Advent 23- Very God of Very God

December 19

Read Isaiah 9:1 – 7 and the Nicene Creed

Make no mistake, we are waiting for God, the same God who made us, the great I Am, the God who lead His people out of slavery, the Very God born in Bethlehem and crucified on Calvary. This same God will come again in glory and we wait for Him this Advent season.

The hymn, ‘O very God of very God’ is found only in the Common Service Book and Hymnal. There it is listed in the advent section and described as being based on the Latin Antiphon ‘O Oriena.’ The opening lines echo earlier English translations of the Nicene creed and speak powerfully to our waiting for Christ to come again. The tune assigned to this hymn is St. Magnus, a common meter hymn tune that is also used for ‘The Head That Once Was Crowned In Thorns.’ An alternate hymn to use is Luther’s catechism hymn “We All Believe in One True God.” The hymn tune is, admittedly, very challenging, but it is worth the effort and powerful when sung by an entire congregation. Sing one of these hymns now and know that your prayers mingle with the whole Christian Church Universal.

O very God of very God, and very Light of Light, 
Whose feet this earth’s dark valley trod, That so it might be bright;

Our hopes are weak, our foes are strong, Thick darkness blinds our eyes;

Cold is the night, and O, we long That Thou, our Sun, wouldst rise!

And even now, though dull and gray, The east is brightening fast,

And kindling to the perfect day That never shall be past.

O guide us till our path be done, And we have reached the shore

Where Thou, our everlasting Sun, Art shining evermore!

We wait in faith, and turn our face To where the daylight springs,

Till Thou shalt come our gloom to chase, With healing on Thy wings.

For the Family:

The symbol of a full sun, our Sun of Righteousness, placed within the Trinitarian triangle emphasizes the deity of Christ. Hang this symbol on your Tree of Promise and give thanks that Christ, very God of very God, took on human form for you.

During the years we lived in Des Plaines, Immanuel celebrated communion in a service completely separate from the morning worship. Children were not invited to attend this service. For some reason I was the only one going to church with Dad that day and he was singing in the choir, so I sat with him. I distinctly remember being enthralled with the Nicene creed as I heard it and spoke it for the first time in my memory. The repetitious phrases beginning with ‘very God of very God’ stuck and I waited for 2 more years to hear them again when we moved to St. Louis. Recite the Nicene Creed with your family.

Bible Journaling:

Advent 23
Bible Journaling
Very God of Very God
Isaiah 9:1-7
Connie Denninger

From the Kitchen:

This cookie recipe is one that I tasted for the first time in a gift from Aunt Grace when I was a freshman in nursing school. Then there was a very long wait until I found the recipe in mom’s cookie file after her death.

Apricot Coconut Balls

Grace Pfitzer- Aunt of Natalie Hartwig

1 ½ C dried apricots, ground

2 C shredded coconut

2/3 C Eagle Brand condensed milk

Confectioners’ sugar

• Mix apricots and coconut
• Add milk and blend well.
• Shape into balls and roll in sugar
• Let stand until firm.

Aunt Grace sent a box of Christmas cookies to me one time. All the cookies except the Apricot Coconut Balls were in crumbs. Great tasting crumbs, but crumbs. The surviving apricot coconut balls were packed with the sweet tang of apricots.

Tree of Promise Devotions
Natalie Grace Hartwig