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)
Note:
This is a re-post from the last two years with some editing. I am currently in the process of discerning
about writing some additional posts looking at Jesus’ birth prophesied in the
Old Testament, so there may be a few additional posts in the coming weeks. Be watching for some Advent sermons I
developed ten years ago—they will be in an audio or video format—there is still
a bit to do on the technology end in preparation.
*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 third 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.
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| Word Art Creation by K. Jolly. All Rights Reserved |
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.
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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| Banner Trinity UMC, Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. Wright |
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)!
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| Fourth Sunday of Advent Candles--Trinity UMC--Albia, IA. Photo Credit: D. 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!
How have you experienced
God’s love in a tangible way? How can
you share that love with others?
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| Word Art Creation of K. Jolly. All Rights Reserved. |
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.
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!
