Day Ten : 9th December

Isaiah 40:1-5

"Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your god.

speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out; "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

5. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Nicholas of Myra, bishop and philanthropist(died about 342)

"Nothing is historically certain about Nicholas, save that he was Bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey and that he died about the middle of the fourth century. He is regarded as the patron saint of Russia, of sailors, and of children. One old European tradition associates what we think of as Christmas gifts with Saint Nicholas' Day: hence the American corruption of "Saint Nicholas" into "Santa Claus" and his unfortunate association with Father Christmas.
Father,
you called Nicholas to be a holy pastor
and to care for the poor and needy:
keep us safe from all danger
and guide us on the way of salvation.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ…" from Times and Seasons by Gilbert Sinden