ADVENT of Christ / Christmas / 2nd Sunday of Advent

Today is the second Sunday of Advent.  Again, here is a review from last year of the ABC's of Advent to do with your children, Sunday School class and/or friends.  The link to my  earlier post on the 1st Sunday of Advent is HERE.

Second Sunday of Advent

December 5, 2010

Today we relight the candle of HOPE. Now we light the candle for the second Sunday in Advent. This is the candle of PEACE. As we prepare for the coming of Jesus, we remember that Jesus is our hope and our peace. From the prophet Isaiah:

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” —Isaiah 9:6-7

From the Gospel of John:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”—John 14:27

Let us pray:

Gracious God, Grant that we may find peace as we prepare for our Lord’s birth. May divisions in ourselves and in our families be peacefully resolved.  May there be peace in our cities and in the countries of our world. Help us to see the paths of peace in our lives, and then give to us courage to follow them. Lord, let us remember that you only are the giver of lasting peace and that you are always with us. Amen.   SOURCE

OUR CHURCH

Sermon:  

How Loss & Grief May Become Life & Glory (John 11:17-27)

Blog

Carols:

Joy to the World

Silent Night

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

ADVENT of Christ / Christmas / 1st Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  Here is a review from last year of the ABC's of Advent to do with your children, Sunday School class and/or friends.

Our Worship of Jesus Christ in Advent

...Churches coming out of the Reformation have historically recognized the value of the Church Year, without feeling obliged to following it in their services slavishly. Many in the Reformed churches have singled out Advent and Christmas, Easter and Pentecost as major movements in the life of our Lord and His Church that are helpful in the devotional life of our churches...The lighting of these candles reminds us of the promise that a Light would come to the World:

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined” (Isaiah 9.2 KJV)

Each candle brings us closer to the time when we recall His birth as well as His Second Coming. Remembering Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25.1-13, the Parable of the Ten Virgins, we also seek to be wise and have our lamps ready for the Bridegroom who is coming again. As Jesus said:

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (25:13 KJV).

As we worship our Lord Jesus and recall His first coming, look forward to His Second Coming, let us also be attentive to His present coming. As Max Lucado has written:

“The One who came still comes. The One who spoke still speaks.”

May the Lord use this season to draw you and your family closer to Him, that you may know His presence and hear His voice in a fresh way.

First Sunday of Advent

Today we light the first candle of the Advent wreath. This is the candle of HOPE. With Christians around the world, we use this light to help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we receive God’s light as we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.”—Isaiah 9:2

Let us pray:

Lord as we look to the birth of Jesus, grant that the light of your love for us will help us to become lights in the lives of those around us. Prepare our hearts for the joy and gladness of your coming, for Jesus is our hope. Amen.

SOURCE

Our church:
Carols that we sang this morning:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Our pastor's Advent blog and this morning's sermon.

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letters X, Y, Z--the Lord is:

• Xtraordinary (Acts 19:11)
• Xcellent (Psalm 150:2)
• Yearns for us (Jeremiah 31:20)
• Zealous (Joel 2:18)

Well, we've finished up the alphabet in this series of praises to the Lord during this Advent season. Try to remember them when you pray.

Advent Devotional

The day before Christmas Eve...I'm sure you are getting last-minute details taken care of especially if you have young children. We are not traveling anywhere other than to church on Thursday evening and the weather is quite temperate here in Florida this week. Here is a paraphrased version of 1Corinthians 13 to help you wind down and keep a good attitude despite the hustle and bustle:

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do not show love to my family -- I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table, but do not show love to my family --I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family -- it profits me nothing.

If I trim the tree with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the church choir, but do not focus on Christ -- I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table lines.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return.

Love bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

May we keep the true meaning of Christmas foremost in our thoughts and hearts as we approach the holiday season.

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letters V and W--the Lord is:

• Victorious (Zephaniah 3:17)
• Vocal (Genesis 1:3)
• Wisdom (Luke 2:52)
• Working on our behalf (John 17: 9-11)

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DAILY LIFE

All the shopping is now done. My younger son and I have our routines each week, so we're headed to the YMCA this afternoon for an hour or so. Then it's time to clean the house, sit down and look through my favorite Christmas books and relax with the family. Our older son is home for most of the week so it's been a fun family week together. Slow down, have a cup of coffee or tea and savor the quiet moments you have to reflect on this marvelous gift of Jesus the Savior born so long ago, yet living in our hearts today. As Mary Engelbreit says, Don't waste the miracle.

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letters T and U--the Lord is:

• Teacher (Job 36:22)
• Timely (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8)
• To die for (Luke 9:24)
• Uplifting (Psalm 3:3)
• Understanding (Psalm 33: 13-15)

Advent Devotional

Let's review.

• Candle 1 reminds us of God's promise to send the Messiah.
• Candle 2 helps us remember Jesus' birth in Bethlehem.
• Candle 3 reminds us of the angels.
• Candle 4 (this week) reminds us of the shepherds whom God gave a special gift to them as they were doing their everyday work. They were the first to hear of the birth of our Savior. Can you imagine the anticipation within them as they ran to the stable to see what the angel had told them of?

Memory Verse for this week:

Luke 2:20 (Luke 2: 15-20)

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Hymns for the Week:

• While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
• Joy to the World

SUNDAY

Psalm 29: 1, 2; Matthew 1: 18-25

Joseph was a cautious, godly man, wanting to do what was right. He acted with boldness when God revealed His will. God provided for Mary just the right man who would not do something foolish and rash. How thankful she must have been for him particularly in that culture.

