December 26
Feast of St. Stephan, Deacon and Martyr
Read Luke 2:8 – 20
‘From Heaven Above to Earth I Come’, Luther’s cradle song, tells the angel’s message to the shepherds in the first 5 verses and spends the next 10 guiding the child of God’s response. It is easy to picture Luther rocking a child of his own and singing over and over of the Savior.
“From hea’vn above to earth I come To bear good news to ev’ry home;
Glad tidings of great joy I bring, Whereof I now will say and sing.
“To you this night is born a child Of Mary chosen virgin mild;
This little child of lowly birth Shall be the joy of all the earth.
“This is the Christ, our God Most High, Who hears your sad and bitter cry;
He will Himself your Savior be From all your sins to set you free.
“He will on you the gifts bestow Prepared by God for all below,
That in His kingdom, bright and fair, You may with us His glory share.
“These are the signs that you shall mark; The swaddling clothes and manger dark.
There you will find the infant laid By whom the heav’ns and earth were made.”
How glad we’ll be to find it so! Then with the shepherds let us go
To see what God for us has done In sending us His own dear Son.
Come here, my friends, lift up your eyes, And see what in the manger lies.
Who is this child, so young and fair? It is the Christ Child lying there,
Welcome to earth, O noble Guest, Through whom the sinful world is blest!
You came to share my misery That You might share Your joy with me.
Ah, Lord, though You created all, How weak You are, so poor and small,
That You should choose to lay Your head Where lowly cattle lately fed!
Were earth a thousand times as fair and set with gold and jewels rare,
It would be far too poor and small A cradle for the Lord of all.
Instead of soft and silken stuff You have but hay and straw so rough
On which as King, so rich and great, To be enthroned in royal state.
And so it pleases You to see This simple truth revealed to me:
That worldly honor, wealth, and might Are weak and worthless in Your sight.
Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,
A quiet chamber set apart For You to dwell within my heart.
My heart for very joy must leap; My lips no more can silence keep.
I, too, must sing with joyful tongue That sweetest ancient cradle song:
Glory to God in highest heav’n, Who unto us His Son has giv’n!
While angels sing with pious mirth A glad new year to all the earth.
For the Family:
A multitude of heavenly hosts sang that first Christmas. Hang angels on your Tree of Promise and pray, ‘Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, make Thee a bed, soft, undefiled, within my heart that it may be a quiet chamber kept for Thee.’
Bible Journaling:
Dec 26
Feast of St. Stephan-
A Multitude of Heavenly HostsBible Journaling
Connie Denninger
For the Family:
It’s Boxing Day – pack up some plates or bags of cookies to give to friends and neighbors. Take some to your local police department, fire house, and rescue squad. That’s half the fun of baking, seeing the look of delight on other’s faces.
From the Kitchen:
If you are having left overs at home, make some fresh biscuits to go with them.
Easiest Biscuit Recipe Ever
2 parts self rising flour
1 part whipping cream
- Preheat oven to 450
- Mix flour and cream until smooth and cohesive
- Scoop 1 oz balls of dough onto an ungreased or parchment lined baking sheet. Leave 2” between biscuits
- Brush tops of biscuits with cream
- Bake for 10 minutes or until they’re light golden brown on top. Break one open. It should be baked all the way through.
Remove from the oven and serve warm or at room temperature. Store well wrapped at room temp for several days; freeze for longer storage.
Tree of Promise Devotions
Natalie Grace Hartwig
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