Second Week of Advent 2023
We finished the second week of Advent with some more thought-provoking and meaningful words; I hope you didn’t miss any of them. If you would like to receive these daily in your inbox, sign up here. If you missed details about Advent Word of the Day, this post will help.
Below are the words from this last week, along with meditations, quotes, scriptures or prayers that reached my heart when I was researching each word. I also always include a photo that I’ve taken on trips or in my daily life.
Sunday – GLORY
That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s GLORY surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “GLORY to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Luke 2:8-14
Monday – HERALD
Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by.
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth.
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The HERALD angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born king!”
Tuesday – VALLEY
God never asks us to go through the VALLEY alone.
Psalm 23:4a says “Even when I walk through the darkest VALLEY, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”
Read that again “close beside me” –
Isn’t that a relief?
Our great big God who sent his only son to earth as a baby to be born in manger, is always there.
Always.
Always close.
Right beside us.
Through every VALLEY.
Wednesday – TRUTH
“The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended, or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: ‘These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the TRUTH about myself. The TRUTH, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God’s eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting belief.”
Thursday – PATIENCE
“Lead me by Your mercies through these hours, that I might spend them well, not in harried pursuit of my own agendas, but rather in good service to You. Teach me to shepherd the small duties of this day with great love, tending faithfully those tasks You place within my care and tending with PATIENCE and kindness the needs and hearts of those people You place within my reach. Nothing is too hard for You, Lord Christ. I deposit now all confidence in You that whatever these waking hours bring, my foundations will not be shaken. At day’s end I will lay me down again to sleep knowing that my best hope is well kept in You. In all things Your grace will sustain me.”
Friday – HASTEN
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to HASTEN to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” -St. Augustine
Saturday – BEGIN
“This is the BEGINning of a new day. God has given you this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good.
What you do today is very important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever. In its place is something you have left behind. Let it be something good! This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!”