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Forth Candle–We are getting close.
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Forth Candle–We are getting close.

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The fourth candle stands for love.  That deep Agape kind of love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love endures misfortunes and troubles.  It perseveres bravely with patience. Love is slow to anger or to punish. True love acts with kindness.  Love does not burn with anger or envy. A person acting out of agape love doesn’t go around bragging or building themself up.  This love behaves itself in a respectable manner; it is not selfish. This love is slow to anger, and does not keep track of the things that have been done wrong. Agape does not approve when unjust things happen to others, but, rather, celebrates the truth.  Agape endures everything.  The person expressing agape love shows trust, hope and faithfulness.

We know a few things regarding God and love.

We know that God is love.  (1 John 4:8)

We know that God loved us.

John 3:16 16 : For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Jesus, who was worshipped by angels, stepped down from heaven to take the form of a simple baby.  Think about how helpless a baby is.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords allowed himself to become totally dependent.  He humbled himself in true agape love.

The man who grew from the baby walked the earth – not as a mighty ruler – but as a poor teacher. He cared for the outcasts.

Then, without cause, he allowed Himself to become a sacrifice for our sins.  He suffered torture and disgrace for our sake – always with you and I on his mind.

Jesus demonstrated what Agape love looks like.

Prayer: Dear Lord forgive me for not loving with Agape love.  I cannot love with complete sacrificial love without you.  Please love through me.

Mediation: Think of examples in normal life when you have seen Agape love shown from one person to another.

Action:   Write my thoughts about how much God loved me to be willing to leave heaven and take a human form for me.  The bible makes it clear that if I were the only lost sheep Jesus would have come just for me.

Luke 15

3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

If Jesus loved me enough to step down from heaven to save me, and all He asks of me is to love His sheep, shouldn’t I make it my highest priority?

Setting the Stage
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Setting the Stage

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The time approaches.

A woman who trusts God  carries a baby conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Her adventure is about to begin.  But right now the very pregnant virgin girl is traveling from her home to the town of Bethlehem.

Matthew 1:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Joseph agreed to marry the young girl even though she is pregnant because an angel speaks to him in a dream.  Now, he travels by Mary’s side to the city of his ancestors, Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting

The timing could not be worse, but they have to go because of the Census.

Luke 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

They trek for days to go from Nazareth to Bethlehem,  4 days maybe more.  They would have had to take care to protect the baby.

Out in the fields near Bethlehem,  shepherds watch over sheep.  Shepherds near Bethlehem cared for the lambs which would be used for the Passover sacrifice.

And some where to the east of Jerusalem, the location is not stated, but some think Babylon where Daniel had lived and been a leader of the Kingdoms wise men.   Where ever they were from, they were watching the sky and soon a star would appear to them.  Since we have little information about when the star appeared, they may have already seen the star and been on their way or it may appear in a few days.  The trip probably took a couple months to complete in a caravan.

In a temple in Jerusalem, two people wait to see the Messiah.

Everyone is in their position we are days away from a point in time when the world will never be the same.

Light
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Light

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Lights decorate our homes and line the streets blinking with reds, whites and greens.  The advent is counted by lighting candles.  We hold candle light services to celebrate the birth of Christ.  Our Christmas trees twinkle with light.

So what does light have to do with Jesus.  Oh the traditions probably just grew over time from different events, but the idea of light is very important when thinking about the baby who grew into the man we know as Jesus.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ” I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

And

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

And

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,  purifies us from all sin.

And some day

Revelation 22:5 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.  And they will reign for ever and ever.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you are the light of the world, help me to walk in that light that I might have fellowships with those who are yours.

Meditation: Think about living with God where there is no need for light or the sun, because the light of God will light the world.

Action.   Sit outside and look up at the stars and the moon, just think about the one who spoke all of this into creation.

 

Go Tell It On the Mountain.
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Go Tell It On the Mountain.

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Go Tell It On the Mountain, over the Hills and everywhere; Go tell it on the Mountain Jesus Christ is Born.  (An old American Slave Spiritual)

I love this song.  My second grade class worked on perfecting it for days so we could sing it for our parents in the Christmas program.  I still start singing loud and strong when it comes on the radio.

The first people who went to tell others about Jesus was the Shepherds.

Luke 2

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

Those Shepherds heard the words of the angel and they headed to Bethlehem to see for themselves.  Once they found Jesus, they left the place and told others about the baby and about what the angles had said.
Can you imagine their story?
” We were out in the fields when we heard Angels praising God and saying the Messiah was born.”
And those listening were thinking, “so you heard angels–okay”
“And we ran into Bethlehem where they told us.  There he was.  He was wrapped in cloths and laying in a trough.”
The Messiah, the one coming to save Israel, is sleeping in an animal food trough.  Born to a couple who were sleeping in a stable.  I doubt many people believed them.  Yet, the experience so excited the Shepherds, they told everyone what the angels had said.  They could not be silent.
Prayer:  Give me that level of excitement about all you have done.
Meditation:  I love Jesus. So why am I silent so often.  Jesus intervenes in my life and does so much for me.  So why don’t I tell others what He has done.
Action: When God acts in my life, tell others rather than keeping it a secret.
The Passover Lambs in the Fields
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The Passover Lambs in the Fields

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Luke 2 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

That flock of sheep sitting in the field probably had something in common with the babe in the manger.

