Advent Devotional Readings – Week of Hope

We won’t get to enjoy Advent in the sanctuary this year. We’ll be worshipping on living room couches and at kitchen tables. But even when we’re apart, we recognize our togetherness—with one another, with God—through our worship.

This year, we encourage you to join in worship by lighting Advent candles and sharing in a weekly liturgy, either with others or alone. You can say the liturgy every day with your family, substituting scripture readings for the appropriate day. Or you can light a candle on Sunday to mark a new week.

Join us as we prepare to receive the Christ child—God’s love incarnate for you.

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT – HOPE

OPENING SENTENCES

Love and faithfulness will meet;

justice and peace will embrace.

Faithfulness will spring from the earth

and justice will look down from heaven.

Psalm 85:10-11

 

PRAYER

God of all wisdom, our hearts yearn for the warmth of your love,

and our minds search for the light of your Word.

Increase our longing from Christ our Savior,

and strengthen us to grow in love,

that at the dawn of his coming

we may rejoice in his presence

and welcome the light of his truth.

This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 

LIGHTING THE ADVENT CANDLE

 

light one purple candle

 

We light this candle as a sign of the coming light of Christ.

As the Lord has promised in days to come,

The nations shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more.

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

 

see list below

 

CANTICLE

  “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
⁵² He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;
⁵³ he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵ according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

            Luke 1:46b-55

 

DISMISSAL

 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

be with your Spirit. Amen.

Galatians 6:18

 

Bless the Lord.

The Lord’s name be praised.