Thursday 17th December – O Come O Come Emmanuel In looking forward to Jesus’ coming again we also look back to the ancient prophecies of His coming. Monastic communities would sing different prophecies of Jesus’ coming each day between now and Christmas eve. These have been made popular in today’s haunting Advent carol. Isaiah 7:4; […]
URC Daily Devotion Wednesday 16th December 2020
Wednesday 16th December – Adam Lay Y Bounden This carol, again more often sung by choirs than congregations, dates, we think, to the 15th Century and tells the story of the Fall. Genesis 3: 1-8 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the […]
URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 15th December 2020
Tuesday 15th December – This is the Truth Sent From Above The origins of this carol are unknown but it tells the history of salvation in verse form. It’s more often sung by choirs than congregations. Genesis 2:7, 15-18, 21-25 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils […]
URC Daily Devotion Monday 14th December 2020
Monday 14th December – Of the Father’s Heart Begotten This ancient hymn was adopted by the Spanish Church in the 9th Century to be used on 1st January when Jesus’ circumcision was marked. The tune comes from the 16th Century and we contrast Matthew’s genealogy with the idea that Jesus was lineage is heavenly. St Mathew […]
URC Daily Devotion Sunday Worship – 13th December
URC Daily Devotions Worship for 13th December 2020 Advent 3 – The Two Comings Opening Music And Who May Abide the Day of His Coming (Messiah) But who may abide the Day of His coming?And who shall stand when He appeareth?Who shall stand when he appeareth?But who may abide, but who may abidethe Day of His coming?And […]
URC Daily Devotion Saturday 12th December 2020
Saturday 12th December – The Lamb William Blake plays with the image of Christ the Lamb in his children’s poem yet the image of Jesus as the Lamb of God, so often used in our Communion liturgies, is rather more sacrificial. St John 1: 29-37 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and […]
URC Daily Devotion Friday 11th December 2020
Friday 11th December – Born in the Night This is one of the few carols that is addressed to Jesus; the deceptive lullaby tune lulls us into a sense of nostalgia but the words remind us of the price Jesus paid for his ministry. Isaiah 59: 20 – 60:5 And he will come to Zion as […]
URC Daily Devotion Thursday 10th December 2020
Thursday 10th December – People Look East Eleanor Farjeon is best remembered for Morning has Broken. She wrote this Advent carol based on a passage in Baruck (5:5-7) where the people were told to look to the East to see the people gathered in by the Lord. A committed Christian, Farjeon used the carol to remind […]
URC Daily Devotion 9th December 2020
Wednesday 9th December – Earth was Waiting Spent and Restless This year our nations, with the rest of the world, had a stark lesson in waiting – having to wait indoors, waiting for the pandemic to pass, waiting for infection rates to fall. Advent is about waiting, something we find difficult. Romans 8: 18-25 I consider […]
URC Daily Devotion 8th December 2020
Tuesday 8th December Thou Whose Almighty Word In the northern hemisphere Advent is a dark time of the year and can often be dark emotionally as we remember those no longer with us. Our hymn, written by John Marriott, plays with the idea of light – ironic since he died at a young age from […]