ADVENT - DAY 25 - TODAY...

Luke 2:11-19

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you;  he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth, peace to men on whom his favour rests."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlAyxaL_eQk

ADVENT - DAY 24

Luke 2: 1-7

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire.  This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for.  So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census.  As a descendant of David, he had to go there.  He went with Mary his fiancee, who was pregnant.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth.  She gave birth to a son, her firstborn.  She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the inn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KDLvClhSQ8

ADVENT - DAY 23 - JOSEPH'S DREAM

Matthew 1:20-23

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.  God's angel spoke in the dream:  "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married.  Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.  God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant.  She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus - 'God saves' - because he will save his people from their sins."  This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term:

Watch for this - a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son;

They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmgW-LloLsc

ADVENT - DAY 22

Luke 1:26-35,38

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin's name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favoured!  The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  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, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;  his kingdom will never end.

"How will this be,"  Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon 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."  

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered.  "May it be to me as you have said."  Then the angel left her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsXOP7aQeqQ

Be Born in Me
Featuring Francesca Battistelli...Taken from "The Story"

ADVENT - DAY 21 - PREPARE...

Matthew 3:1-3

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."  This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

"A voice of one calling in the desert,

'Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.'"

John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist.  His food was locusts and wild honey.  People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.  Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Elizabeth and Zechariah's son John has arrived.  The 'one' prophesied by Isaiah over 700 years before, preaching Isaiah's message..."Prepare the way for the Lord!"

Here's a lovely song sung by men from an Amish community (I think)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkj3tgSiQMA

ADVENT - DAY 20 - PROMISE OF A SON

Luke 1:6-8, 11-17

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah.  His name was Zachariah.  His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron.  Her name was Elizabeth.  Together they lived honourably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God.  But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God...unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the alter of incense.  Zachariah was paralysed in fear.

But the angel reassured him, "Don't fear, Zachariah.  Your prayer has been heard.  Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you.  You are to name him John.  You're going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you - many will delight in his birth.  He'll achieve great stature with God.

He'll drink neither wine nor beer.  He'll be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he leaves his mother's womb.  He will turn many sons and daughters of Israel back to their God.  He will herald God's arrival in the style and strength of Elijah, soften the hearts of parents to children, and kindle devout understanding among hardened skeptics - he'll get the people ready for God."

ADVENT - DAY 19 - YET...

Habakkuk 2:1; 3:17-19

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts;

 I will look to see what he will say to me, 

and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails 

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

he make my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to go on the heights.

And a lovely song...Even....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh0TC6Er92o

ADVENT - DAY 18 - ...AND IF I PERISH, I PERISH...

Esther 4:10-16

Then Esther instructed Hathach to say to Mordecai, "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned, the king has but one law: that he be put to death.  The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold sceptre to him and spare his life.  But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.

When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer:  "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this."

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:  "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.  Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.  I and my maids will fast as you do.  When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish."

Esther,  the Jewish wife of the King of Persia has been informed of a plot to kill all the Jewish people in the land, which Mordecai says will include her and her family too.  The plot to kill the Jews comes from Haman who is a close confidant of the King and an enemy of Mordecai.   By the throwing of a dice, a date is set for the genocide.  As can be seen in the text above, Esther decides at risk of death to go before the King. Ultimately, the Jews are saved from Haman's plans. 

"Although God is never mentioned in this book, we can benefit from reading it as it reminds us that even though it appears God is absent, He is still at work in our lives and will not abandon His promises while we are living in a murky and ambiguous world." (Bible Project)

To read more on this fascinating book click on this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JydNSlufRIs

ADVENT - DAY 16

Jonah 1:1-3, 17, 2:10, 3:1-3

The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:  "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.  He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.  After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee the LORD.

But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:  "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. 

Click link below for a nine minute explanation of the book of Jonah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLIabZc0O4c

ADVENT - DAY 17 - HIS GREATNESS WILL REACH TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH...

Day 17!  We've been travelling through the Old Testament these last sixteen days, beginning with God's children deciding to go it alone without Him and God's question in the garden, "Where are you?"  We've seen God revealing Himself to Abraham and telling this old man that he would be the father of many nations and the miraculous birth of Isaac.  We read about Isaac's grandson Joseph being sold by his brothers and finally ending up as a political leader in Egypt who among other responsibilities was in charge of the storage of food in case of famine.  And...because of famine, his father and brothers come to Egypt to buy food and are reunited with their son and brother and the famous words of Joseph, where he tells them not to be afraid, for he would not retaliate for their mistreatment of him.  "Even though you intended to do harm to me," he told them, "God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.  So have no fear;  I myself will provide for you..."

