In 2016, Advent is 28 days long.
In 2017, advent is 22 days long.

What? 26 days of Advent?,
Isn’t Advent 24 days before Christmas, on the 25th?

The length of Advent changes every year – based on the date of Thanksgiving. Advent is the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, or the fourth Sunday preceding Christmas. In 2017, for example, Thanksgiving does not fall on the last Thursday, but the fourth Thursday of November, and the fifth Thursday is Nov 30. That year, the 1st Sunday of Advent is Dec 3rd – making that Advent only 22 days long.

Thank you Catholic Resources – Advent!

The longest Advent is 28 days.
The shortest is 22(I think).

This blog is going to be about the characters in the Christmas story. Use it however you would like.

Mary, Joseph, Jesus & Bethlehem, then the second half; the Star, the Angels, and the Shepherds

Mary
Advent day 19

By all accounts, a young girl, Mary was chosen to marry a man, named Joseph.

But even before her was Elizabeth and Zacharias.
They had been waiting for a child.
Zacharias received a very special message during his service to the Lord in Luke 1:5 and following. This child was going to announce the coming of the Messiah!
An Angel messenger.

Luke 1:26-27

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Sixth month of what? Elizabeth’s pregnancy!

What did the Angel say?
Luke 1:28

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Thou that art highly favoured – favor and grace
The Lord is with thee: – with – as in WITH? an unheard of position.
blessed art thou among women. – above Rachel and Leah by whom Jews had been blessing their daughters for centuries!
She is one that Loves her God!

She’s told she will have a child…with no male intervention. This means that she will be seen as a harlot. This is punishable by death. Maybe this is why it’s angel GABRIEL! that came to speak to her! But, her response is a beautiful statement of complete yeildedness to God’s plan, no matter what.
Luke 1:38

And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

The Angel sends her on her way to Elizabeth’s – the babe in Elizabeth’s womb jumps for joy, and Mary sings what has gone down in history as her Magnificat.

Luke 1:46-55

She raises the Son of God – her story continues to the day he dies. She was a person, just like me, that said yes to God.

The key to me in this is am I willing to be embarassed at least, persecuted to death at the most for something that God has told me I should do. Now, Mary did get some evidence pretty soon that she was going to have a baby – but she also knew that she hadn’t been with a man. I, on the other hand, just have the strange visions, notions, or thoughts that God might want me to do things…and I often beg out because I am embarrassed. Mary’s reputation was on the line, and it was even brought up to Jesus years later. And she said yes!

Joseph
Day 20

Joseph.
A Carpenter.
Asked for Mary’s hand in marriage.
we know he is a Godly, compassionate man, for when his bride to be is found with child(and has some cockamammy story about being impregnated by God), he decided to divorce her quietly – so she won’t be stoned. Or would she? Anyway – he’d made his decision, and he got visited by an angel!
Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph was told that he was the stepfather to the Son of God. And he was to name him Jesus, God with us. or was it Immanuel?
The folks over at Christian Apologetics and Research have a great explanation of the two names of Jesus and why. I won’t go into it!

Joseph provides the flesh and blood father that protects Jesus when they have to flee to Egypt. He provides training for Jesus and provides for the family as a carpenter. Apparently, he, also, was chosen for his role in Christ’s life, and by taking Mary into his home as his wife, and not ‘knowing’ her as was his biblical right, Joseph said yes to God!

The angel thing again. But seriously, if I met an angel that told me that such and thus was going to happen, especially if I had been in bed, I would second guess myself. Of course, Mary was with child. Joseph could believe or not believe. but he said yes. I believe.

https://youtu.be/BARVAg0gl6w

https://youtu.be/PytP9XPhP1g

Jesus
Advent day 21

The best way to describe Jesus, is through the Word of God:

Is 9:6

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.

Zacharias prophesied Jesus’ purpose, to which his son John would proclaim in Luke 1:67 and following.

John poetically describes Christ in John 1:1-18 – describing the difference again between Jesus, and the prophet John.

Jesus – Son of God, Son of Man, Savior of the World.

https://youtu.be/MC9cbEHjvPs

Of course, before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had to get to Bethlehem.

Advent day 22

Yes, Bethlehem IS a character in this Christmas story, because it was foretold that Jesus would be born in 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.

Bethlehem wasn’t a large city…but it was the city of David’s birth.
During the taxing, everyone had to go to the city of their ancestors birth to be counted. Luke 2:1-7

This is where we learn that she had to go, ‘great with child’ and that ‘there was no room for them at the inn.’
They key for Christmas here is the question, is there room for Jesus in MY heart…or does he get left out in the stable?

This gets us almost to Christmas Day.(in 2015)
if you added these four to the previous 18, you are at day 22 – the shortest of the Advent seasons. I will be providing another set – Star, Angels, Shepherds and Magi to make it to the 26th day of Advent next.

My prayer this Advent season was to become more aware of Christ in My life, and to make sure that he dwells in my heart – not on the outskirts of my life. I pray that this is your prayer as well.

For the rest of these, go to Advent 2015 part 2

More Advent Devotions

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

I want to thank

• Blue Letter Bible and
• Bible Gateway and
• Bible Hub

for the ability to search the Bible online.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

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• Naomi’s Heart Ministries
• Obed’s House Ministries
• Compassion