John on Listening To God

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Jesus … Immanuel – our God come in the flesh

Author

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 1:23, John 1:14, Psalm 34:8, Isaiah 30:21, Micah 6:8, Romans 3:23-24, Proverbs 3:5-6

Prayer of Adoration Jesus—Immanuel—our God come in the flesh so that we might know You and that You might save us: Thankfully, You watch out for us—help us to watch for You. Give us eyes to see You ...

blog

This Christmas Which “Fear Not” Do You Need?

Author

Bill Gaultiere

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:26-38, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:8-20, 1 John 4:18, Romans 12:15, 1 John 4:19

Fear Not! In the first Advent God keeps saying, “Fear not!” It’s a word we need to hear today too. Zechariah and Elizabeth were told that after decades of waiting they’d finally have a child in thei...

liturgy

Leader: God of HOPE, Your message calls us to let go of our fears

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:1-20, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25, Isaiah 11:1-10

Leader : God of HOPE, Your message calls us to let go of our fears and place our trust in You. Sustain us in Your hope as we await Your coming. We ask for hearts to worship You fully, not only i...

lectionary

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:46, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:19, Revelation 11:15, Luke 1:46-48, John 8:41, Luke 1:29, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Advent 2023: Make Some Noise! AIM commentary Ancient lens What's the historical context? Couldn’t See That Coming Powerful parents with a family pedigree derived from Judah and the David...

liturgy

Our God is not only for us

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:31-39, Matthew 1:23, John 14:2-3, 1 Peter 1:3-4, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Philippians 2:13

Leader: Our God is not only for us, People: He is also with us. Leader: Through His suffering, death, and resurrection, People: God’s Son, Jesus Christ, has secured our home in eternity. L...

liturgy

Dear Heavenly Father, We confess that

Author

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Keywords

Christmas

Scripture

Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25, Mark 1:1-8, Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:46-56, Luke 2:1-21

Dear Heavenly Father, We confess that we have not sat quietly with You and listened for Your voice Through the hustle of Christmastime and navigating our world, we have given up the quiet space alloca...

Quote

Author

David Brainerd

Keywords

Dependence on God

Scripture

Psalm 18:1-2, Isaiah 12:2, Ephesians 2:8-9, Acts 4:12, John 14:6, Matthew 1:21, Jonah 2:9

We are a long time in learning that all our strength and salvation is in God.

scripture guide

Scripture Guide, Luke 1:26-38

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 1:26-38, Luke 1:46, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:19, Revelation 11:15, Luke 1:46-48, John 8:41, 1 Corinthians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

Ancient lens What's the historical context? Couldn’t See That Coming Powerful parents with a family pedigree derived from Judah and the Davidic line was the common narrative for how most peop...

liturgy

Go now in Advent Joy. The God who created the universe dwells

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Advent

Scripture

Luke 1:26-38, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 1:18-25, Micah 5:2, John 1:1-14

Pastor: Go now in Advent Joy. The God who created the universe dwells with you as you keep watch for the King whose Advent is promised. People: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit re...

Quote

Author

Michelle Blake

Keywords

Scripture

John 14:16-17, Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 40:31

One of the essential paradoxes of Advent: that while we wait for God, we are with God all along, that while we need to be reassured of God’s arrival, or the arrival of our homecoming, we are already a...

liturgy

Lord—we’re so anxious we can’t

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14, Romans 12:2, Matthew 1:23, John 11:25-26, Hebrews 13:3

Lord—we’re so anxious we can’t wait! Some of us can’t wait for Christmas to come, while (honestly) some others of us can’t wait for it to be over. We’re not proud of it—but that’s just the way it is ...

Quote

Author

Timothy Keller

Keywords

Scripture

John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8, Romans 2:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Matthew 1:21-23

Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you.

liturgy

O Come, O Come Emmanuel, a call to worship for Advent

Author

Lisa Ann Moss Degrenia

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 9:6-7

O Come, O Come Emmanuel You who are flesh Vulnerable and Lowly and Small Come, O Come Emmanuel You who are Great Holy and Powerful and Forever Come, O Come Emmanuel The Fullness of God with us Make ...

liturgy

God's Redemption Through His Son

Keywords

Scripture

John 1:14, Matthew 1:20-23, Luke 19:1-10 , Romans 5:8-11, Ephesians 1:7-10 , 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 1:13-20

O God, who looked on fallen humanity and planned to redeem us by the coming of your only-begotten Son, we ask that you ensure that all who confess his glorious incarnation will have fellowship with hi...

