General Daily Devotionals

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 4, 2020 Scripture: Jeremiah 31:8-9 See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 3, 2020 Scripture: Matthew 2:11 They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Thought for the Day: And Mary looked up and saw these foreigners with a different religion and she said, “Get out of my house you

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 2, 2020 Scripture: Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. Thought for the Day: Herod was troubled, or as the original Greek reads: Tarasso. The word describes an inward collision, often between values, ideals or priorities. Herod was threatened, feeling an internal clash that most definitely included his desire for security that was protected

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS January 1, 2020 Prayer for the New Year: Your Holy Name is honored and hallowed, for in you we find life and value and purpose. Today, as a new year greets us, we acknowledge our past that has not always served your prime mission of love. Forgive us when we excuse or conceal certain aspects of the past. Too often we paint a picture of history

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 31, 2019 Scripture: Matthew 2:1-2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” Thought for the Day: When we first brought Zach home

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 30, 2019 By Rev. Paula Gembala Prayer for the Week: Loving and merciful God, you have taught us you are the Light of the World. All throughout the bible, in the old and new testaments, we hear of your light. We want your light to shine from within us, that others may want what we have. Allow us to be your beacon of light so

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 29, 2019 Scripture: Matthew 2:8-9 Then Herod sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 28, 2019 Scripture: John 1:16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. Thought for the Day: What is grace upon grace? According to William Barclay, the wonderful scholar from the last century, this phrase is referring to how grace comes to us as we need it. Grace is not one-dimensional, with only one means of expressing itself. Grace is multifaceted, with an

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS December 27, 2019 Scripture: Luke 2:21-24 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in