Category: Advent 2015
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Third Week of Advent – Good news for those who need it (The Old Testament Passage)
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be…
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Third Week of Advent – Rejoicing in the midst of it all (The Epistle Passage)
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your…
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Third Week of Advent – Being worthy and ready for the Messiah that will come
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7) John the Baptist was very plain spoken, and did not coach his message in soft and pleasing terms. This appealed to his audience, and while brisk…
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Second Week of Advent – Prayer and Blessing for You, Beloved Reader (The Epistles Passage)
“I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5) I have not made it a habit to respond to each individual person when I get a…
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Second Week of Advent – Zechariah’s Prophecy, and Preparing for Its Fulfillment (The Pseudo-Psalms Passage)
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.” (Luke 1:68) I am writing this post-Thanksgiving (in the United States) and after having spent two days just relaxing with my family. I have also been feeling keenly some of the symptoms of my health diagnoses but…
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Second Week of Advent – This is John the Baptist (The Gospel Passage)
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John…
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Second Week of Advent – Waiting to be prepared (The Old Testament Passage)
“See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when…
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First Week of Advent – A time of seeking and waiting for the Divine (The Psalms Passage)
“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.” (Psalms 25:1-3) The…
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First Week of Advent – The Beginning of Days (The Old Testament Passage)
“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In…
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First Week of Advent – A Prayer written by another but bestowed upon you! (The Epistle Passage)
When the writer of I Thessalonians (thought to be Paul) prays, I stop and pay attention. I may disagree with him at times, but not his prayers. And many times, like the passage, I wish I could take it as my own – either as a prayer on my behalf or as a prayer I…