Devotion for the 4th Tuesday in Advent

Devotion for the 4th Tuesday in Advent

Readings

Morning Psalms: 66, 67

Evening Psalms: 116, 117

OT: Isaiah 11:10–16

Epistle: Revelation 20:11–21:8

Gospel: Luke 1:5–25

Verse

Psalm 67:1 (ESV) “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,”

Meditation

As Advent draws near its end, the Church prays with growing clarity and urgency. Psalm 67 is not a private prayer but a priestly one: a plea that God’s gracious face would shine upon His people so that His saving power would be known in all the earth. This is fitting for the final days of Advent. We stand at the edge of fulfillment, longing not only for comfort but for the full revelation of God’s mercy. The psalm teaches us that blessing begins with grace—God turning toward His people in favor. Advent repentance acknowledges how often we have sought light elsewhere, trusting lesser hopes. Yet the Lord remains gracious. His shining face is not hidden forever. In Christ, God’s blessing is no longer distant or abstract. He comes near, quietly, faithfully, according to His promise. As we wait for Christmas, we wait not in fear, but in hope shaped by grace. The God who blesses His people does so in order to gather, heal, and restore. Advent assures us that God’s mercy moves outward, bringing light to a waiting world through the coming of His Son.

New Testament Verse

“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.’” Luke 1:13 (ESV)

As the psalm asks for God’s gracious turning, Luke shows that God indeed turns toward His people. In the same way Psalm 67 seeks blessing, Zechariah learns that God hears prayer and acts in mercy. Advent reveals a God who breaks silence and prepares salvation.

Old Testament Verse

“In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10 (ESV)

In the same spirit as the psalm’s hope for blessing among all peoples, Isaiah proclaims the coming of the root of Jesse. As Psalm 67 longs for God’s saving light to reach the nations, Isaiah promises a Messiah who gathers the scattered and reigns in glory.

Collect

Gracious God, whose saving light shines upon Your people in mercy, draw our hearts toward the coming of Your Son. As we near the fulfillment of Your promise, strengthen us in faith, deepen our repentance, and fix our hope upon Christ, who gathers the nations and restores the weary; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Verse

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height

In ancient times didst give the Law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

(LSB 357 – “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” verse 3)