Advent (Day 14)

December 12, 2021

PRAYER:
Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace. Amen.
~ BASIL OF CAESAREA, AD 329-379

Psalm 8

English Standard Version

To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
    Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
    to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
    and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 13)

December 11, 2021

PRAYER:
It O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection, Who sends peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Your love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Kindle in us the fire of Your love; sow in us Your fear; strengthen our weakness by Your power; bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity; for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~ SYRIAN CLEMENTINE LITURGY

Colossians 1:15-23

New American Standard Bible

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 12)

December 10, 2021

PRAYER:
It O God, Who are the unsearchable abyss of peace, the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings, and the bestower of affection, Who sends peace to those that receive it; open to us this day the sea of Your love, and water us with the plenteous streams from the riches of Your grace. Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace. Kindle in us the fire of Your love; sow in us Your fear; strengthen our weakness by Your power; bind us closely to You and to each other in one firm bond of unity; for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen.
~ SYRIAN CLEMENTINE LITURGY

Colossians 1:15-23

English Standard Version

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 11)

December 9, 2021

PRAYER:
May God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh – who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people – grant to every soul that calls upon His glorious and holy Name, faith, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen.
~ CLEMENT OF ROME, DIED AD 99 OR 101

Leviticus 26:27-35

Easy-to-Read Version

“If you still refuse to listen to me, and if you still turn against me, then I will really show my anger! I—yes, I myself—will punish you seven times for your sins. You will become so hungry that you will eat the bodies of your sons and daughters. I will destroy your high places. I will cut down your incense altars. I will put your dead bodies on the dead bodies of your idols. You will be disgusting to me. I will destroy your cities. I will make your holy places empty. I will stop smelling your offerings. I will make your land empty. And your enemies who come to live there will be shocked at it. I will scatter you among the nations. I will pull out my sword and destroy you. Your land will become empty, and your cities will be destroyed.

“You will be taken to your enemy’s country. Your country will be empty. So your land will finally get its rest. The land will enjoy its time of rest. During the time that the land is empty, it will get the time of rest that you did not give it while you lived there.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 10)

December 8, 2021

PRAYER:
May God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh – who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people – grant to every soul that calls upon His glorious and holy Name, faith, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing of His Name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honor, both now and forevermore. Amen. ~ CLEMENT OF ROME, DIED AD 99 OR 101

Leviticus 26:27-35

English Standard Version

27 “But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me, 28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your sins. 29 You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters. 30 And I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will abhor you. 31 And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your pleasing aromas. 32 And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who settle in it shall be appalled at it. 33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste.

34 “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. 35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 9)

December 7, 2021

PRAYER:
O Educator, be gracious to Your children, O Educator, Father, Guide of Israel, Son and Father, both one, Lord: Give to us, who follow Your command, to fulfill the likeness of Your image, and to see, according to our strength, the God who is both a good God and a Judge who is not harsh. We ask that You would bestow all things on us who dwell in Your peace, who have been placed in Your city, who sail the sea of sin unruffled, so that we may be made tranquil and supported by the Holy Spirit, the unutterable Wisdom, by night and day, unto the perfect day, to sing eternal thanksgiving to the one only Father and Son, Son and Father, Educator and Teacher with the Holy Spirit. Amen. ~ CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, AD 150-215

Romans 8:18-27

New International Version

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Advent (Day 8)

December 6, 2021

PRAYER:
O Educator, be gracious to Your children, O Educator, Father, Guide of Israel, Son and Father, both one, Lord: Give to us, who follow Your command, to fulfill the likeness of Your image, and to see, according to our strength, the God who is both a good God and a Judge who is not harsh. We ask that You would bestow all things on us who dwell in Your peace, who have been placed in Your city, who sail the sea of sin unruffled, so that we may be made tranquil and supported by the Holy Spirit, the unutterable Wisdom, by night and day, unto the perfect day, to sing eternal thanksgiving to the one only Father and Son, Son and Father, Educator and Teacher with the Holy Spirit. Amen. ~ CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, AD 150-215

Romans 8:18-27

English Standard Version

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading

Day of Reflection (Year 6/ 12)*

December 31 (Year Six)

The thirty-first day of the month in the 6Year Plan is for reflection. Review what you have read thus far. Meditate on what God has revealed to you. Ask yourself how God wants you to put His Word into action.

The 6Year Plan is designed so that every Bible passage is seen on two consecutive days. The first day is presented in the ESV translation and meant to be studied on that day. The second day, the same passage is presented in one of several translations. The second day is meant for reflection on that passage. Similarly, the thirty-first day allows you to reflect on all that has been read.

Yesterday’s ReadingThe 6 Year PlanTomorrow’s Reading