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.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

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

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Writing on our hearts

Time to reflect: Among other things this passage suggests that we need to have God within us. This is not just a matter of memorizing rules, or watching others for misbehavior, or working from a checklist of dos and don'ts but rather working off of a deep understanding of God's will.

Moving through the day: Pray for help in tapping into that “deep understanding” that is there, according to God's promise.

"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
       "when I will make a new covenant
       with the house of Israel
       and with the house of Judah.

 It will not be like the covenant
       I made with their forefathers
       when I took them by the hand
       to lead them out of Egypt,
       because they broke my covenant,
       though I was a husband to them, "
       declares the LORD.

 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
       after that time," declares the LORD.
       "I will put my law in their minds
       and write it on their hearts.
       I will be their God,
       and they will be my people.

  No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
       or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
       because they will all know me,
       from the least of them to the greatest,"
       declares the LORD.
       "For I will forgive their wickedness
       and will remember their sins no more."

PrayerBits for Monday

PrayerBits

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

Monday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 149 Praise and calls for vengeance

Time to reflect: This goes from being a beautiful song of praise to requests for violence. Keep in mind that the Psalms are prayers from real people expressing their real feelings. It does not mean that God approved of all that is said in them.

Moving Through The Day: Can you relate to the praise sections? Can you relate to the vengeance section? How do you feel God would answer your prayers for vengeance?

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: John 1:6-8, 19-28 John the Baptizer

Time to reflect: John was an important figure but exactly what his role was confusing. John, the Gospel, tries to clarify it in this passage. But we see the confusion in several places in Scripture. Did you know that there is a sect still in existence – the Mandeans, in Iraq – who are followers of John? They were still a factor during the early years of the Christian Church.

Moving through the day It has always been easy to be a follower of this person or that. What makes Jesus unique and beyond all those we are tempted to follow?

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.