12/21/25 Through 12/27/25
Sunday
Open the gates and let the Lord in
Open the gates and abandon your sin.
Abandon your fear of His power and might
For He comes to reveal His radiant light.
Don't weary the Lord with your feigning of love
But humble yourself when addressed from above.
For who can ascend to His mountain on high
But Him who was sent by the Father to die?
Both mother and father have learned to obey
Their yes to His will is just paving the way.
And one in the wilderness, hearing the call
Taught of repentance, and giving of all.
The King will arrive at the fullness of days
The thoughts of the wise and the learned to raze.
He chooses the humble and docile of heart
Who listen and act on His word from the start.
Monday
(Can be sung to the tune of "Creator of the Stars at Night")
This job for only Perfect Love
The Father gave His Son above
And sent Him as a babe below
That His great love all men would know.
The child of every innocence
Comes humbly to mankind's defence.
In stable born, on manger bed,
His soft and precious little head.
Our Savior born amid the night
Our cherished source of life and light
The angels in their joy proclaim
His everlasting Holy Name
Come feel the warmth of love He brings
Come hear what angel choir sings
The King arrives this humble way
To lift the poor and clearly say:
His love extends to all mankind
So, come and in the manger find
Messiah, Savior, Mighty King
This tiny babe of whom we sing.
Tuesday
In silence, Zechariah waits
No potion malady abates
But silence gives one time to think
And silence helps the ego shrink
In silence, we can hear Him speak
In silence, shall the interest pique
For more and more of what He wills
And how the restless heart He stills.
By listening, we hear His word
That, when among the noise, is blurred
But silence brings to clarity
What, in the noise, we cannot see.
In solitude yet not alone
In silence where His word is known
It comes in many varied ways
And grows when more, the silent, prays
The silence gives us space to roam
While keeping Jesus as our home.
He shows the many ways he leads
And how he satisfies our needs
In silence, focus drifts away
If flesh is strong enough that day,
But if the spirit wants to win,
We turn the focus back to Him
Then, when the mind is firm and true
We still have much to learn from You
Your words are not a conjured thing,
But whisperings of Christ the King.
They come when only humbly sought
Or when we need correcting swat.
How e'er they come, we must obey
Or soon enough, we'll lose our way.
Wednesday
A hymn of thankfulness and praise
To Jesus Christ, our King, we raise.
To Earth, He comes to people free
All sinners from eternity.
Our God, as man, in flesh appears
As promised, now for many years
But do we ever really see
The wonders of this mystery?
It's hard to understand this gift
And heavenward, our thoughts to lift
We're so concerned with life below,
His greatest gift we seldom know.
We think of Him in time of need
But often fail His word to heed.
Spare tire faith is common here
But not much more throughout the year.
Lord, help me change this paradigm
By meeting You in morning time
And seeking what You ask of me
Then giving all to be set free.
Thursday
Unto us a Son is given
Bounds of Earth and Heaven riven
As a helpless infant coming
Sin and darkness overcoming.
As the light of morn is breaking
Longing hearts for ages aching
Come to see the Savior born
Upon that early, frosty morn
Long awaited, unexpected
By the ruling class rejected
Pagan kings and shepherds see
The Root of Jesse, David's Key
God Himself becomes a creature
While an infant, yet a teacher
Humble, yet a King Divine
Born to clear these sins of mine.
Friday
No match for him in fair debate
They quickly turn to vicious hate
And stone the one who prays for them
Revealing quite a precious gem
As on the Cross our Savior did,
With Stephen, too, was never hid
The Father's love for every man
With sins forgiven as His plan
Such love confounds the wicked heart
And so, an inward change may start
With admiration for their nerve
And hearing of a call to serve.
The word He gives at such a time
May seem a foolish word to swine
But one may hear what God intends
And so, begin to make amends.
He works on sinners many ways
So when, at last, the sinner prays
He hears the call within that word
And ponders well what he has heard.
His love extends to all mankind
His will is that someday we find
A word to turn our hearts to love
So we can live with Him above.
Saturday
Beloved by Christ beneath the Cross
Unmoved by threat of death or loss
One so united with the Word
He followed as the Spirit stirred.
From call received beside the sea
To what he wrote for folk like me,
His faith and trust, it never waned
And Christ as King, his life proclaimed.
Three years, he witnessed mighty deeds
And planting of so many seeds
With parables that helped reveal
The Word made flesh to whom we kneel.
He saw upon the mountain high
The brilliant rays of God most high
He heard God's voice proclaim Him Son,
His much beloved Chosen One.
He followed to the bitter end
And on his witness, we depend
To hear His words from on the Tree
And even what the guard could see;
He truly was the Son of God
A Holy, Precious, One unflawed
A Lamb of Sacrifice for all
Who answer to His loving call.
He left that tearful, somber day
The Virgin in his care to stay.
The Son of God, whom thousands fed
Lay in the tomb, stone cold and dead.
But three days hence in early morn
New wonder, hope, and joy were born
When in the empty tomb, he peered
And slowly, Master's teaching cleared.
That He would rise and conquer death
The Spirit sent, from in His breath,
Would teach them all they need to know
And lead them on the way to go.
So, you and I, like him, believe
We, too, the Spirit, shall receive
If we just listen and obey
We, too, will find the narrow way
