Surprise!
The 2nd Day of Christmas
Listen, kings and rulers,
while I sing for the Lord,
the God of Israel. ~ Judges 5:3 (CEV)
When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. ~ Luke 2:17-18 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Life is full of surprises when we pay attention to the Lord.
PRAYER:
Lord, I still marvel at the gift that came to us on the first Christmas. I know that none of this should be surprising given your history with us -- given your ongoing generosity. Energize me to carry on the party. I'm eager to talk about the wonderful surprises you've brought into my life. Amen.
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase — my own freestyle biblical adaptation — somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
