Tag: advent

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Mary

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.  And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you.”  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.  And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.  For nothing will be impossible with God.”  And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  And the angel departed from her.  (Luke 1:26-38, NASB)

I love the story of Mary.  Visited by an angel, given some startling news from God, and rolling with it. 

Dr. Luke’s account has the archangel Gabriel visiting Mary.  He delivers news to her:  She is highly favored by God, and she will conceive and bear a son.  His name would be Jesus.  She is more puzzled than anything–after all, she explains, she’s a virgin.  When Gabriel explains the supernatural circumstances of her impending conception, she replies, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.”  Amazing!  Totally on board with God’s plan, despite her earthly circumstances! 

“The Annunciation,” by Salomon Koninck, 1655, found at Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org

Mary has a couple of problems.  First, she’s betrothed to Joseph, a local carpenter.  The account in Matthew 1 describes Joseph as a devout and good man.  When he finds that Mary is with child, he decides to put her away secretly and quietly.  His other option under the Mosaic Law was to have her stoned to death.  But when Gabriel visits Joseph to explain the situation, Joseph takes Mary back, and agrees to be the Child’s legal father. 

Mary’s second problem, mentioned above, is her potential condemnation under the Law of Moses.  A betrothal under Jewish law was as good as being married.  The penalty for adultery, then, was death by stoning.  At the very least, if not put to death, she could be shunned and ostracized by her community (This was portrayed well in the 2006 movie “The Nativity Story.”  Sure enough, the townspeople turned their backs on Mary after they saw she was pregnant.  As Joseph and Mary were about to leave on their trip to Bethlehem, while they were being treated very badly, Joseph said, “I think they’re going to miss us.”).  Having this on her mind as Gabriel gave her the news must have amounted to enormous pressure.  On top of that, Mary was likely a mere teenager.  Yet she submitted to God’s plan, said “Your servant,” and moved on.  That’s probably why God chose her for this mission! 

A few years back (1990s?), a group of contemporary Christian singers toured the country during Advent, and put on an opera of sorts about the Christmas story.  Crystal Lewis, whose song is below, played the part of Mary.  I’ve always thought of this as a modern-day “Magnificat” (The poem attributed to Mary when she visited her relative Elizabeth.  See Luke 1:46-55).

Worship:  “Let it be to Me,” sung by Crystal Lewis

Oh, to have Mary’s faith and trust!  A mere teenager, visited by an angel (by all accounts, a frightening experience!), and given this news.  She had yet to face her fiance, her family, and the townspeople.  Yet under all this this pressure, she immediately said “Yes!” to God.  God, in the name of Messiah, Whose birth we celebrate, please give me the faith of Mary, to recognize Your will and do it, no matter the consequences.  

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Prophecy V

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  (Zechariah 9:9, NASB)

This is another prophecy to Israel about God’s Christmas gift to them and the whole world of the coming of the Savior of the world!  This one is from the book of Zechariah.  The Prophet Zechariah wrote during the end of the Babylonian exile.  Seventy years had passed since Judah was defeated by Babylon and carried into exile.  The Persian Empire in turn had defeated Babylon, and was now in power.  God spoke through Zechariah to heal the hearts of the Jewish exiles, reconcile them to Himself, and prepare them to return to the land of Judah.  (Zechariah 1)


The prophet says that Israel should rejoice.  Indeed!  The arrival of Messiah would fulfill hundreds of years of waiting and hoping for their Savior King to arrive.  Zechariah describes the future King as “just and endowed with salvation.”  Jesus fulfilled this description.  He walked among us, and taught justice and mercy, that we should love God and love other people.  Messiah would also be humble.  He left His heavenly home and humbly took the form of a man to deliver His message of salvation and gospel of love. 

