16th. December. 2021. Daily Devotion.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:4-7
Reflect
There is such a contrast at this time of year. For some, parties, lights, buying presents, meeting families and friends. For others, there is debt and homelessness. There will be many in the towns and cities across the UK that will be sleeping rough, enduring the cold with nowhere to go. What does it mean for us to be light to them? Can we, as the Church, do something magnificent that makes a real difference this year?
Prayer
Lord, for all those who are homeless, we ask that you may provide help and care for them. Give your Church compassion and help us not to just pass by. Lord, show us what we can do practically this year that would lift up those who are struggling. Lord, we pray for those agencies that work with the homeless, may they receive the resources and wisdom they need. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
God of majesty and power
Who spoke, and this world was
Who breathed and this world lived
Who counts the hairs upon our head
Who sees our thoughts and reads our hearts
Who loves us more than we deserve
How can we not bring today
Our sacrifice of praise?
For in the child at Bethlehem
Lies the promise of intimacy
With a Saviour who would die even for me
And the promise of an eternity
In which to praise you more each day
God of promise we praise your name, Amen
Prayer for an Advent Morning
Thank you, dear God in Heaven, for this day. What a gift you give us each day, with the blazing sunrise through a cloudy winter sky. It is hard getting up these dark mornings, Lord, and yet when I do, you gift us with a sight that we miss at other times of year. I stare out the window at the red and purple light, gloriously framed by the gold of the rising sun. Let me remember your words when I see it, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Let me watch your day unfold in silence, filled with a sense of your presence in my life.
I am filled with gratitude this day, that I could witness such a treasure and could feel it and see it as a gift from you. Thank you for your love. Today, let me carry a sense of how much you love me to send me such a gift. Let that awareness of your love change the way I treat others today. Let me be more peaceful in the face of the irritations of the day. I ask your help to move through my errands and holiday preparations today with peace and a sense of your sunrise in my heart. Your glory fills my spirit and I want only to give thanks with my life this day. Amen.
