November 30th, 2008
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Sunday’s Reflection
RESTORE US LORD. Once we prayed, knowing our help came from You. Once we defied injustice knowing that you were on our side. Once we prayed all night “’til our help came.” Once we apologized for calling someone a fool. Once we believed it was important to please you. Restore us as people who follow God even when no one is looking. Restore us Lord.
- Kwasi I. Kena
The Africana Worship Book: Year B
From p. 147 of The Africana Worship Book edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him.
- Isaiah 64:4, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
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Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 29th, 2008
Saturday’s Reflection
GOD INSPIRES you in every moment. God is a fountain of possibility and inspiration for every moment of your life. Often the adventure begins with an impossible dream that then takes on life in new behaviors and actions that transform your life and the world. When Jesus said, “Follow me” to Peter, James, and John, he invited them into a whole new realm of possibilities that each one could only realize in his own special way. This same inspiration is God’s gift to you millisecond by millisecond.
- Bruce G. Epperly
Holy Adventurer: 41 Days of Audacious Living
From p. 239 of Holy Adventurer by Bruce G. Epperly. Copyright © 2008 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
- 1 Corinthians 1:9, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 28th, 2008
Friday’s Reflection
TRUE HUMILITY … is about becoming honest with ourselves, acknowledging both our strengths and our weaknesses, accepting that we can be both saint and sinner, angel and monster. It’s about seeing ourselves as we really are. Humility neither exaggerates nor plays down the truth about who we are. It simply accepts the reality that we are fragile, flawed, and fallible human beings who need a power beyond ourselves if we are going to become the people God wants us to be. In short, this is what it means to be humble: being real about who we are.
- Trevor Hudson
One Day at a Time: Discovering the Freedom of 12-Step Spirituality
From p. 239 of One Day at a Time by Trevor Hudson. Copyright © 2007 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
[Almighty God], preserve and protect the people you have chosen, the nation you made so strong. We will never turn away from you again.
- Psalm 80:17-18, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 27th, 2008
THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.)
Thursday’s Reflection
BEGINNING TODAY, let every day be Thanksgiving Day — a day of celebration and thanks. Forgive us for our selfish, sinful, and thoughtless actions, words, and plans. Remind us that we need you and we need each other to bring the Kingdom of God here to earth as it is in heaven. This we pray in the name of Jesus the Christ, who has died, risen and will come again. Amen.
- Eugene Blair
The Africana Worship Book: Year B
From p. 239 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Paul wrote: I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Corinthians 1:4, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 26th, 2008
Wednesday’s Reflection
MY MINISTRY RADICALLY CHANGED when I realized that what we call our negative sides — anger, anxiety, complaining, criticizing, procrastinating, controlling, and so on — are usually deep inner cries for help. Perhaps they are cries from early childhood, rising from emotional wounds that never healed. We were told so often to get over them, rise above them, forgive and forget, concentrate on the positive, that we thrust down these unhealed wounds below our conscious level.
But wounds do not just go away. If unhealed, they cry like abandoned children in the dark, forgotten places within us. The only way they can make their presence felt is through our negative attitudes, our addictive escapes, all symptoms of pain.
- Flora Slosson Wuellner
Miracle: When Christ Touches Our Deepest Need
From p. 25 of Miracle by Flora Slosson Wuellner. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.
- Isaiah 64:8, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 25th, 2008
Tuesday’s Reflection
JESUS SAID THAT THE WAY through all difficulties was walking the path of mercy, justice, and humble cooperation with the Source of this world’s life. … If we walk that way, Jesus promises, even now the kingdom can be “at hand,” so close we can taste “the powers of the age to come” (Heb. 6:5), the time of full and complete triumph.
- Robert Corin Morris
Provocative Grace: The Challenge in Jesus’ Words
From p. 130 of Provocative Grace by Robert Corin Morris. Copyright © 2006 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Bring us back, Almighty God! Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!
- Psalm 80:7, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 24th, 2008
Monday’s Reflection
DEAR LORD, we pray, but it is only by your Spirit’s power that we can be remade in your likeness. You do it; we cannot even make a start. But you are light, not darkness, and in that knowledge all things are possible. For in the remaking is the peace. In the rebirthing is the life. Only help us keep our eyes on you. Not on the fears, or the limitations, only on your face. The more we see of you, the less we will fear to take on your likeness and lose our own. Amen.
- Hilary McDowell
On the Way to Bethlehem: Reflections on Christmas for Every Day in Advent
From p. 151 of On the Way to Bethlehem by Hilary McDowell. Copyright © 2000 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
- Mark 13:31, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for an “attitude of gratitude” — all year long. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Advent Top 10. Advent begins this Sunday, December 2. Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember John Knox (November 24).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 23rd, 2008
Sunday’s Reflection
OUR FIRST RESPONSE IS GRATITUDE. We thank God for such generous and nourishing gifts. Giving thanks opens our eyes to our connections to others. We see that we cannot thank God for the food we have and then turn our backs on people who are hungry. We cannot praise God for the bounty of the land and sea and close our eyes to the ways we abuse and pollute the soil and water. … Giving thanks to God is more than saying grace at the table; it is living lives that reflect God’s justice and love.
- Susan Briehl, Mary Emily Briehl Wells, and Magdalena Briehl Wells
“Food”
Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens
From pp. 68-69 of Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens edited by Dorothy C. Bass and Don C. Richter. Copyright © 2002 by the authors. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Enter [the Lord's] gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
- Psalm 100:4, NRSV
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for the Scriptures and inspirational writings. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Get Ready for Advent. Advent starts on November 30. This important Christian season helps us get our spirits ready for the coming of the Christ child. Prepare your heart — observe Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Hilda of Whitby (November 17).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 22nd, 2008
Saturday’s Reflection
GOD OF THE CHURCH,
thank you for all those
who have been faithful to you
over the years and today.
Use me, Lord.
Make me a saint for you.
Amen.
- Alive Now
From p. 63 of Alive Now September/October 2007. Copyright © 2007 by The Upper Room. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this magazine.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body.
- Ephesians 1:23, THE MESSAGE
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for the Scriptures and inspirational writings. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Get Ready for Advent. Advent starts on November 30. This important Christian season helps us get our spirits ready for the coming of the Christ child. Prepare your heart — observe Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Hilda of Whitby (November 17).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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November 21st, 2008
Friday’s Reflection
WHY SHOULD WE LIVE in the moment? For one thing, this moment is all we really have. The past is gone; we can never recapture it or change it. And all our moments to come will hold their own challenges and surprises, no matter how much we plan or dream. The only moment that we have to live is now. And the only way to have any impact on how we experience tomorrow is to live our moments well today.
- Kim Barker
Birthed in Prayer: Pregnancy as a Spiritual Journey
From p. 177 of Birthed in Prayer by Kim Barker, Linda de Meillon, Leigh Harrison. Copyright © 2008 by the authors. Published by Upper Room Books. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Prepare for the coming of Advent (November 30). Check out our Advent Resources.
Today’s Scripture Reading
Paul told the Ephesians, “Ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you.”
- Ephesians 1:15-16, GNT
This Week …
- Special Need:
- This Week: Pray for the Scriptures and inspirational writings. Visit the Prayer Wall.
- Tips for Your Spirit:
- Get Ready for Advent. Advent starts on November 30. This important Christian season helps us get our spirits ready for the coming of the Christ child. Prepare your heart — observe Advent.
- Saints, Inc.:
- This week we remember Hilda of Whitby (November 17).
- Lectionary Readings:
-
Sponsored by The Upper Room daily devotional guide. Subscribe Today.
Copyright © 2008 The Upper Room | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA
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