Bethlehem sits about six miles from Jerusalem where the temple was.  The sheep in the fields, more than likely, were being raised to be a sacrifice.  At Passover people flooded into Jerusalem, they needed a lamb without flaw for their sacrifice.

The babe in the manger would grow up to be the only perfect human.  This man would lay down his life as our Passover lamb.

And on the day of His birth, the shepherds were called by the Angels to view the new born baby who would be the final Passover Lamb required.

John 1 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

I am constantly amazed that Christ chose to leave heaven to be a sacrifice for me.  He came to be the final passover lamb.  I am in awe constantly just at the thought he was willing to leave heaven, but to come knowing that he faced being the passover sacrifice.  That is just amazing.

John 3 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The Babe in the manger was your gift from God.  The Father provided the Lamb to be sacrificed for your sins.

Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb or the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Prayer: Thank Jesus for coming to earth, for being our Passover lamb, for giving us the comforter.

Meditation:  Think about what it would like to be in heaven and then to leave for earth.  Think about the love Jesus had for us to be willing to sacrifice himself to build a bridge between us and God.

Action:  Write a Thank You note to Jesus for what his coming to be a sacrifice has meant for me in my here and now.

Ring the Bells
Advent · Christian. · Christmas · Uncategorized

Ring the Bells

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Bells, church tower bells, hand held bells, bells on bob tails, bells, bells everywhere bells.

Nothing is more Christmas than bells.  Yet, history rings loud with bells well before Jesus. Bells sounded a warning, or signaled people to come together.

The early church had no tower bells or loud bells to identify where they were meeting.  No, they would use little hand bells in the early days to indicate they were starting a service, but drawing attention was not high on their list of things to do.  For the first few centuries, they faced off and on persecution for their faith.

Then the Emperor Constantine declared Christianity to be acceptable and the churches started adding bells to indicate when special events would occur.  They built buildings with bell towers to ring out for events like Christmas.

As caroling started growing in popularity, some carolers would ring bells as the music for the singers and to draw attention.  The bells became more and more a part of the Christmas traditions.

But today, the bell ringers we think about most with the season stand outside of stores ringing their hand held bells.  Cold weather or hot, rain or snow, these men and women hold their posts from Thanksgiving until Christmas. The bell rings as we walk past.  If we drop a coin, we hear a Merry Christmas in reply.

Over a hundred years ago, one man saw the need of the poor in his town of San Francisco.  He desired to find them food for Christmas.  This one man found a pot and stood out asking people to drop coins in it to feed the needy at Christmas. He collected enough to feed over a 100,000 people that year.
Now similar pots are positioned all over our country and others who care about the poor stand outside of stores ringing a bell to draw attention to the need for the poor. Captain Joseph McFee and his Salvation Army pots have feed millions since the 1890’s

Today, we think of Christmas when we hear those bells ringing.  And when we think of Christmas we should think of the poor and needy.

Matthew 25

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Prayer:  Lord help me to see those in need.  Help me to know how to help in a healthy way.  Guide me to a person who cares for those in need.

Meditation:  When I face Jesus will he see me as a sheep who cared for Him when he was hungry, sick or in prison. Or am I a goat?

Action:  As I see people in need, visualize them as if they are Christ, before deciding how to respond.

Cookies for Santa Lucy
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Cookies for Santa Lucy

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Traditions associated with Saint Lucy Day on December 13

  1. She brings gifts for good children
  2. She brings coal for bad children
  3. Cookies left on the mantle
  4. Children need to be a sleep when she arrives

A wealthy young women who loved Jesus lived in Sicily around 310 AD.  She desired to stay a virgin and to spend her life working for God.  One powerful pagan man in her community intended to marry her even though Lucia did not want to marry him.  She set her mind to using her dowery for helping others and to stay in service to the Lord.

The man denounced her to the authorities for being a Christian in retaliation for her not being willing to marry him.   The magistrate ordered Lucia be burned to death.  The tradition says her body would not burn until she had received the sacrament.  There are many wondrous stories associated with her death and it is difficult to know all the details.

In some traditions, the 13th of December, her saint day, starts the 12 days of Advent.

Regions of Italy, and other parts of Europe, have a tradition that Saint Lucia on a donkey brings either sweets or presents to children who are good.  Bad children receive coal.  If you are not a sleep, and you see Lucia, she will blow ashes in your eyes making you temporarily blind.

