advent devotionals
Memorize: Psalm 139:14
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
Read: Psalm 139:1-14, Psalm 104
Reflect:
Advent calls us to prepare for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet often times our preparation is filled with the stress of planning and busyness. We don’t even take a full day to give thanks, as many race off Thanksgiving evening to find the deals. We race into December facing a to-do list of shopping, cooking, wrapping, and working...so that we can enjoy the birth of God's son?
Let’s think about this – Does our preparation have the wrong focus and the wrong feeling. Psalms 104 & 139 encourages us to pause in the midst of our preparation and consider the question, "Who am I preparing for?" Are we preparing for the arrival of Our Savior, or for the world's expectations of Christmas?
I hope today we choose to prepare for Jesus! When we do, our preparations are less about doing and more about being. We begin to prepare with praise to God for the intimacy that He has with each of us. We wake up each day with less attention on what needs done during Advent and more attention on what's been done through God's power.
Apply:
How does your thinking & planning change when you reflect on the power of your creator…your All-knowing, Ever-present God, who made you and wants an active, personal relationship with you?
Pray:
Father God, today I offer my praise for all that you have done, will do, and continue to do in my life. Help me to prepare for the things that matter and ignore the demands of this Adventseason that pull me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
what if god was one of us
Read Zephaniah 3:15-17
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,

he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;

never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem,

“Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.
17The Lord your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,

he will quiet you with his love,

he will rejoice over you with singing.” [NIV]
Reflect:
This is the time of year when children are mailing letters to Santa Claus. We all know his address, right? Santa Claus, North Pole! But where would one mail a letter to God? What would his address be? Many would say ‘heaven’, which to a lot of people means a faraway place that we can’t reach until we die.
It’s important to realize that for many people in the ancient world the idea of God actually becoming a human being was extremely offensive! Nonetheless, this is exactly the Good News that we celebrate at Christmas time: ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us’ (John 1:14), or, as The Message version states it, ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.’! Furthermore, he didn’t leave the neighborhood when he ascended into heaven: his gift of the Holy Spirit means that he is still with us today.
Apply:
What’s God’s address? Your house – or, even more, your heart! This Sunday God’s address is 3218 N. Roxboro Road, because Jesus said “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” He’s here among us as we worship on Sunday, and when we leave to go home and to go to our places of work he will be there ahead of us. He’s not far away, holding himself aloof from us; he has made the decision to become ‘one of us' – and we rejoice in this good news.
Pray:
Dear God, help me to feel you near me. I want to rejoice in your presence! Since you go before me, I know you’re already speaking to __________________________’s heart. Help me to invite him/her/them to encounter you this Christmas season.