Like when I wrote this three years ago, another Christmas Eve has arrived in which we can partake. So rejoice in it! Partake of it! Rejoice in and partake of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
The last few hours of The Advent of Christ are before us. We can wait no longer and we don’t need to. Our hunger for hope, peace, joy, and love, is hard to bear; We prepare the meal we will eat tonight after church. We know we will be hungry for that food too,
but I want my hunger for Jesus to be foremost!
We can stay awake watching long into the night, or go to sleep and let Him be born in peace. Either is fine, for in the morning we will have the certainty of Jesus’ birth!
The birth that shook the earth!
About 2021 years ago, everything was in place to bring the astounding event into reality for humanity. God’s gracious, merciful plan was about to take a new turn and reach a new level.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became human. And the Word was named Jesus, He was born in a stable, wrapped in cloth, and placed in a manger to sleep . . .
Placed in a manger . . . Have you ever thought about that? A manger is a type of feed trough for animals. Here on the farm we call that a “feeder”.
It occurs to me that Jesus, lying in that feeder,
among all the other deep meaning and symbolism, seems to have made Himself a symbol
for our spiritual nourishment!
Both a symbol and a reality all at once! Is it any wonder that He told Peter, “Feed my sheep”? Is it any wonder that He called Himself “The Bread of Life”, or spoke over some bread, saying “This is my body“? He wants us to partake of Himself! To drink deeply of Him in a spiritual manner! “The Bread of Life”, and “The Water of Life”!
He, lying in that feeder, was already telling us, “I AM your nourishment, your sustenance,
your very life’s provision; Come to Me and be filled”!
This is the absolutely beautiful poem That amazing Kristyn Getty recites As a prelude to the beautiful song, Thou Who Wast Rich Beyond All Splendour you’ll find below:
Into the Darkest Hour By the amazing Madeleine L’Engle
“It was a time like this, war & tumult of war, a horror in the air. Hungry yawned the abyss – and yet there came the star, and the child most wonderfully there.
It was a time like this of fear & lust for power, license & greed and blight – and yet the Prince of bliss came into the darkest hour in quiet & silent light.
And in a time like this how celebrate his birth when all things fall apart? Ah! Wonderful it is: with no room on the earth, the stable is our heart.”
~ ~ ~
“Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love’s sake becamest poor; Thrones for a manger didst surrender, Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor. Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, All for love’s sake becamest poor.
Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love’s sake becamest man; Stooping so low, but sinners raising Heavenwards by thine eternal plan. Thou who art God beyond all praising, All for love’s sake becamest man.
Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship thee. Emmanuel, within us dwelling, Make us what thou wouldst have us be. Thou who art love beyond all telling, Saviour and King, we worship thee.”
Thanks again, to Keith and Kristyn Getty for a brilliant rendering of this song which is highly appropriate to the Advent season, or any season of a Christian’s life.
Violin played beautifully by Deborah Klemme (Music copyright 2015 Paul Campbell (BMI) (Admin. by Arlon Songs Ltd.)
A joyous Advent season to you and yours, Your Gloryteller
Hi, Sisters and Brothers! Tomorrow is already the third Sunday of Advent. That’s hard to believe; time is flying by. This year is as it was in 2017 when I wrote the article below – the fourth Sunday of Advent coincides with Christmas Eve Day. Perhaps you are like me in your extra-special “rejoicement” when this happens. I just want to wish you and yours a good and meaningful Advent and a joyous Christbirth celebration!
With hope, peace, joy, and love,
Your Gloryteller
First Sunday
“Advent” is here! It is today!
All Creation is pregnant with anticipation!
This is the time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth – the most unprecedented, and unequaled; the most earth-shakingevent in human history!
(Well, depending on how you perceive it, it’s definitely one of the top two!)
The word “Advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” which means coming, or arrival, of a person or thing.
In this special and absolutely unique case, Who and what is coming is rich in mystery;
profound in its implications! Excitement builds in Heaven and earth!
I find it interesting that the words “Advent” and “adventure” are so closely related, which is fitting since we are waiting and preparing for the arrival of a series of awe-inducing, exciting events :
All that surrounds Jesus’ Nativity celebration, A son is to be given, 700 year-old prophecy to be fulfilled, The imminent arrival of Emmanuel, “God With Us”,
The Kingdom of God being established on Earth,
Reconciliation with the Father,
Renewal of all things, Rescue of the perishing, Redemption of souls,
Atonement,
Forgiveness,
Abundant life,
Signs and wonders,
Miraculous acts, Great Joy will be made available to all people,
Messiah! Savior! Christ! He’s coming, already, not yet, and soon! The image of The Father will walk on earth, The advent of Love!
