Today is Saturday, Dec. 3, the seventh day in the Advent season.
Morning
Praise and Thanksgiving. Let’s begin by prayerfully reading Psalm 24.
Let’s also praise God, simply acknowledging who God is:
“Dear Lord, we lower our eyes and bow our heads in your presence, knowing full well that you are the Creator and we are merely the created. And yet, you lift up our heads and let us know we are loved. You turn our eyes to the cross so we can see the easy path to salvation you have cleared for us. Fill us with your grace so that we may worship and praise you properly through the day. Thank you for the gifts you have given us, gifts of eternal value! Amen.”
Confession. Let’s bring before God how we have strayed from his will, knowing our Lord will forgive us. Let’s be bold enough to name our sins, even if they seem small, so we squash them before they grow. Let’s open our hands and receive his forgiving grace.
Petitions. Ask for God’s intervention, be our concerns global, national or local, in our schools, churches and communities, or in our families and homes. And certainly, let’s ask that our individual needs be fulfilled, especially where there is spiritual poverty in our hearts.
Scripture. John 1:19-28. What is your role in the coming of Christ’s kingdom?
Silence.
Noon
Let’s continue to pray this prayer together daily:
“Lord, we have entered a season of expectation. We remember the Israelites’ past desire for a savior to arrive, and we mirror what they felt as we long now for the return of Jesus Christ. Come Lord Jesus, come! We pray this with some trepidation, knowing we never feel completely ready for such a day, and that loved ones around us may not be ready. And yet we continue to pray, Come Lord Jesus, come! We trust that your grace at your return will so overwhelm sin and death that all will be set right. As we pray for your full arrival, teach us how to make ourselves ready, living as watchful people. Amen.”
Night
At a minimum, let’s spend some significant time in a quiet, reflective state before retiring for the night. Embrace the day’s spiritual victories and release the failures.
If it has been a while since you tried the meditation techniques offered earlier, might this be a good night to try again?
And as you sleep, may visions of future service in Christ’s name inspire you.
Methodist Life 