Quote

Author

N. T. Wright

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 6:33, Luke 2:16-19, Mark 1:15 , Isaiah 9:6, John 1:15, Matthew 1:23, Colossians 1:15-17

The kingdom of the Christ-child gets to work when we stop, and pause, and look in wonder once more at the baby lying in the manger, and like Mary ponder in our hearts what it all means. Only through d...

illustration

A Dream of Immanuel

Author

James Bryan Smith

Keywords

Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23, John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8, Hebrews 2:14, John 3:16

When he was a young boy, twelfth-century church leader Bernard of Clairvaux fell asleep outside a church while waiting to go in for a Christmas Eve service. In his sleep he had a dream, a kind of visi...

liturgy

Gracious and faithful God–our Creator,

Author

Richard Herman

Scripture

Psalm 25:4-5, Matthew 1:23, James 5:14-15, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Luke 2:10-11, Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 25:35-36, Proverbs 21:1, Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 28:19-20, John 14:13, Luke 2:1-20, Mark 5:25-34, John 11:17-44

Gracious and faithful God–our Creator, Redeemer and Comforter: When we don’t know the way–You show us the way; and when we can’t find a way–You make a way. Thank you! Thank you for Your gift of a Sav...

liturgy

Father, in this holy night Your Son our Savior

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-25, Romans 8:38-39, Hebrews 1:3, Galatians 4:4-5, Matthew 1:23, John 1:14

Pastor: Father, in this holy night Your Son our Savior was born in human flesh. Renew Your Church as the Body of Christ. People: Holy God, hear our prayer. Pastor: In this holy night...

liturgy

Jesus, Immanuel, Child of Wonder, Lord

Author

Richard Herman

Keywords

Advent

Scripture

Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-25, John 1:1-14, Isaiah 9:6-7

Jesus, Immanuel, Child of Wonder, Lord of Life: As our celebration of your coming is near, we give ourselves to You who first gave Yourself for us; and we place in your strong and loving hands all we...

Quote

Author

Karl Rahner

Keywords

Advent

Scripture

Matthew 1:23, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16

Every year we celebrate the holy season of Advent, O God. Every year we pray those beautiful prayers of longing and waiting, and sing those lovely songs of hope and promise. Every year we roll up all ...

liturgy

You have wonderfully created us, O God, and yet more wonderfully

Keywords

Scripture

Philippians 2:, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:, Colossians 3:10, 1 John 3:1, 2 Corinthians 5:17

You have wonderfully created us, O God, and yet more wonderfully restored the dignity of human nature. Allow us to share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesu...

Quote

Author

Christopher L. Webber

Keywords

Advent

Scripture

John 3:16, Matthew 1:23, John 1:1-10, Luke 1:68-69, Isaiah 61:1

Advent is a coming, not our coming to God, but his to us. We cannot come to God, he is beyond our reach; but he can come to us, for we are not beneath his mercy.

illustration

Noticing Where You Find Yourself

Author

Frederick Buechner

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:7, John 1:14, Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 40:11, Psalm 46:10, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Luke 24:13-35

One Christmas Eve in Vermont when my children were small, we did the things you do when your children are small on Christmas Eve. We stuffed and hung their stockings. We put out a draught of cider and...

liturgy

Prayer of Confession for Christmas

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:22-35, Isaiah 9:2, Matthew 2:1-12, John 1:14, Matthew 1:18-25

Leader: Today, we celebrate that Jesus has come, and that He promises to come again! We know He came to bring light and hope, People: but our hearts are often shrouded by darkness and despair. ...

Quote

Author

Martin Luther

Keywords

Scripture

John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8, Luke 2:7, Matthew 1:23, 1 Peter 2:24

The Son of God did not want to be seen and found in heaven. Therefore he descended from heaven into this humility and came to us in our flesh, laid himself into the womb of his mother and into the man...

liturgy

A Christmas Creed (2)

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-25, John 1:1-15, Romans 8:14-16, Acts 1:8

Pastor: As the shepherds told everyone what had happened in Bethlehem on that first Christmas, we declare what we know and believe about God. People: I believe in God, the Father Almighty,...

Quote

Author

Karl Barth

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 1:23, Matthew 28:20, Luke 2:10-11, John 10:11, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 14:22-33, Philippians 4:5-7, Mark 2:1-12, John 14:16-17, Hebrews 13:5

“He stands by you:” A drowning man cannot pull himself out of the water by his own hair. Neither can you do it. Someone else must rescue you. This is the good news of Christmas. He who stands by you a...

liturgy

On this Christmas morning, let us pray to our incarnate Lord

Author

Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois

Keywords

Scripture

John 1:1-5, Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:1-20, Matthew 1:18-25

Pastor: On this Christmas morning, let us pray to our incarnate Lord, who has brought us out of darkness and into His own marvelous light. Christ born for us, Son of God given for us: People: ...

Quote

Author

John Piper

Keywords

Christmas

Scripture

John 3:16-17, John 1:14, Romans 5:8-9, Matthew 1:23, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Romans 8:1, Luke 2:8-14, Luke 15:11-32, Psalm 16:11, Revelation 21:3-4

Christmas: the Son of God expressing the love of God to save us from the wrath of God so we could enjoy the presence of God.

Quote

Author

Thomas Aquinas

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 1:18-19, Acts 9:1-19, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38, Romans 11:33-34, John 1:14

Human salvation demands the divine disclosure of truths surpassing reason.

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