1. Christ is claiming His rightful place as the prophesied Messiah.Untitled, found at crosswalk.com


Further, their future King would arrive “mounted on a donkey.”  Jesus would fulfill this prophecy during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  We’ll talk more about this during Lent.  Zechariah’s prophecies would come true later, but they gave God’s people reason to hope as they prepared to reenter and inhabit the Promised Land.  

Jesus Messiah fulfilled 108 prophecies from the Old Testament.  God spoke through His prophets to tell Israel Whom to expect that would lead them to salvation.  The long-expected King came to the earth on that first Christmas.  He still calls us today.  God’s Gift to us is most precious.  Have you received Him? 

Worship:  “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Sung by Lynne Dawson. 

Meghan, my excellent nurse, made this elf for me.  I guess you could say it’s my elf-on-the-shelf!  He’s holding a pennant with a red football helmet representing the University of Oklahoma.  She tried to put a blue one on (Air Force!), but there wasn’t enough room.  I think Meghan couldn’t care less about football, but over the fall she’s evolved to root for my teams:  Air Force, OU, Ohio State, and TCU.  Oh, and the elf has my name on his shirt.  Thank you, Meghan! 

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Prophecy IV

“Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.  “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.”  A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.  Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley . . . ”  (Isaiah 40:1-4, NASB)

And he [John the Baptist] came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.  Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will become straight, And the rough roads smooth; And all flesh will see the salvation of God.’ ”  (Luke 3:3-6, NASB)

Another prediction of the coming of Messiah, from Prophet Isaiah.  This particular prophecy was fulfilled by a relative of Jesus in John the Baptist. 


The Bible tells us that John’s mother, Elizabeth, was a “relative” of Jesus’ mother, Mary.  Does that make John and Jesus cousins?  I don’t know, but I refer to John as Jesus’ cousin. 


The Bible describes John as a rough man who lived in the wilderness.  As predicted, his job was to “clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.”  According to Dr. Luke (the second passage above), John did exactly what he was supposed to do.  He prepared the hearts of the people for the arrival of Jesus before the beginning of His public ministry.  Many people thought John was the Messiah, but John corrected them, and explained that he was not worthy to untie the sandals of the Expected One.  
“The Preaching of St. John the Baptist,” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1566.  Found at Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org

As John was baptizing people one day, he saw Jesus approaching.  God revealed to him that this was the Christ.  He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'”  (John 1:29-30)  

John the Baptist recognized that Jesus was the Christ; the Lamb of God; the Savior promised by God through His prophets; God’s most precious Christmas gift.  John prepared the people’s hearts for Jesus’ arrival.  This Advent season, are you preparing your heart for Jesus?  He’s coming back for His people.  Have you accepted God’s Christmas present? 


“Comfort Ye My People,” and “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted,” from “Messiah,” by G.F.  Handel.  Performed by Nicholas Sharrott, tenor. 

One of our neighbors, Thelma, a very sweet lady, brought this angel over.  It’s on a shelf in my bedroom.  I can see it out of the corner of my eye.  I think Thelma wants to remind me that God has dispatched angels to watch over me! 
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Prophecy II

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.  (Isaiah 9:6-7, NASB)


From the book of Isaiah, prophecy of the then-future Messiah.  This is just one of many that Jesus Christ our Lord fulfilled in accordance with God’s plan of redemption and salvation.  
Isaiah predicts some of the names that Jesus would be called.  I found a great description of these names recently in a Bible study on the names of Jesus: 


“When we consider Jesus as Wonderful Counselor, we need to look at this in context. ‘Wonderful’ depicts a God who is out of the ordinary, and can do amazing things. And ‘Counsellor’ indicates a wisdom beyond what we have in ourselves. Historically in Hebrew culture, a counsellor referred to a king giving counsel to his people. We are the people of God in this way. When we consider Jesus as Mighty God, we are reminded of His protection and provision. He is strong when we aren’t. He will protect us when we need to be defended. He is our strength. When we consider Jesus as the Prince of Peace, we are reminded that we serve a God of peace, who came to bring ultimate peace to the world. That was His mission and ministry, and without Him, there is no peace. Jesus came not to bring peace to the world as in the absence of war, but peace between God and man who were separated by sin. He died to reconcile sinners to a holy God. We thank God for His goodness in bringing us ultimate peace and rest in Christ.” (from “Names of Jesus for Advent,” by the Bible Society of Australia, at bible.com, or You Version app)