From here we see God's people settling in Egypt.  About 400 years pass until God raises up a man called Moses and we read of the great 'exodus' of God's people out of Egypt, the giving of a law (the ten commandments) that the people should live by and finally entering the promised land.

The 'advent days' have included the stories of Rahab the prostitute and Ruth the Moabite who not only teach us about God's grace, but are ancestors of King David and ultimately Jesus Christ, the beautiful prophesy from the prophet Isaiah of what the long-awaited Messiah would look like, "...for unto us a child is born..." and yesterday, Jonah who couldn't understand how God would want him to go to Ninevah where the people were bad, bad, bad and Jonah (and us) see God's loving concern for all people.

Today's reading is from Micah 5:2-5 and is a further prophesy about the coming of Christ.

"...But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the

clans of Judah, 

out of you will come for me 

one who will be ruler over Israel,

whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.

Therefore Israel will be abandoned 

until the time when she who is in

labour gives birth

and

the rest of his brothers return

to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock 

in the strength of the LORD,

In the majesty of the name of the

LORD his God.

And they will live securely, for then his

greatness

will reach to the ends of the earth.

And he will be their peace..."

ADVENT DAY 15 - HOW LONG WILL YOU WAVER...?

1 Kings 18:18-24

"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied.  "But you and your father's family have.  You have abandoned the LORD'S commands and have followed the Baals.  Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel.  And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table.

So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.  Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow him;  but if Baal is God, follow him."

But the people said nothing.

Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the LORD'S prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

Get two bulls for us.  Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.  I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.

Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD.  The god who answers by fire - he is God.

Then all the people said, "What you say is good."

ADVENT DAY 14 - A PROPHETIC WORD

Today's scripture is from the prophet Isaiah 9:2, 6-7

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light.

For those who lived in a land of deep shadows -

light!  sunbursts of light!...

For a child has been born - for us!

the gift of a son - for us!

He'll take over

the running of the world.

His names will be:  Amazing Counsellor,

Strong God,

Eternal Father,

Prince of Wholeness

His ruling authority will grow,

and there'll be no limits to the wholeness he brings.

He'll rule from the historic David throne

over that promised kingdom.

He'll put that kingdom on a firm footing

and keep it going

With fair dealing and right living,

beginning now and lasting always.

The zeal of God-of-the-Angel-Armies

will do this.

Written around 740BC

ADVENT DAY 13 - LOOKS AREN'T EVERYTHING...

1 Samuel 16:6-7, 10-12

...When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Here he is!  God's annointed!"

But God told Samuel, "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature.  I've already eliminated him.  God judges persons differently than humans do.  Men and women look at the face;  God looks into the heart."

Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel.  Samuel was blunt with Jesse, 

"God hasn't chosen any of these."

Then he asked Jesse, "Is this it?  Are there no more sons?"

"Well, yes, there's the runt.  But he's out tending the sheep."

Samuel ordered Jesse, "Go get him.  We're not moving from this spot until he's here."

Jesse sent for him.  He was brought in, the very picture of health - bright-eyed, good looking.  

God said, "Up on your feet!  Anoint him!  This is the one."

ADVENT DAY 12 - ...AND YOUR GOD WILL BE MY GOD

Ruth 1:6-9, 16

One day Naomi got herself together, she and her two daughters-in-law, to leave the country of Moab and set out for home;  she had heard that GOD had been pleased to visit his people and give them food. And so she started out from the place she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law with her, on the road back to the land of Judah.

After a short while on the road, Naomi told her two daughters-in-law, "Go back.  Go home and live with your mothers.  And may GOD treat you as graciously as you treated your deceased husbands and me.  May GOD give each of you a new home and a new husband!"  She kissed them and they cried openly.

But Ruth said, "Don't force me to leave you;  don't make me go home.  Where you go, I go;  and where you live, I'll live.  Your people are my people, your God is my god...

Despite being a Moabite, Ruth was a forebear of King David.

Her loyalty to Naomi and the God of Israel was what mattered, not her nationality.

