Posts with the tag “advent24”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,but in order that the world might be saved through him.” - John 3:16-17, ESV Christmas morning as a child felt magical. You wake up with eager anticipation,rushing to see the presents under the tree. Soon, wrapp...  Read More

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up,he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.And he gave him the name Jesus. –Matthew...  Read More

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to bemarried to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant throughthe Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not wantto expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared t...  Read More

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;with my mouth I will make your faithfulness knownthrough all generations.I will declare that your love stands firm forever,that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,I have sworn to David my servant,‘I will establish your line foreverand make your throne firm through all generations....  Read More

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. - John 1:14 God. John 1:1. What greater Joy could we ask for as created beings by the Authorof the Word. As these two verses in John indicate; the Word has always been, andwe see here that it is Jesus our savior. John states that the Wo...  Read More

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all thingswere created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones orpowers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is beforeall things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church;He is the beginning and the firstborn fro...  Read More

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own,but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him,to those who believed in his name,he gave the right to become children of God. - John 1:9-12 Our passage today tells us the “world did n...  Read More

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another,“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened,which the Lord has told us about.”So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in themanger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been toldthem about this child, and all who heard it were amazed a...  Read More

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” – Luke 2:13-14 From the beginning, the heavenly host of angels were witness to all of God’sgreatness. They worshipped Him, adored Him and praised Him. They saw both Hisgood pleasure toward mankind, and also how he h...  Read More

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks atnight. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone aroundthem, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring yougood news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David aSavior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the...  Read More

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entireRoman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor ofSyria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem thetown of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there t...  Read More

“Jesus said, I am the light of the world; ‘he who follows me will notwalk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ ” - John 8:12This first candle reminds us of the light of HOPE of the prophets.The second candle reminds us of the light of PEACE in Christ Jesus.The third candle is a symbol of the great light and JOY which surrounded theshepherds at the announcement of Jesus’ birth....  Read More

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,because he has come to his people and redeemed them.He has raised up a horn of salvation for usin the house of his servant David.- Luke 1:67-69 Elizabeth, who had been long barren, was miraculously carrying a child. Thisstory, for the first readers of Luke, could be seen as one of hope for...  Read More

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighborsand relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name himafter his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said,“No! He is to be called John.”They said to her, “There is no one among your relativ...  Read More

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where sheentered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voiceshe exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear!Luke 1:39-42Anna: The Prophetess whose life was hope...  Read More

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on 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. Luke 1: 34-35 Mary’s statement that she hadn’t been with a man gives an opportunity forsomething spectacular to happen.Back in Jeremiah 22:30, the prophet placed a curse o...  Read More

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 Jacob’s descendants forever;His kingdom will never end.Luke 1: 32-33 In this world that we live in, the swirling winds of change blow all around us.The concept of permanence is a distant thought, maybe even a dream for some.A familiar phrase is attributed to...  Read More

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 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 favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But ...  Read More

But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born...  Read More

“Jesus said, I am the light of the world; ‘he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ ” - John 8:12 This first candle reminds us of the light of HOPE of the prophets. The second candle reminds us of the light of PEACE in Christ Jesus. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”- Romans 5:1 “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised ...  Read More

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Mark 1:1-3 The theme of preparing the way aligns with the advent season which is a time of waiting and preparing for ...  Read More

“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:1 When my husband and I were first married in the early 80s, there were no cell phones, nor email, nor social media platforms. When he was deployed with the U.S. Army, we relied ...  Read More

“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.” - Micah 5:2 Christmas is a time we look forward to each year. From spending time with our loved ones, to beautiful decorations and twinkling lights, to the delicious foods we eat, to the children eagerly aw...  Read More

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord … and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but wi...  Read More

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. … For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s...  Read More

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14 There is so much our Heavenly Father wants us to understand - so many lessons He wants us to learn.  Read More