O Come, O Come, Emmanuel E-Book

Jonathan Gibson

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Liturgies for Daily Worship
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 357

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A 40-Day Devotional Liturgy for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany During Christmas, homes are filled with good food, welcoming family, and lively cheer. Streets are lined with lights and sprinkled with snow. Amid this season of beauty, even Christians can become distracted, keeping Jesus at an unintentional distance. How can Christians effectively prepare their hearts for the arrival of their King and worship him the way he deserves?  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Jonathan Gibson presents a 40-day devotional liturgy guiding readers through Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany—helping them keep their eyes fixed on Christ. Designed as a resource for the holiday season, each reading includes a guided meditation, applicable Scripture readings, hymns, prayers, creeds, and prompts for petition and confession. For individuals and families, this devotional will help Christians focus on Jesus and meditate on the mystery of his incarnation.    - 40 Daily Devotions: Featuring seasonal Scripture readings, hymns, prayers, and creeds, as well as time for meditation, petition, and confession - Created for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany: Guides readers from November 28 through January 6  - Repetition throughout Readings: Scripture, hymns, and creeds repeat to help readers memorize important material  -  Written by Jonathan Gibson: Author of Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship 

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“With Be Thou My Vision, Jonny Gibson has given us one of the richest resources of Christian devotion for individuals, families, and churches in decades. Now, in O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, he has given us a second timeless treasure that can be revisited each Advent season and help us finish the devotional year in a spirit of exultation rather than exhaustion. He inspires our minds and hearts by telling the gospel story at Christmas with simplicity and clarity through beautiful liturgy. By leaning on the finest Christian thinkers and poets in history, Gibson helps to fire the imagination of our souls to repeat the sounding joy like it was the first time. Buy this book and read it to yourself, your spouse, your family, or your friends! Then buy one for your pastor so that it may refresh your corporate celebrations as well. It will make the beauty of Christ’s peace the overriding narrative during Advent this year—and every year.”

Keith Getty, hymn writer; recording artist; coauthor, Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church

“Jonny Gibson’s Be Thou My Vision has become an integral part of my personal worship time with the Lord, as well as a liturgical resource to use in planning for corporate worship. I am elated by the news of his latest project, focusing our attention and preparing our hearts for the Advent season. What a gift to the believer and to the church!”

Laura Story, recording artist; Worship Leader, Perimeter Church, Atlanta, Georgia

“Rich liturgy offers us structure and words to stir our hearts and channel our worship of God. It orients us by the Scriptures and the riches of the Christian tradition so that our minds and hearts begin to run in biblical paths. My prayer is that God will use this book to help many hearts to prepare him room.”

Joe Rigney, President, Bethlehem College and Seminary

“With the flurry of activity, sometimes it’s hard even for us as believers to ‘put Christ back into Christmas.’ Expertly selected from our creedal, catechetical, and liturgical heritage, this treasure chest of focused meditation and praise helps us to revel in ‘the reason for the season.’ I plan on using it and giving it away, especially as a timely opportunity for evangelizing friends and family.”

Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

“In this handsomely produced volume, Gibson has drawn upon the rich heritage of prayers and meditations from Christian leaders of the past, as well as biblical authors, to enhance our daily worship of God. While many Christians may be unaware of this legacy, the judicious choice of Christian creeds, collects, and meditations across twenty centuries, together with selected biblical texts, provides readers with a wealth of resources for their daily devotions from Advent to Epiphany. A rich array of wisdom and insight from our forebears provides a new landmark for Christians as they reflect, meditate, and offer praise to God for the gift of his incarnate Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Glenn N. Davies, Archbishop of Sydney (2013–2021)

“Here is a daily liturgy for all who desire to grow in their enjoyment and worship of Christ. The prayers are robust, the meditations thoughtful, the confessions sincere, and the praise stirring. Any Christian would benefit from using it as a help in private and family devotions.”

