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Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas Day Year B Old Testament Isaiah 61:10–62:3 Psalm Psalm 148 (UMH 861) New Testament Galatians 4:4–7 Gospel Luke 2:22–40  Vanderbilt Divinity Library. United Methodist Revised Common Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009. Print.

December 31 Lesson 5 ( KJV ) Faith to Unite Devotional Reading: Psalm 68:1–6 , 15–20 , 32–35 Background Scripture: Ephesians 4 Ephesians 4:1–16 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called , 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism , 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10...

Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas Old Testament Isaiah 42:1–4 Psalm Psalm 103 New Testament Galatians 4:1–7 Gospel Luke 2:25–38   Christian Worship One Year Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009. Print.

Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas :  Holy Family Year B Old Testament Isaiah 61:10–62:3 Psalm Psalm 148 New Testament Galatians 4:4–7 Gospel Luke 2:22–40   Revised Common Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009. Print.

Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas Holy Family Sunday within the Octave of Christmas Year B | Roman Missal | Lectionary First Reading Sirach 3:2–6 , 12–14 or Genesis 15:1–6 , 21:1–3 Response & Psalm , Option I Response Psalm 128:1 Psalm Psalm 128:1–5 or Response & Psalm , Option II Response Psalm 105:7a , 8a Psalm Psalm 105:1–9 Second Reading Colossians 3:12–21 or Colossians 3:12–17 or Hebrews 11:8 , 11–12 , 17–19 Gospel Acclamation Hebrews 1:1–2 Gospel Luke 2:22–40 or Luke 2:22 , 39–40   Catholic Daily Readings . Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2009. Print.

Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas Year B On the same date: New Year’s Eve Old Testament Isaiah 61:10–62:3 Psalm Psalm 111 Epistle Galatians 4:4–7 Gospel Luke 2:22–40   Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Concordia Publishing House, 2009. Print.

Sunday, December 31, 2017 | Christmas First Sunday after Christmas Years ABC First Reading Isaiah 61:10–62:3 Psalm Psalm 147 or Psalm 147:13–20 Second Reading Galatians 3:23–25 , 4:4–7 Gospel John 1:1–18   Episcopal Church (USA) Revised Common Lectionary . Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016. Print.

SIXTH DAY OF THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS Catholic Daily Readings First Reading 1 Jn 2:12–17 Response Ps 96:11a Psalm Ps 96:7–10 Gospel Lk 2:36–40 DECEMBER 30 Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings Psalm Ps 148 First Reading Pr 9:1–12 Second Reading 2 Pe 3:8–13 Today DECEMBER 30 Book of Common Prayer (1979) Daily Office Lectionary Psalms (Morning) Ps 20; 21:1–7, 8–13 Psalms (Evening) Ps 23; 27 Old Testament 1 Ki 17:17–24 New Testament Re 1:9–20 Gospel Jn 7:53–8:11 DECEMBER 30, MORNING PRAYER Book of Common Prayer (1928) Daily Office Lectionary Psalm Ps 33 First Reading Is 59:1–3, 15b–21 Second Reading 1 Jn 2:1–17

December 31 Lesson 5 ( KJV ) Faith to Unite Devotional Reading: Psalm 68:1–6 , 15–20 , 32–35 Background Scripture : Ephesians 4 Ephesians 4:1–16 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called , 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism , 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10...

December 30 Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord Gen. 6:8 Noah found grace in the same way that Paul obtained mercy ( 1 Tim. 1:16 ), namely, by mercy’s taking hold of him. Selected  Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour . Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

December 30: The Proverbs 31 Woman Lamentations 3:1–66; Romans 15:22–33; Proverbs 31:1–19 A Proverbs 31 woman is hard to find, but it isn’t for lack of effort. She’s been the topic of more than a few Bible studies. She can be recognized by her many positive traits—strong, courageous, and trustworthy. She is hardworking, discerning, giving, dignified, business savvy, wise, and kind. If we’re looking for a vice or an Achilles heel, we’ll have to turn to another passage in the ot (we’re sure to find more failures than achievers within its pages). As we look through the list of qualities, though, it’s hard to check them all off, even for Type-A personalities. But the key to understanding the list of characteristics isn’t found in what we can attain. It’s found in the last verse —the crux of the poem. The crown of the woman’s wisdom isn’t her charm or her beauty or even her ability to “get things done.” It is her fear of Yahweh. This relationship with God guides all of her actions...

