Saturday, December 24, 2022

The Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, December 24, 2022

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The Daily Bible Readings
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Luke 1:46b-55; Isaiah 60:1-6; Luke 1:67-80
(Revised Common Lectionary Year A)

(My soul gives glory to God)
Mary’s Song of Praise
46 “My soul magnifies the Lord,
47   and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his
         servant.
     Surely, from now on all generations will call me
         blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
     and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
     from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
     he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their
         hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
     and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
     and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
     in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
     to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”


(Arise shine!)
The Ingathering of the Dispersed
1  Arise, shine; for your light has come,
     and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2  For darkness shall cover the earth,
     and thick darkness the peoples;
   but the Lord will arise upon you,
     and his glory will appear over you.
3  Nations shall come to your light,
     and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

4  Lift up your eyes and look around;
     they all gather together, they come to you;
   your sons shall come from far away,
     and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’
         arms.
5  Then you shall see and be radiant;
     your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
   because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
     the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6  A multitude of camels shall cover you,
     the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
     all those from Sheba shall come.
   They shall bring gold and frankincense,
     and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.


(The song of Zechariah)
Zechariah’s Prophecy
1:67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy:

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
     for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed
         them.
69 He has raised up a mighty savior for us
     in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from
         of old,
71   that we would be saved from our enemies and from the
         hand of all who hate us.
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
     and has remembered his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
     to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hands of
         our enemies,
   might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and
         righteousness
     before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most
         High;
     for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
     by the forgiveness of their sins.
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
     the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the
         shadow of death,
     to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

Optional parts of the readings are set off in [square brackets.]

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.

The Daily Lectionary is a three year cyclical lectionary. We are currently in Year A. Beginning with the first Sunday of Advent in 2023, we will be in Year B. The year which ended at Advent 2022 was Year A. These readings complement the Sunday and festival readings: Thursday through Saturday readings help prepare the reader for the Sunday ahead; Monday through Wednesday readings help the reader reflect and digest on what they heard in worship. Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright © 2005 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org
The Daily Bible Readings for Saturday, December 24, 2022
Luke 1:46b-55; Isaiah 60:1-6; Luke 1:67-80

The Morning Prayer for Saturday, December 24, 2022

 

The Morning Prayer
Saturday, December 24, 2022


But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."… Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Lord God, our Father in heaven, you have sent us the Savior, who was born to bring great joy to all people. Glorify your name, we pray. Give the world the peace you alone can give, the peace that wells up in our hearts. Let your favor rest on us so that we may hold out under our sufferings on earth. We need your loving help to remain inwardly steadfast until everyone can be reached by the message, "Be strong in the grace of Jesus Christ." Amen.
 

Verse of the Day
Friday, December 24, 2021


Luke 2:16-20
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
These shepherds are good examples for us to imitate today. They received by faith the message God sent them and then responded with immediate obedience. After finding the Baby, they reported the good news to others, “glorifying and praising God” (2:20). They took the place of the angels (vv. 13, 14)! Then they humbly returned to their duties, new men going back to the same old job.

For some reason, shepherds were not permitted to testify in court, but God used some humble shepherds to be the first human witnesses that prophecy had been fulfilled and the Messiah had been born. As a result, “all those who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (v. 18).

The angels have never experienced the grace of God, so they can’t bear witness as we can. Telling others about the Savior is our solemn obligation as well as our great privilege. We who are believers must be faithful!


Read all of Luke Chapter 2

Listen to Luke Chapter 2


Scripture from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

That The World May Know | The True Christmas Story

 

That The World May Know
The True Christmas Story


The ancient land of Israel is a testimony, an evidence if you will, of the greatness of what God did in that country, a testimony to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of the Bible.

Tiny Bethlehem lay in the shadow of the Herodian, the magnificent home of Herod the Great. In this remarkable program, historian and teacher Ray Vander Laan leads a tour through the palace ruins, the modest dwellings of Bethlehem, and other historical sites in Israel. The contrast between the grandeur of Palestine's king and the humility of the King of kings will astound you!
 
The True Christmas Story