Here are the December 2024 Bible readings, which we’ll be using in St John with St Mark’s and Christ Church, as we go from Advent and into Christmas.
The readings
Our Old Testament readings take us through some of the better-known and less well-known prophets: Jeremiah, Baruch or Malachi, Zephaniah, Micah and Isaiah – before ending with Samuel. We’re now in the third year of the 3-year church cycle of readings, so the Gospel is taken from Luke, with John slipping in for Christmas Day. These Gospel texts tell us of preparation, repentance and doing the right thing – before we get to the Christmas narratives. We end the month, fast-forwarding to when Jesus is 12 and giving his parents palpitations.
- Dec 1st – 1st of Advent: Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-end; Luke 21:25-36;
- Dec 8th – 2nd of Advent: Baruch 5 or Malachi 3:1-4; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6;
- Dec 15th – 3rd of Advent: Zephaniah 3:14-end; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18;
- Dec 22nd – 4th of Advent: Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55;
- Dec 25th – Christmas Day: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-14;
- Dec 29th – 1st of Christmas: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-end;
If you don’t have access to a Bible, then please follow this link to the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. It’s not always the same but it’s usually very close.
The December 2024 Bible readings include this from Philippians 1:3-11…
Pure and blameless
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Thanks once again to Olivia Snow for the photo on Unsplash