Advent day 1 (The first Sunday of Advent – often the first Sunday following Thanksgiving, or the fourth Sunday before Christmas)
If using an Advent Log, light candle one.
One candle in the darkness
If using an Advent Wreath, light candle one.
New this year is a Facebook group Advent at the WildBerry Patch, where we can discuss ideas, recipes and photos of our advent preparations!
My first thing for Advent is the tree.
For many, Jeremiah 10 describes a Christmas tree, and Psalm 135:15-18 and following warns against similar idols.
I do not sing “o Christmas tree”.
So, Why a tree?
An evergreen tree remind me of the gift of everlasting life given to me by Christ. Evergreens seem to endure all weather and still show the growth and greenness of life. The giant redwoods are evergreen!
We used to buy living trees and then plant them, as a reminder, but that tradition fell as we lived in rentals.
Evergreen in Batelle Darby Metro Park
Jesus Christ, everlasting, eternal, life. Is 9:6-7
Now, we use a representation, because of the ornaments that I use to represent the story of Christ.
Then, our Advent devotions. Based around an Advent Log.
Jim reading the devotional
One candle in the darkness
Father God,
Please help me to remember that each and every day is a gift from you.
Help me to remember that my life is eternal through Christ Jesus.
Help me to remember that Life is precious, growing, and to be rooted into the source, I can be green and weather every storm.
Help me to remember that even one flickering flame, in the darkness, can be a source of light and guidance for those lost.
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
This Christmas I was filled with awe,
the lights, the candles, the gifts and all.
I spoke of Jesus, I declared his day
but I didn’t sit down to hear him say:
“It’s my birthday, do you know if I’m here?
Is there time to discuss what I want this year?
The colors are pretty, The lights are so bright,
but where is the manger? there’s no silent night!
What were you doing on this midnight clear?
the pretties are hung, and the stockings with care
But did you invite me to be with you there?
Come all ye faithful…or did you forget,
that I must be invited to be with you, yet.
The first noel, the angels did sing,
but what sort of praise to me did you bring?
What is the purpose of CHRISTmas this year?
Did you even notice if I was near?”
I’m sorry, dear Jesus, I left you alone,
I’m sorry that I was too full of my own.
There was no candle light service to remember you came
There was no Christmas Day singing, now, only my shame.
No singing of carols, to remind us of you,
No reading the story that makes Christmas true.
No prayers of repentance, no prayers of rejoice
Just lots of people with flashy new toys.
The tinsel was sparkling, the lights, they did shine,
But my focus was messed up, and the fault is all mine.
There were gifts, and food and candles galore,
and symbols of your birthday were somewhere, I’m sure.
There were people to talk to, and gifts to unwrap,
and even the time to take Christmas day naps.
I gave gifts that I chose, and they loved gifts that shone,
I took photos a plenty, but my focus was torn.
The papers all flew as they tore into boxes,
and that thank you’s all flew, but who knew which was what’s it?
Gift cards are lost in the bright whistles and bells,
and labels were lost as the trash was dispelled.
Who gave me this? What was in that bag?
Oh, forget it now, let’s go play more tag!
Santa did this, and Santa did that…
Who’s birthday is it? No one said that!
It’s my celebration of Jesus the King,
I’m responsible for forgetting him.
I celebrate Christmas because He’s my King,
It is His love in my life that makes me to sing.
The King came to earth so that I could be free
He gave me new birth, and helps me be me.
The Story does not end on Christmas Day,
It ends 33 years later in a dark ugly way.
It doesn’t matter if there’s a virgin birth,
It doesn’t matter if He did great works.
It doesn’t matter if He raised the dead,
It doesn’t matter if He healed someone’s head!
The key thing that matters is that HE gave of Himself
And that’s more than any stupid elf on the shelf!
He knew when he came what he needed to do,
He planned to die for me and for you.
And no matter how many gifts that you get….
The gift of salvation is the most best gift yet.
A savior is Born
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been struggling with this since I got home, 12/26.
This is my confession – only mine.
