Gates

Christmas Eve

Open the ancient gates, so that the glorious king may come in. ~ Psalm 24:7 (CEV)

“Here’s the man.” ~ John 19:5 (CEB)

KEY THOUGHT:

Open your life to Jesus the glorious king as he comes!

PRAYER:

Thank you for coming, Jesus! Help me to open the gates of my life more than a crack. I can't open them wide enough on my own to welcome you in the way you should be welcomed. I'm just going to start pulling on the gates and trust that you're pushing. Amen.

Forgiveness

They sinned and rebelled against me, but I will forgive them and take away their guilt. ~ Jeremiah 33:8 (CEV)

The angel said to Joseph, "Then after her baby is born, name him Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins." ~ Matthew 1:21 (CEV)

[a] 1.21 name him Jesus: In Hebrew the name “Jesus” means “the Lord saves.”

KEY THOUGHT:

Jesus is the carrier of God's gift of forgiveness.

PRAYER:

Dear God, thank you for Jesus and the wonderful gift of forgiveness that he brings. Forgive me when I think I'm already good enough and that my sinfulness is really not such a big deal. Help me to own my sinfulness so that I can more fully marvel at your forgiveness. This Christmas I'm going to celebrate the forgiveness that entered into the world with Jesus. Amen.

Giving

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly... ~ Deuteronomy 15:10 (NLT)

Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. ~ Philippians 4:5 (CEB)

KEY THOUGHT:

Outrageous generosity reflects the Lord's presence in our lives.

PRAYER:

Thank you, God, for being so generous with us. You gave us your only Son so that we might experience life. Forgive me for being stingy. I worry that people will take undue advantage of my generosity. That turns me into a Scrooge some of the time. Save me from being overly-concerned about what others do or don't do. I can see now that we're all taking undue advantage of your generosity. Amen.

God's presence and timing

Please don’t be far from me, because trouble is near and there’s no one to help. ~ Psalm 22:11 (CEB)

The sisters sent a message to the Lord and told him that his good friend Lazarus was sick. ~ John 11:3 (CEV)

KEY THOUGHT:

God will make his presence known at just the right time.

PRAYER:

Thank you, God, for sending your Son into the world at just the right time -- not a minute too soon or too late. I confess my anxiety over your timing. I need to learn patience from you so that I 'll be in the right spot at the right time to get on the plane with you. Amen.