Nurture

December 2021 Bible readings

stjohnstmarkchurchburyFriday, November 26, 2021

Here are the December 2021 Bible readings which we will be using in church. Please make use of these readings and reflect on what they might be saying to you.

The readings

December’s Sunday readings include messengers, refiners, John in the wilderness, a lot of rejoicing and the hospitality of Elizabeth and Zechariah to an unmarried, pregnant girl…

• Dec 5th – 2nd of Advent: Malachi 3:1-4; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6;
• Dec 12th – 3rd of Advent: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18;
• Dec 19th – 4th of Advent: Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55;
• Dec 26th – St Stephen: 2 Chronicles 24:20-22; Acts 7:51-60; Matthew 10:17-22;

If you don’t have access to a Bible, then please follow this link to the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. It doesn’t always have the same readings but it’s a pretty good place to start.

Amongst the December 2021 Bible readings is the joyful visit of Mary with her older cousin Elizabeth…

Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

For the November 2021 Bible readings please press here. Many thanks again to Olivia Snow for the photo on Unsplash