I will advise you and watch over you. ~ Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Mary. God is honoring you. ~ Luke 1:30 (CEB)
KEY THOUGHT:
We can relax, knowing that God is on duty, keeping watch over us.
PRAYER:
Ever-kind God, thank you for your attention. You never let down your guard. Sometimes, though, I let fear ruin my life. I fear for the future. I fret about the presence. And I worry over past mistake. Free me from all angst so that I can boldly trust you and follow the path established by Christ our Savior. Amen.
I will accept you as my wife forever, and instead of a bride price I will give you justice, fairness, love, kindness... ~ Hosea 2:19 (CEV)
God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die. ~ John 3:16 (CEV)
KEY THOUGHT:
Embrace God and his lavish love.
PRAYER:
God, I feel loved because of you and all that you have given. Forgive me for the times when I feel that I need to prove myself to you when you clearly love unconditionally. Help me to trust you even more. I'm going to wallow in your justice, fairness, love, and kindness. And I'm going to expect that because of that I'll begin to look more like you. Amen.
The Lord answered,
“Could a mother forget a child
who nurses at her breast?
Could she fail to love an infant
who came from her own body?
Even if a mother could forget,
I will never forget you. ~ Isaiah 49:15 (CEV)
I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. ~ Romans 8:38-39 (MSG)
KEY THOUGHT:
God will never forget to love and protect his children.
PRAYER:
God, your love is so powerful that nothing and no one can mess with it. I'm grateful. But I'm also aware that I worry about circumstances. Build up my confidence so that I can trust Christ to look out for me. Nothing can separate us. Amen.
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.
*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)
