1st. December. 2020. Daily Devotion.
1A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord – 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. Isaiah 11:1-3
Today is the third day in Advent. Our Scripture is a beautiful passage from Isaiah; much of Isaiah foretells the coming of the Messiah. You may wish to read the next six verses in Isaiah 11.
Advent is Latin for “coming,” and we call the days before Christmas “Advent” because we celebrate the coming birth of Christ. He was born as an historical man, a real flesh-and-blood person, to enable us to be born in the Spirit. So, in a sense, we celebrate the birth of mankind. For although people were human before, and had souls, the coming of Christ was the fulfilment of our original purpose: to be made in the image of God.
We prepare to welcome the arrival of a unique King into the world, as had been prophesied in Isaiah. We celebrate that the Word will become flesh, in order to give us the hope of salvation, the deliverance from sin. This period is one of excitement and preparation, for we have come to know Christ and what He has accomplished for us.
He is coming to dwell among us, God is coming to walk with us as a man, a simple man, a carpenter, to whom human beings could talk and worship and with whom they could eat. He was born as a humble little baby and the people alive in that time would have seen him, just like any new-born. And we know that He will come again and all who believe in Him will see him in the full glory of His Kingdom.
Advent Prayer
O God, by your holy prophets you promised that your only Son would come in the flesh for us and be born of a virgin. In these last days you have fulfilled your Word. When he who came to redeem the world comes to be our judge, let us not be put to shame, through the merits of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Mozarabic (Iberian) Rite.
To See Christ
O holy Christ teach me to recognize your face in the people you put into my life today. Walk with me, dear Lord, so that I may not be alone as I face this day, but always in your presence. Your joy is a lighthouse in a world often dark with sin, and I pray that I may reflect the light of your truth, to inspire others as I have been inspired. In the name of Christ, bless me this day, and all whom I may meet. Amen.
Pray for protection for people at higher risk of developing Covid-19.
Dear Lord, we lift to You our concern for people who are more likely than others to become severely ill from COVID-19 — the elderly and people with chronic health conditions. Protect them from harm and be their comfort in this time of uncertainty and, for many, preventive isolation from loved ones.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
