United in Christ’s love, we glorify God
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Daily Devotions

  • December 11, 2024: O Come, All Ye Faithful (GTG #133)


    O Come to Bethlehem.O Come to sing.O Come behold.O Come, to greet Jesus, born this happy morning.O Come, Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.O Come, let us adore him! John Francis Wade is now generally recognized as the author and composer of this hymn about 1743. There were four original verses written in…

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  • December 10, 2024: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (GTG #119)


    “Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations rise; join the triumph of the skies;” I love this hymn because it captures the essence of Christmas. Growing up, I found immense joy in the anticipation of all the things that come with the season: decorating the tree, watching movies,…

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  • December 9, 2024: In the Bleak Midwinter (GTG #144)


    “What can I give him, poor as I am?… what can I give him: give my heart.” This hymn and poem always stuck out to me as an odd choice for a hymn about Christmas. Growing up  in South Georgia, snow was something seen only on TV or cotton under the  trees at the Mall.…

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  • December 8th, 2024: Angels We Have Heard on High (GTG #113)


    “Angels we have head on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains and the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains.” I can actually picture the awe felt by all who heard the angels singing. I have heard those voices. In a freak accident when I was ten, I was electrocuted. I was visiting with a…

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  • December 7th, 2024: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (GTG #123)


    “It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old.” My favorite Christmas carol is It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. On the surface, it seems, even to me, a strange choice. There are plenty of other Christmas carols that are much more beautiful. And it sounds, at least to my ears, a little…

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  • December 6th, 2024: Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (GTG #129)


    “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him; the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord; and he will delight…

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  • December 5th, 2024: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (GTG #88)


    “Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” My favorite Advent hymn is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Written in the 12th century as a Latin chant, it was translated in 1851 by John Mason Neal, a renowned hymn writer, who also translated All Glory, Laud, and Honour, Of the Father’s Love Begotten, and…

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  • December 4th, 2024: Jesus Love Me! (GTG #188)


    (When asked by several people why I chose this song as a favorite “Christmas hymn,” I thought, “Jesus IS the reason for Christmas. He was born on this day to love us!”) “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”When my son Ken was about five years old, he worried when…

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  • December 3rd, 2024: People Look East (GTG #105)


    “People, look east. The time is near of the crowning of the year!” As I reflect on this Advent hymn, it reminds me to “look east” and make ready for the coming of Christ. Growing up as a military child, Christmases were often away from family. My parents made sure Christmas was special by decorating…

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  • December 2nd, 2024: My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout (Canticle of Turning) (GTG #100)


    “My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the one who waits.” December 2nd, the second day of Advent…and already we are busy. Shopping, parades, baking, Nutcracker performances, volunteering, family gatherings, and church services, the…

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