Daily Readings
2 Samuel 7.1-5, 8-11, 16
7 Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ 3Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’
4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? 8Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 16Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me;* your throne shall be established for ever.


Luke 1.67-79
​67 Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: 
68 ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
   for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them. 
69 He has raised up a mighty saviour* for us
   in the house of his servant David, 
70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 
71   that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. 
72 Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
   and has remembered his holy covenant, 
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
   to grant us 74that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, 75in holiness and righteousness
   before him all our days. 
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
   for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
   by the forgiveness of their sins. 
78 By the tender mercy of our God,
   the dawn from on high will break upon* us, 
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
   to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

Prayer for the day:
In this season of expectation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah 
Into the bustle of our lives 
and the hard to find moments of solitude
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our homes and situations 
along with friends and familiesWe prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
Into our hearts, and those often hidden parts of our lives
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah
For beneath the surface of your story
is an inescapable fact 
You entered this world 
as vulnerable as any one of us 
in order to nail that vulnerability to the cross. 
Our fears, our insecurities and our sins 
all that can separate us from God
exchanged by your Grace for Love.
We cannot comprehend the reasoning 
only marvel that Salvation comes to us 
through a baby born in a stable, 
and reaches out to a world in need.
In this season of anticipation
We prepare to welcome Christ Jesus, Messiah. Amen.


​The Costa Brava Chaplaincy would like to wish you a Happy and Blessed Christmas.