For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts
will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV)
*A special time
of year is upon us—the season of Advent.
On November 29, 2015, we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post
takes a look at the fourth candle. To
read the previous posts in my Advent series please see: Advent, The Candle of Hope,
The Candle of Peace, The Candle of Joy, and The Candle of Love.
This post
concludes the Advent series. Thank you
for reading. My prayer for you is that this
season was a time of considering the true meaning of the season.
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| From http://thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/uploaded/b/0e2647577_1384444032_blog-advent-2013.jpg |
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| Trinity UMC Banner, Photo credit Dick Wright |
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.[1]
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.[1]
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| From http://worshiphousemedia.s3.amazonaws.com/images/main/s/mm/sth/mm/adventthechristcandle.jpg |
Indeed, there was great joy many years ago when Jesus Christ came as a
tiny baby who grew and developed like every human being. He came the first time as Savior; He is coming
again, as a warrior king who will rule and reign over the world He created. The joy experienced on that first Christmas Day is available for us today.
On Christmas Eve, we light the final
candle on the Advent wreath, the Christ Candle.
Jesus Christ is the Light of the World!
No matter how the dark the world appears to be, the smallest light can overcome
that darkness. This is seen in candlelight
services, when the Christ candle is used to light the candles in the
congregation. As the light moves from
candle to candle the darkness begins to fade and the light gets brighter.
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| From http://www.joniandfriends.org/media/uploads/images/1511-joni-blog-advent.jpeg |
As Christians we bring light—the
Light of Jesus—to a world that appears to grow darker and more entrenched in
sin. I believe that light we have as
Christians overcomes the darkness.
Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life.
(John 8:12 KJV)
Banner Trinity UMC, photo credit Dick
Wright
How do we respond to the Good News that caused the angels to rejoice, the
shepherds to leave their sheep, and the magi from the east to leave all behind and
go and see the new born king of the Jews?
Banner Trinity UMC, photo credit Dick
Wright
What have you decided? This is a great time to say “yes” to Jesus
and ask Him to forgive your sins and come into your heart!
I would like to encourage you to read, the narrative of Jesus’ birth in
the second chapter of Luke verses 2:1-20, what is likely a familiar story to
many.
To listen to it being read please click
here: The Birth of Jesus
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| From https://bloorlansdownechristianfellowship.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/advent-candles.jpg |
Please take some today to truly focus on Jesus whose birth
we celebrate.
Jesus came to save us and make us whole. What a reason to celebrate His birth and to
look forward to His return!
Who can you share the Good News with today?
Please join with me in prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the most amazing gift that
we could ever receive, Your only Son Jesus who came to save us from our sins,
and Who will one day come again to rule and reign. Bring to mind the awesomeness of Jesus’ birth
and all that He did so long ago. May we
never lose sight of exactly what we gained due to Jesus’ willingness to come to
earth and walk amongst us and to die a criminals’ death on the cross and to
rise again, so that we could have a way back to You. Your love is amazing! Prepare our hearts to truly be a welcoming place
for Jesus our Savior and to truly celebrate today the birth of Jesus! Place within us ears to hear,
eyes to see, and a caring heart for others that reflects Your love and
care. Once again, show us how to be a
comforting, loving presence to those around us who need to experience Your love
and presence with skin on. Jesus Christ,
Immanuel—God with us—our HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE—we praise You! Help us to truly experience hope, peace, joy,
and love during this season of Advent and throughout the year. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to
Yours,
Kim
Merry Christmas! May God Bless you richly today and always!
Poinsettias
Trinity UMC, photo credit Dick Wright