Jason Helopoulos, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church, East Lansing, Michigan; author, The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior

“If you are weary of the materialistic, sentimental Christmas of our culture, this book will lead you back to heartfelt worship and adoration. While these liturgies are intended for private and family worship, they breathe a communion with the church of all ages. Above all, they will lead you into a deeper appreciation for the glory of the incarnation—and joyful worship of the one who came and is coming again!”

Dale Van Dyke, Pastor, Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Wyoming, Michigan

“This is a wonderful resource! It gives focus and articulation to the watchful waiting of Advent and, through its thoughtful selection of passages, a sense of the companionship of countless fellow travelers and faithful guides drawn from the entire history of the people of God in our journey through the season.”

Alastair J. Roberts, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Theopolis Institute

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

Jonathan Gibson

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

Copyright © 2023 by Jonathan Gibson

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Excerpts from Heidelberg Catechism, translation © 1988, Faith Alive Christian Resources, Christian Reformed Church in North America. Adapted from Doctrinal Standard as found in Psalter Hymnal (© 1987, 1988, Faith Alive Christian Resources / Christian Reformed Church in North America). faithaliveresources.org. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Special thanks to New Growth Press for granting the author permission to use select prayers from Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present (2018).

Special thanks to the Trinity Psalter Hymnal Joint Venture Board for granting Crossway permission to use the creeds and confessional material found in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal.

Special thanks to the Psalmody and Praise Committee of the Free Church of Scotland for granting Crossway permission to use select psalms from Sing Psalms (2003).

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2023

Printed in China

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4335-8794-8 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-8797-9 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-8795-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gibson, Jonathan, 1977– author.

Title: O come, o come Emmanuel : a liturgy for daily worship from advent to epiphany / Jonathan Gibson.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022035548 (print) | LCCN 2022035549 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433587948 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781433587955 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433587979 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Advent. | Devotional exercises.

Classification: LCC BV40 .G495 2023 (print) | LCC BV40 (ebook) | DDC 242/.332—dc23/eng/20221205

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022035548

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022035549

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2024-04-05 01:46:11 PM

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

May the Lord make you glad during this remembrance of

the birth of His only Son, Jesus Christ;

that as you joyfully receive Him for your redeemer,

you may with sure confidence behold Him

when He shall come to be our judge.

Christmas Collect from

Book of Common Prayer(1928)

For

Simon and Rebecca

Fellow saints

Fellow servants

Contents

Preface15

Acknowledgments19

Part 1: Preparation for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

1  Waiting for Jesus25

2  Format of Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany33

Part 2: Practice of Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

November 28–January 641

Appendixes

Appendix 1: Tunes for Hymns and Psalms, Gloria Patri and Doxology Versions403

Appendix 2: Advent to Epiphany Bible Reading Plan411

Appendix 3: Author, Hymn, and Liturgy Index413

Preface

Christmas is my favorite time of year. For as long as I can remember, I have loved the season of Christmas—the warm open fire on cold winter nights, the twinkling lights outside, the mince pies and mulled wine, the presents wrapped and waiting under the tree, the visits of family and friends. However, it is more than just the seasonal atmosphere and company that I enjoy. I love the Advent services and carol singing; I love listening to (or preaching on) Old Testament prophecies about the coming of Christ or his nativity; I love the “Carols by Candlelight” service on Christmas Eve, in which we remember that holy night in the little town of Bethlehem when the everlasting light began to shine in the dark streets. Yet despite my love for these things and my embrace of the season, I always find myself arriving at Christmas Day somewhat dissatisfied with my personal meditation on the incarnation of Christ. I have tried this or that devotional guide but am still left wanting something more orderly, something more mystery-evoking, something more worshipful. The book that you now hold in your hands is my attempt to improve our appreciation of the mystery we celebrate each year at Christmas.

