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)
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| Chrismon Tree--Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Personal Photo. |
Note: This is a re-post from last two years with
some editing. Eventually, I hope to have
some posts looking at Jesus’ first coming as prophesied in the Old
Testament. Likewise, audio sermons will
happen at some point in the future.
*A special time
of year is upon us—the season of Advent.
On December 3, 2017, 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 and joining me in this journey through Advent. My prayer for you is that this season was a
time of considering the true meaning
of the season.
 |
| Word Art Creation of K. Jolly, All Rights Reserved. |
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]
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.
 |
| Word Art Creation of K. Jolly, All Rights Reserved. |
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.
As Christians we bring light—the
Light of Jesus—to a world that appears to grow darker and more entrenched in
sin each day. 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)
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?
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: Luke Chapter 2
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!
