DATE
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TEXT
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THEME
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SYMBOL
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December
1
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Isaiah 11:1 "But a shoot shall sprout
from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom."
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Jesse
He was a Judahite who lived in
Bethlehem, the son of Obed and the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. He had eight sons, of whom David was the youngest, and
two daughters.
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December
2
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Genesis 1:26
"Then God
said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the
ground."
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Creation
Genesis is a book about beginnings. The centerpiece of the book is God's
redemptive activity following the fall of man. God began by calling
Abram out of Ur, by entering into a covenant with him, and by making
promises to bless him and to bless all the families of the earth through
him.
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December
3
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Genesis 3:3
"it is only about the fruit
of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, 'You shall not
eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
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The
Fall
Adam
and Eve introduced sin into human history by their rebellious actions.
The Bible affirms that every person who has lived since has followed
their example.
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December
4
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Genesis 6:17
"I, on my part, am about
to bring the flood (waters) on the earth, to destroy everywhere all
creatures in which there is the breath of life; everything on earth
shall perish.
6:18 But with you I will establish my covenant; you and your sons, your
wife and your sons' wives, shall go into the ark.
"
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Noah
God
warned Noah that He was going to wipe mankind from the face of the
earth. Because Noah walked with God and stood blameless among the people
of that time, God gave him specific instructions for building the ark by
which Noah and his family would survive the coming flood
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December
5
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Genesis 12:1 The LORD said to Abram: "Go forth from the land of your
kinsfolk and from your father's house to a land that I will show you.
12:2 "I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
12:3 * I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you."
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Abraham
The
first Hebrew patriarch, he
became known as the prime
example of faith.
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December
6
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Genesis 17:19
God replied: "Nevertheless, your wife Sarah is
to bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will maintain my
covenant with him as an everlasting pact, to be his God and the God of
his descendants after him."
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Sarah
When
Sarah was almost 90 years old, God changed her name and promised her a
son. In her old age she bore Isaac.
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December
7
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Genesis 22:7 "As the two walked on together,
Isaac spoke to his father Abraham. "Father!" he said. "Yes, son," he
replied. Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is
the sheep for the holocaust?"
22:8 "Son," Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the sheep for
the holocaust." Then the two continued going forward."
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Isaac
Isaac
was the child of a promise from God, born when Abraham
& Sarah when they were elderly.
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December
8
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Genesis 28:12-13
"Then he had a dream: a stairway rested on the ground, with its top
reaching to the heavens; and God's messengers were going up and down on
it.
28:13 And there was the LORD standing beside him and saying: "I, the
LORD, am the God of your forefather Abraham and the God of Isaac; the
land on which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants."
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Jacob
Original ancestor of the nation of Israel and father of the twelve
ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In a vision, Jacob (son of
Isaac) saw a ladder reaching from heaven to earth, with angels
descending and ascending. Christ, the Incarnate God, is the Ladder
reuniting earth to heaven, mankind to God.
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December
9
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Genesis 41:39 "So Pharaoh said to Joseph:
"Since God has made all this known to you, no one can be as wise and
discerning as you are.
41:40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people shall dart
at your command. Only in respect to the throne shall I outrank you.
41:41 Herewith," Pharaoh told Joseph, "I place you in charge of the
whole land of Egypt."
41:42 * With that, Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on
Joseph's finger. He had him dressed in robes of fine linen and put a
gold chain about his neck."
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Joseph
Joseph
in the Old Testament primarily refers to the patriarch, one of the sons
of Israel. Joseph was the eleventh of twelve sons, the first by Jacob's
favorite wife, Rachel.
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December
10
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Deuteronomy 5:1
"Moses
summoned all Israel and said to them, "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and
decrees which I proclaim in your hearing this day, that you may learn
them and take care to observe them
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Moses
Moses wasthe leader of the Israelites in their
Exodus from Egyptian slavery and oppression, their journey through the
wilderness with its threats in the form of hunger, thirst, and
unpredictable enemies, and finally in their audience with God at Mount
Sinai/Horeb where the distinctive covenant bonding Israel and God in a
special treaty became a reality.
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December
11
|
Joshua 2:14 "We pledge our lives for yours," the men answered her. "If
you do not betray this errand of ours, we will be faithful in showing
kindness to you when the LORD gives us the land."
2:15 Then she let them down through the window with a rope; for
she lived in a house built into the city wall."