If you are familiar with Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship,1 then you will recognize the similarities in this book; but there are also differences. I have incorporated more worshipful elements throughout the daily liturgy to fit the season. The day now begins with a meditation on the incarnation of Christ from a prominent figure in church history; the calls to worship are tailored to the content of the day’s liturgy, focused on either the first or second coming of Christ; the element of adoration is a hymn or psalm appropriate to Advent, Christmastide, or Epiphany; three alternative GloriaPatri hymns and two alternative Doxologiesrotate on a weekly basis; the catechism questions (from Heidelberg Catechism or Westminster Shorter Catechism) are focused on the necessity, accomplishment, and application of Christ’s work; the Scripture readings in Advent concern Old Testament types and prophecies of Christ’s coming, followed by New Testament Nativity readings in Christmastide, before concluding with some Epiphany readings; a new praise element, in the form of an ancient Christian prayer or hymn focused on the incarnation, follows the Scripture reading; finally, the liturgy closes with a scriptural benediction and a doxological postlude (based on Psalm 72:17–19).

As will be seen, each day’s liturgy has been carefully crafted for the purpose of enhancing daily worship during the season of Advent up through Epiphany so that our minds are better fixed on, and our hearts are better affected by, that great mystery of the Christian faith: God “was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). My prayer is that the content, structure, and rhythms of this daily liturgy may help us to be more like the shepherds and wise men on that first Christmas, who, upon seeing the babe lying in a manger, bowed down and worshiped Christ the newborn King!

Jonathan Gibson, Glenside, PA

Summer 2022

Soli Deo Gloria

1  Jonathan Gibson, Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021).

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Justin Taylor for asking me to write another devotional after Be Thou My Vision was received so well. I had already given some thought to designing seasonal ones for Christmas and Paschal (Easter), but Justin’s request gave me fresh motivation. As always, the good folk at Crossway have been a pleasure to work with: my thanks to Lydia Brownback for her editorial skill and wisdom, and to Dan Farrell and his team for another beautifully designed cover. I am grateful to my research assistants Jeremy Menicucci, Jiang Ningning, and Bryce Simon for their help with content formation. Mitchell Dixon, Anthony and Lorraine Gosling, Lawrence McErlean, and Jason Patterson each provided valuable feedback, which has further shaped the content and structure of this book. My appreciation is also expressed to Drew Tulloch, musical director at Trinity Church, Aberdeen, who helped to compile the tunes and meter for the hymns and psalms. Todd Rester and Danny Hyde helped to locate some of the prayers in the Old Palatinate Liturgy of 1563.

Many of the meditations I discovered in Justin Holcomb’s book God with Us: 365 Devotions on the Person and Work of Christ,2 though I retrieved original sources in Logos and then made slight adaptions where needed. Other meditations I found in my own reading of original sources. The majority of prayers in this book are taken from the ESV Prayer Bible; a dozen or so are taken from Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present.3 These latter prayers were translated by Matthias Mangold and Bernard Aubert. I am grateful to Crossway and New Growth Press for permission to use a select number of prayers from these respective works. Other prayers have been modernized from original sources that are in the public domain, such as Augustine’s Confessions (c. 400), Gregory the Great’s “Seven-Fold Litany” (c. 600), the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1552 and 1662), the Old Palatinate Liturgy (1563), the Middelburg Liturgy (1586), the Savoy Liturgy (1661), Preces Ecclesiasticae (1856), and A Book of Public Prayer (1857). The psalms used are from the Free Church of Scotland’s Sing Psalms (2003 edition) and are used here with permission. The questions and answers from Heidelberg Catechism (1563) are taken from the modern version published by the Christian Reformed Church in North America and are used here with permission. The questions and answers from the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) have been modernized, as well as the Collects from the Book of Common Prayer(1552).

