Daily Devotion – Great Plains Episcopal Area – Thursday, 26
December 2013
Today, please be in prayer for:
Pastor Troy Bowers of Manhattan First UMC of the Flint Hills
District of the Kansas East Conference
Pastor Dennis Wallace of Wichita Asbury UMC of the Wichita West
District of the Kansas West Conference
Pastor Sandra Webster of Omaha Living Faith UMC of the Missouri
River District of the Nebraska Conference
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This Week's Lectionary
4th Sunday of Advent – Purple or Blue
Isaiah 7: Isaiah Gives Ahaz the Sign of Immanuel
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the
Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I
will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then Isaiah[a] said:
“Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that
you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Look, the young woman[b] is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him
Immanuel.[c] 15 He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse
the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the child knows how to refuse the
evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will
be deserted.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 7:13 Heb he
b. Isaiah 7:14 Gk the virgin
c. Isaiah 7:14 That is God is with us
Psalm 80: Prayer for Israel’s Restoration
To the leader: on Lilies, a Covenant. Of Asaph. A Psalm.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph
like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and
Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine,
that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts,
how long will you be
angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears
to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn[a] of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh
among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine,
that we may be saved.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 80:6 Syr: Heb strife
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made
strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we
will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine,
that we may be saved.
Romans 1: Salutation
1 Paul, a servant[a] of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his
prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was
descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God
with power according to the spirit[b] of holiness by resurrection from the
dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and
apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for
the sake of his name, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus
Christ,
7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Footnotes:
a. Romans 1:1 Gk slave
b. Romans 1:4 Or Spirit
Matthew 1: The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] took place in this way.
When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived
together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband
Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace,
planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is
from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus,
for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill
what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name
him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep,
he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but
had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;[b] and he named
him Jesus.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 1:18 Or Jesus Christ
b. Matthew 1:25 Other ancient authorities read her firstborn son
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Today's Devotional:
Luke 1: Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean
town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and
greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in
her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a
loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44
For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped
for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 And Mary[b] said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on
all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to
generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the
proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the
lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away
empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his
mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his
descendants forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then
returned to her home.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 1:45 Or believed, for there will be
b. Luke 1:46 Other ancient authorities read Elizabeth
Luke 1: 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then
returned to her home.
Luke 2: Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for their purification according to the
law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23
(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be
designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to
what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young
pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;[a]
this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by
the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah.[b] 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon[c] came into the temple; and when
the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under
the law, 28 Simeon[d] took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant[e] in peace,
according to your
word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your
people Israel.”
33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was
being said about him. 34 Then Simeon[f] blessed them and said to his mother
Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many
will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna[g] the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven
years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She
never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and
day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the
child[h] to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Footnotes:
a. Luke 2:25 Gk Symeon
b. Luke 2:26 Or the Lord’s Christ
c. Luke 2:27 Gk In the Spirit, he
d. Luke 2:28 Gk he
e. Luke 2:29 Gk slave
f. Luke 2:34 Gk Symeon
g. Luke 2:36 Gk Hanna
h. Luke 2:38 Gk him
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Great Churches. Great Leaders. Great Disciples. Transformed
World.
Contact Information:
Great Plains Episcopal Office
9440 E Boston, Suite 160
Wichita KS 67207
316-686-0600
800-745-2350
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