PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Sunday

Scripture lesson: Luke2:22-40 Simeon and Anna

Time to reflect: Two touching stories of faithful people who had waited a lifetime with hope for their people and hope for the coming of the Messiah. Their hope was rewarded by an opportunity to see the Christ child before they died.

Moving through the day Pray a prayer of thanksgiving that you, too have had an opportunity to see the Christ child. But you also have the blessing of knowing the end of the story. Of how exactly Christ became the Redeemer.

Please note, West Side's computer will be done on Monday and Tuesday. There will not be any prayerbits.

Scripture:

2When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"^[a]), 24and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."^[b]

 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
 29"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
      you now dismiss^[c] your servant in peace.
 30For my eyes have seen your salvation,
    31which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles
      and for glory to your people Israel."

 33The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

 36There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.^[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 39When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

PrayerBits for Saturday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Saturday

Scripture lesson: Galatians 4:4-7 A child of God

Time to reflect: This is a recurring theme in the New Testament and is a rather startling thought if we stop to think about it. In what way are we God's children. This is to be more than a vague analogy. Paul says we are heirs of God – we receive some kind of “inheritance” from God. What does that mean?

Moving through the day: Meditate on how you view your relationship with God. In what way do you view yourself as God's “Child?”

Scripture:

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba,^[a] Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

PrayerBits for Friday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Friday

Time to reflect: Can God really get the praise and glory God deserves?

Moving Throughout the day: Visualize all the creation, animate and inanimate, praising God. Visualize yourself joining in.

 Scripture:

Praise the LORD.
       Praise the LORD from the heavens,
       praise him in the heights above.

  Praise him, all his angels,
       praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

  Praise him, sun and moon,
       praise him, all you shining stars.

 Praise him, you highest heavens
       and you waters above the skies.

 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
       for he commanded and they were created.

 He set them in place for ever and ever;
       he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
       you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
       stormy winds that do his bidding,

  you mountains and all hills,
       fruit trees and all cedars,

  wild animals and all cattle,
       small creatures and flying birds,

  kings of the earth and all nations,
       you princes and all rulers on earth,

  young men and maidens,
       old men and children.

  Let them praise the name of the LORD,
       for his name alone is exalted;
       his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

  He has raised up for his people a horn,
       the praise of all his saints,
       of Israel, the people close to his heart.
       Praise the LORD.

PrayerBits for Thursday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Thursday

Scripture lesson: John 1:1-5,10-14

Time to reflect: John's theological birth story.

But people insisted on building a temple for God. It was devastating when it was destroyed (do you think God was devastated by it?) and people still mourn it's loss.

Moving through the day: Read this passage slowly, trying to read it as if for the first time. Think about each new thought and what that means.

Scripture:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Luke 2:8-20 The Shepherds

Time to reflect: A trivial point, but although we all picture these things as happen during a short period of time, in reality they would have covered a couple of years. Luke presents only the humble shepherds visiting Jesus, Matthew only mentions the “Wise men.” What significance is there in this? Which of the two groups are more “impressive” to us?

Moving through the day: Meditate on the idea that Jesus was born in a cow barn and visited by such humble people.

 

Scripture:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 "Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 98 A New Song

Time to reflect: This is a song of victory by a country. The “new song” is a song celebrating this new event. It would be added to their repertoire of such songs celebrating other special events.

Moving through the day: What new songs do you need to celebrate what God has done for you?

Sing to the LORD a new song,
       for he has done marvelous things;
       his right hand and his holy arm
       have worked salvation for him.

  The LORD has made his salvation known
       and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

  He has remembered his love
       and his faithfulness to the house of Israel;
       all the ends of the earth have seen
       the salvation of our God.

  Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
       burst into jubilant song with music;

 make music to the LORD with the harp,
       with the harp and the sound of singing,

  with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn—
       shout for joy before the LORD, the King.

  Let the sea resound, and everything in it,
       the world, and all who live in it.

  Let the rivers clap their hands,
      Let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let them sing before the LORD,
       for he comes to judge the earth.
       He will judge the world in righteousness
       and the peoples with equity.

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Monday

Scripture lesson: Isaiah 9:2-7 No more boots

Time to reflect: The Old Testament often gets the reputation of being full of violence and warfare. Warfare was then and is now a fact of life. But God's will is always suggesting that peace is a better way and that in the end when God reigns, all warfare and violence will cease.

Moving Through The Day: Read again the message of verses 6 and 7. Pray for peace.

Praise the LORD.
       Sing to the LORD a new song,
       his praise in the assembly of the saints.

 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
       let the people of Zion be glad in their King.

Let them praise his name with dancing
       and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

 For the LORD takes delight in his people;
       he crowns the humble with salvation.

Let the saints rejoice in this honor
       and sing for joy on their beds.

May the praise of God be in their mouths
       and a double-edged sword in their hands,

  to inflict vengeance on the nations
       and punishment on the peoples,

  to bind their kings with fetters,
       their nobles with shackles of iron,

to carry out the sentence written against them.
       This is the glory of all his saints.
       Praise the LORD.

PrayerBits for Sunday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Sunday

Scripture lesson: Luke1:26-38 The promise to Mary

Time to reflect: Modern people keep getting hung up on how all this was supposed to happen historically and scientifically. We get in fights over defending or attacking the account. This is such a side issue! If God wanted it to be supernatural God could certainly to that, if God wanted to use a natural process (possibly one not known and understood by Luke) that is certainly possible too. What really matters is the substance of the promise. Read the passage again looking for the core meaning.

Moving through the day Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the coming of the Christ child.

Scripture:

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."

 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
      He said, "I am not."
      "Are you the Prophet?"
      He answered, "No."

 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.