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Prayers for Mass Shootings and Natural Disasters
In the wake of storms that have devastated communities across the Southern United States, and following Read More
Lib Campbell | Read Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
The community of Psalm 80 laments its losses while expressing its hope in the restorative power of God. This Advent, a small lectio divina community here in Raleigh, North Carolina, has that same hope.
Madeleine has been part of our lectio divina group since it began over ten years ago....
O Christ child, be born again in all of us. Whisper to us a love that restores and heals. Amen.
Isaiah is sent to the king of Judah to declare a prophecy of a future birth through a virgin. The boy will be called Immanuel, “God is with us.” The psalmist cries out to God asking for an end to the suffering of the people. He believes that this will occur through a “son of man,” an expression that Jesus later uses to describe himself. Paul’s opening to Romans roots the gospel in the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus comes from the line of David and fulfills the things foretold. To understand Jesus, we must understand the Hebrew scriptures. Matthew recounts the visitation of an angel to Joseph to tell him of the coming birth of a son. Matthew interprets this birth as a fulfillment of this week’s reading from Isaiah 7.
Read Isaiah 7:10-16. How does Isaiah’s prophecy continue to speak to you today? How do you hope for Christ’s coming?
Read Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19. Recall a time when you have relied on hope for God’s restoration.
Read Romans 1:1-7. What would it mean to add “servanthood” to your list of life goals?
Read Matthew 1:18-25. How is your life different for having listened to God’s call?
Respond by posting a prayer.
