Thursday, December 7: Silver Bells
Thursday, December 7: Silver Bells Isn’t it interesting how the ordinary can take on a different form during the Christmas holiday season? “Silver Bells” mentions the Christmassy red and green of the traffic lights and the laughter of children, yet those are around three hundred sixty-five days a year. We see things differently during the […]
Wednesday, December 6: Joy to the World
Wednesday, December 6: Joy to the World Joy To The World is one of my favorite songs of all time! It was written by Isaac Watts based on Psalm 98, 96:11-12 and Genesis 3:17-18 in the Bible. This song reminds us to be Joyful because the “Lord Has Come To Save The World” from sin. […]
December 3, 2017: 1st Sunday of Advent
Scriptures: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 (Read them online here.)
Tuesday, December 5: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Tuesday, December 5: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Even though it has been many years since I was a child, trying desperately to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, I still remember the anticipation and excitement! Bunking in a room with my older sister, we would “accidentally” stay up way too late, even with our […]
Advent Vespers Beginning Dec. 5
As a special celebration of Advent this year, St. Paul will hold evening worship services at 7 pm on the three Tuesdays before Christmas (December 5, 12 and 19). Evening service, or Vespers, is based on an ancient practice of the church and is a quiet, candlelit time of peaceful music and prayers. If you […]
Monday, December 4: O Come, All Ye Faithful
Monday, December 4: O Come, All Ye Faithful When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” –Luke 2:15 Shortly after the birth of Jesus, angels […]
Sunday, December 3: Go Tell It on the Mountain
Sunday, December 3: Go Tell It on the Mountain Have you ever stopped to consider how many glorious and wonderful things have to do with mountains? The Sermon on the Mount, the Ten Commandments, Moses’ sight of the Promised Land; as a matter of fact, there are at least twenty-one references to a mountain in […]
Saturday, December 2: Mary, Did You Know?
Saturday, December 2: Mary, Did You Know? Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” Luke 1:38 (NLT) Have you ever listened to the song Mary, Did You Know? This touching song has been played for well over three decades during the Christmas season. The lyrics are […]
Friday, December 1: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Friday, December 1: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel This is the first hymn in this devotional series because it captures the whole mood of Advent (from the Latin root “Come”): joyful expectation, deep yearning for Christ. Let’s dig deeply into this hymn to gain a deeper understanding of that for which we wait during Advent. […]