The promises of God are a cornerstone of our Christian spirituality. These beautiful statements from the Lord serve as a beacon of hope and guidance for us in every aspect of our lives (for fuller description, click on image above).
The Mighty Deeds of the Lord, Luke 1.46b-55
Mary magnified and rejoiced in the Lord, acknowledging his goodness to her. He has exalted the humble and lowly and humbled the proud and mighty. He has exalted those of humble estate, filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has remembered his mercy to his people as he spoke to Abraham and his heirs, Luke 1.46b-55.
Our Focus Today
God has remembered his mercy to his servant Israel, Luke 1.54-55.
Invocation
God of all comfort, you are a God of truth and integrity. You have remembered the mercy you gave to your servant, Israel. You assured Abraham and his descendants that you would raise up a champion from their line, in your time, and we believe that you will bless and redeem your people as you have sworn. Fulfill your word! Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Saturday: Job 8-11
God has remembered his mercy to his servant Israel, Luke 1.54-55.
Reflection
God is a faithful and truthful God who has always kept his promises. He has been remembered his word that he spoke to his people, Israel, the covenant he made with the people of Israel. As a God of truth and integrity he will bless and redeem his people, just as he promised our ancestor Abraham and his descendants.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
*In the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, the term catholic refers to the Church’s universality, through all ages and times, of all languages and peoples. It refers to no particular tradition or denominational expression (e.g., as in Roman Catholic).
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
Eternal God our Father, you have always kept your promises because you are faithful and truthful. You have remembered your covenant word you gave to his people, Israel. In the same way you promised our ancestor Abraham and his descendants to bring your Messiah, and you will bless and redeem your people as you have spoken. Maranatha! Amen.
Scripture Memory
Isaiah 9.6-7 (ESV)
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
Book Reading and Reflection
“Our Heavenly Father has been watching over us throughout all of history, saving us from destruction over and over again. He longs to convince us of his passionate love for each one of us, that relentless mercy which calls—and enables—us to share his own divine life, that fiery outpouring of love by which the Father eternally begets the Son in the Holy Spirit. Only an infinite, raging love such as appears among the Blessed Trinity can explain the mysteries of human sin and salvation.
Let’s face it, we humans really don’t want God to love us that much. It’s simply too demanding. Obedience is one thing, but this sort of love clearly calls for more than keeping commandments. It calls for nothing less than total self-donation. That might not be a difficult job for the three infinite Persons of the Trinity, but for creatures like us, such love is a summons to martyrdom. This invitation requires much more suffering and self-denial than simply giving up chocolate for Lent. It demands nothing less than a constant dying to self.
You may be wondering, Why do we have to love like God in the first place? Scripture gives us an answer in two parts: First, the Old Testament shows that we were made to live like God by sharing love within the human family during our earthly stay; second, the New Testament shows that we were remade to live in God by sharing the love of the Blessed Trinity for eternity in heaven. Both elements are essential for understanding what it means to be truly human, but only the second one is our true and ultimate end, what theologians call the Beatific Vision. We would completely fall short were we to attain anything less.”
~ Hahn, Scott, A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God’s Covenant Love in Scripture. Servant Publication, Ann Arbor, MI: 1998,
page 177-183 (electronic edition).
The Messiah Shall Come, Isaiah 9.6-7
The Lord will provide a chosen child who will be the Messiah, the anointed one of God.
Let God Arise! Focus
The Mighty Deeds of the Lord, Luke 1.46b-55.
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