January 8, 2017

Devotion: Use this resource at home to guide your household’s daily devotions.

Pray: Light a candle and open your devotion time with a prayer.

Hear us, O Lord,
Your axe lies at the foot of the trees. May we bear good fruit and good news to all the people, in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, Amen.

Read: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding of Sunday’s text. After the reading, ask the follow-up questions.

Sunday: Jesus’ Baptism (Baptism of Our Lord), Luke 3:1-22

Monday: Genealogy of Jesus, Luke 3:23-38
Tuesday: Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness, Luke 4:1-13
Wednesday: Comfort, O Comfort My People, Isaiah 40:1-11
Thursday: God Will Restore Jerusalem, Isaiah 52:1-12
Friday: Elijah’s Flight, 1 Kings 19:1-9a
Saturday: Hear, O Israel, Deuteronomy 6:4-15

What promises from Israel’s history does Jesus come to fulfill?

Connect: Discuss the following questions.

What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?

Does your baptism inform your actions and behaviors? If so, then how? If not, why not?

How do your baptism and your faith influence your political beliefs and practices?

Do: By acting on what we learn we make God’s word come alive. Do the following activity this week.

Identify an evil or an injustice (an unfairness) that happens in your community.  What is one small way that you can resist that evil or injustice?  Make a concerted effort to do so.  What happens?  How does it feel to resist evil and injustice?

Adapted from Clergy Stuff.  Copyright © 2016 Clergy Stuff. Used and adapted with Permission. Find more at www.ClergyStuff.com.