Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 108

Scripture for Christmas Eve

Luke 2:1-7 (ESV)

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Heavenly Father, we see pretty ceramic and wood Nativity sets and stained glass windows and imagine the birth of Christ as a beautiful glorious event. It was beautiful and glorious because the Child who was born was Your Son, come to earth to save our sins. But He gave up all the glories of Heaven to be born in a dirty, smelly barn filled with smelly, noisy animals. And the only place to lay the precious Babe was in the animals’ feed trough on a bed of hay. How much you love us to go through this for our individual salvation! Help us to love You as You love us and to understand and appreciate the sacrifices made for our sake. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

© Depositphotos.com/maystra

Scripture for Monday after the Fourth Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 35:1-10 (ESV)

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;

the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;

2 it shall blossom abundantly

and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,

the majesty of our God.

3 Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,

“Be strong; fear not!

Behold, your God

will come with vengeance,

with the recompense of God.

He will come and save you.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

For waters break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

8 And a highway shall be there,

and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;

the unclean shall not pass over it.

It shall belong to those who walk on the way;

even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.

9 No lion shall be there,

nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,

but the redeemed shall walk there.

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain gladness and joy,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Lord, lead us in the way of holiness. We are ready to return to Zion with singing and gladness and everlasting joy. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Scripture for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

Luke 2:8-16 (ESV)

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Lord God, thank You for appearing to the shepherds—ordinary, working men doing their ordinary work. You did not show Yourself to kings or rich men, but to the least of those in the society of the day. As a result, we know that You care about each of us, ordinary people doing our ordinary work. You sent Jesus to us for our salvation. May we see the glory in the skies rather than the ordinariness of our world and worship the Lord, our Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In His name. Amen.

Scripture for Saturday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 2:12-2 (ESV)

2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Dear God, we read of the Wise Men in these days of technological wonders and modern transportation, and we forget how different their travels were. They had the guiding light of the star, but they had no GPS, no airplanes, no ships, no autos. They traveled on camels long distances through harsh climactic conditions with no travel comforts. They weren’t even Jews, but they saw the star and followed it, knowing that signified something of great portent. Help us to feel that same wondrous sense that the world was being changed. The tiny babe they traveled far to see would save the world from sin and death to all who believed on Him. In His name we pray. Amen

Scripture for Friday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Micah 5:2-5a (ESV)

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days.

3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has given birth;

then the rest of his brothers shall return

to the people of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,

in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth.

5 And he shall be their peace.

Lord God, You chose the little village of Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the Savior of the world. You passed up all the larger, well-known, more affluent cities of the time. You ignored king’s houses and rich mansion and chose a stable and a manger for the birthing room. Your choices remind us that You can even the least of us. Even though we may feel we’re not good enough or smart enough or something-else enough to do great things for You, You make it possible for ordinary people in ordinary places to do extraordinary miracles. Thank You, Lord, and help us to hear Your voice and answer Your call. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture for Thursday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 2:13-15 (ESV)

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Lord, most of us do not have angels appear to us in dreams, but You speak to each of us in a variety of ways. You use Scripture, words from friends, sermons, hymns, the ordinary events of life, and things that appear to be coincidences to show us Your will. Help us to be as ready to listen and to obey as Joseph was when the angel appeared to him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture for Wednesday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 2:16-18 (ESV)

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Heavenly Father, we know Your plan is perfect and for our good, but it’s hard for us to understand the slaughter of innocent children. Babies—wished-for sons, beloved children—killed only because Herod was angry. Today children are slaughtered in the womb by the millions. Help us bring an end to these innocent deaths. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Scripture for Tuesday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Lord, Joseph must have been devastated to learn that Mary was pregnant. He knew the child was not his, so it looked like Mary had been unfaithful. Yet he didn’t hesitate to accept Your Word in his dream. He got up and followed Your instructions, even though many people thought either that Joseph and Mary had anticipated their wedding vows or even that Mary was pregnant by another man. With no hesitation, Joseph believed Your Word and did what You asked. Lord, give us that strong faith that no matter You ask us to do, we will be ready to take on the task, regardless of how the world reacts. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture for Monday after the Third Sunday in Advent

Luke 1:46-55 (ESV)

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

50 And 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 mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate;

53 he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

55 as he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Dear God, what a beautiful song of praise Mary sang for You! She was thanking You for her blessings at a time when she expected to be reviled and scorned by her community for being pregnant out of wedlock. She knew she was facing very difficult challenges—if Joseph renounced her, she would have no livelihood. She probably feared that even her family would disown, for who would believe that a young, poor, naïve girl would be chosen to be the Mother of God? Yet in spite of all these difficulties she was facing, Mary chose to thank You and praise You for choosing her to carry out His plan. Her only interest was that God’s will be done, regardless of what to her personally. Give us that kind of faith, Lord—a trust in You that knows whatever You plan is good, a confidence that You will carry us through any hardships that we encounter in following Your will, a love for You that transcends fear and doubt. Help us, with Mary, to praise You for Your promises and their fulfillment. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture for the Third Sunday in Advent

Matthew 2:7-10 (ESV)

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Lord God Almighty, only You, who made all the stars and the heavens that contain them, could create a special star to guide the Wise Men to the Holy Child. We are filled with awe and wonder at Your creative might, but that power is faint compared to the magnitude of Your love for us and Your wonderful plan for the whole world and for each of us individually. Help us to realize how much You love us and to live our lives in gratitude and worship for Your great glory and Your great love. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.