Untitled, found at The Foundry Community, https://www.thefoundrycommunity.com/for-unto-us-a-child-is-born/

Jesus is a descendant of King David, on whose throne He will sit someday.  And when He does, “He shall reign forever and ever.”  God loves us so much that He sent His only Son on that first Christmas.  He has promised that whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life in the presence of the King.  Have you decided? 

In my opinion, “Messiah,” by George Frideric Handel, is perhaps the greatest piece of music ever written.  I try to listen to the whole thing at least once during Advent.  It was common for composers in the old days (Handel lived from 1685-1759, per Wikipedia) to inscribe their manuscripts “To the Glory of God.”  This is truly heaven-sent!  “Messiah” was written following the prophecies of Jesus Christ.  Here is the movement corresponding to Isaiah 9:6: 


Worship:  “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by the London Symphony. 


Today, December 6, is Saint Nikolaus Day.  It’s celebrated mostly in Europe.  We learned about it when we were stationed in Germany, 1988-91.  Traditionally, children leave their shoes by the front door before they go to bed.  Over night, Saint Nikolaus and his wingman, Schwartz Piet, leave gifts.  We’ve kept up the tradition over the years, first with our children and now with our grandchildren.  Sue sends the gifts in time for everyone to be “surprised” when they get up in the morning.  Of course, the things she sends don’t fit in shoes.  But who are we to mess with tradition? 

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Prophecy

” . . . You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; . . . For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”  (John 5:39, 46-47, NASB)


” . . . And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”  (Genesis 3:15, NASB)


The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.  (Deuteronomy 18:15, NASB)


Jesus had healed a paralytic man by the pool called Bethesda in Jerusalem.  It was a Sabbath day, which according to the Law of Moses, was supposed to be a day of rest.  No work.  The Jewish scholars over the years since Moses had come up with a list of things permitted and things prohibited to do on the Sabbath.  Healing a paralytic was apparently not allowed, hence the Temple authorities had a beef with Jesus. 


Jesus debated them on several topics, to include His deity.  He referred to God as “My Father.”  They were incensed because they thought He was blaspheming.  As we see in the text, Jesus replies that the scriptures talk about Him.  Indeed, Moses wrote about Him.  The first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch, are attributed to Moses.  They include the first two prophetic statements of the coming of Jesus Christ! 

The first is from the book of Genesis.  Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  The serpent had tricked Eve into partaking, and then feeding her husband.  God then confronted the first couple, and the serpent.  God curses the serpent, and prophesies the enmity between it and the “seed of the woman.”  The serpent represents Satan, and the woman’s seed is Jesus Christ.  

Adam is included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  Adam and Jesus are separated by 4,000 years, and over 60 generations.  Along the way, Satan attempted numerous times to thwart God’s plan of redemption for mankind.  From Adam and Eve’s first offspring, Cain killed Abel.  The couple later had another son, Seth, who is included in the lineage to Jesus.  Skipping ahead, Satan tempted Jesus in the Judean desert.  All along, Satan tried to keep Jesus from getting to the cross, and completing God’s plan of salvation. 

Acts 3:22 The Lord Will Raise Up A Prophet Like Me (brown)
Acts 3:22 (quotes Deuteronomy 18:15), found at Knowing Jesus, bible.knowing-jesus.com

The second instance of Moses’ prediction of Jesus is from Deuteronomy.  Moses foretold “a prophet like me,” Whom God would raise up.  Moses cautions the people to “listen to him.”  This was good advice for the people of Israel while Jesus walked among them.  It’s good advice for us today!  It’s especially good advice during this season of Advent, as we prepare our hearts for His coming.  Again! 

