Daily Advent Reading
This is our Digital Advent Calendar for 2023. We would hope you could join in daily during the season of Advent. Every day’s Advent Gift box will have a new Scripture to read and reflect on. Every Thursday there will be a Children’s Ministry Activity for you and your children. Every Tuesday there will be a question for adults to enjoy and engage on our Facebook page.
Advent Question of the Week
Many have family traditions that have been passed down for generations.
If you have a tradition that you believe is unique, funny, quirky, or nostalgic we’d love to hear about it. Who knows, you may even hear about it in the sermon on Sunday morning.
Find our Tuesday Advent post on Facebook and share your tradition for all to see!
Luke 2:13-20
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 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.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying, and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Devotional
As a pastor I have seen it acted out many times. Two people in a worship service portraying Mary and Joseph. On cue they step onto the stage and they place a real or pretend infant into the manger that has been placed there.
I have often tried to imagine that scene as it played out on that first Christmas, when the real Mary placed the real Jesus in a real manger. I’ve heard “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” countless times, but the first time wasn’t on a church stage for an audience, but for shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. “I bring you good news of great joy…”
I’m sure that we’ve never come close to what those real events were like, but I hope that we will all be filled with the same level of awe in our hearts.
Prayer
Loving and gracious God, with the angels and shepherds we worship You. We treasure You in our hearts. May all that we do and say bring glory to Your name. Amen.