Week: Voices of Advent
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’re looking forward to celebrating Your birth this Christmas. Help us to be still amongst all the planning and the preparations, to rest in Your presence and remember what and who we are celebrating.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Jackson R
Matthew 1:23
‘She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us.’
Matthew 1:23b (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a brave decision that Joseph made after he found out Mary was going to have a baby.
Read by Jackson R
Matthew 1:18-21,24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, ‘Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife.
Matthew 1:18-21,24 (NCV)
God chose Mary to carry His Son, and she became pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
At first, Joseph didn’t understand how this was possible, and he wondered if maybe he shouldn’t marry her after all. But God then spoke to Joseph about His plan and so he stayed with Mary, married her, and went on to help raise Jesus as his own son. Some people were probably a bit confused about what had happened, and maybe Joseph was too, but he chose to trust God anyway.
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What was the last dream we had that we can remember?
And now, let’s ASK God to help us and others.
Lord God, we ASK for Your strength to do the right thing – even when it’s hard, or when people around us disagree with what we are doing. Help us to hear Your voice, Holy Spirit, and give us courage to do what You say.
Let’s pray for those who feel like they’re stuck in an impossible situation right now – maybe we know someone like this?
Loving God, we ASK You to be with those who are in situations where they really don’t know what to do. We ASK You to be with them, to give them courage to trust You, and to make the right choices.
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.
Matthew 1:18-21,24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly. While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, ‘Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife.
Matthew 1:18-21,24 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, as we think about Joseph’s support for Mary, let’s say YES to God together using some words from the Bible.
Loving God, we say YES to trusting You, even when things are confusing and even a little bit scary. Help us to always do what is right.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 1:23
‘She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel,’ which means ‘God is with us.’
Matthew 1:23b (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.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Jackson is 11 and lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
