Lillie Ammann's Blog, page 147

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, a favorite Advent hymn, is performed beautifully by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge.

Related Posts:Lucky MeWhere's the Line to See Jesus?Have Thine Own Way, LordTempest Milky Way: The Power and Majesty of GodUnto Us a Child a BornPowered by Contextual Related PostsO Come, O Come, Emmanuel was first posted on December 2, 2011 at 12:48 am.
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Devotion for the First Friday in Advent

Isaiah 5:20-23 (ESV)

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, and deprive the innocent of his right!

Heavenly Father, guide our footsteps in Your wayl Guard our thoughts and words so we do not call evil good and good evil. Remind us not to be wise in our own eyes, but to turn to You and You alone for help and salvation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Devotion for the First Thursday in Advent

Psalm 24:7-10 (ESV)

7 Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?

The Lord, strong and mighty,

the Lord, mighty in battle!

9 Lift up your heads, O gates!

And lift them up, O ancient doors,

that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is this King of glory?

The Lord of hosts,

he is the King of glory! Selah

Lord, we lift up our heads and open the gates of our hearts to welcome You and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for Palm SundayGlobal Day of Prayer: Prayer for the WorldScripture for the Fourth Thursday in Advent 2010Global Day of Prayer 2009Global Day of Prayer 2011Powered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for the First Thursday in Advent was first posted on December 1, 2011 at 12:18 am.
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Devotion for the First Wednesday in Advent

Isaiah 2:17 (ESV)

And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Lord, humble our haughtiness, bring low our lofty pride, and let us exalt You and prepare for the coming of Christ in our hearts, in the world, and in the future. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Devotion for the First Tuesday in Advent

Luke 3:10-14 (ESV)

10 And the crowds asked him [John the Baptist], "What then shall we do?" 11 And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" 13 And he said to them, "Collect no more than you are authorized to do." 14 Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

Heavenly Father, we think of Advent as a time of prayer and contemplation in preparation for the coming of Christ. Yet John the Baptist reminds us we need to do more—we must live our lives in accordance with Your Word, putting our faith into action. Help us to help others and to treat all of your children with justice and mercy, as You treat us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Posts:Scripture for the Third Saturday in Advent 2010Third Saturday in Lent 2011Scripture for the First Sunday in AdventAdventScripture for the Fourth Monday in AdventPowered by Contextual Related PostsDevotion for the First Tuesday in Advent was first posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:43 am.
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Devotion for the First Monday in Advent

Mark 1:2-8 (ESV)

2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,

"Behold, I send my messenger before your face,

who will prepare your way,

3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,'"

4 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Lord, the voice is crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. We prepare the way for Lord and make the pathways straight by repenting of our sins and asking Your forgiveness. We confess that we have done what we should not have done and we have not done what we should have done. Forgive us, cleanse our hearts, and lead in Your righteous paths. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Devotion for the First Sunday in Advent

1 Thessalonians 5:2-8 (ESV)

2 The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

Heavenly Father, in this Advent season, we prepare for the day You will come as a thief in the night. Empower us by the Holy Spirit to be sober and garbed in the breastplate of faith and love, wearing a helmet of the hope of salvation. Amen.

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Advent 2011

Last Friday was "Black Friday," the busiest shopping day of the year. Tomorrow is "Cyber Monday," to promote online shopping. People are busy planning Christmas parties, sending greeting cards, and decorating for "the holidays." In the midst of all this busy-ness, it's easy to lose track of "the reason for the season," to forget that Christmas is a holy day, not just a holiday.

Today, the First Sunday in Advent, is the beginning of the Christian year. Advent is a time of preparation leading up to Christmas. Liturgical Christians celebrate three different Advents: the Advent of Jesus' birth on earth more than two centuries ago, the Advent of Jesus' coming into our hearts when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and the Advent of His coming again in glory at the end of time. The Bible teaches us to be ever-ready as we don't know when the Lord will return. Advent is a time to prepare … to get ready.

I invite you to join me in brief daily Advent devotions here on my blog and encourage you to spent more time with the Lord in prayer, devotion, and Bible study during this special time.

As my Advent gift to you, I have created Scripture/prayer cards. You can download the PDF file, print the Scriptures on one side of the heavy paper or card stock and the prayers on the other, cut the page into cards, and carry them with you in your purse or pocket.

May this holy season refresh your spirit and bring you closer to God.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, 1928 Book of Common Prayer)

photo credit: mattjlc

Related Posts:AdventAdvent and My Gift to YouAdventScripture for the First Wednesday in Advent 2010Scripture for the First Sunday in AdventPowered by Contextual Related PostsAdvent 2011 was first posted on November 27, 2011 at 12:21 am.
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A Milestone: 1,000,000+ …

I'd love to have a million book sales or a million dollars or a million comments. But a million spam comments? Not so much. I happened to look at my Akismet stats today, and this is what I saw:

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Related Posts:Self-Publishing Can Pay Off … Big-TimeA Milestone: Post 30020,000 Comments!Fuel My BlogSuccess!Powered by Contextual Related PostsA Milestone: 1,000,000+ … was first posted on November 26, 2011 at 2:53 pm.
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Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving is not about food, family, or football. Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we enjoy.

TO our prayers, O Lord, we join our unfeigned thanks for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment, and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provocations; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care and watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of this day; beseeching thee to continue these thy blessings to us, and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and intercession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. ~ Family Evening Prayer, 1928 Book of Common Prayer

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4, KJV

photo credit: Joybot

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