`                                                                                                                                        

ADVENT DAY 11 - HERE IS WHAT YOU MUST DO...

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies. 

"Go.  Look over the land.  Check out Jericho." 

They left and arrived at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there...

Before the spies were down for the night, the woman came up to them on the roof and said, 

"I know that God has given you the land...now promise me by GOD,

I showed you mercy;  now show my family and mother, my brothers and sisters - everyone connected with my family..."

The men told her, "In order to keep this oath you made us swear, here is what you must do:

Hang this red rope out of the window through which you let us down and gather your entire family with you in your house...

Joshua 2:1, 8-9, 12-13, 17-18

And so, Rahab the prostitute who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob obeyed the two men and she and her family were saved, not because she was good or did good things, but because she trusted God.  Rahab ultimately became the great-great-grandmother of King David and the many-many-times great-grandmother of Jesus.

ADVENT DAY 10 - "...OH THAT THEIR HEARTS..."

Moses summoned all Israel and said:

Hear, Israel, the decrees and laws I declare in your hearing today.

Learn them and be sure to follow them.

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before me.

"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above 

or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.

"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

"Honour your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you.

"You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.

"You shall not covet...anything that belongs to your neighbour.

The LORD said, "Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my

commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"

Deuteronomy 5...

For further reading on the 10 commandments click on the link below.

https://www.theologyofwork.org/old-testament/exodus-and-work/israel-at-mount-sinai-exodus-191-4038/instructions-about-work-exodus-201-17-and-211-239/the-ten-commandments-exodus-201-17

ADVENT - DAY 9 - BUT...

Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age.  And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat.  When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him - they wouldn't even speak to him..."What if Joseph is carrying a grudge and decides to pay us back for all the wrong we did him?" 

So they sent Joseph a message, "Before his death, your father gave this command:  Tell Joseph, 'Forgive your brothers' sin - all the wrongdoing.  They did treat you very badly.'  Will you do it?  Will you forgive the sins of the servants of your father's God?"

When Joseph received their message, he wept.  

Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid.  Do I act for God?  Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good...

Genesis 37:3-4,50:15-17,  19-20

This is the last reading from Genesis in these days leading up to Christmas.  The link below from The Bible Project is a fabulous eight minute overview of Genesis and what these stories have to do with the coming of Christ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4isSyennFo

ADVENT DAY 8 - JACOB DREAMED

Jacob came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set.  He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep.  And he dreamed:  A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky;  angels of God were going up and going down on it.

Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.  I'm giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants.  Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth;  they'll stretch from west to east and from north to south.  All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants.  Yes.  I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground.  I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you."

Jacob woke up from his sleep.  He said, "God is in this place - truly.  And I didn't even know it!" 

Genesis 28:12.16

WE ARE ALL SINNERS...

Some thoughts on the poster on Facebook today implying that religious people who view homosexuality as sinful are haters.  

This isn't the poster.  For some reason when I tried to copy it on to my blog, it was blocked.  

Here are some Christian thoughts on who we should love and some final comments on the poster on Facebook at the end of this post.

Luke 10:25-37 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY

 John 8:1-11 New International Version (NIV)

8 ¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

And...Paul’s teaching in his letter to the Romans...

Romans 13:8-10 New International Version (NIV)

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

This then is the Law – to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbour as ourselves – to hate anyone is to disobey the Law of God.  To love God with all our heart, soul and mind is to spend time with him, understand him, see what kind of life he would have us live and for a Christian we discover these things in The Word of God, the Bible.

An example of how The Bible says we should not live is shown in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.

In Paul’s first letter to this church, amongst other things he teaches how Christians should not be living.  In this long list of failings or ‘sins’, is the sin of homosexuality.  

There are many folk in society today who do not accept that this particular item is a sin.

My thoughts on this are people should be free to believe that homosexuality is not a sin as are others who believe it is.  Nevertheless, no matter what we believe, as Christians we are instructed to love one another as Christ has loved us.

My worry about what people believe or don’t believe is when the perceived ‘victim’ or their supporters feel they have the authority to denounce the ‘other’ as a hater.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 New International Version (NIV)

⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men^[a] 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 And finally, the Good News is that although we are ALL sinners, God loves us and when we turn to him in repentance, he is ready to forgive us...always ready to forgive us and give us the grace and strength to fulfill the two great commandments.