NEW CITY

JEREMIAH 31:38 (CEB)
The time is coming, declares the LORD, when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord...

REVELATION 21:2-3 (GNT)
And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: "Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God."

THE ESSENCE
God is building a new kind of city, one where he lives among humans. 

DAILY FODDER
What do you think it will be like living with God as your closest neighbor? How will that change the character and vibe of the neighborhood? How does this promise affect the way you do neighboring now?

PRAYER
Holy God, this world is filled with anger, cruelty, and divisiveness. As a result, I get discouraged and start to lose hope. Thank you for the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. In the new Jerusalem you will dwell with your people. There I will experience true fulfillment, love, peace, and joy in your presence forever. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GOD CAME DOWN

ISAIAH 64:1 (CEB)
If only you would tear open the heavens and come down!

LUKE 1:31-32 (CEB/alt)
"Look!" the angel said to Mary, "You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High."

THE ESSENCE
God came down.

DAILY FODDER
We use the word "incarnation" to describe God becoming a man. When "the Son of the Most High" became incarnate, what did he have to leave behind, at least temporarily, to participate in our humanity? 

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son from Heaven to become one of us. Forgive us for bumping this truth from the center of our Christmas celebrations. Show me how to use this coming holiday as an occasion to share what you've done on our behalf. You came down to save us and to invite us to participate in the reality of Heaven. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

FOREVER LOVE

JEREMIAH 31:3 (ABP)
I've been loving you with a constant, unending love. And it is with this unfailing love that I've embraced you.

JOHN 3:16 (ABP)
God’s love for the world he created was so great that he offered up his one and only Son. And everyone who looks up to him and believes will escape the grip of death into a whole and lasting life.

THE ESSENCE
God's unique love changes everything.

DAILY FODDER
How is God's love different from the other types of love one might find in the world? How do you feel about being loved in this way?

PRAYER
God, you are great and demanding, and yet at the same time, you are so full of love that it blows our minds. We can't comprehend the depth of your love. How is it, then, that we seek out lesser loves to complete our lives? Redirect our eternal attention to what your Son has done. Refresh our lives with the reality of this love. To the extent that I accept your embrace, my life will be forever safe and complete. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

NO PEERS

2 SAMUEL 7:22 (GNT)
How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God.

REVELATION 22:13 (MSG)
I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

THE ESSENCE
God has no peers. 

DAILY FODDER
If God is the ultimate in reality, without peer, what would you say are the top three implications of this, for relating to him?  

PRAYER
Christ Jesus, you are the greatest—sovereign, creator, sustainer, God-in-the-flesh. No one and no thing can compare. Forgive me for valuing lesser voices and interests. Teach me how to honor you in my context. I want my life to be all about recognizing you and living according to your directives. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.