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Rahab
lived
in Jericho who hid two Hebrew spies Joshua sent there to
determine the strength of the city
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December
12
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Ruth
1:16 "But Ruth said, "Do not ask me to
abandon or forsake you! for wherever you go I will go, wherever you
lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
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Ruth
an
ancestor of David and Jesus, and the biblical book which tells the story
of the reversal of fortunes for Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi.
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December
13
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1 Samuel 16:13 "Then
Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his
brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon
David. When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
"
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Samuel
& David
Samuel's
relations with Saul highlight the conditional nature of kingship in
Israel.
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December
14
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2
Samuel 5:1 "All the tribes of Israel came to
David in Hebron and said: "Here we are, your bone and your flesh.
5:2 In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the
Israelites out and brought them back. And the LORD said to you, 'You
shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.'"
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David
CROWN
- Symbolizes David, son of Jesse
and an ancestor of Jesus.
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December
15
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Isaiah 9:6 "His dominion
is vast
and forever peaceful,
From David's throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
By judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
"
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Prophets
The
prophets influenced almost every institution of Israel, despite the fact
that they were often viewed with contempt:
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December 16 |
Jonah 2:1 But
the Lord sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the
belly of the fish three days and three nights." |
Jonah
In
the Gospels, especially at Matthew 12:40, Jonah's stay in the fish (1:17)
is represented as a type of Jesus' brief confinement to the grave. |
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December 17
|
1
Kings 18:36
"At the time for offering sacrifice, the
prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I
am your servant and have done all these things by your command."
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Elijah
He was
a complex man of the desert who counseled kings.
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December 18
|
Esther
4
D:8
"But God changed the king's anger to
gentleness. In great anxiety he sprang from his throne, held her in his
arms until she recovered, and comforted her with reassuring words."
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Esther
The
scepter represents the King,
whom Ester had to go to, to
plead and intercede with him in
behalf of her people.
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December 19
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1 Kings 3:3
"
Solomon loved the LORD, and obeyed the statutes of his father David; yet
he offered sacrifice and burned incense on the high places."
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Solomon
Although
not the oldest living son of David, he was crowned king after his mother
and Nathan the prophet intervened with David and secured David's
decision to have Solomon succeed him Solomon is remembered most
for his wisdom, his building program, and his wealth generated through
trade and administrative reorganization.
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December 20 |
1
Kings 3:2-4
However, the people were sacrificing on the high places, for up to that
time no temple had been built to the name of the LORD.
3:3 Solomon loved the LORD, and obeyed the statutes of his father David;
yet he offered sacrifice and burned incense on the high places.
3:4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, because that was the most
renowned high place. Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand holocausts. |
SAMUEL
Samuel became a prophet, the light of God to His people.
The lamp is a symbol for
the Word of God, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet." (Psalm 119:105) |
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December 21
|
Mark 1:2 "As it is written
in Isaiah the prophet: *
"Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way."
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John
the Baptist
Mark
1:3-4 records that John was in the wilderness until the time of his
public ministry. He came to announce Jesus as the
Messiah.
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December
22
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Luke 1:26 " In the sixth
month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called
Nazareth,
1:27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
1:28 And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with
you."
1:29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what
sort of greeting this might be.
1:30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God.
1:31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you
shall name him Jesus.
"
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Mary
The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.
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December 23
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Luke 2:4
"And Joseph too went
up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David
that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of
David,
2:5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
2:6 While they were there, the time came for her to have her child."
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Joseph
Tools
symbolize Joseph, the
foster-father of Jesus
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December 24
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Luke 1:46 And Mary said: *
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
1:47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
1:48 For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
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MARY
"Jacob
the father of Joseph, the
husband of Mary. Of her was born
Jesus who is called the Messiah."
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December 25 |
John 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
1:2 He was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be
1:4 through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
1:5 the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
" |
Birth
of Jesus
STAR - Symbolizes the STAR over Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.
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December 26 |
Luke 2:10
"The angel said to them, "Do
not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that
will be for all the people.
2:11 * For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who
is Messiah and Lord.
2:12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in
swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
2:13 And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the
angel, praising God and saying:
2:14 * "Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
rests." |
Holy Family
Mary &
Joseph fled to Egypt to protect the child Jesus.
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December 27 |
MT 2:13
" When they had departed, behold, the angel of
the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and
his mother, flee to Egypt,* and stay there until I tell you. Herod is
going to search for the child to destroy him."
2:14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed
for Egypt." |
Journey to
Egypt
Joseph
rose and took the child and his
mother by night and departed for
Egypt.
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