I also express gratitude to my wife, Jackie, who lovingly supports me in these projects. Jackie makes our home beautiful and welcoming each Advent and Christmas, which is one of the reasons I enjoy the season so much. To say that our children Benjamin, Zachary, and Hannah love Christmas would be an understatement. But our prayer is that as they dive into the season, they would also delight in the Savior, pondering by faith the wondrous mystery that “a stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world” (C. S. Lewis).4

Amidst the fun and festivities of Christmas we are reminded of the empty space at the table. Our sweet Leila died in the spring, yet Christmas is one of the times we miss her the most. Three “Leila ornaments” hang on the tree in her absence. As they sparkle in the twinkling lights, they make us long for Christ’s glorious appearing as we think upon his first humble appearing:

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

and open wide our heav’nly home;

make safe the way that leads on high,

and close the path to misery.

This book is affectionately dedicated to our dear friends Simon and Rebecca. In the Lord’s providence, our paths crossed nearly twenty years ago, and we have remained friends and partners in the gospel since. Jackie and I are grateful for their love, prayers, and support over many years and in various ways. It is an honor to dedicate this book to them as fellow saints in Christ’s church and fellow servants in Christ’s vineyard. My prayer is that this liturgy may enrich our worship during the Christmas season as together we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus:

Mild he lays his glory by,

born that man no more may die,

born to raise the sons of earth,

born to give them second birth.

2  Justin Holcomb, God with Us: 365 Devotions on the Person and Work of Christ (Bloomington, MN: Bethany, 2021).

3ESV Prayer Bible: Prayers from the Past, Hope for the Present (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018); Jonathan Gibson and Mark Earngey, eds., Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2018).

4  C. S. Lewis, The Last Battle in The Chronicles of Narnia (London: HarperCollins, 2001), 744.

Part 1

Preparation for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

1

Waiting for Jesus

As early as Eden, God’s people have been a waiting people. Following the fall of our first parents, God made a promise that permanently oriented his people toward the future. God told the serpent directly, and the guilty pair indirectly:

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:15)

It was, in short, the promise of a coming, conquering son. The promise encapsulated every promise in the Old Testament and, as such, shaped God’s people into a waiting people.

This anticipatory posture can be seen throughout the Old Testament, as men and women of faith look forward to what God would do in the future through a promised son. Lamech names his son Noah in the hope that he will rescue the chosen line from the curse of sin and death (Gen. 5:29), yet it is six hundred years before Noah enters the ark at the time of the flood (Gen. 7:6). God promises Abraham that he will make him into a great nation through a son from his own body (Gen. 12:2; 15:4; 17:16), but he has to wait twenty-five years for the birth of Isaac (Gen. 21:1–3). Isaac, in turn, has to wait twenty years for the birth of Esau and Jacob, his twin boys (Gen. 25:20, 26). Jacob works for seven years to get his wife Rachel but in the end is deceived into marrying Leah (Gen. 29:20–30), from whom he receives Judah, the son of the promised line (Gen. 29:35; 49:10). Naomi has to wait to see if her line will continue, following the death of her husband and two sons. Even when her daughter-in-law Ruth faithfully follows her back to the promised land and pursues Boaz at the threshing floor, they both have to wait to see whether Boaz will be the kinsman to redeem Ruth (Ruth 3:12–18). Their godly patience allows Boaz to negotiate his way into marriage with Ruth, from whom comes Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (Ruth 4:18–22). It is only in Naomi’s old age that her life is restored (Ruth 4:15). Hannah has to endure years of barrenness, like the matriarchs preceding her, before the Lord opens her womb and gives her a son called Samuel (1 Sam. 1:1–20), the one who would anoint David as God’s chosen king (1 Sam. 16:1–3). However, David’s ascension to the throne does not come immediately. While he is anointed in his youth (1 Sam. 16:10–13), he has to go through several years of humiliation and suffering before his ascension to the throne at thirty years old (2 Sam. 5:4); and God’s subsequent promise to David that his son will sit on his throne forever (2 Sam. 7:12–16) is not ultimately fulfilled until the coming of his greater son, Jesus Christ—some one thousand years later. Indeed, adding up the ages in the biblical genealogies reveals that God’s promise in Eden of a coming, conquering son takes about four thousand years to become a reality.

