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Devotionals about tradition

Advent

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

Read: Genesis 3:22-24 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! (Ps. 34:8) ”You have made us for yourself,” prayed St. Augustine famously, “and our hearts are restless until

Advent

Of the Father’s Love Begotten

Read: John 3:13-16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son. (v. 16) ”Of the Father’s Love Begotten” is the best-known hymn of Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, a

Advent

Joy to the World

Read: Psalm 98 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. (v. 4) ”Joy to the World” has been a popular carol, right from when it was written. One

Christmas carols

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Read: Matthew 1:1-17 So all the generations . . . were fourteen generations. (v. 17) Charles Wesley, measured by both quantity and quality, was the greatest hymn-writer in church history. He wrote something

Advent

Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming

Read: Isaiah 11:1-9 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse. (v. 1) This lovely German carol dates from the 14th century. The biblical verse on which it

Christmas carols

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Read: Psalm 130 I wait for the Lord . . . and in his word I hope. (v. 5) ”I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is a poem written by one of

Advent

O Come, O Come, Immanuel

Read: Isaiah 7:3-17; Matthew 1:20-23 They shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us). (Matt. 1:23) One of the most familiar and best-loved of all Advent hymns is