Worship Devotional CII
Originally posted to the Facebook group on 12/18/2021.
Worship Devotional for 12/19/21
Psalm 74:
Why have You rejected us forever, God? Why does Your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe for Your own possession. Remember Mount Zion where You dwell. Make Your way to the everlasting ruins, to all that the enemy has destroyed in the sanctuary. Your adversaries roared in the meeting place where You met with us. They set up their emblems as signs. It was like men in a thicket of trees, wielding axes, then smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks. They set Your sanctuary on fire; they utterly desecrated the dwelling place of Your name. They said in their hearts, 'Let us oppress them relentlessly.' They burned down every place throughout the land where God met with us. There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer a prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last. God, how long will the enemy mock? Will the foe insult Your name forever? Why do You hold back Your hand? Stretch out Your right hand and destroy them!
God my King is from ancient times, performing saving acts on the earth. You divided the sea with Your strength; You smashed the heads of the sea monsters in the waters; You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert. You opened up springs and streams; You dried up ever-flowing rivers. The day is Yours, also the night; You established the moon and the sun. You set all the boundaries of the earth; You made summer and winter.
Remember this: the enemy has mocked Yahweh, and a foolish people has insulted Your name. Do not give the life of Your dove to beasts; do not forget the lives of Your poor people forever. Consider the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of violence. Do not let the oppressed turn away in shame; let the poor and needy praise Your name. Rise up, God, defend Your cause! Remember the insults that fools bring against You all day long. Do not forget the clamor of Your adversaries, the tumult of Your opponents that goes up constantly."
Matthew 1:18-25:
"The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.'
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God is with us.'
When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord's angel had commanded him. He married her but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus."
Luke 1:46-55:
"And Mary said: 'My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed, because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him. He has done a mighty deed with His arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts; He has toppled the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, mindful of His mercy, just as He spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever.'"
Isaiah 11:1-11:
"Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him — a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, a Spirit of counsel and strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, He will not execute justice by what He hears with His ears, but He will judge the poor righteously and execute justice for the oppressed of the land. He will strike the land with discipline from His mouth and He will kill the wicked with a command from His lips. Righteousness will be a belt around His loins; faithfulness will be a belt around His waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down will the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. An infant will play beside the cobra's pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake's den. None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water.
On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious."
Luke 1:67-79:
"Then [John's] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 'Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption to His people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets in ancient times; salvation from our enemies and from the clutches of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered His holy covenant — the oath that He swore to our father Abraham. He has given us the privilege, since we have been rescued from our enemies clutches, to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness in His presence all our days. And [John], you will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give His people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the Dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.'"
Isaiah 52:7-10:
"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald, who proclaims peace, who brings news of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!' The voices of your watchmen — they lift up their voices, shouting for joy together; for every eye will see when the Lord returns to Zion. Be joyful, rejoice together, you ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has displayed His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvations of our God."
Songs:
O Come O Come Emmanuel by Thomas Helmore and John Mason Neale
O Holy Night by Adolphe Charles Adam, Placide Cappeau, and John S. Dwight
Theme(s): Advent, Emmanuel, God With Us, Messiah's Birth, Hope, Light
Scripture references:
Psalms 2, 22, 74, 80, 95-100, 110, 130, 132
Isaiah 7:13-14, 9:1-7, 11:1-11, 42:1-17, 49:1-13, 50:4-11, 51:1-11, 52:7-10, 60:1-6, 61-62
Micah 5:2-4
Haggai 2:6-9
Malachi 4
Matthew 1-2, 4:12-17, 11:25-30
Luke 1-2
John 1:1-36, 3:13-21 & 31-36, 8:12, 12:34-50
Romans 5:12-21
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Ephesians 3, 5:1-21
Colossians 1:9-14, 2:2-3
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Hebrews 1-2, 10:19-25