Waiting. From the beginning of history, God calls his people to be a people waiting for the coming of his promised Son. New Testament writers capture the relief at Jesus’s arrival after the prolonged wait. Luke the evangelist describes Simeon as a righteous and devout man who has been “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). Taking Jesus in his arms, Simeon utters words that would become an integral part of Christian liturgy from the early centuries of the church—the Nunc Dimittis:

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2:29–32)

The prophetess Anna has a similar experience on the same day, as she gazes upon the baby Jesus. Unable to contain her excitement, she speaks about Christ “to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

The same is true at the end of Christ’s life as well as the beginning. Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Jerusalem Council, is described as one who is waiting for the kingdom of God (Luke 23:51). In the events bookending Christ’s life, there is a remnant in Israel waiting for the day of salvation, waiting for the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul describes it as the “end of the ages” dawning (1 Cor. 10:11). It is a long, long wait. But it is not a minute too late. As Paul explains: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4–5).

Although the longings, hopes, and expectations of the coming, conquering son are met in Jesus’s first coming, it does not change the reality that God’s people are a waiting people. Following Jesus’s ascension to his Father’s right hand, New Testament believers are still called to adopt the same anticipatory posture. In his Farewell Discourse, Jesus tells his disciples that he is going away to prepare a place for them but that he will come again to bring them to that heavenly home prepared for them (John 14:3). He promises, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). Jesus also speaks about it in parables:

Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. (Luke 12:35–36)

The angels reiterate this truth to the apostles as they gaze upward to the sky following Jesus’s departure: “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This “coming again” shapes the posture of God’s New Testament church into an anticipatory people, just like his people in the Old Testament.

The apostles reveal the same mindset when they write plainly of “waiting” for the “revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7), for “the hope of righteousness” (Gal. 5:5), for God’s “Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:10), for “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13), for “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 21). Indeed, the apostle John closes the Christian canon with words that remind us of Jesus’s promise and our longing: “‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)

In both dispensations of redemptive history, the people of God are defined by waiting. In the Old Testament, believers wait for Jesus’s first coming; in the New Testament, believers wait for his second coming. In both cases, God’s people live in the light of Christ’s advent.

The observance of Christ’s advent has been expressed in the liturgy of the Christian church for over two millennia. Each Lord’s Day as the gospel is preached or the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is administered, believers are reminded that Jesus is coming again. Whether it be the threatening word about the “day appointed” or the comforting word “until he comes,” each Lord’s Day we are reminded of the need to adopt an expectant posture. As Christians, we are waiting for God’s Son to be revealed from heaven. This has been so since the days of the apostles.

However, since the days of the early church, Christians have also observed a time in the church calendar for a more focused concentration on the second coming of Christ, known as Advent. Its origins go back to the fourth century when converts prepared themselves for baptism. As the centuries passed, the season of Advent became more directly connected to Christmas—a time to consider Christ’s second coming as Christians reflected on his first coming. Often it involved a period of fasting and prayer (Advent is also known as “Little Lent”) in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth on December 25 (in the Western church) or January 6 (in the Eastern church). Contrary to popular opinion, the date of Christ’s birth on December 25 is not due to a pagan holiday that has been repurposed by Christians; rather, the date is based on a belief that Christ died around the same time he was conceived. The two dates commonly held for his death are March 25 (in the Western church) and April 6 (in the Eastern church). If this was the date on which he was also conceived, then his birth would have been around December 25 or January 6, depending on the respective church tradition.

