Category: You Are My Son

Let us read and declare aloud who Jesus is through the following scripture and prayer:

Isaiah 12:2-4 NIV
Surely God is my salvation;
    I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water
    from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
    make known among the nations what he has done,
    and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Matthew 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

(The Book of Common Prayer – The Third Sunday in Advent)
O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. [In Jesus’ name.] Amen.

Let’s sing “Glory to You in the Highest” by Matt Redman (click here).

-CHH

 

 

Acts 13:32-33, 38-39 NIV
³² We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.’
³⁸ Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin…

The good news of this Advent season is how Christ the Son has brought his kingdom order and peace into this world and for our lives. The best Christmas gift is the forgiveness and freedom that we can receive as we coordinate our lives to Jesus Christ. It is a gift because it is free. The price was paid as mentioned in Acts 13:29-30, “… they took him down from the cross. But God raised him from the dead.” To trust in Jesus is to receive both his death on our behalf and his resurrection victory. We are not only forgiven of our past, but we are also freed from every sin for our present/future. Let’s reflect on what has been proclaimed to us through Jesus.

Colossians 1:13-14 NIV
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your Son so that everyone who believes in him is set free to live with you and in obedience to Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s sing and offer all of who we are to Jesus with “Our Father” by Hillsong (click here).

-CHH

 

 

Acts 4:25-28 NIV
²⁵ You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
‘Why do the nations rage
    and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶ The kings of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
against the Lord
    and against his anointed one.’
²⁷ Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸ They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.

“Indeed, God has declared the king of Israel to be his Son, and his purposes for his Son will not fail. With this psalm on their lips and its truth in their hearts, the early church envisions itself as caught up in the providential story of God. Although Herod, Pilate, the gentiles, and the people of Israel conspired against Jesus, this was done according to God’s preordained power and will… In a sense, Luke is demonstrating how the early Christians were ‘living the text’ in their own day. The Psalter, in words that were provided by God through ‘the Holy Spirit,’ is now understood in relationship to Jesus.” (D. Pinter, Acts – The Story of God Bible Commentary)

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, thank you for the privilege to pray this in our own day. Enable us to speak with great boldness to those who need your saving power and grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s raise our voices together in song to our God with “King Jesus” by Matt Redman (click here).

-CHH

 

2 Samuel 7:11b-14a NIV
The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son…

This is a prophetic announcement that demonstrates God’s faithfulness to his people and to king David. Though David was not the one to establish a permanent dwelling for the LORD, God had promised a forever King/kingdom through one of his descendants. The brilliance of incarnation is that God himself would intervene in human history to dwell among us, establishing his heavenly kingdom here on earth. And Jesus Christ has built a house far greater – it is not a physical structure but a people for his Name – the church.

Prayer: Almighty God, how great is your love and faithfulness towards us as your children and church. Thank you for coming near to us in Jesus Christ. Thank you for bringing us into your gracious plan to belong to you and your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to “His Name Shall Be” by Matt Redman (click here).

-CHH

 

Hebrews 1:2-3a NRSVUE
… but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.

“This opening sentence isn’t just a rhetorical flourish. It tells us clearly how the argument of the whole letter is going to run. Again and again we start with a passage from the Old Testament, and the writer shows us how it points forwards to something yet to come. Again and again the ‘something’ it points forwards to turns out to be Jesus — Jesus, as in this passage, as God’s unique son, the one who has dealt with sins fully and finally, the one who now rules at God’s right hand, the one to whom even angels bow in submission.”
(N.T. Wright, Hebrews for Everyone)

It is a wonder that we get to behold the unique Son of God. Let us consider today who Jesus is and what he has done, to ponder the very nature and glory of God expressed in the Son for all to see.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your powerful word that sustains all things, including your church. Help us to fix our eyes on you this week and increase our faith in who you are and what you’re doing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to “Knowing You” by Graham Kendrick (click here).

̶ CHH