The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3-5)
*A special time of year is upon us—the
season of Advent. This week’s post will
serve as an introduction to my series on Advent. Be watching for an additional post the week
of Christmas (unless the Lord leads me differently).
From http://thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/uploaded/b/0e2647577_1384444032_blog-advent-2013.jpg |
Advent is considered the beginning of the church year.
“The word Advent means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival’. The focus of the entire season is the
celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his [sic] First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the
King in his [sic] Second Advent.”[1]
This year (2015) Advent starts on November 29, and concludes
four weeks later on Christmas Eve. It is
at this time of year that we celebrate Jesus’ first coming while looking
forward to His second coming. It is a
time of preparation and expectation. It
is a time to quiet ourselves and to ponder exactly what it was that Jesus did
for us. Click to Tweet (Realize that Jesus did not have
to come but He did!)
From http://orlandograce.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/advent-10001.jpg |
While you are making preparations for Christmas, remember
who and what you are really
celebrating. Remember the Reason for the
Season! If Jesus had not come to
earth—to live and walk among us, to die a horrendous criminals’ death on the
cross, and to rise again—the world would be a much different place. I certainly would not be at my computer
composing posts like this! Life would be
even more out of control!
God sent His Son into this
suffering and evil world as an innocent infant, to grow up and live a
completely sinless life. Click to Tweet And though He
was not guilty of any wrongdoing, He died the death of a common criminal. The reason for all of this was so Jesus could
take upon Himself the punishment you and I deserve for our sins by dying in our
place. He did this because He loved us,
sinful though we are. But Jesus’ story
doesn’t end at the grave. He rose from
the dead and rules in Heaven today.
And now, He reaches out to you,
offering new life and hope. Right now,
you can accept those gifts. You can
invite Him to come into your life and your heart. His love can bring you a new life of peace
and joy. All you must do is confess your
sins to God, receive His forgiveness and by faith accept Jesus as your Savior
and Lord. That’s the true meaning of
Christmas—a miracle of God’s love given to the world 2,000 years ago. Why not receive that gift of love for
yourself today? It is the best gift you
will ever receive.[2]
As we prepare to welcome the Christ child again, spend some
time reflecting on what Christ’s birth means to you. Click to Tweet
What does Christ’s birth mean to you? How are you preparing to celebrate His birth?
Consider reaching out to those who are spending their first
Christmas without a loved one. Click to Tweet It will
be a sad, difficult time. Simply being a
quiet presence—ready and available to listen—will be a blessing for many
people.
From http://www.alanrudnick.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/advent1.jpg |
Please do not forget your single
friends, family, neighbors, or those in your church who will be alone on
Christmas Day—consider inviting them to join with your family (no matter how
simple and informal the gathering is)—the blessings will flow both ways! Whatever you do, please do not tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off,
ignoring their hurting heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on
Christmas Day. Your family may be the
only family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join me in prayer:
Dear Father, reveal Yourself to
us as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the first coming of Your Son, so long
ago. May we be the voice in our
wilderness, preparing the way for the Lord.
Thank You for the gift of Your Son.
As we welcome Him; we also eagerly anticipate His second coming. Remind us to focus on the real reason for the Season. Help us to not miss You and those around us
who are in need in our busyness and our focus on our family or on ourselves. We pray for Your comfort to surround those
grieving the loss of loved ones during this season, as well as for those who
are walking a difficult journey due to illness, job loss, and more, may they
truly feel your presence in a special way.
Show us where we need to be Your love with skin on. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
[1] From http://www.crivoice.org/cyadvent.html article on Advent by Dennis Bratcher
[2] From
December 2005 church newsletter (Knoxville First UMC), written by Pastor Neil
Montz
"Show us where we need to be Your love with skin on." Oh, how I love that sentence, Kim! May all our hearts prepare Him room in this season of Advent.
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Being God's love with skin on is amazing and has to be so pleasing to our heavenly daddy. Being God's love with skin on should mean more than praying and sending people on their way. How many blessings are missed by not doing this?
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh Kim, this is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this message of hope with us today. Advent IS the season of HOPE...Hope in Christ our Savior...Who came to set us free from our sins and give us the HOPE of eternal life with Him...Advent is such a wonderful time to pause and reflect on HIS story and what it means to us personally. Thank you for visiting with me today on my post about Advent as well. May God bless you and yours during this Holy season of HOPE!
ReplyDeletePamela, Thank you for stopping by and commenting! It's so easy to get distracted from the true reason of Advent. If it wasn't for Jesus we wouldn't have this season at all. Hmm...Christmas is really about Jesus and not family or anything else.
DeleteIt was a delight to visit with you on your post about Advent. I so appreciate your visit to my blog. I hope we can continue to encourage each other.
Christian family is the best family of all!
Blessings during this Holy season of HOPE to you and your family!
"Love with skin on" is a beautifully apt and descriptive turn of phrase. I look forward to reading more of your writing. Happy Advent, kim.
DeleteThank you for stopping by and commenting. I pray that God will bless you through my writing. It's all about Him!
DeleteHappy Advent and Merry Christmas to you and yours!