Prayer

Come to my heart, Lord Jesus. There is room in my heart for you. Amen.

Monday - Isaiah 11:1-9

The prophet Isaiah, writing many years before Jesus' birth, foresaw that the Messiah would come to bring hope and peace to the land. What phrases or images leap out to you as you read this passage? How does Christmas bring hope and peace to you?

Tuesday - Isaiah 11:1-9

Read this passage again. When you come to verses 6-9, ponder what it would mean to live in hope and peace like this today? A Christmas like this would eliminate fear and violence. How can your Christmas become like that today? How do you live in hope and peace?

Wednesday - Psalm 72

This Psalm was likely written in celebration of one of Israel's kings, perhaps Solomon. But long after the kings of Israel disappeared, it was still used because it focused our eyes on the reign of God in the world. What images speak to you about God's reign today? How do we become partners with God today?

Thursday - Psalm 72

Likely this Psalm was written for one of the kings of Israel, perhaps Solomon. But what if we were to read the Psalm thinking of the birth of Jesus? How does it express our hopes an dreams for the coming of the Messiah today?

Friday - Romans 8:7-13

Leap ahead to the New Testament and Paul's letter to the church in Rome. Likely, most of the church was made up of Gentile converts. Long they had thought they were left out. They were not the chosen ones. But Paul offers hope. What is it? Is that hope offered for us, too? How can we experience that hope today?

Saturday - Hebrews 1:1-4

In the past, God spoke through many leaders: judges, prophets, and other dynamic leaders. But in these last days, God has spoken through whom? How does Christmas reveal this wisdom to us today? If Jesus is the full revelation of God's nature and character, what do we know about God?