The text for our devotion on this exciting day in the Church Year comes from Daily Devotions from 75 Years of Portals of Prayer.

We often keep the Book of Revelation at a distance. We acknowledge its presence, maybe even daring to flip through to find the verse about God wiping tears from our eyes, but we rarely study this book. It intimidates us with its cryptic symbols and apocalyptic visions. With this overview and Bible study questions, you can feel confident reading Revelation, looking forward to the day we are united with Christ in the life everlasting!

Our devotion for today’s commemoration comes from The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther.

As we commemorate Adam and Eve today, we read about creation in an excerpt from In the Beginning, God: Creation from God’s Perspective.

We focus on the Gospel of the day and take our devotion from a sermon in Concordia Pulpit Resources.

Today’s devotion focuses on the Old Testament Reading from Isaiah 40, and comes from God’s Love at Christmas: Resources for Advent–Christmas Preaching and Worship.

For today’s commemoration, we read about the life of Nicholas in an excerpt from Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend.

The text for our devotion on the First Sunday in Advent is the Old Testament Reading, and we read an excerpt from Luther’s Works, Volume 17.

On the Feast of St. Andrew today, we read a Portals of Prayer devotion about Andrew’s selflessness in sharing the Gospel with others.

Christianity is unique among world religions in that it presents peace and reconciliation with the Creator of mankind through grace, mercy, and sacrifice at God’s expense. This is in opposition  to meriting goodness from the higher power based on our natural goodness or abilities, earning it through obedience and good works, or merely praying that the Lord will be nice. The richness of our heritage includes presenting this Gospel message to the Lord’s people and allowing it to have the most prominent place in worship, preaching, Bible study, chapel, Sunday School lessons, and the like.