December 3, 2017
Today is the first day of the church year in many churches around the world. And the Christian season of Advent begins today.
During Advent and the twelve days of Christmas, I’d like to send you short daily meditations based on scripture texts used all over the world on that day. This year the Sunday texts come from Year B and weekday texts from Cycle II of the Roman Catholic lectionary. The same texts are used by several other lectionaries as well. You can read these daily texts by clicking on the devotion’s date. They are also listed below.
What is a lectionary? It’s defined as a list of portions of the Bible appointed to be read at a church service. Knowing beforehand what the readings will be each day allows you to prepare in a more immediate and personal way for your experience together.
We’re not in church, but these devotions are a way to participate in community worship and prayer with many others who are also reading them.
If your email life is full enough, please just let me know and I’ll take you off the emailing list. Another way to know there is something new to read is to “follow” the blog entries at http://www.davesandel.net.
The devotions are archived each day and always available on the internet at two web addresses:
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/devotions.php
and
http://www.davesandel.net/category/advent-and-christmas-devotions-2016
They will also be available as a Kindle or paper book by March 2018. Devotions from last year are currently available on Amazon under the title Finding My Way 2016.
God bless you,
Dave
All the Daily Lectionary Readings for Advent, 2017 and Christmas, 2017-2018
Readings for the Sundays (Year B)
12/3/17 Isa 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7, Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, 1 Cor 1:3-9, Mark 13:33-37
12/10/17 Isa 40:1-5, 9-11, Ps 85:9ab+10, 11-12, 13-14, 2 Pet 3:8-14, Mark 1:1-8
12/17/17 Isa 61:1-2a, 10-11, Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54, 1 Thess 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28
12/24/17 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16, Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27+29, Rom 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38
12/31/17 Genesis 15:1-6, 21:1-3, Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9, Col 3:12-21, Luke 2:22-40
1/7/18 Isa 60:1-6, Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13, Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6, Matt 2:1-12 (Feast of Epiphany)
Readings for the Weekdays (Cycle II)
First Week of Advent
12/4/17 Isa 2:1-5, Ps 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9, Matt 8:5-11
12/5/17 Isa 11:1-10, Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Luke 10:21-24
12/6/17 Isa 25:6-10a, Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Matt 15:29-37
12/7/17 Isa 26:1-6, Ps 118:1+8-9, 19-21, 25-27am, Matt 7:21, 24-27
12/8/17 Isa 29:17-24, Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14, Matt 9:27-31
12/9/17 Isa 30:19-21, 23-26, Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Matt 9:35, 10:1, 5a, 6-8
Second Week of Advent
12/11/17 Isa 35:1-10, Ps 85:9ab+10, 11-12, 13-14, Luke 5:17-26
12/12/17 Isa 40:1-11, Ps 96:1-2, 3+10ac, 11-12, 13, Matt 18:12-14
12/13/17 Isa 40:25-31, Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8+10, Matt 11:28-30
12/14/17 Isa 41:13-20, Ps 145:1+9, 10-11, 12-13ab, Matt 11:11-15
12/15/17 Isa 48:17-19, Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4+6, Matt 11:16-19
12/16/17 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11, Ps 80:2ac+3b, 15-16, 18-19, Matt 17:9a, 10-13
Third Week of Advent
12/18/17 Jer 23:5-8. Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19, Matt 1:18-24
12/19/17 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a, Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17, Luke 1:5-25
12/20/17 Isa 7:10-14, Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6, Luke 1:26-38
12/21/17 Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zeph 3:14-18a, Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21, Luke 1:39-45
12/22/17 1 Sam 1:24-28, 1 Sam 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd, Luke 1:46-56
12/23/17 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24, Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10+14, Luke 1:57-66
12 Days of Christmas
12/25/17 Isa 52:7-10, Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6, Heb 1:1-6, John 1:1-18
12/26/17 Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Ps 31:3cd-4, 6ab+8a, 16bc+17, Matt 10:17-22
12/27/17 1 John 1:1-4, Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12, John 20:1a, 2-8
12/28/17 1 John 1:5—2:2, Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8, Matt 2:13-18
12/29/17 1 John 2:3-11, Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6, Luke 2:22-35
12/30/17 1 John 2:12-17, Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, Luke 2:36-40
1/1/18 Num 6:22-27, Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8, Gal 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21
1/2/18 1 John 2:22-28, Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, John 1:19-28
1/3/18 1 John 2:29—3:6, Ps 98:1, 3cd-4, 5-6, John 1:29-34
1/4/18 1 John 3:7-10, Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9, John 1:35-42
1/5/18 1 John 3:11-21, Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5, John 1:43-51
1/6/18 1 John 5:5-13, Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20, Mark 1:7-11 or Luke 3:23-38
I wonder as I wander
First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2017
You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander? – from Isaiah 63
The carol’s lyrics are pastoral, peaceful, musing. My own wandering is chaotic, stressful and embarrassing. I am afraid when I shouldn’t be. I do anything I can to regain control over what is too often beyond my control.
There is a moment, though, when rather than exploding in a cloud of dust, I breathe and stop and rest. This is the moment of remembrance. I remember that God is my father and my redeemer who is named forever.
Without these recurring moments I think I would have been long gone by now, strangled by some misshaped idea that I am in charge of my life.
I’m just not.
And I ask with Isaiah, “Why do you let us wander, Lord?” I forget time and again every day that I can turn to my redeemer who is named forever, and take a breath. Wait once more for the quiet touch of my ever-present Father.
Do I have to go through this gauntlet of forgetfulness? I think perhaps the answer is “yes.” I carry the eternal illness we all recognize: the getting-ahead-of God-disease we sometimes call “sin.”
But as one of God’s children, I have been given an antidote: the authority to believe that my father really is right here, and all I have to do is sit down and he will sit down with me.
This is a most precious gift. I am so thankful for it.
Jesus, you tell me to watch, to be alert. Nothing is more important than this. You will protect what your right hand has planted. You allow me to believe you, and I do. I know that my redeemer lives.
http://www.davesandel.net/category/advent-and-christmas-devotions-2017/
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1617
