Last Year's Advent Devotional
Last November I started looking into devotionals for my husband and I to do together during the Advent season. I found a variety of different types of devotionals but nothing that would fit into the schedule I wanted. So I decided to put a devotional together for my husband and I to do together once a week for the season of Advent. Each devotional has a bible passage, a worship song and a prayer. My husband and I made time on Sunday afternoons to do these devotionals together. We would sit together to talk about the passage, worship together and pray.
Here is last years devotional.
Passage: John 1:9-18
Passage:
Psalm 89:1-4
I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my
mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm
forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my
chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and
make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”
Here is last years devotional.
Week 1
Song: O come O come Emmanuel
Passage: John 1:9-18
The true light that gives light to everyone
was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made
through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his
own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in
his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor
of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came
from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried
out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me
has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ”) Out of his fullness we have all received
grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who
is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made
him known.
What does this scripture tell us?
What is God calling us to reflect on this
week?
Prayer:
In this season of expectation we prepare
to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into the bustle of our lives and the hard
to find moments of solitude
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus,
messiah
Into our homes and situations along with
friends and families
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus,
messiah
Into our hearts, and those often hidden
parts of our lives
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus,
Messiah
For beneath the surface of your story is
an inescapable fact you entered the world
As vulnerable as anyone of us in order to
nail that vulnerability to the cross
Our fears our insecurities and our sins all
that separate us from God
Exchanged by your grace for love
We cannot comprehend the reasoning only
marvel that salvation comes to us
Through a baby born in a stable and
reaches out to a world in need
In this season of anticipation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus,
Messiah
Week 2
Song: Come thou Fount
Passage: Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot will come up from the stump of
Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the
LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he
hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with
justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the
earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the
wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his
waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will
lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie
down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my
holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as
the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for
the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be
glorious.
What does this scripture tell us?
What is God calling us to reflect on this
week?
Prayer:
To you O Lord we bring our lives troubled
broken or at ease
A sacrificial offering for you to use
Take away our selfishness
And teach us to love as you loved
Take away our sense of pride
And show us the meaning of humility
Take away our blindness
And show us the world through your eyes
Take away our greed
And teach us how to give as you gave
Show us your ways teach us your paths
That we might walk with you more closely our
hand in your hand our feet in your footsteps
From the baby in a stable, to eternity
Amen
Week 3
Song: O come all ye faithful
Passage:
Psalm 89:1-4
I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my
mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm
forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my
chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and
make your throne firm through all generations.’ ”
What does this scripture tell us?
What is God calling us to reflect on this
week?
Prayer:
God of hope who brought love into this
world
Be the love that dwells between us
God of hope who brought peace into this
world
Be the peace that dwells between us
God of hope who brought joy into this
world
Be the joy that dwells between us
God of hope the rock we stand upon be the
center the focus of our lives
Always and particularly this advent time.
Week 4
Song: Mary did you know?
Passage: Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah
came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but
before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy
Spirit. Because Joseph her
husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to
public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered 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
home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the
Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin
will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him
Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When
Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took
Mary home as his wife. But he did not
consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the
name Jesus.
What does this scripture tell us?
What is God calling us to reflect on this
week?
Prayer:
This advent time we remember mary and
joseph
Giving thanks for their faithfulness
Courage and obedience
Stepping out into the unknown
In the strength of your spirit
Playing their part
In the fulfilment of your plan
To bring your prodigal people home again
We pray that their example
Might be a pattern of our lives
That when your gentle whisper
Breaks through the clamour of this world
And into our small corner
We might be ready to listen and having
listened
To act.
Christmas Day
Song: Joy to the World
Passage: Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus
issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius
was governor of Syria.) And everyone went
to their own town to register. So Joseph also
went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of
David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be
married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be
born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a
son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no
guest room available for them. And there were
shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at
night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good
news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is
the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to
you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the
highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who
was lying in the manger. When they had seen
him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this
child, and all who heard it were amazed at
what the shepherds said to them. But Mary
treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the
things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
What does this scripture tell us?
What is God calling us to reflect on this
week?
Prayer:
Shout for joy the whole earth
And everything within, Rejoice!
For light has come into the world
The mountains sing, the seas resound
To the praise of your name, Salvation
Once promised is here on earth
The angels song rings in the air a child
has been born
Hallelujah! The savior of the world is
here
I am excited to make Advent devotionals a yearly tradition where we slow down from the hustle and bustle of the season and look to forward to the celebration of the birth of our Savior. And I hope this inspires you to take time each week with your family to observe this special time.
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