The Third Sunday in Advent
Our terrible sins get us down,
but you forgive us. ~ Psalm 65:3 (CEV)
Zechariah said,
"You, my son, will be called
a prophet of God
in heaven above.
You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready
for him.
You will tell his people
that they can be saved
when their sins
are forgiven.
God’s love and kindness
will shine upon us
like the sun that rises
in the sky."
~ Luke 1:76-78 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Forgiveness flows from God's love.
PRAYER:
Thank you, God, for sending Jesus into the world to show us how much you love us and forgive us. It's a good thing because I need forgiving -- even at this time of the year. Help me to give up my sins and sinfulness. Help me to see the love and kindness of Christ as was pointed out by John the Baptist. I'm going to live out your forgiveness. Amen.
God, you pulled me out of the grave,
gave me another chance at life
when I was down-and-out. ~ Psalm 30:3 (MSG)
Sin pays off with death. But God’s gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 6:23 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Through Christ, God extends his gift of rescue.
PRAYER:
God, I am grateful for the salvation that you secure through Christ. We were stuck in a loop ultimately paying out death. But you have intervened. Help me to embrace this gift with 100% of who I am. My life from this point on is going to revolve around the gift that you have given and which I am unpacking. Amen.
Santa Lucia Day
God will never walk away from his people,
never desert his precious people. ~ Psalm 94:14 (MSG)
Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Philippians 3:20 (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
Our identity is wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ; and he will never abandon us.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for reaching out to us and including us in your kingdom. Forgive me for getting distracted by things which have nothing to do with your heavenly reign. Help me to more fully embrace my heavenly citizenship. I'm going to give myself to living out my citizenship here and now. Amen.
As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. ~ Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NLT)
When you pray, using fewer words is often better than using more words. Some people actually think that God's response to our requests is tied to how long and how emotionally intense we can crank out the prayers. ~ Matthew 6:7 (ABP)
KEY THOUGHT:
Don't try to impress God with your prayers.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank you for welcoming us into your presence. I get uneasy around you and feel like I need to fill every second of silence with an endless string of words. Help me to learn how to shut up and listen.
I'm looking forward to simply being with you. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2011 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a 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)
