Week: The Advent Voices - Heaven
Each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Lord Jesus, we are excited to be celebrating Your birth this Christmas. Amongst all the busyness of this season – all the planning and the preparations – please help us to pause and be still. We open our ears to hear You now, and we prepare our hearts to receive You once again.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Vera Lynn
Luke 2:10
The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.’
Luke 2:10 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we are REFLECTING on what happened when the angels told the shepherds where to find the baby Jesus.
Read by Vera Lynn
Luke 2:16-18
So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a feeding trough. When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:16-18 (NCV)
In the time when the Bible was written, people didn’t think shepherds were that important. They weren’t special, they were just… ordinary. And yet God chose a group of these shepherds, on a hillside outside Bethlehem, and He sent His angels to tell them where to find the baby Jesus. God chose these ordinary people to be His first evangelists – the first people to tell other people the extraordinary good news that Jesus, God’s only Son, had come into the world. And everyone was amazed at what the shepherds told them.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What was the last thing we heard about that made us feel… that was amazing?
Here’s something amazing, and worth remembering – no-one is more (or less) important than anyone else! Having particular jobs or talents doesn’t make one person more important than another person. Having more friends doesn’t. And having more money definitely doesn’t. We’re all equally important to God. Let’s think about this as we pray together.
Father God, You made each of us unique and different, and yet You love us equally. We ASK You to help us remember that we are all important to You, and that You have plans for each of our lives, just like You did for the shepherds.
In today’s Bible passage, we read that the shepherds were the first to tell other people the extraordinary good news about Jesus, and that people were amazed by what they heard.
Lord Jesus, we pray for those who will hear about You, perhaps for the first time, during this Christmas season. Maybe they will visit a church service or maybe they will ask a Christian friend to tell them about You. We ASK that they would be amazed by what they hear, and that they would want to know more.
If we’ve got a friend or a family member who doesn’t know Jesus yet, maybe we could invite them to visit our church? If so, let’s quietly whisper their names and ASK God to give us the courage, and an opportunity to invite them along soon.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
Luke 2:16-18
So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a feeding trough. When they had seen him, they told what the angels had said about this child. Everyone was amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
Luke 2:16-18 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, thank you that You trust ordinary people like us to tell other people the extraordinary good news about Your Son, Jesus. We say YES to being a bit more brave and courageous.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Luke 2:10
The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.’
Luke 2:10 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Vera Lynn is 10 years old and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA with her parents, sister, and dog Max. Her favourite hobbies include reading, knitting, sewing, and embroidery. She is very creative. Her favourite book is The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis.
