With all the noise in the world, do you hear the voice of God? Your calendar tells you what to do, but do you remember who you are? Being comes before doing. This is a call to put first things first. Return to the Lord with this daily pattern of prayer and devotion. Set aside this time as a sanctuary. Find a space free of distraction and follow this pattern.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
If you have an advent wreath, light all four candles and pray:
Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. The light no darkness can overcome.
O Love Incarnate, draw near to me this hour and throughout the day. Teach me to love as you love – fully, sacrificially, and with great joy. Amen.
Word: John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Meditation
Merry Christmas! In our Advent Series, Light Has Come we focused on the four traditional themes of the advent wreath – hope, peace, joy, and love. All of these find their fullness in Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. Jesus is our hope. Jesus gives us a peace, a wholeness that we can get nowhere else. We rejoice because of what God has done for us through Jesus for in the manger, the cross, and the crown of Jesus we are loved by God.
The Light has Come. And the Light is coming again. In the beginning, God spoke and created light out of darkness. In his Gospel, John records that this Word of God brings light and life to all mankind. And at the end of the age, the Light will come again and God will dwell with his people forever.
Prayer for the Church
– For my local congregation, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
– For Christians across my community and city.
– For my denomination or church body.
– For repentance where God’s people have failed or erred.
– For the mission of God given to his people, that all nations know Him.
– For the church where she is persecuted for Christ’s name.
– For church plants and mission frontiers.
– For workers in the harvest: pastors, teachers, evangelists, servants.
– For the everyday, ordinary Christian to serve and witness as the priesthood of all believers.
– For the small, overlooked, and undervalued parts of the body of Christ.
Closing Prayer
O Light of the World, grant that we who have seen your glory at Christmas reflect your light to every corner of the world until the day you come again. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.