And more, and more, and more! And, in the fullness of time, Jesus’ long-awaited final return!
When someone important to us is coming to visit, we know we must wait. Patiently or not. Before their arrival, we must prepare as best we can. Thus, we are waiting, and prayerfully preparing, not just for events, but for the arrival of the Personage without whom there would be no experience of exciting spiritual adventure, no exploration of mysteries unknown, no real and true experience of love and life whatsoever.
But for the birth of the little Lord Jesus, I could not live. As He is born, so am I.
So are we all!
I wait and look forward to honoring His birth; to observing the amazing circumstances that surround it.
It has “happened” again and again in countless hearts and minds. It is happening now in mine,
and will again, endlessly, with passage of time.
I ceremoniously light the first candle in the Advent wreath,
the candle of hope, also, the first flame in my heart.
The expectant waiting and preparation of my heart applies not only to Christbirth,
but to Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving, and Jesus’ final return as well.
Advent is an important concept.
It is exciting, yet peaceful at the same time.
I want to make it part of me;
I want to live it.
Advent First Week
The first week of Advent is said to be concentrated upon the hope of the Savior’s arrival as supported by the Scriptures’ prophetic promises. There are several pertinent verses, but I chose this one :
“The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 33:14-15).
O, Jesus, We await your sweet arrival!
~~~~~~
Words and Music for Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Charles Wesley:
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
2. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to Thy* glorious throne.
(*emphases, mine)
The hope that we children of God have is a confident hope,
an enduring and an eternal hope. Peter tells us that the Child of God has “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter: 1-4 )
Advent Week Two
The second week of Advent is focused on peace.
Waiting becomes a bit more intense as we add the expectancy of hope and peace in preparation for our Savior’s arrival.
We light the second candle,
the candle of peace, If not on our tables, Then in our hearts. And light increases. It doubles! We can hardly wait until the full light
of His glorious presence shines upon the world,
and also upon each of us!
“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” (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus is the only one that can bring peace with God.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all mankind upon which His favor rests!” Luke 2: 13-14
Here’s a song that is full of hope and peace, And light too!
Advent Third Week
We are in the third and final full week preceding the joy-filled celebration day!
This week we savor the JOY surrounding His coming to live with us!
Emmanuel – here because of The Father’s love for all people.
In this third week, we also remember all the proclamations made about our coming Christ-child, our Messiah, our glorious Savior; proclamations by Isaiah, by angels, by Elizabeth, by Mary, by Zechariah, by more angels, and by many others.
Luke 2:9 Just then, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people!
He is coming not to condemn those lost in the dark, but to give them a saving light. What joy it is to know Him, having been one of those lost, and now having His light.
And what a joy it is to know the astounding love of The Father,
Who sent this generous gift of His Son!
(many thanks, Spadecaller, for the upload. Your art is moving!)
I light the third candle,
the candle of joy,
And light increases again.
Even the stars seem brighter,
and the moon waxes!
The candle flames have kindled
a fire of rejoicing in my heart!
I, the least of believers, proclaim this joy, proclaim His glory, (like it says in the header at the top)
And suddenly, we come to:
The Fourth Sunday of Advent Today, December 24, 2017 (four years ago) is the fourth Sunday of Advent,
which also coincides with Christmas Eve.
We light the fourth candle – the love candle,
in my book, the easiest one to light in the heart,
for Father God loved us first, and then sent His Jesus
to enable us to fully love Him.
Love rescued and love reconciled!
This candle also signifies His presence.
The Advent season is all about expectant waiting;
excited, hopeful, waiting for the Baby’s presence!
We want Him to be born soon!
We want to see Him!
He seems so close,
The air is charged.
We can almost feel angels in the air.
The Spirit of God certainly presides over our village.
Everything is poised; miraculously in position.
Mary, her Baby, Joseph, shepherds,
angels – lots of angels!
Peace and joy are closing in.
Tonight is the Holy Night – Jesus Christ’s night.
The Advent of Christ is all but complete.
Are preparations perfect? Is my heart ready for His arrival? I find myself wishing that I could be better prepared, And more ready, But, He. Was. Born. Last. Night ! ? !
Could it be?
Yes, it is:
Christmas Day
And so, the season of expectant waiting is complete!
I light the largest, purest, center candle,
the only One left. and the flame in my heart roars to life! To life! Hope is fulfilled! In our Immanuel, our Jesus,
all prophecies and promises are now reality! His name is Light of the World! His name is Peace!
