Rev. David Bast

Read: Mark 1:1-8; John 1:6-8 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 3:2) In one way or another, each of the four Gospels starts with John, that

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

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

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

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

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

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

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