There is no judgement on anyone else, because I do not know anyone else’s hearts…only mine.
I am horrified by how I handled Christmas this year…and I have asked my Lord’s forgiveness.
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.
“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
Some artwork is from me – ChristArtist. It is copyrighted – by me. Please do not share it without my permission.
The same goes for my written work.
Some artwork is from ChristArt – not me! I have purchased a membership, and the art is copyrighted by them.
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
For the longer Advents – this is Advent 28
Here is the Advent Log for day 28:
Christmas Eve Advent Log – Day 28
Tradition was that we would have pizza. Then, we would get serious.
This is the evening that we would have communion – preparing our hearts for the coming of the King.
Christmas Eve Communion
For years I attended Midnight Mass at Christ Episcopal Church. Mass = Communion.
This was our family tradition.
When we had children, we attended non denominational, or non liturgical churches that had their Christmas Eve services in the evening. There wasn’t always communion.
Christmas Eve
Busted Halo gives a very short explanation on why we go to Midnight Mass.
Wikipedia information on Midnight Mass
My memory is that we were combining the vigil of waiting for Christ’s birth, and preparing ourselves to give Him room, and at Midnight, we celebrated his birth.
Christmas Carols
Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart, prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing!
Christmas Carols
Christmas Eve, Jim would read the Christmas story from Luke.
Jim reading Christmas Eve devotions
Then, we would say the Lord’s prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom, and the Glory and the power forever,
Amen.
This prayer, given to us by Jesus, covers most of what any worship service should cover:
Usually using this passage for the communion: 1 Cor 11:23-26
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
In 1 Corinthians 10:16, The Apostle Paul asks
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”
The whole focus of our Advent Meditations was to turn the eyes upon Jesus and giving, and off of the worldly focus of Santa and getting gifts.
Communion is an outward sign of choosing to set aside my life, and decide to follow Jesus.
Tonight, I will pull out my old Episcopal Prayer Book, and go through communion with my husband. Here is the Episcopal Prayer book Online.
Lifeway has a set of resources online for practicing the Lord’s Supper. They are for churches, but could easily be adapted for your home.
For us, it was just simple to do the Lords Prayer, and then follow 1 Cor 11:23-26.
In a world where Christmas is so full of rabble rousing, and even those that say they know the reason, we wanted it to be a somber, and sacred celebration. Jesus didn’t come to earth so that we could get ginormous flat screen TVs! Jesus came to save our souls!
Hail, the heav’n born Prince of Peace.
Hail the Son of righteousness.
Light and life to all He brings,
ris’n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays His glory by,
born that man no more should die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth!
Hark the herald angels sing,
Glory to the New born King!
Why lies He in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear” for sinners here the silent word is pleading/
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
the cross be born for me, for you;
Hail, Hail, the Word made flesh,
the Babe, the Son of Mary.
Oh Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emanuel.
I found a cute printable Christmas Story book on Ministry to Children that may be useful for those that still have littles. My littles have all grown up.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
Advent Day 25 – Shepherds
If you are doing an Advent Log, Light candles 1-25
Shepherds
Shepherds
Simple working folk.
Mostly unlearned.
Oddly enough, King David was a shepherd boy before he was anointed to become King.
The Messiah was to come from David’s lineage.
Jesus is the good shepherd, such as Psalm 23 describes.
So, who else would deserve the first proclamation, other than his brethren, in his ancestral home?
These shepherds heard the news and ran…to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But first – they were scared out of their wits!!! A nice, quiet night out with the sheep. The usual stars in they sky (or they would have noticed), and everyone was settled in to watch for the night and suddenly! or in KJV speak:
Lk 2:8-9
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
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.
~
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Those they told just wondered. It doesn’t say that they went to see.
Now, granted, the shepherds heard it from angels – the townspeople just heard it from, well, shepherds.
These people were the lowest of the low – the “rednecks” of the community, illiterate, dirty, animal dwellers. They were not tradesmen, they were just, well, shepherds.