December 30th “And every virtue we possess” All my fresh springs shall be in Thee. Psalm 87:7 ( P.B.V .). Our Lord never patches up our natural virtues, He remakes the whole man on the inside. “Put on the new man” —see that your natural human life puts on the garb that is in keeping with the new life. The life God plants in us develops its own virtues, not the virtues of Adam but of Jesus Christ. Watch how God will wither up your confidence in natural virtues after sanctification, and in any power you have, until you learn to draw your life from the reservoir of the resurrection life of Jesus. Thank God if you are going through a drying-up experience! The sign that God is at work in us is that He corrupts confidence in the natural virtues, because they are not promises of what we are going to be, but remnants of what God created man to be. We will cling to the natural virtues, while all the time God is trying to get us into contact with the life of Jesus Christ which can ne...

Morning, December 30 Go To Evening Reading “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” — Ecclesiastes 7:8 Look at David’s Lord and Master; see his beginning. He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Would you see the end? He sits at his Father’s right hand, expecting until his enemies be made his footstool. “As he is, so are we also in this world.” You must bear the cross, or you shall never wear the crown; you must wade through the mire, or you shall never walk the golden pavement. Cheer up, then, poor Christian. “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” See that creeping worm, how contemptible its appearance! It is the beginning of a thing. Mark that insect with gorgeous wings, playing in the sunbeams, sipping at the flower bells, full of happiness and life; that is the end thereof. That caterpillar is yourself, until you are wrapped up in the chrysalis of death; but when Christ shall appear you sh...

Today FIFTH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS Catholic Daily Readings First Reading 1 Jn 2:3–11 Response Ps 96:11a Psalm Ps 96:1–3, 5b–6 Gospel Acclamation Lk 2:32 Gospel Lk 2:22–35 Today DAVID Lutheran Service Book Three Year Lectionary Today DECEMBER 29 Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings Psalm Ps 148 First Reading Is 49:5–15 Second Reading Mt 12:46–50 FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT, MORNING PRAYER Book of Common Prayer (1928) Daily Office Lectionary Psalm Ps 147 First Reading 1 Sa 2:1b–10 Second Reading Lk 1:57–66 Today THOMAS BECKET, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, 1170 Episcopal Church (USA) Revised Common Lectionary

December 28 The friendship of the world is enmity with God James 4:4 It is like the ivy with the oak. The ivy may give the oak a grand, beautiful appearance, but all the while it is feeding on its vitals. Are we compromising with the enemies of God? Are we being embraced by the world by its honors, its pleasures, its applause? This may add to us in the world’s estimation, but our strength becomes lost. Denham Smith  Hardman, Samuel G., and Dwight Lyman Moody. Thoughts for the Quiet Hour . Willow Grove, PA: Woodlawn Electronic Publishing, 1997. Print.

Paul’s Concern for His Kinsmen Excerpt Paul took special pains to let his readers know how deeply concerned he was about his kinsmen of the Jewish race. Were he to forget his roots and feel no pain for the spiritual state of his fellow countrymen, his integrity as an apostle to the Gentiles could have been called into question. What he was about to say was absolutely true. He spoke the truth “in Christ,” that is, in the presence of and accountable to the one who in his very nature is truth ( John  14:6 ). Paul’s conscience, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, assured him that he was speaking the truth. The conscience of those outside of Christ, while faulty, is nevertheless their best guide for conduct. But the believer has the privilege of a conscience informed by the Holy Spirit. Only then does conscience become a reliable guide for moral conduct. Paul was burdened with a great weight of sorrow. His heart was continually in anguish for his Jewish family.2 In fact, he could ...