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New every morning is your love, great God of light, and all day long you are working for good in the world. Stir up in us desire to serve you, to live peacefully with our neighbors and all your creation, and to devote each day to your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

"A Liturgy for Morning Prayer," Upper Room Worshipbook

Used by permission from the Book of Common Worship, © 2018 Westminster John Knox Press. All rights reserved. This prayer appears in “A Liturgy for Morning Prayer” in Upper Room Worshipbook.

 

Today’s Reflection

Advent begins—and in fact, the entirety of the Christian journey begins—at the point where we accept Jesus as our Guide and begin to walk with his calm assurances in the midst of our fears. He’s going to meet us, he tells us. He’s going to show up, even if we don’t know when or how. Jesus even invites us to look for his presence in the lives and faces of others. He may come to us at unexpected moments or when we are most tired or worn or confused. He may show up at the beginning or appear at the end of all things, when we least expect God’s redemption or grace.

What a promise!

—Todd Outcalt, Let Us Go Now to Bethlehem: Daily Devotions for Advent and Christmas (Upper Room Books, 2020)

Today’s Question

What helps you stay alert for God’s presence on your journey? Join the conversation.

Today’s Scripture

[Jesus said,] “Stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come, whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!”
—Mark 13:35-37 (CEB)

Prayer for the Week

God, the One who has brought all things into existence, I welcome the lessons and love—expected and unexpected—you will bring today.
Submit your prayer to The Upper Room.

Something More

The new year is just around the corner. Walk in spiritual wisdom in 2022 with The Upper Room Disciplines, a trusted companion for daily prayer and study for nearly 65 years. Learn more.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

Looking for lectionary-based resources? Learn more about The Upper Room Disciplines.

2 Comments

  • robert moeller Posted December 6, 2021 7:49 am

    Commitment, the Holy Spirit, experience, God’s ever presence, and Scripture work together to
    help me stay alert for God’s presence on my journey. While there were technical issues with yesterday’s worship service, the message and communion came through very well. Thankful for the effort put forth by the worship team, I’m sure God knows. their hearts.
    A rainy, gray day here, colder again tonight, snow forecast for Wednesday and Friday.. Hope for mode progress today, have the photo that will serve as the backdrop. Prayers for Ally&David, Jeremy,Julie and Megan, Jill, Larry, Becky, and Roger, Lou, her Mom, and children, all the NEM family, past and present, named and unknown. Thank you for coming! God be with you all. Thank You. Lord.

  • Ally Posted December 6, 2021 11:47 pm

    I think what helps me most is keeping my heart open and focused while in prayer and study. I do tend to get distracted by what is going around me.

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