Although some of the Reformers stopped the practice of observing feast days and the fasting periods associated with them, some branches of the Reformed church kept the more gospel-oriented feast days. For example, in the Swiss Reformed church in Zürich, Huldrych Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger continued to observe Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. Under the influence of Zacharias Ursinus, one of the authors of the Heidelberg Catechism, the Palatinate church did the same. In Geneva, although he did not want the day to be elevated to the same status as the Lord’s Day, John Calvin adopted a “moderate course” of observing Christ’s birth on Christmas Day. On one occasion, he suspended his practice of lectio continua to preach on Christ’s nativity during the Christmas season. At the Synod of Dort in 1618–1619, the Dutch Reformed Church codified the keeping of Christmas, the Circumcision of Christ, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost in their canons of church order (see articles 63 and 67). Today Christmas is observed in some way in most Protestant denominations, often along with Advent, as a time of meditative preparation for celebrating the birth of Christ. Of course, meditating on the first and second comings of Christ is something we do each Lord’s Day; however, there is also spiritual benefit in setting aside a period in the church calendar each year to contemplate more deliberately the two advents of our Lord.

The aim of this devotional liturgy, designed for daily worship from Advent to Epiphany, is to prepare us better for the season in which we wait in earnest for Christ’s second coming while we wonder in awe at his first coming. To be clear, the season is not about what we can do for Christ by our work or prayers or fasting; rather, it is about what he has done for us in his work and prayers and fasting—a work that began in his first coming in humility and which will conclude in his second coming in glory. In the meantime, as we live between these two advents of Christ, we sing with the hymnwriter of old:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

and rescue captive Israel.

2

Format of Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

This daily worship devotional consists of forty days of set liturgy for the season of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Traditionally, Advent begins on the Sunday between November 27 and December 3 each year, while Epiphany is observed on January 6 or the Sunday during Epiphany week. In this devotional, Advent begins on November 28 and Epiphany ends on January 6, constituting forty days in total. The order of the elements in the liturgy is fixed and repeated each day, while the content of the elements changes each day, except for the Lord’s Prayer and postlude. The order and content of the elements is as follows, accompanied by a rubric to make the liturgy interactive:

Meditation

Reflect on these words about the incarnation of the Lord Jesus:

Forty meditations from church history

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

Forty Scripture readings (alternating Old Testament and New Testament daily)

Adoration

Say or sing this praise to God:

Forty hymns or psalms from church history relevant to Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany (a psalm occurs every seven days, except for Christmas Day)

Reading of the Law

Hear God’s law as his will for your life:

Seven Scripture readings (repeated weekly)

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

Forty prayers from church history (a prayer by Martin Bucer is used on Christmas Day, Circumcision of Christ, and Epiphany)

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

Forty Scripture readings (alternating Old Testament and New Testament daily)

Creed

Confess what you believe about the Christian faith:

Apostles’ Creed | Nicene Creed | Athanasian Creed (3 parts)

(repeated weekly in a chiasm: Apostles’ | Nicene | Athanasian 1, 2, 3 | Nicene | Apostles’)

Praise

Say or sing this praise to God:

Gloria Patri (traditional) | Doxology (traditional) | Gloria Patri (alternative 1) | Doxology (alternative) | Gloria Patri (alternative 2) (each repeated weekly; January 2–6 each repeated daily)

Catechism

Receive this instruction from one of the church’s catechisms:

Select Q&As from Heidelberg Catechism and Westminster Shorter Catechism related to the coming of Christ to save us from our sin (1–2 questions daily)

Prayer for Illumination

As you read his word, ask God to enlighten your mind and heart:

Seven prayers from church history (repeated weekly)

Scripture Reading

Read this portion of God’s word: . . .