My take away? Would I drop everything and run? Do I despise the messenger?
The first part – would I drop everything and run to see – if I was met with by an angel?
The immediate thought would be yes, and yet, I know that I would probably hem and haw around.
The second part – would I despise the messenger?
This has more to do with those to whom the shepherds proclaimed the news of Christ’s birth.
In the Bible, God used a donkey to tell Ballaam not to go curse Israel. Ballaam just beat his donkey. Then an angel appeared, from whom the donkey had been protecting Ballaam. So, Ballaam decided to return home, and follow the Lord, right? Well, no. He just found a way around God’s commands.
Just seeing an angel doesn’t mean that someone will obey. In fact, the Bible talks about the fact that angels are often where you least expect it – you are unaware. Hebrews 13:2
It’s not usually going to be the perfect angel that proclaims the message of God.
More likely, they may look like a donkey.
The key is, am I waiting to hear that voice that the Lord is in this place?
Is my heart open to hearing the message, and my ears keen to hear His voice, no matter the mouthpiece?
I pray that I will –
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19
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.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
Advent Day 24 – Magi or Wise Men
If you are doing the Advent Log, light days 1-24
The Magi or Wise Men
Whatever the star was – it was important enough to the Magi, wise men, potentially astronomers, to know that something important had happened. Just as Dr. Morris did in his post, Edersheim speaks a little bit about the magi and why they might know of the coming King.
Because they share these two research posts, and this song! The Magi and the Star go hand in hand.
They probably weren’t kings.
There is no indication that there were only 3, there were only 3 types of gifts.
But still, the song, We Three Kings tells the story of Christ, and gives an indication as to what the three gifts would be for in his life.
https://youtu.be/k8mjRxkMBkE
And, my take on this is, Am I wise enough to still seek HIM? And would I give him such expensive gifts? Or only leftovers?
That said, what ARE the gifts that I would give?
In Exodus 31, God lists the people in whom HE placed gifts in order to create the special things for HIS tabernacle.
In 1 Corinthians 12, we are told that there are many different gifts, like there are different parts to the body, but we need all of them. Romans 12:6-8 tells us to use our gifts – give them up to the Lord.
The point is that WE are given gifts…they are part of WHO we are, HOW we were created and wired.
Just like salvation, it is not of ourselves…
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
The gifts of the Magi have been preached about as provisions for the family as they had to flee, and up to the herbs for his burial.
Gifts provide something – and we can be like the Wise Men and give of the gifts we have been given, to glorify God.
What is the gift that God has asked of us?
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
We are to give him our heart, mind, soul and strength.
It’s the first commandment, according to Jesus!
Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’
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.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
Part 2 deals with The Star, Angels, Shepherds and Magi. That actually takes us to Advent day 26.
25 days in December until Christmas, but Advent usually starts before December. I explained that in part 1, linked above.
Why the star before the Angels?
well, since the Magi were coming from the East, or was it the west…
(if the star is in the east, do you walk east or west to Bethlehem?)
(westward leading still proceeding…as well as the appropriate verse: Matt 2:2 & 9),
(See how I figured that out?)
and it took them(Magi) some time to get there – it may have been seen by the magi BEFORE the birth. Maybe it was lit for them at just the moment of his birth – and since their journey was not ended at the stable, right after the birth(spoiler!) – they may have started then. Either way, the Star proclaiming Christ’s birth was at least at the same time, if not before the Angels and the shepherds. It’s my Advent study. If you don’t like it…you can change it up for yourself!
Star
The Star.
I did some research on this, since just this year ‘they’ were saying that we could see a repeat of Christ’s star! With my naked eye I could see that it was three different stars…so, I don’t buy that explanation. It was neat to actually be able to experience one of the possibilities.
There are some very interesting scientific research going on, to prove or disprove this star. Sort of like that sun standing still miracle, but that’s another story.
Ray Pritchard, on www.jesus.org, describes four possibilities in this post.
Dr. Henry Morris, from Institute in Creation Research has an indepth discussion about the Star of Jesus within his article about the Star and the Magi.
