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A Block Of Wood (Isaiah 44:19)

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    Tuesday, 9 December, 2025 Psalms 76; 82 Isaiah 44:6-23 2 Thessalonians 1 A Block Of Wood (Isaiah 44:19) No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” How do we recognise the idols in our lives? How do we sniff them out so that we may destroy them, and enter into the final part of today’s first lesson, rejoicing in the Lord who has done it? Perhaps one way might be to remember the peace from yesterday. When we confess to the Lord and taste the goodness of his forgiveness; discover new work of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification; rest in the joy that is the Lord who alone can make us right: whatever that sense of peace is, there is God. But there are also other things that give us pleasant sensations. Particularly in the build up to...
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Complete Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

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  Monday, 8 December, 2025 Psalms 70; 75 Isaiah 43:14-44:5 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Observances: The Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Richard Baxter, pastor and spiritual writer (d. 1691) Complete Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. During Advent we spend our time intentionally reflecting and preparing ourselves anew for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ: celebrating his first coming at Christmas, and his second coming, which is at any moment. We read through Holy Scripture and discover a couple of things God wants us to be aware of. First is the great injury we have caused him through our own sins. And the second is the great peace that he gives us in forgiving us of those sins. It is almost unfair to God, really, that he would be like this. We deserve less than nothing, and y...
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For My Glory (Isaiah 43:5-6)

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  Saturday, 6 December, 2025 Psalm 86 Isaiah 42:18-43:13 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 Observance: Nicholas of Myra, bishop and philanthropist (d. c. 342) For My Glory (Isaiah 43:5-6) “ I will say to the north, Give up,     and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar     and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name,     whom I created for my glory,     whom I formed and made.” God seems to have given us a great many number of hints in this world of how he works, and who he is like. When Holy Scripture reveals to us that we have a heavenly Father, for example, we can see glimpses of that in human fathers, especially in those particular instances when they are very proud of their children, and happy to be around them. Isaiah prophesied that, when God gathered his people to himself through the atoning work of Jesus Chr...
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The Things I Do (Isaiah 42:16)

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  Friday, 5 December, 2025 Psalms 82; 84 Isaiah 42:1-17 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 The Things I Do (Isaiah 42:16) And I will lead the blind     in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known     I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light,     the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do,     and I do not forsake them. The prophet has been preaching on the mystery of the Messiah, and now he moves into God’s words about how the earth will respond when he appears. The effect the Messiah will have seems to be very great; and yet there is also this curious mingling of humility and great strength. He will not lift up his voice, rather, he will be one who encourages even the most down-cast: a bruised reed he will not break, a faintly burning wick he will not quench. At the same time, he will go out like a mighty man...
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None Who Knew (Isaiah 41:26)

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  Thursday, 4 December, 2025 Psalm 80 Isaiah 41:17-29 1 Thessalonians 3 Observance: Nicholas Ferrar, deacon, man of prayer (d. 1637) None Who Knew (Isaiah 41:26) Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know,     and beforehand, that we might say, “He is right”? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed,     none who heard your words. Australian Rugby Union is in a funny place at the moment. Our teams seem to be right about the “above average” line when it comes to leading in games. But their special skill is to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat. I have had more than a few moments in the past months with my heart in my mouth during extra time as I watched the replay on a Sunday afternoon! When something unexpected happens, there is this almost physical shock to the system. It makes one pay attention, and it also causes not a little discomfort. In today’s first lesson, the proph...
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God Alone (Psalm 62:1)

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  Wednesday, 3 December, 2025 Psalms 28; 62 Isaiah 41:1-16 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 Observance: Francis Xavier, priest and missionary (d. 1552) God Alone (Psalm 62:1) For God alone my soul waits in silence;     from him comes my salvation. How many of us can honestly say that we wait for God alone – and in silence, at that? Christmas is approaching, and with our senses bombarded with the petty trinkets of the world, we learn to love the tradition more and more that teaches us that these weeks are to be spent in the reflection and quiet of the penitent. We wait for God alone, that is, God only. It is a shocking thing to consider, that one would, to their utmost, try to empty their thoughts and desires of everything apart from God. Offensive, even. Yet that is the path he has laid before us, if we want to find him. Our God is a jealous God. And we wait for God in silence. “How long will all of you attack a man, to...
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Eyelids Held Open (Psalm 77:4)

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  Tuesday, 2 December, 2025 Psalm 77 Isaiah 40:18-31 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Observance: Frances Perry, founder of the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne (d. 1892) Eyelids Held Open (Psalm 77:4) You hold my eyelids open;     I am so troubled that I cannot speak. There is a prayer of confession in the old prayer book with a certain line that is so miserably accurate to the human condition when faced with their own sin, that it is a shame that it has been left out of our modern translation: We do earnestly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable. St Augustine of Hippo suggested a way of approaching memories that can lead to a real healing of the soul, when used to bring personal sins before God for forgiveness. I wish now to review in memory my past wickedness and the carnal corruptions of my soul – not because I still lo...
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