Select Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany readings from Old and New Testaments: Old Testament readings about the coming of Christ prior to December 22; then Nativity readings from December 22 onward, before concluding with some Epiphany readings up to January 6

Praise

Say or sing this praise to God:

November 28–December 16

Liturgical prayers or praises from church history up to December 16 (repeated weekly):

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (verses 1, 2, 4, 6) | Magnificat | Benedictus | Nunc Dimittis | Sanctus | Phos Hilaron | Corde Natus (verses 1, 2, 6, 7)

December 17–23

Liturgical Advent “O Antiphons” hymns from December 17 to 23 (one each daily)

December 24

“O Holy Night”

December 25–January 6

Liturgical prayers or praises from church history up to January 6 (repeated weekly):

Sileat Omnis Caro Mortalis | Magnificat | Benedictus | Nunc Dimittis and Sanctus | Gloria in Excelsis | Phos Hilaron | Corde Natus (verses 3, 4, 5, 9)

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

Forty prayers from church history

Further Petition

PersonalChurchWorld

Lord’s Prayer

Pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray:

Traditional or modern version (repeated daily)

Benediction

Receive by faith this blessing from God:

Seven benedictions (repeated weekly): Numbers 6:24–26 | Romans 15:13 | 2 Corinthians 13:14 | Ephesians 3:20–21 | 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 | 2 Peter 1:2 | Jude 24–25

Postlude

In closing, say or sing this praise to God:

Doxology based on Psalm 72:17–19 (repeated daily)

As in Be Thou My Vision, the fixed order of the elements is to aid concentration, while the variety of content in the elements is to avoid boredom. The repetition of Scripture readings, prayers, creeds, praises, benedictions, postludes (repeated every seven days) encourages familiarity and memorization. If one follows this liturgy of worship each day throughout the season of Advent to Epiphany, then one will become well acquainted with the creeds of the Christian church and also historic (and seasonal) prayers throughout church history—some of which were written for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day, others of which were written for personal or family worship on any day, and still others of which were written for the season. After the set prayer of intercession, there is a time for further petitions covering personal, church, or world matters, as the individual or family desires. The Lord’s Prayer, which closes the time of intercessory prayer, may be said in whatever version with which one is most familiar. (The modern version is provided in the liturgy.) Each day’s liturgy closes with a scriptural benediction followed by a doxological postlude based on Psalm 72:17–19.

If one is using the liturgy for personal worship, then the rubric may be read silently, as if one is being led in worship. If one is using the liturgy for family worship, then the person leading may read the rubric aloud, while other family members might wish to read some of the prayers or Bible passages to ensure a collective participation. In either case, it is best practice to read the content of the elements aloud. This adds a level of formality that will help concentration and deepen a sense of worship. The musical tunes for the three versions of the Gloria Patri, the two versions of the Doxology, and the postlude Doxology based on Psalm 72:17–19 are indicated in appendix 1. The ribbons serve to help the worshiper(s): (1) mark the day; (2) mark the appendix for the musical tunes for the hymns or psalms of adoration as well as the different versions of Gloria Patri and Doxology; and (3) mark the seasonal reading plan if one wishes to have a comprehensive view of the Scripture readings covered during Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. In practice, the daily worship time (allowing for the allocated Bible reading, usually a single chapter) will take about 15 to 20 minutes. On days when circumstances may restrict one’s time more than other days, the liturgy allows for flexibility by dropping some of the elements, such as the meditation, the creed and/or catechism, and the postlude. If some days are missed in the week or season, then one may use the Lord’s Day to catch up on the seasonal Bible readings in order to enjoy the full scriptural focus on the coming, birth, and appearing of Christ.

Since the beginning of time, it has been God’s plan to fill heaven and earth with the praise of his name. By grace, we have been swept up into this plan through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. This liturgy of daily worship from Advent to Epiphany aims to help us worship God by meditating on the first coming of his Son while we wait for the second coming of his Son.

