United in Christ’s love, we glorify God
through worship, nurture, and service to all people.

Daily Devotions

  • December 28, 2020


    December 28, 2020 Matthew 2:3-6—Magi ‘And you, Bethlehem, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,’ Matthew 2:6a The setting takes place in Jerusalem. King Herod, a secular ruler, lives in a palace; high priests and scribes perform rituals in the temple. Magi come to Jerusalem from the East and bring word that…

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  • December 27, 2020


    December 27, 2020 Matthew 2:1-2—Magi “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2b, NIV One of my favorite Christmas carols is “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The hymn is a poem by Christina Rosetti, a nineteenth-century English poet. Rosetti was a devout Christian, and her faith features prominently in…

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  • December 26, 2020


    December 26, 2020 Luke 2:17-20—Shepherds and Angels “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 Mary must have been filled with unimaginable joy. To have been chosen, to become the mother of Jesus. All that she didn’t know, yet she chose to receive it in faith. With this…

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  • December 26, 2020


    December 26, 2020 Luke 2:17-20—Shepherds and Angels “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 Mary must have been filled with unimaginable joy. To have been chosen, to become the mother of Jesus. All that she didn’t know, yet she chose to receive it in faith. With this…

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  • December 25, 2020


    December 25, 2020 Luke 2:15-16—Shepherds and Angels “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2: 15b “That was unbelievable!” said one. “I’ve never seen or heard anything like it,” said another. “We have to go to Bethlehem and see this thing that God…

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  • December 24, 2020


    December 24, 2020 Luke 2:13-14—Shepherds and Angels “Suddenly there was with the angel a company of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men.’” Luke 2 13-14 How do we receive news in 2020? Technology provides us with a never-ending stream…

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  • December 23, 2020


    December 23, 2020 Luke 2:12—Shepherds and Angels “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12, NRSV As a new parent, one of the most important things I tried to learn was swaddling. I knew this was a comforting technique that calms…

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  • December 22, 2020


    December 22, 2020 Luke 2:10-11—Shepherds and Angels “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’” Luke 2:10-11 In Luke 2:10…

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  • December 21, 2020


    December 21, 2020 Luke 2:9—Shepherds and Angels “An angel of the Lord stood before them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified.” Luke 2:9 Because I am “a country boy” who grew up among farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I can identify with shepherds. In Jesus’ time…

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  • December 20, 2020     


    December 20, 2020 Luke 2:8—Shepherds and Angels “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.” Luke 2:8 While this verse in Luke is the introduction to the next section of the birth narrative, we can glean a lot from this one verse. In Luke, we see…

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