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Daily Worship

Bible readings and resources for your time with God

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December 19 | Psalm 113


DAILY READING

REFLECTION

Angels All Around Us

by Judy Webb

 

Psalm 113

“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord you his servants; praise the name of the Lord. Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:1-3)


Let us designate these three verses as a morning prayer of praise, especially during Advent. I often struggle to pray first thing in the day, as I want to begin on a special note. Allowing praise to be the first step each morning accomplishes this for me. These words give me pause as I reflect on all the blessing God has provided, as well as remind me to give thanks for them. There was a season about five years ago when gratitude was difficult. I had to stop and examine my heart and change my thinking. I prayed for contentment, for daily joy and happiness and I soon recognized all that God had done for me, all that He had given me.


I am pondering all the various characters we encounter during Advent and rejoice in their role in this miraculous event. Mary - who accepted the words of the Angel and began to praise God for blessing her so. Joseph - who listened to the Angel and did what he was told. He took Mary to his side and protected her. Elizabeth - who helped Mary accept her new role as she shared what she knew about the child she herself was carrying. Zechariah - who first questioned, and then believed what the Angel told him. And of course, the shepherds - who saw the star and followed it after an Angel appeared to them.


“Praise the Lord.” (v. 9)


As we can see, Angels play a large part in this story. As Angel Gabriel said to Zechariah, “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.” (Luke 1:19) I believe angels still play an active role in our lives - if we believe in them or not.

 

 

PRAYER

Dear Lord,

Thank you for these Angels who care for us because You sent them. Help us recognize and appreciate their holy guidance and loving direction. I know that if not for a supernatural being intervening in my life, I would not be doing so well. Thank you again.






ABOUT THE AUTHOR


JUDY WEBB




I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.




 
 
 

DECEMBER 18 | Revelation 12:1-6


DAILY READING


REFLECTION

 

Understanding God's Word: Breaking Down The Symbolism

By Kathleen Serio

 

“What in the world did I just read?” That was my first thought after reading this passage, which was followed rather quickly by, “oh my dear, Revelation, why must you live up to your stereotype of being confusing and weird?” This thought was followed by a prayer:, “God what is it that you want me to do with this passage? What can I possibly share to gain something worthwhile from this seemingly wacky story?” Well, sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. What can I do with something weird that doesn’t make any sense? I can try and help it make sense!

 

So, I dove into some research about this passage, and true to all the things I knew of Revelation growing up, this passage is FULL of symbolism and hidden references. I should note now that I am failing all of my past English teachers and am being bad about citing references, but I will link all of the resources I used at the end of this in case you want to dive deeper into this passage.

 

The Woman is Israel, and the 12 stars are the 12 tribes of Israel. The Woman, or God’s Bride, has the job of delivering Jesus, The Child. Just as God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12, Israel birthed Christ.

 

Next, we have The Dragon. As you might guess, The Dragon is the Devil, Satan. The 7 heads and crowns are believed to be referring to the 7 kingdoms which were nations that ruled over Jerusalem. The 10 horns point to the final kingdom and the 10 kings that shall rule (Daniel 7:7, 24 and Revelation 17:12). The Dragon sweeping stars from the sky and flinging them to earth can be seen as warfare that Satan inflicts on us.

 

With regard to The Child, Jesus Christ, Rulers were determined to kill Jesus even before He was born: from Pharaoh ordering the death of Hebrew born males in Exodus 1, to Herod ordering the death of all male children born in Bethlehem of a certain age in Matthew 2. The iron scepter with which Jesus will rule is also talked about in Psalm 2 where we read of a promise of God that connects to the covenant God made with Abraham in regard to Jesus and His rule over all.

God takes The Child to His throne. This can be seen as Jesus’ ascension into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

 

Recall that The Woman is Israel, God’s people. God prepared a place for her just as Jesus prepares a place for us (John 14:2). The 1,260 days converts to 42 months, which connects to passages in Daniel calling to the time in between Jesus’ death and resurrection and the second coming. Personally, I first thought of God protecting Jesus in the desert when Satan tested him for 40 days and nights. The key here is God protecting His people.

 

So overall I have come to see this passage as this:

God fulfilling His promise to Abraham for Jesus to be one of his descendants, coming from the 12 tribes of Jacob, the nation of Israel. The time leading up to Jesus’ birth was not easy for Israel. The Devil tried to attack God’s people. The Devil not only wanted to destroy God’s people, but Jesus Himself; however, he fails as God protects both His people and His son. Jesus will come back to us to rule, and until that time when Jesus comes, God will protect His people and care for us.


PRAYER

God thank you for the resources we have been given to be able to better understand Your Word. Thank you for the protection you give us from Satan and for the gift of Jesus. Thank you for the season of Advent where we can prepare ourselves for the birth of Your Son; where we can look back on all of the promises that You have fulfilled to us; and know that the promises yet to be fulfilled surely will be.


Resources

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


KATHLEEN SERIO

I grew up at UALC and have been blessed to have many role models in this church. They encouraged me to pursue my passions including volunteering with Young Kids’ VBS, HSM, teaching Sunday School, small groups, Operation Christmas Child, mission trips, ushering, and more. It has been a joy to go from participating in ministries as a kid to becoming a leader as an adult.


 
 
 

December 17 | Micah 5:1-5


DAILY READING


REFLECTION

 

The Gift of Peace

By Kim Starr

 

We are in the midst of Advent – a time of anticipating the birth of Jesus, our long-awaited Messiah and King. All focus during this time is on the hope-filled arrival of Jesus.

 

The people in Micah’s day were enslaved to the Assyrians and had been for a while. Micah tells the people to expect judgment to come upon them and informs them that they will remain in bondage until the Messiah arrives. I’m sure the people were unhappy with Micah’s news because it meant more waiting, something they seemed to do a lot.

 

As God promised, the Messiah will come from the people of Israel and He will accomplish the will of God. The Messiah’s mission was determined “from of old, from ancient days” because he has always existed ruling and reigning from heaven with God. (v. 2) It was God’s plan from the very beginning to bring the Messiah to earth to accomplish His will. For Christians, our hope, our peace, and our comfort come from God, the Messiah. Jesus was born to give us peace with God.


The Messiah came at the right time just as God intended. This Christmas is coming at the right time, too. Even though it feels like much of our world is full of uncertainties, whether it is pressures at work, stress over the economy and our finances, challenges over personal relationships with family, friends, and neighbors, or a situation we choose to name, Micah reminds us that we can have peace through Christ if we truly rest in him. We need to put all our anxieties aside and look to where Micah is pointing us – to a humble boy born in Bethlehem who came to make peace for all of us by his blood on the cross. Let our focus be on His arrival.


PRAYER


Oh Lord, as we anticipate you coming help us to focus on your birth and how all of our hopes and fears are met in your arrival. Your gift gives us the opportunity to receive blessings from heaven. When we receive you, you will enter our hearts, cast out our sin, and be born in us. We ask that you come to us, abide with us and give us your peace. Amen.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


KIM STARR

I have been a member of UALC since I was 2-years-old. Over my life I have participated in, and volunteered for, numerous ministries, programs, and activities, all of which have grown and strengthened my faith. I have been blessed beyond measure by not only being a part of this congregation, but also by being able to worship with three generations of my family.



 
 
 
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