Whatever the star was – it was important enough to the Magi, wise men, potentially astronomers, to know that something important had happened. Just as Dr. Morris did in his post, Edersheim speaks a little bit about the magi and why they might know of the coming King.
Because they share these two research posts, and this song! The Magi and the Star go hand in hand.
They probably weren’t kings.
There is no indication that there were only 3, there were only 3 types of gifts.
But still, the song, We Three Kings tells the story of Christ, and gives an indication as to what the three gifts would be for in his life.
And, my take on this is, Am I wise enough to still seek HIM? And would I give him such expensive gifts? Or only leftovers?
Shepherds
Simple working folk.
Mostly unlearned.
Oddly enough, King David was a shepherd boy before he was anointed to become King.
The Messiah was to come from David’s lineage.
Jesus is the good shepherd, such as Psalm 23 describes.
So, who else would deserve the first proclamation, other than his brethren, in his ancestral home?
These shepherds heard the news and ran…to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
But first – they were scared out of their wits!!! A nice, quiet night out with the sheep. The usual stars in they sky (or they would have noticed), and everyone was settled in to watch for the night and suddenly! or in KJV speak:
Lk 2:8-9
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
https://youtu.be/X4kAQs7KAHM
silent Night
Luke 2:15 & 25
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.
~
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
Those they told just wondered. It doesn’t say that they went to see.
Now, granted, the shepherds heard it from angels – the townspeople just heard it from, well, shepherds.
My take away? Would I drop everything and run? Do I despise the messenger?
Angels
Hark the Angels Sing
Angels
messengers from God.
warriors from God.
protectors from God.
In this case, I believe they were just so full of Joy that their star quarterback was now in the game!
They were there when God created the earth.
They were left in heaven when satan and the other angels fell.
They were there when Adam and Eve brought death into the world through sin.
They knew that God the Father had a plan, but they didn’t know what it was.
All they knew was what they were told when they were sent as messengers.
And today was the day – The Son of God was going into the world to make everything right! Lucifer had not won. The great plan, that had been foretold in multiple prophecies was being unfolded right before their eyes. This was the beginning of Peace on Earth, good will towards men!
Crocheted Angels
Luke 2:10-12
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
This was the message they had been waiting to give! And once it was given:
Luke 2:13-14
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
The next blog will be thoughts for Christmas Eve – and Christmas Day.
For now – I am thinking about the ones that were part of the declaration of Christ’s birth. And I wonder, do I declare Christ’s birth, death and Resurrection with my life, as a light Jesus told us to be? He came as the light in the darkness, and I am to be the light of the world – my life should shine the light of Jesus wherever I go. He came and died so that I might live, and declare the glory of God.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
Part 2 deals with The Star, Angels, Shepherds and Magi. That actually takes us to Advent day 26.
25 days in December until Christmas, but Advent usually starts before December. I explained that in part 1, linked above.
When I first started to celebrate Christmas, the first ornaments I made were stars.
Christmas 1987
We wrote the story of Christmas, divided up, on the three stars.
Those were a part of our Advent for many years!
The stars in the upper left corner
Star
Why the star before the Angels?
Well, since the Magi were coming from the East, or was it the west…
(if the star is in the east, do you walk east or west to Bethlehem?)
(westward leading still proceeding…as well as the appropriate verse: Matt 2:2 & 9),
(See how I figured that out?)
and it took them(Magi) some time to get there – it may have been seen by the magi BEFORE the birth. Maybe it was lit for them at just the moment of his birth – and since their journey was not ended at the stable, right after the birth(spoiler!) – they may have started then. Either way, the Star proclaiming Christ’s birth was at least at the same time, if not before the Angels and the shepherds. It’s my Advent study. If you don’t like it…you can change it up for yourself! LOL!
Star
The Star.
Do you every stand outside and just look at the stars?
I have lived in Big cities like Dallas and Columbus, and I have lived in little cities like Mulberry, Indiana, So. Charleston, Ohio and Gladewater, Tx. The one thing I have learned is that in order to see stars, you have to be in a place where there is no light pollution.
