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, and The Candle of Joy.
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| From http://thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/uploaded/b/0e2647577_1384444032_blog-advent-2013.jpg |
Love. Throughout the Bible—the Word of God—we see
His love for the whole of His creation.
He even loves His wayward, disobedient children! The love we see and experience on earth is
but a shadow of God’s love. In a fallen,
sinful world, love can be hard to come by at times. At times, “love” does not seem much like
love. However, God’s love transcends all
of this.
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| From http://www.blogmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/christmaslove.jpg |
God’s ultimate expression
of love came through sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth (see
John 3:16-17). Ultimately, Jesus freely gave His life on a cross for you
and for me—for every person on earth.
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| From https://pastorfergus.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/vbf-webmain-900x300-love-came-down-v3.jpg |
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends (John 15:13 KJV).
In His resurrection, He
won victory over death and the grave (see 1 Corinthians 15:56-57)! We have that victory too, if
we have Jesus in our heart (as our Savior)!
Advent Candles at Trinity UMC, photo credit: Dick Wright
On the fourth and final Sunday
of Advent, we light the Candle of LOVE (or in some traditions, the Angel’s
Candle). Jesus Christ is love; He loves us so much—far more than we can begin to understand! The fourth Sunday of Advent reminds us that in
Jesus we have true HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE.
Hope, peace, joy, and love that is true and solid—so true and solid that
it lasts for all eternity!
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| From http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/worshiphousemedia/resource/images/main/s/mm/sth/mm/adventthelovecandle.jpg |
How have you experienced
God’s love in a tangible way? How can
you share that love with others?
The Christmas story provides
so much for us—hope, peace, joy, and love—love came down so many years ago on
that first Christmas Day. The first
Christmas Day changed the world! Light
stepped into darkness, that light continues to over the darkness today.
Banner of Mary and Jesus at Trinity UMC, photo credit Dick Wright
Experiencing salvation in
Jesus has changed me for the better. Jesus’
love sets us free—free to be the person we were created to be and do what God
intended us to do before He formed
us in the womb (see Jeremiah 1:5).
If you have not
experienced this freedom, this love, this joy, what are you waiting for? Jesus stands ready to welcome you to Him—He has
already said “yes” to you. Salvation is in Jesus alone; we cannot get
to heaven without Jesus as our Savior.
No one gets to heaven by being a “good person”—all our good deeds are
but filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6).
Christmas is a wonderful time to focus on LOVE—an emotion
that is sometimes hard to come by in this world, especially during the busy
holiday season when people are distracted by all the busyness. What hope, peace, joy, and love we should
feel when we deeply consider that Jesus came to this world He created to
provide a way for us to be reunited with our Heavenly Father. He did this willingly, knowing what He would
endure. He loves us so much that He did
what only He could do. Because of that,
I rejoice… What about you?
Take some time prior to and on Christmas Day to truly focus
on Jesus whose birth we celebrate.
Remember the Reason for the Season!
What can you do to focus on the hope, peace, joy, and love found in Jesus?
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. Do not assume they want
to spend the day alone. Your family may
be the only family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join with me in prayer:
Father, thank You for showing us how much You love us through sending
Your only Son, Jesus, to earth. Show us
how to love others with the love You have given us. Prepare our hearts to truly celebrate Jesus’
birth on Christmas Day. Help us to not
forget why and who we are celebrating.
Remind us to truly care for those around us, especially those who need
extra love and care due to their life story.
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
**Special Note: Please look for a post on Christmas Day. It will likely be fairly short.**
Merry Christmas!
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| Trinity UMC, photo credit Dick Wright |
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| Trinity UMC, photo credit: Dick Wright |
I loved this post, Kim, and especially the prayer you offer here. Know I prayed with you!
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, thank you for your kind, sweet comment. I'm thrilled that you loved this post. Thank you for joining with me in prayer!
DeleteLove and blessings!