Advent Daybook 9: Remember your mercy, O Lord
Pray: Heavenly Father, make me more like Jesus as I sit in your loving presence today. Please guide my thoughts and impressions by your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Look: Visitors listen in to recorded prayers at the "James Webb: Prayer" exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago on Sept. 6, 2018. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune) - source (h/t: Art & Theology)
Listen*: O Come O Come Emmanuel, Chicago Metro Pres Music - Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Read**: Psalm 25, Amos 7:1-9; Revelation 1:1-8; Matthew 22:23-33
Excerpts:
"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!
... Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles."
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"This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, the Lord God was calling for a judgment by fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said,
'O Lord God, please cease! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!'
The Lord relented concerning this: 'This also shall not be,' said the Lord God."
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"John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'"
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"[The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection,]... But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching"
- Psalm 25:4-7, 22 * Amos 7:4-6 * Revelation 1:4-8 * Matthew 22:23, 29-33 (ESV)
Pray: From Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."
Lord our God, be our Father and care for your children here on earth, where it is often bitterly hard and where everything seems to turn against us. Keep us faithful in our inner life, drawing all our strength from you, the eternal power of life, and from Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. For Jesus has promised to come to us, and you will send him in our time of need. Let your strong hand be with those who often do not know where to turn. Show us paths we can follow, to the glory of your name in all eternity. Amen.
- by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt - source
Do: Spend time today encouraging someone who's lonely this time of year.
Spend time with the lonely
As we begin reading in Revelation this week, we hear in 1:6 the stunning call in to live out our true identity who are "made us to be a kingdom, priests serving [Jesus'] God and Father". It seems incomprehensible that we are invited to serve alongside Jesus, the Great High Priest, as a priest in our everyday lives. Ponder that today with a special awareness of those around you who are alone. How could you bless the lonely with your priestly presence today?
You might also enjoy: Our favorite Advent & Christmas books (for all ages)
For an introduction read this post: Advent Daybook Explained. You can see previous Advent daybook 2018 posts here.
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** 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).