The stars are most visible in the darkest of nights.
Light Pollution isn’t the Sun during the day, or the full moon at night. It is the false lights of the city that blind your eye to all but the brightest lights. The things of the world can dim your sight of the true light!
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.
16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,
18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
Before He created stars, moon and sun, He had to create light! Genesis 1:1-3
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
When God created – He started with nothing.
First He had to create the material with which to create!
It started out chaotic!
and dark.
And with His hand and His words (Let there be…), He brought order to disorder, light to darkness, and eventually life – in the form of creatures and man.
It’s not too unlike a pregnancy! The Discover Channel does a beautiful job of showing how 2 cells meet – and out of the chaos of intercourse and finding each other, the cells connect and bring order – in the darkness of the womb. Then, birth – from darkness into light.
God created the world so that He could give birth to His son – and enter in a beautiful relationship between God and Man, whom he also created!
But I’m supposed to be focusing upon Stars!
The Star of Bethlehem, to be specific.
This star is the symbol of the Light of God coming into the Darkness of the World!
Isaiah 9:2
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
With my naked eye I could see that it was three different stars…so, I don’t buy that explanation. On the other hand, this article was quite interesting. It was neat to actually be able to experience one of the possibilities.
One thing I found out was that there is some very interesting scientific research going on, to prove or disprove this star. Sort of like that sun standing still miracle, but that’s another story.
Ray Pritchard, on www.jesus.org, describes four possibilities in this post.
Dr. Henry Morris, from Institute in Creation Research has an indepth discussion about the Star of Jesus within his article about the Star and the Magi.
Whatever the star was – it was important enough to the Magi, wise men, potentially astronomers, to know that something important had happened. Just as Dr. Morris did in his post, Edersheim speaks a little bit about the magi and why they might know of the coming King.
That’s coming!
The important piece to me, in this part of the story, is that God created the stars(creation) then used His creation to guide His people to His Son. How do I look upon nature?
Job talks about the morning stars singing.
Jesus talks about the rocks crying out.
Isaiah talks about the mountains and the hills will burst into song, and the trees will clap their hand.
Nature declares the glory of GOD!
Psalm 19:1-6
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Nature is the evidence to God’s Glory!
Romans 1:19-20
19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse.
People have looked to the stars for guidance for thousands of years.
I look to the One Who created them.
Why not declare the coming of His son by the beauty of the star?
Light from heaven! Come to earth!
Now we celebrate, Jesus’ birth!
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.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
If you are using the Advent Log – light days 1-22.
If you are using an Advent Wreath – light all four candles.
Of course, before Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had to get to Bethlehem.
Bethlehem
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.
There was a census decreed, in order that the taxes could be applied. Everyone had to go to the city of their ancestors birth to be counted. Luke 2:1-7
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
This is where we learn that Mary had to go, ‘great with child’ and that ‘there was no room for them at the inn.’
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
The key for Christmas here is the question, is there room for Jesus in MY heart…or does he get left out in the stable?
It is also that God comes to us in OUR HOME – which is our HEARTS. Again, is there room in our heart for Jesus?oh,
Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
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.
“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
Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
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.
7 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 recieved a message from the Angel. In speaking about John’s birth, He prophesied Jesus’ purpose, to which his son John would proclaim in Luke 1:67-79 and following.
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
John poetically describes Christ in John 1:1-18 – describing the difference again between Jesus, and the prophet John.
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.
3 Through 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.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.
8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”)
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
Jesus – Son of God, Son of Man, Savior of the World.
THIS IS the GIFT of Christmas! and it’s not a THIS!
HE IS the GIFT of Christmas!
Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.
Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
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.
“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
Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Love nativity
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.
“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
I’d love to hear what you think – please leave a comment! Or choose to LIKE me on facebook, or other social media! I’d love to stay in touch with you – we are working on email subscriptions…sign up! Soon, we will have a gallery for the art I have created by the hand of God.
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here is one that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.
“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
