Voice: Terry
Today is Thursday, 25th of December. And we wish all of you a Blessed Christmas!
We start with this poem:
Welcome all wonders in one sight!
Eternity shut in a span.
Summer in winter, day in night,
heaven in earth and God in man.
Great little one, whose all-embracing birth
brings earth to heaven, stoops heaven to earth.
Hear the words of the angel to Joseph:
‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ Therefore let us seek the forgiveness of God through Jesus the Saviour of the world.
God our Father, you sent your Son full of grace and truth:
forgive our failure to receive him.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus our Saviour, you were born in poverty and laid in a manger:
forgive our greed and rejection of your ways.
Christ, have mercy.
Spirit of love, your servant Mary responded joyfully to your call:
forgive the hardness of our hearts.
Lord, have mercy.
May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, and be cleansed from all your sins, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We read the Magnificat:
1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior; 2 for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.
3 From this day all generations will call me blessed: you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your Name.
4 You have mercy on those who fear you from generation to generation.
5 You have shown strength with your arm, and scattered the proud in their conceit,
6 Casting down the mighty from their thrones, and lifting up the lowly.
7 You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
8 You have come to the help of your servant Israel, for you have remembered your promise of mercy
9 The promise you made to our forebears, to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Immanuel — God With Us
The ancient Hebrew name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל) first appears as a promise in Isaiah 7:14. It means simply and profoundly: “God with us.”
The name begins with God. The angel’s proclamation makes clear that this birth is not a human plan or religious aspiration, but a divine initiative. God Himself has acted. What was promised long ago in Israel’s Scriptures is now being fulfilled in history.
Yet the promise goes further. This God is not merely for us or favourable toward us—He is with us. This is not a vague assurance of divine support, but a startling claim of divine presence. God has entered our world.
As Saint John declares at the opening of his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And this Word, John continues, “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14). The name Immanuel therefore points to the greatest gift of Christmas: God’s own presence. The Incarnation is not a secondary doctrine; it is a central pillar of the Christian faith. Without the Incarnation, there can be no redemption.
The final word of the name—“us”—brings the mystery home. God chose not only to be with humanity in general, but with particular people. This truth overwhelmed Mary. “Why me?” she seemed to ask, and her wonder overflowed in the Magnificat.
This Christmas, will you acknowledge Immanuel in the world you inhabit—not only in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, but here and now, in the place where you are living?
Your world may be peaceful, or it may be chaotic and broken.
Will you allow the One who loves you to redeem your life? Will you receive His forgiveness and let Him work through your humanity and even through your painful circumstances?
For He is Immanuel: God is with you.
We end with the Collect for Christmas Day:
Almighty God,
you have given us your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In closing, be blessed by this Christmas song, He is here
… He is here
The Savior has been born
The one we’ve waited for
Surrounded by our praises
… He is here
The promise of the king
To You our lives we bring
Let your glory be revealed
… Joy to the World
Peace to all who love Him
The savior has been born
And all the heavens smile
… Glory to God
We bring an offering to You
Join with all the angels
Singing Hallelujah
… He is here
The Saviour has been born
The one we’ve waited for
Surrounded by our praises
… He is here
The promise of the King
To You our lives we bring
Let Your glory be revealed
… Joy to the world
Peace to all who love Him
The Saviour has been born
And all of heaven smiles
… Glory to God
We bring an offering to You
Join with all the angels
Singing hallelujah
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg
Daily Devotion 
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