Scripture: Psalm 98:4-7 Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth! Be happy! Rejoice out loud! Sing your praises! Sing your praises to the LORD with the lyre— with the lyre and the sound of music. With trumpets and a horn blast, shout triumphantly before the LORD, the king! Let the sea and everything in it roar; the world and all its inhabitants too. Thought for the Day:
Scripture: 1st John 3:18-19 Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and reassure our hearts in God’s presence. Thought for the Day: There are many things for which I hope – some personal, some communal. Today, as we stand at the cusp of a new year, I find myself
Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-25 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors,
Scripture: Lamentation 3:20-24 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Thought for the Day:
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:10-12 The LORD proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen
Scripture: Luke 2:8-9 Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified. Thought for the Day: I think the shepherds’ reaction is exactly how most all of us would react in a similar situation. And even if it is not angels with wings and halos, when we feel the
Scripture: Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for Mary to have her baby. She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom. Thought for the Day: Good Morning! And Merry Christmas! This morning is a special day. It is Christmas morning, but it is also Sunday.
Scripture: Luke 2:5 He (Joseph) went to be enrolled together with Mary, who was promised to him in marriage and who was pregnant. Thought for the Day: It is Christmas Eve and the holy family is on a long dusty journey to Bethlehem, birth and bliss. Too often we depict this journey as sanctified and pure, pleasurable and serene. However they were traveling – walking or riding or
Scripture: Luke 2:4 Since Joseph belonged to David’s house and family line, he went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to David’s city, called Bethlehem, in Judea. Thought for the Day: Bethlehem literally means House of Bread. We think of bread as something very basic. Bread is common, and often viewed as a delivery device for sliced meat or a burger. In the days of Jesus,
Scripture: Luke 2:2-3 This first enrollment occurred when Quirinius governed Syria. Everyone went to their own cities to be enrolled. Thought for the Day: Like yesterday, the stage continues to be set for the drama that is about to happen on this holy setting. It is interesting to go to a play and to see the backdrop, props and lighting that are used. I have, though, attended a