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Epiphany, Day 5

Isaiah 42:1-9 TNIV

 1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
       my chosen one in whom I delight;
       I will put my Spirit on him
       and he will bring justice to the nations.

 2 He will not shout or cry out,
       or raise his voice in the streets.

 3 A bruised reed he will not break,
       and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
       In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;

 4 he will not falter or be discouraged
       till he establishes justice on earth.
       In his law the islands will put their hope."

 5 This is what God the LORD says—
       he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
       who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,
       who gives breath to its people,
       and life to those who walk on it:

 6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
       I will take hold of your hand.
       I will keep you and will make you
       to be a covenant for the people
       and a light for the Gentiles,

 7 to open eyes that are blind,
       to free captives from prison
       and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

 8 "I am the LORD; that is my name!
       I will not give my glory to another
       or my praise to idols.

 9 See, the former things have taken place,
       and new things I declare;
       before they spring into being
       I announce them to you."

Epiphany, Day 4

John 1:1-18 The Message

1-2 The Word was first,
      the Word present to God,
      God present to the Word.
   The Word was God,
      in readiness for God from day one.

 3-5Everything was created through him;
      nothing—not one thing!—
      came into being without him.
   What came into existence was Life,
      and the Life was Light to live by.
   The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
      the darkness couldn't put it out.

 6-8There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.

 9-13The Life-Light was the real thing:
      Every person entering Life
      he brings into Light.
   He was in the world,
      the world was there through him,
      and yet the world didn't even notice.
   He came to his own people,
      but they didn't want him.
   But whoever did want him,
      who believed he was who he claimed
      and would do what he said,
   He made to be their true selves,
      their child-of-God selves.
   These are the God-begotten,
      not blood-begotten,
      not flesh-begotten,
      not sex-begotten.

 14The Word became flesh and blood,
      and moved into the neighborhood.
   We saw the glory with our own eyes,
      the one-of-a-kind glory,
      like Father, like Son,
   Generous inside and out,
      true from start to finish.

 15John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word."

 16-18We all live off his generous bounty,
      gift after gift after gift.
   We got the basics from Moses,
      and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
   This endless knowing and understanding—
      all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
   No one has ever seen God,
      not so much as a glimpse.
   This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
      who exists at the very heart of the Father,
      has made him plain as day.

Epiphany, Day 3

Psalms 72:1-7, 10-14 TNIV

1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
       the royal son with your righteousness.

    2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
       your afflicted ones with justice.

    3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
       the hills the fruit of righteousness.

    4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
       and save the children of the needy;
       may he crush the oppressor.

    5 May he endure as long as the sun,
       as long as the moon, through all generations.

    6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
       like showers watering the earth.

    7 In his days may the righteous flourish
       and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
       bring tribute to him.
       May the kings of Sheba and Seba
       present him gifts.

    11 May all kings bow down to him
       and all nations serve him.

    12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
       the afflicted who have no one to help.

    13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
       and save the needy from death.

    14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
       for precious is their blood in his sight.

Epiphany, Day 2

Luke 1:63-79 The Message

63-64Asking for a tablet, Zachariah wrote, "His name is to be John." That took everyone by surprise. Surprise followed surprise—Zachariah's mouth was now open, his tongue loose, and he was talking, praising God!

 65-66A deep, reverential fear settled over the neighborhood, and in all that Judean hill country people talked about nothing else. Everyone who heard about it took it to heart, wondering, "What will become of this child? Clearly, God has his hand in this."

 67-79Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

   Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
      he came and set his people free.
   He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives,
      and in the very house of David his servant,
   Just as he promised long ago
      through the preaching of his holy prophets:
   Deliverance from our enemies
      and every hateful hand;
   Mercy to our fathers,
      as he remembers to do what he said he'd do,
   What he swore to our father Abraham—
      a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
   So we can worship him without a care in the world,
      made holy before him as long as we live.

   And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest,"
      will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
   Present the offer of salvation to his people,
      the forgiveness of their sins.
   Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
      God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
   Shining on those in the darkness,
      those sitting in the shadow of death,
   Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
      down the path of peace.

Epiphany, Day 1

Isaiah 60:1-6 TNIV

1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
       and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

    2 See, darkness covers the earth
       and thick darkness is over the peoples,
       but the LORD rises upon you
       and his glory appears over you.

    3 Nations will come to your light,
       and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

    4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
       All assemble and come to you;
       your sons come from afar,
       and your daughters are carried on the hip.

    5 Then you will look and be radiant,
       your heart will throb and swell with joy;
       the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
       to you the riches of the nations will come.

    6 Herds of camels will cover your land,
       young camels of Midian and Ephah.
       And all from Sheba will come,
       bearing gold and incense
       and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Matthew 2:1-12 TNIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

    3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

    6 " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
       are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
       for out of you will come a ruler
       who will shepherd my people Israel.' "

    7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

    9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

12 Days of Christmas, Day 12

Revelation 21:1-6 TNIV

 1 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

    5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

    6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Philippians 2:5-11 TNIV

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:

    6 Who, being in very nature God,
       did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

    7 rather, he made himself nothing
       by taking the very nature of a servant,
       being made in human likeness.

    8 And being found in appearance as a human being,
       he humbled himself
       by becoming obedient to death—
       even death on a cross!

    9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
       and gave him the name that is above every name,

    10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
       in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

    11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
       to the glory of God the Father.

12 Days of Christmas, Reading 11.

Psalm 8 TNIV

1 LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!
       You have set your glory
       above the heavens.

    2 Through the praise of children and infants
       you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
       to silence the foe and the avenger.

    3 When I consider your heavens,
       the work of your fingers,
       the moon and the stars,
       which you have set in place,

    4 what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
       human beings that you care for them?

    5 You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings
       and crowned them with glory and honor.

    6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
       you put everything under their feet:

    7 all flocks and herds,
       and the animals of the wild,

    8 the birds in the sky,
       and the fish in the sea,
       all that swim the paths of the seas.

    9 LORD, our Lord,
       how majestic is your name in all the earth!

12 Days of Christmas, Reading 10.

Psalm 147:12-20 TNIV

12 Extol the LORD, Jerusalem;
       praise your God, Zion.

    13 He strengthens the bars of your gates
       and blesses your people within you.

    14 He grants peace to your borders
       and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

    15 He sends his command to the earth;
       his word runs swiftly.

    16 He spreads the snow like wool
       and scatters the frost like ashes.

    17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles.
       Who can withstand his icy blast?

    18 He sends his word and melts them;
       he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.

    19 He has revealed his word to Jacob,
       his laws and decrees to Israel.

    20 He has done this for no other nation;
       they do not know his laws.
       Praise the LORD.

Ephesians 1:3-14 TNIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

    11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

12 Days of Christmas, Reading 8.

Psalm 148:7-14 NIV

⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,
       you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

 ⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
       stormy winds that do his bidding,

 ⁹ you mountains and all hills,
       fruit trees and all cedars,

 ¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
       small creatures and flying birds,

 ¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
       you princes and all rulers on earth,

 ¹² young men and maidens,
       old men and children.

 ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
       for his name alone is exalted;
       his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

 ¹⁴ 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.