Tuesday, December 21

Isaiah 11:10-16

Psalms 66, 67, 116, and 117

Revelation 20:11-21:8

Luke 1:5-25

Psalm 66

Family stories, memories of vacations, weddings, funerals, and past generations, told and retold at every gathering. Together we smile, laugh, cry and create new memories. Even the youngest members of the family are able to recite our stories word for word, gesture for gesture. Family stories are the history that binds us together. They remind us where we have been, shape where we will go and define us as a community. We cherish our stories.

Psalm 66 is a praise song, sung in remembrance of the great things God had done; the time when God parted the Red Sea, a time of hardship and testing when the people were being refined and finally led to a “place of abundance” (vs. 12NIV), and of the God who listened to the singer’s prayers and loved him. He sings, “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me” (vs. 16NIV). He invites the listener to rejoice with him.

Family stories, memories of the past, history being retold; the Virgin visited by the Angel and given good news, the Baby born in a manger who grew up to be the Savior, remembering the good times (and bad) that our family has been through this year, and rejoicing, together, as we remember the blessings God has poured out on us. Together we retell our story, and invite the listener to rejoice, and participate, with us.

In Christ,

Juli Browning