“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
In Luke 2 the sky was filled with the heavenly host proclaiming the gospel of peace to a few lowly shepherds. Last week, Joy, was about the shepherds. They found the baby as the angels had said, and went out of Bethlehem rejoicing and praising God. This week we celebrate Peace and light the Angels’ Candle. Continue reading
The third week of Advent is about Joy and we light the Shepherds’ candle.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 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 among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:8-14 ESV)
I wrote a post two years ago with the same title. It’s very short, here’s a link. In that post I begged the question what if everything we know about Christmas we learned from reading Christmas cards? You know, details such as exactly 3 wise men were at the manager with the shepherds on the night Christ was born, and that angels are beautiful women with blonde hair, hymn books and choir robes. I worked that into a sermon last year and it’s a shame I don’t have all those pics online somewhere.
Well, here’s a Christmas card that I like.
The Second Sunday of Advent is about Faith, and we light the Bethlehem candle. Matthew 1 describes the encounter Joseph had with the angel Gabrielle, who told him that Mary’s child was of God. In faith Joseph took Mary as his wife. Luke 1 tells how the same angel spoke to Mary, explaining that the Holy Spirit would come up on her and that the child she would carry would be the Son of God. In faith Joseph and Mary make the journey to Bethlehem, believing God and waiting for the Promise. Continue reading
If this is too small to read on your screen, click the pic to view full size.
via: Radio Free Babylon
Advent is a season of waiting and preparation for the nativity of Jesus Christ. I have been pleased to see many friends doing the “30 days of Thanksgiving” thing on Facebook. I’m more encouraged by 30 days of Thanksgiving than by 60 or even 90 days of Christmas. If you watch some classic movies, from say the 40’s or 50’s, you’ll see Dad bringing home a tree on Christmas Eve! The family decorates the tree, hang their stockings, then celebrate Christmas the very next day. Part of the beauty of Christmas is waiting for it to arrive. Continue reading
A psalm for giving thanks.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
-David, Psalm 100
Easter and Christmas are the most prolific Christian holidays celebrated in the United States, but in the strictest sense those are not commanded in scripture. As far as we know, the followers of Jesus never did anything special for his birthday. Recognizing that the Son of God came into the world as incarnate deity is paramount to the Christian faith, but what I’m saying is that no verse in scripture instructs us to celebrate Christmas. Further, Christians worship on Sunday rather than the Sabbath, or seventh day, because the resurrection was on the first day of the week. In a sense, every Sunday is Easter Sunday.
We are instructed to give thanks. Continue reading
Congratulations Duggar family on child number 20. I guess.
Are any of us in the place to say this is right, wrong or otherwise? They’ve made themselves a spectacle by putting their lives on television, does that give us the right to judge? Melissa Duggar is 45 years old and her kids range in age from 23 months to 23 years. Everyone has an opinion, including those that keep telling me we have no right to have one. What do you think?
Not all Christians feel the same way about Halloween. To be fair, Christians feel differently about all kinds of things from playing music to consuming alcohol. The answer to any question very much depends on who you ask. But Halloween is next week and Christian responses really run the gamut on this one, from full participation to turning the lights off and going to bed early.
Jesus Ween seeks to make October 31st all about Jesus. Continue reading
He came to Jesus professing he had kept all the commandments from his youth. After Jesus told him to sell all he had and give to the poor, the man left very sad for he had great possessions. We all know this story, there’s nothing else to learn from it right? (It’s a trick question, don’t answer.)
The story of the Rich Young Man (or Ruler, historically) is accounted in Mark 10:17-22. He asks Jesus what he must do in order to have eternal life. Perhaps you’ve heard religion is what we do, the gospel is what Jesus does for us. But Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The man replies he has kept all of the from his youth. Now we know that he is either lying or more likely has deceived himself. He thinks he is good, bound by the notion that what he does will earn him salvation. For those of us that know this story, the way I thought I knew this story, look again at verse 21:
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Jesus looked at him, loved him, and then responded. Jesus was actually listening to him, not just waiting for his turn to speak. This man left sorrowful because he had many possession. The scriptures do not say that Jesus was sorrowful, but we know that it is God’s will that no one should perish. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and prayed for the ones that hung him on the cross. Jesus loved the rich young man. This was a good person that was tragically attached to his worldly possessions. Jesus loved him. But this person, like so many others, found something else that he loved more than Jesus. He went away sad that day.
Every single person you met today: Jesus loves them. There is a lesson to be learned about how to receive eternal life, but look at the lessons here for Christians. Look at people. Listen to them. Love the way that Jesus loves. And remember that there are no Super Christians. Every person that Jesus witnessed to did not get saved either.
The Master's Table 