Monday: Child of God
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
If you have an advent wreath, light the first candle and pray:
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The light no darkness can overcome.
Jesus, open our eyes to your light and our ears to your words of hope. Come, O long-expected Jesus. Our hope is in you. Amen.
Word: Isaiah 7:14
So the Lord Himself will give you a special thing to see: A young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a son. She will give Him the name Immanuel. "God with us."
Meditation
If I’m honest, I’m afraid of revelation. All great stories come at a cost, and the cost of revelation is that it's going to ask something of us. In any divine annunciation, you receive revelation as a gift, yet at the same time you receive notice that all that you had planned is ending. It’s all over. Everything will change-most of all you. Today, you may be thinking, “I could use a change”, and maybe you’re ready for such a transformation. But the rub of revelation is that it’s a transformation you’re not in charge of. It seems revelation does not always transform the places you want to transform; it transforms all the things you’ve dreamed and planned for in your life.
Revelation is a hard gift to receive. You must give up everything else to receive it-like finding a treasure in a field and selling everything you have so you can get that treasure. But then again, sh who is willing to accept the cost of revelation finds herself in the deepest of stories. Stories that are so mysterious, divine, and human that we still tell them today. May you receive the light of divine annunciation in the flames of your best laid plans.
Prayer for Life as a Child of God
· For the Father to give me care and guidance.
· For forgiveness when I wander and want my own way.
· For the Father to keep me childlike in faith even as I age.
· For growth in faith, that I love and trust in God above all things.
· For strength to obey God.
· For the Father to heal my hurts.
· For assurance when I doubt.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, the revelation of yourself through the incarnation of your son Jesus Christ, transforms the world and makes all things new. Transform me daily through the indwelling of your Holy Spirit. Amen!
With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
If you have an advent wreath, light the first candle and pray:
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The light no darkness can overcome.
Jesus, open our eyes to your light and our ears to your words of hope. Come, O long-expected Jesus. Our hope is in you. Amen.
Word: Isaiah 7:14
So the Lord Himself will give you a special thing to see: A young woman, who has never had a man, will give birth to a son. She will give Him the name Immanuel. "God with us."
Meditation
If I’m honest, I’m afraid of revelation. All great stories come at a cost, and the cost of revelation is that it's going to ask something of us. In any divine annunciation, you receive revelation as a gift, yet at the same time you receive notice that all that you had planned is ending. It’s all over. Everything will change-most of all you. Today, you may be thinking, “I could use a change”, and maybe you’re ready for such a transformation. But the rub of revelation is that it’s a transformation you’re not in charge of. It seems revelation does not always transform the places you want to transform; it transforms all the things you’ve dreamed and planned for in your life.
Revelation is a hard gift to receive. You must give up everything else to receive it-like finding a treasure in a field and selling everything you have so you can get that treasure. But then again, sh who is willing to accept the cost of revelation finds herself in the deepest of stories. Stories that are so mysterious, divine, and human that we still tell them today. May you receive the light of divine annunciation in the flames of your best laid plans.
Prayer for Life as a Child of God
· For the Father to give me care and guidance.
· For forgiveness when I wander and want my own way.
· For the Father to keep me childlike in faith even as I age.
· For growth in faith, that I love and trust in God above all things.
· For strength to obey God.
· For the Father to heal my hurts.
· For assurance when I doubt.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, the revelation of yourself through the incarnation of your son Jesus Christ, transforms the world and makes all things new. Transform me daily through the indwelling of your Holy Spirit. Amen!
