Isaiah 2:2-3a * Psalm 122:1-5 * Romans 13:11-12 * Matthew 24:36-37, 44 (ESV)
Pray: Book of Common Prayer, Collect for the First Sunday in Advent
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Do: Enjoy a slow, steady increase of light as Christmas approaches.
If you haven't done a single thing yet to get ready for Advent, you are exactly on time. That's the beauty of a season of preparation like Advent. It's a gradual, unfolding story. Today, gather four or five candles in a special place in your house you can come back to each day of Advent. Light one candle this week and add another candle each of the following weeks until you have four burning.
Savor
light
You might also enjoy: A few simple ways to decorate for Advent
Each Sunday in Advent I’ll share a free Daybook devotional post at the Patreon page for everyone to enjoy. To receive notifications for the free public posts, click "follow" at the bottom of the profile page.
The daily devotional posts will then be available to those who subscribe at the Daybook ($5 a month) level.
For an introduction read this post: Advent Daybook Explained. You can see previous Advent daybook 2018 posts here.
* Listen to my entire playlist on Spotify: Advent 2019. Add it to your account by clicking ‘Follow.’
** Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year A). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 2).