Read
Malachi 4:5-6 – “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
Luke 2:8-11 – 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
John 1:29-34 – 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
Matthew 4:18-22 – 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
PONDER
- Consider Jesus, the promised One, the Savior of the world. He is the Word made flesh. He has come to save His people from their sins. Meditate on His majesty, His mercy, and His grace, and let these realities lead you to worship.
- When you read the accounts of Jesus calling the disciples, what is your reaction? Have you responded to Jesus’ call for you to follow Him?
PRAY
- Father, thank you for Jesus who came to save us from our sins.
- Father, you are above all. You have created all things and in you all things hold together.
- Father, help us to trust in you and the plan you have been working out from before the foundation of the world.
- Father, by your Spirit, help us to see, know, and love you more through your Word.
- Father, prepare me to gather with my church and worship you. You are worthy! To you be the glory!
Sing: Listen to this week’s songs on Spotify
PRactice
Gather! 9:30am or 11:00am.
This Sunday we will celebrate baptism! Take a moment to pray with your family, thanking the Lord for His work in your lives and in the lives of those who will be baptized into God’s family this weekend.
Talk About It:
- Tell someone one thing that you learned from your Bible reading this week.
- Practice telling someone the story of God’s Word, from the beginning to what you have read so far.
5 Practices to Gathering Well:
- Be Present – The first step to gathering well: Gather!
- Be Early – Prioritize the gathering with your time. Don’t be late. The practical discipleship of this priority can be profound for you and your family.
- Be Prepared – Ponder, pray, sing, fast, and praise are all good ways to prepare.
- Be Uncomfortable – Sit with different people. Sing loud. Challenge routines. Gather on mission.
- Be Responsive – Don’t just be hearers of the Word, be doers. Pray. Ponder. Practice. Too often we gather to affirm what we already hold, rather than be taught, rebuked, corrected, or trained in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Gather to be transformed.
- Get help and accountability in Prepare Sundays at either 9:30 or 11:00 am across from the Give2Go Cafe. Prepare is a Go Study Group aimed to help us grow as doers of the Word by working through the next steps required to faithfully apply the biblical text we’re reading and preaching through at TCBC.