As for me, I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation. (Mic. 7:7)

Part 2

Practice of Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany

November 28

Meditation

Reflect on these words about the incarnation of the Lord Jesus:

We preach not one advent only of Christ, but a second also, far more glorious than the former. For the former gave a view of His patience; but the latter brings with it the crown of a divine kingdom. For all things, for the most part, are twofold in our Lord Jesus Christ: a twofold generation: one of God, before the ages; and one, of a virgin, at the close of the ages; His descents twofold: one, the unobserved, like rain on a fleece; and a second, His open coming, which is to be. In His former advent, He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger; in His second, He covers Himself with light as with a garment. In His first coming, He endured the cross, despising shame; in His second, He comes attended by a host of angels, receiving glory. We rest not upon His first advent only, but look also for His second. And as at His first coming, we said, “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord,” so will we repeat the same at His second coming; that when with angels we meet our Master, we may worship Him and say, “Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord.” Cyril of Jerusalem

Call to Worship

Hear God call you to worship through his word:

It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the Lord; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:9

Adoration

Say or sing the words of this Advent hymn:

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s Strength and Consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear Desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see Thee,

Dayspring from on high, appear.

Come, Thou promised Rod of Jesse,

Of Thy birth, we long to hear!

O’er the hills the angels singing

News, glad tidings of a birth;

“Go to Him your praises bringing

Christ the Lord has come to earth!”

Come to earth to taste our sadness,

He whose glories knew no end.

By His life He brings us gladness,

Our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.

Leaving riches without number,

Born within a cattle stall;

This the everlasting wonder,

Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born Thy people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King,

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all-sufficient merit,

Raise us to Thy glorious throne. Charles Wesley

Reading of the Law

Hear God’s law as his will for your life:

The words of our Lord Jesus Christ:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:37–40

Confession of Sin

Confess your sins to God:

Almighty God,

unto whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden—

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

so that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer (1552)

Assurance of Pardon

Receive these words of comfort from God:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28–30

Apostles’ Creed

Confess what you believe about the Christian faith:

I believe in God the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary;

suffered under Pontius Pilate;

was crucified, dead, and buried;

he descended into hell;

the third day he rose again from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit;

the holy catholic church;

the communion of saints;

the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body;

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Praise

Say or sing this praise to God:

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning,

is now and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen. Gloria Patri

Catechism

Receive this instruction from the Heidelberg Catechism:

Q. 12. According to God’s righteous judgment we deserve punishment both now and in eternity: how then can we escape this punishment and return to God’s favor?

A. God requires that his justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another.

Q. 13. Can we make this payment ourselves?

A. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.

Prayer for Illumination

As you read his word, ask God to enlighten your mind and heart:

Merciful Lord, the comforter and teacher of your faithful people, increase in your church the desires which you have given, and confirm the hearts of those who hope in you by enabling them to understand the depth of your promises, that all of your adopted sons may even now behold, with the eyes of faith, and patiently wait for, the light which as yet you do not openly manifest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Ambrose

Scripture Reading

Read this portion of God’s word: Genesis 3:1–15

Praise

Say or sing this praise to God:

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

Lo, how a rose e’er blooming,

From tender stem has sprung.

Of Jesse’s lineage coming,

As men of old have sung;

It came, a flow’ret bright,

Amid the cold of winter,

When half spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it,

The Rose I have in mind,

With Mary, we behold it,

The virgin mother kind;

To show God’s love aright,

She bore to men a Savior,

When half spent was the night.

O Flower, whose fragrance tender

With sweetness fills the air,

Dispel with glorious splendor

The darkness everywhere;

True man, yet very God,

From sin and death now save us,

And share our every load.

O Savior, Child of Mary,

Who felt our human woe;

O Savior, King of Glory,

Who does our weakness know,

Bring us at length we pray,

To the bright courts of Heaven

And to the endless day. Anonymous

Prayer of Intercession

As you make your requests to God, pray this prayer:

Almighty God, give us grace, that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. Book of Common Prayer (1552)

Further Petition

PersonalChurchWorld

Lord’s Prayer

Pray the words that Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come;

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power,

and the glory, forever. Amen.

Benediction

Receive by faith this blessing from God:

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face to shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you

and give you peace. Numbers 6:24–26