Swedish traditions have a young girl with a crown of candles on her head carrying saffron buns.  The lights symbolizing both her name which means light and the fire she suffered for the Lord.

Others say that during the persecutions of the christians, Lucy brought food to christians hiding in the catacombs.  She created a wreath on her head and attached candles so she could see and her hands would be free.  They believe the Swedish tradition comes from this story.

Prayer:  Lord around the world Christians suffer.  They are persecuted and punished for loving you. Please open my eyes to their plight.  Where I can help show me what I can do.

Meditation:  Read the stories of Christians in Egypt, Syria, Africa, China, India, Indonesia who are being persecuted for their faith.

Actions;  I will keep a record of every story I hear about persecuted Christians.  I will pray for them daily.  I will look for ways to help them.

13 Shopping Days–What Do I Get Jesus?
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13 Shopping Days–What Do I Get Jesus?

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Only 13 shopping days till Christmas, seems I should give to Him who is celebrated

What do you get the one who created the world?

He asks for so little.  Only trust and love.  Not your ordinary love but that agape kind  The sort of love that God shows us.  That is the love He wants us to give.

But how do you give the love he desires.   This love refuses to get upset when offended or hurt  My typical reaction is to get angry instead of being patient  Could I give to God my anger and pain?  Would He want that for Christmas?

Or maybe I could be observant and watching. Looking for those times, I can be useful to others.  Would God appreciate 13 acts of kindness?  That might be a good stocking filler anyway.

I wonder if God would be satisfied with just plain love?  Agape is hard.  I mean not getting angry, or lashing out.  Not thinking about getting revenge.   Not keeping records of other wrongs.  I like to have my list and check it twice of all the ways that someone has hurt me.

I wonder if He would be satisfied if I just donate some money?  No, He wants agape.  Guess I need to keep thinking.

Agape expects me to protect my brothers and sisters in Christ, to trust them, to hope the best for them. And it expects me to persevere with them through all things.

I feel like the child who wants to get their parent a gift, but doesn’t have enough money to buy what they want to give.  Mom or dad gives the child a little money so they can buy the gift they to give.

I need my heavenly father to fill me with Holy Spirit without the Spirit working in me I cannot give Agape to my Jesus.  I cannot love all His children as he asks.

Jesus please help me to give you the gift of Agape

Prayer:  Fill me with the Holy Spirit and teach me to love as You Love

Meditation:  Who do I know who shows Agape type of love

Action: One act of kindness every day until Christmas.

Angels (Messengers of God)
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Angels (Messengers of God)

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Drive through town and there are angels everywhere.  Angels made of metal frames lit with lights.  Angels topping trees.  Angels on wrapping paper.  And all the angels look strangely girly.

But Gabriel, the Angel sent to make all the announcements about Jesus most definitely looked like a man.  Trouble is I am not sure a guy sitting on top of the tree has the same impact.  I know he looked like a man because of the description in the book of Daniel.

Daniel saw Gabriel and described the being he saw as “one who looked like a man”.  The actual word in Hebrew means warrior or a valiant man.

This is our first look at Gabriel, but he is really busy in the Gospels.

And every where Gabriel appears, the first words out of his mouth are “Do not be afraid”.  I am not sure if his general appearance is frightening but I suspect it is his tendency to just appear suddenly that causes the fear, but either way, it is obvious he isn’t the soft sweet angel of Christmas tree decorations.

Now, I think Gabriel made a mistake telling Zachariah not to be afraid.  When the old priest first sees the angel standing in the Holy area of the temple where no one other than the priest was allowed to be, he was terrified.  The angel tells him:

Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

 

Now you would think Zechariah’s response would be wow this angel (word means messenger from God) just popped in from no where to tell me my prayer is going to be answered.  But no, his first response is how can I know this is really going to happen.

Think about it on two levels.  First minutes ago he is trembling in awe of the messenger.  Now he is how do I know you can do what you say.  And second, this is answered prayer.  Why was he praying if he didn’t think God could answer?
Gabriel doesn’t appreciate this change of attitude and tells Zechariah that he will not be able to speak until the baby is born.

This baby grows up to be John the Baptist–a man of great faith.

Now Gabriel gets a new assignment a few months later.  He appears to a young teenage girl.

The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

 

Now I doubt Mary had been praying let me get pregnant by the Holy Spirit and no one in my village will believe me.  They might even stone me.  Joseph will not want to marry me.  Yep that is what I want Lord.  I am doubting it had ever crossed her mind.
But Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message is:

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

I look at my life and wonder how often I am a Zechariah.  Do I pray my prayers without truly believing God can answer the prayer?  When I see God move, do I see his hand or do I wobble and doubt?

 

Prayer:  Lord help me to have stronger faith.  Help me in my unbelief.

Meditation: Think about answered prayers

Action: Make a list of answered prayers; write it down.  Look at it often to remember what God has done.