X

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

THE GREATEST signs of God’s presence are, indeed, noted whenever and wherever we encounter joy and abundance. If our energies are running low, God can be our strength. If we feel we have run out of time, we dare not forget that God is the giver of all good gifts—even life itself. And if we don’t feel like celebrating, God gives us the finest gifts anyway.

—Todd Outcalt, Blue Christmas: Devotions of Light in a Season of Darkness (Upper Room Books, 2018)

Today’s Question

What gifts have you received from God?  Share your thoughts.

Today’s Scripture

“Every good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no change at all.”
—James 1:17 (CEB)

Prayer for the Week

God of Light, be my hope in this season. Submit your prayer to The Upper Room .

Something More

The Staff of The Upper Room invites you to join us for a virtual “Blue Christmas” worship service, also known as the “Longest Night” service. This service is especially designed to give voice and hope to those who are grieving or who are experiencing loss. Click here to watch the video and be sure to share it with a friend.

Lectionary Readings

(Courtesy of Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

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

Sponsored by The Upper Room. Copyright © 2019 | PO Box 340004 | Nashville, TN 37203-0004 | USA

7 Comments

  • Jill Posted December 3, 2019 3:16 am

    Innumerable gifts…but I would have to say the most significant one of daily notice and preciousness is the gift of His peace – quietly and assuredly stilling my soul, amidst challenging times.
    Other gifts which come to mind – my stable and secure home of 21+ years now, my lovely companion Roger, my job with students who desire to do their best (mostly), my family and my closest friends, my (somewhat new) church home.
    Still trying to bounce back from this flu shot – it seems like such a bad idea right now. Yesterday at school – talking all day, really took its toll. To bed really early last night and feeling somewhat refreshed this morning. We will see how well and long the voice and energy hangs in there today.
    I know so many of you are diligent in your prayers and continue to pray for my dad. Thank you.

  • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted December 3, 2019 4:54 am

    God has given me people who encourage and inspire me, people who pray and care for me. The most important gift is Jesus Christ who is my Savior and Lord. The gift of salvation.

    Thank you God for all the good gifts you have blessed me, including the friends here at UR!

    Blessings!

  • Shirley E McCray Posted December 3, 2019 7:39 am

    he keeps waking me up each morning with energy to give him thanks and praise

    • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted December 4, 2019 2:10 am

      Welcome Shirley!

      Indeed, each day of our life is a gift from God!

      Blessings!

  • Julie Posted December 3, 2019 8:22 am

    So many things come to mind. His love, His forgiveness, His grace, His strength, His guidance. All good gifts come from Him.
    Prayers for Jill and Larry, may He give Larry the gift of warm, happy memories and relief from his pain and loneliness. Tazzie and Chai are two of my gifts from God, like you and Roger.
    Prayers for Mary, and I agree the UR friends I have made are indeed a gift from God, including you and your joy and selfless devotion.
    Prayers for Shirley who reminded us that each day we have is a precious gift from God.
    Prayers for Robert, may his gift be a renewed sense of closeness with Erich.
    Prayers and thank you UR

    • Mary Ng Shwu Ling Posted December 4, 2019 2:07 am

      Thank you Julie!

      Your prayers and words of wisdom is a gift from God to all of us here at UR!

      Thank you God for people like Julie who is always edifying!

  • robert moeller Posted December 3, 2019 2:09 pm

    God has given many gifts. Thank You, Lord. I’ll single out the one I think may be the greatest and that is peace. I’ve been greatly helped through many different problems, situations, and while some are still occurring, I have a sense of peace that helps me make my way through them. I pray that you all have God’s peace.

    So thankful the roof job was finished before the snow. It’s snowing again and accumulating. The plow will be here again. Thankfully roads were good for Bible study this morning. I have a second session tonight. Today’s focus is on Mary.

    I’ve received pictures of a model of Sorga station. They are in a very large scale. I will try to model the station in 1:87 HO scale. Six generations ago, before the railroad was built, my family lived in Sorga. Today the town is a section of the city of Bad Hersfeld.

    Continuous prayers for this dear UR family.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *