Preparation for worship on November 26

Arise to Christmas: Arise to Unexpected Blessings

This holiday season, we will Arise to Christmas with stories of those who were given the opportunity to be a part of the story of Advent. 

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Sunday, November 20

Devotional: I Wasn’t Prepared for the Ordinary Hard Stuff

 

Isaiah 41:10

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

 

Holy Savior, you have made yourself known. You are the Creator of all things, yet you stooped low to enter humanity. In stories, in your Spirit, and in your whispers to my heart, may I acknowledge your goodness and rest in your love. Amen.

 

Music: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

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Monday, November 21

Devotional: The Coming of Jesus in our Midst

 

Revelation 3:20

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

 

Gentle Savior, you are patient and kind. You are holy and full of compassion. You alone deserve all praise and adoration. Thank you for overlooking the frailty of my humanity and inviting me into your forgiveness and love. Amen.

 

Music: Mercy in a Manger

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Tuesday, November 22

Devotional: Waiting for God to Act

 

Psalm 27:14

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

 

Patient Savior, you walked with purpose and spoke with quiet authority. You are intentional, measured, and kind. You do not delay, yet you are never rushed. Calm my heart so that I might hear your Spirit and rest in your presence. Amen.

 

Music: Oh Holy Night

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Wednesday, November 23

Devotional: That Holy Thing

 

John 16:33

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.

 

Unpredictable Savior, you arrived in an unexpected, unprecedented way. Even those who waited expectantly for your arrival were caught off guard; you were not what they had anticipated. In every new experience, in each challenging moment, help me to remember that you are the God of surprises and the One who creates beauty from ashes. Amen.

 

Music: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

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Thursday, November 24

Devotional: What the Tyrant King Herod Taught Me About Advent

 

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

 

Loving Savior, you left perfection for one purpose: to redeem your creation. You set the world in motion and birthed humanity. By your grace, you sustain innumerable stars, galaxies, and universes. I am selfish, proud, and arrogant in my need to be my own god. Help me to release all I am and hope to be into your hands. Amen.

 

Music: I’ve Heard About You

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Friday, November 25

Devotional: The Thoughts That Are Always on Repeat

 

Psalm 145:1-3

I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.

 

Startling Savior, you opened the sky with an angelic choir at your birth and shook the world with an earthquake when you died. You create beauty from emptiness and harmony in chaos. It is impossible for me to hold all that you are in my mind or comprehend your majesty. Bless me with a holy curiosity that acknowledges what I cannot know of you and praises what I do. Amen.

 

Music: Silent Night (Be Still)

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