Have you listened to Jesus?  If you haven’t yet received God’s Christmas gift of His Son, Jesus is calling your name.  He wants your heart.  He wants to give you everlasting life! 

Worship: “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” sung by Meredith Andrews

This is my Christmas tree.  It’s by my window and I can see it past the foot of my bed.  Sue has made candy canes out of pipe cleaners and they have the names of our 12 wonderful grandchildren. 

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Cleansed

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.  (Psalm 51:7, 10-13, 17, NASB). 

The text is from Psalm 51.  King David wrote this after his adultery with Bathsheba; after he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s mighty men, murdered by having him placed in a vulnerable place during battle; and after the prophet Nathan confronted David and convicted him of his sins.  David was a broken man, convinced of his guilt before God, and was seeking His forgiveness. 

I haven’t seen my Bible for some time.  With my ALS, at some point I could no longer pick it up, then I wasn’t able to turn the pages.  These days I do my Bible study online using my eye-gaze tablet.  But if you were to look in my Bible at Psalm 51, you’d see what I wrote in the margin:  “What to do when I blow it!”  Trust me, I’ve blown it a lot, and I’ve referred to David’s advice. 

Psalm 51:7, found at The Soaring Eagle, thesoaringeagle.wordpress.com

To ask God’s forgiveness requires us first to understand we’ve sinned.  Next, sometimes we must be broken of our stubborn pride.  David says that God recognizes a broken and contrite heart.  Ask for forgiveness and He supplies it! 


In ancient Israel, the Law of Moses required animal sacrifice for forgiveness of sins.  This Advent season we prepare our hearts as we remember God’s Gift to us on that first Christmas.  God sent His Son Jesus to die as a perfect sacrifice, once and for all time.  If we ask God for forgiveness, and ask Jesus to be Savior, then we’re covered by His blood.  Washed clean.  Whiter than snow.  Have you received God’s Christmas present?  If not, this Christmas season would be a perfect time. 
Here’s my favorite version of “White Christmas.”  At the end you’ll hear a line from Psalm 51: 


Worship:  “White Christmas/Whiter than Snow,” sung by Twila Paris 

Ho ho ho!

My excellent nurse, Meghan, fashioned my beard.  One of my wonderful daughters, Laura, said I look like a gnome.  Sue said I was a good sport for wearing this getup.  As if I can prevent anyone from dressing me up! 

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Immanuel

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.  (Isaiah 7:14, NASB)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows:  when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.  And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.  But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”  Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”  (Matthew 1:18-23, NASB)

Immanuel.  God with us.  The desire of humankind since God created us.  
“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,That the mountains might quake at Your presence . . . ”  (Isaiah 64:1)
Isaiah’s prophecy at the top of the page, and his yearning immediately above, came true a little more than 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem of Judea.  Jesus Christ was born, and the world hasn’t been the same.  Apostle Matthew used Isaiah’s prophecy to demonstrate that it was one of many that Jesus Christ fulfilled.  He came to save you and me from God’s wrath. 

isaiah-7-14

Isaiah 7:14, found at Page Hughes, pagehughes.com
Jesus is Immanuel.  If you are one of His followers, “Immanuel” has a new meaning.  Not only is “God with us,” but He lives in your heart!  The Bible says that you are a Temple of the Holy Spirit.  When you pray to ask Jesus to be your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart as Helper and Teacher. 

Tomorrow (Sunday, 28 November), is the beginning of Advent.  We use this time before Christmas to remember God’s most precious Gift, and to prepare our hearts for His coming.  Of course, if you’re a Jesus follower, you know that He’ll return again.  He said He’d be back to come for His people.  Let’s use Advent to prepare our hearts for His return! 

Worship:  “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” sung by Joshua Aaron (video scenes from “The Chosen”)