MONDAY

Matthew 2: 1-12

Wise men asked about Jesus so they could worship Him. Herod asked about Jesus so he could murder Him. Whom do you stand with--the wise men or Herod? Being neutral is not really an option. We are on one side or the other. Choose wisdom.

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DAILY LIFE

Today I am finishing Christmas cards while my car is being repaired and trying to not be anxious as to how much that is going to cost. It helps to remember that all our $$ belongs to the Lord and He can use it as He sees fit. The car must be repaired so I am thankful that God has provided for that need.

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letter S--the Lord is:

• Stronghold (2Samuel 22:3)
• Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10)
• Savior (Isaiah 43:3)
• Son of God (John 11:27)
• Sinless (Hebrews 4:15)

Advent Devotional

Psalm 8

This is one of my favorite psalms from the Bible. I discussed in a previous article how my high school concert choir director gave us a musical piece with these lyrics that we sang over and over again for a state competition (and won). I was not a Christian at the time but even today, I could sing that piece and not miss a beat or a word. Little did I realize that I was memorizing scripture. The psalmist asks,What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? But God does think of us...each of us individually. That the Creator of the universe even has one thought of us is mind-boggling but I am so glad that He does. The comfort and love from the Most High God...who loves me as His child. I'll sleep well tonight just knowing that.

Questions to Ponder this Week:

1. What would it have been like to be a shepherd in the field that night when the angels came?
2. If the angels would have come to your place of work or school, what would have the response been? Similar to that of the shepherds?
3. What might have been going through Simeon's mind and heart, and Anna's, as they experienced the Christ child?
4. As you think of all Jesus has done for us, can you relate to David's excitement about God in Psalm 8?

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DAILY LIFE

This afternoon and evening we attended an open house at the home of some dear friends as well as a White Elephant gift exchange for my son's youth group. Both were totally different settings and atmospheres with an older age group at one and a very young group at the other. I am so thankful that we are in a variety of circles of friends and that the love and care we experience with each is so warm and welcoming.

Not sure if I'll post on Sunday since we have church and then will be gone the rest of the day. Have a wonderful Sunday with worship, family and friends.

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letter R--the Lord is:

• Righteous (Psalm 7:9)
• Reigns forever (Exodus 15:18)
• Real (IJohn 5:20)
• Remembers (Genesis 9:16)

Advent Devotional:

Luke 2: 36-38

Anna, a prophetess of old (there are only a handful referred to in the Bible), thanked God for Jesus Who is God's Christmas gift to the world. Anna is only mentioned once in the entire Bible. How reassuring that the Lord recognizes and remembers those who are faithful to Him no matter what their age. The record of her faithfulness endures forever in His Word.

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DAILY LIFE

Today I'll bake another loaf of bread for our neighbors and some friends. Since last Monday or so, I've been making one loaf a day to give as a gift. The smell from the kitchen alone is worth it!

There is always something fun to do each day over the holidays. I will be working on our Christmas cards today but I am only mailing them to our extended family and a few close friends. I discovered a neat way to send photos and Christmas greetings via email at Smilebox. I have to say it is one of the cutest ways I've seen to send personal greetings of any type. You can design slideshows, Ecards, scrapbooks, photo albums and collages. And it's VERY simple to use. I received a few of these myself and decided to take a stab at it. Give it a try. I think you'll be pleased. It sure saves on the cost of postage!

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Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letter Q--the Lord is:

• Quiet (1 Thessalonians 4:11)
• Quick to listen (James 1:19)

Advent Devotionals

Luke 2: 15-20

Luke 2: 21-33

"Ponder means to think about, to wonder about. What a gift the Lord gave to Simeon--to see God's salvation in the baby Jesus before he died. When Simeon told Joseph and Mary that their son was a light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel, it is not certain that they perfectly understood what he meant. Along this line, I love the words to the song titled Mary, Did You Know? Try to find a calm, quiet place for yourself to ponder the scripture as well as the lyrics to this song and also be amazed at the things which were said about Jesus.

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Not sure what's going on with the text sizing here. Sometimes it's large, sometimes it's small. I have combined two devotionals into one today since I accidentally posted yesterday's elsewhere. We are in the process up switching computers and there are always glitches and adjustments to make. :)

Advent of Christ, Christmas Devotional, Daily Life

26 Days of Advent continues:

Letter P--the Lord is:

• Powerful (Exodus 15:6)
• Praiseworthy (Judges 5:3)
• Path to eternal life (John 14:6)

Advent Devotional

Psalm 96: 1-9

Imagine exactly how it might have been the night of Jesus' birth--no doctors, midwives or nurses, no electricity, unsanitary, no soft bed...a young girl of maybe 15 years of age having a baby would be hard in any century. Mary would have been familiar with this Old Testament passage. How the Lord must have comforted her. How her faithful husband stood by her. As we all know, it is difficult to praise when in the midst of turmoil, danger and trials. Committing scripture to memory is one way to be ready to praise when those times inevitably come upon us or our loved ones. He is worthy of praise no matter what the circumstance.

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DAILY LIFE

Last night I finished my list and was checking it twice. Just 4 items to purchase today and then begins my favorite kind of shopping -- finding stocking stuffers next week. A friend sewed three stockings for us when my older son was born in 1989. Five years later (1994) when my younger son was born I searched for the same material to make a matching 4th stocking and actually found it at Joann's Fabrics. The saleslady couldn't believe they still had it in stock. It's not as perfect as the original three but pretty close. :) We don't have a mantel but manage to hang them over our fireplace until Christmas Eve when they are placed under the tree. Everyone sneaks around that night putting little treasures into them. There's something exciting about waking up on Christmas morning and finding your stocking stuffed (some things don't fit and are sitting next to the stockings), then putting your hand inside and pulling out small surprises. A fun family tradition in our home.