His name is Son!
His name is Love! His name is Savior! His name is King! His name is Everlasting! His name is God! His presence is good news, bringing great joy for all people! His presence makes darkness flee! The Light of the World has finally come! And like so many believers, so many bloggers, I repeat the sounding JOY!
Joy To the World, and Peace to ALL mankind!
Joy to the World, the Lord has come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare Him room, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven and nature sing, And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing!
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy!
No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, Far as, far as, the curse is found!
He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness, And wonders of His love, And wonders of His love, And wonders, wonders, of His love!
~ ~ ~
And yet,
it is not over . . .
I must stay prepared;
keep waiting expectantly;
with confident hope,
with all the peace, joy, and love, grace can provide; The “second” Advent begins now, And all Creation is pregnant with anticipation!
I just coined a term: The “Griswold Switch”! What in the world is that?
Definition: 1. The forgotten, or yet to be discovered, solution to a major problem, or a mystery. 2. The elusive missing piece of a puzzle that is making someone crazy who can’t find it. 3. The prime factor upon which everything hinges; the thing that makes everything “work” correctly. 4. The means by which darkness is dispelled and light is brought forth, said light revealing truths which were previously hidden from “blind eyes”.
In the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” *, Clark Griswold is trying desperately to make Christmas wonderful for His family despite not getting his expected annual holiday bonus. Part of his efforts include the more than 20,000-light exterior illumination of his house. He hilariously risks life and limb to create a spectacular display, however, every time he makes the final connection in the yard, the display comes on and immediately goes off, or doesn’t come on at all. He gets frustrated. He’s at his wit’s end. As it turns out, all the octopus-like circuitry for the display is connected to a certain receptacle in the garage controlled by a light switch which his mother and his wife flip on and off not knowing the consequences. By coincidence, his wife finally leaves the switch on, and Clark is able to make the connection, lighting the overly brilliant display and causing a massive power surge at his house. As I remember, the solution is only revealed to us, the audience, and not even to the Griswolds themselves.
Yes, you guessed it, that is the “Griswold Switch”!
I know people who have sought their own “Griswold Switch” all their lives and have not found it. I, myself, finally found it in the early autumn of my life. Jesus has been that “Griswold Switch” for me.
I had forgotten Him. Re-discovering Him, I found Him to be the solver of all problems, the One for whom there are no mysteries. (1.)
He is the crucial and indispensable piece central to the puzzle of life. (2.)
Jesus is the One who makes all Creation work properly. He is the Prime Factor upon whom all life hinges, including my own. (3.)
He switched me on – lit me up – Caused a glorious power surge in my circuits. His light dispelled darkness in my life, and illuminated The Truth, which is the beginning of the understanding of God’s eternal existence, and the revelation of what The Father’s love looks like through that of His Son. (4.)
I now think of Jesus as much more than my “Griswold Switch”. He is my glorious and highly revered “God Switch”!
* * *
* This is an irreverent movie. It contains a lot of profanity and misuse of the name of God and Jesus. On that basis, I can’t recommend it. However, I can’t condemn it either. If I did that, I couldn’t explain my term “the Griswold Switch”. My advice is, if you wish to watch it, watch with discretion and discernment. It is a “worldly” movie, but some parts are hilariously funny.
~ *~* ~*~*~* ~
A fun little distraction while we wait.
Do you like prime numbers?
(Prime numbers are evenly divisable
only by themselves and 1)
To help you get started, the first three
prime numbers are 2, 3, and 5.
Remember, 1 is not a prime number.
Children of any age, look what can be done with them:
(One Star and five prime numbers . . . a Christmas tree of perfection!)
(Remember to turn your phone sideways or it won’t work right)
Can you decipher the pattern? Count up the stars (*s) or the words in each row.
Which numbers do you get?
Are they all prime numbers which make up the “trees”?
* ** *** ***** ******* *********** !
The
Star is
on top, sovereign
His light illuminates all life
below. All below Him, made in perfection.
Gathered, enfolded, protected – like a mother hen does – under His wings.
!!!
!!!
Is this tree upside-down? Wrong? Distressing? Let it not be so! It
is made in perfection, for He is still supreme and sovereign.
All lives supported upon His shoulders. Kept
by His strength. Maintained by
His goodness. Lit
by His
Love. * * *
~ ~ ~
Always remember Who created the prime numbers,
and all numbers, and how to count
things, and math, and music, and rhythm,
and orderliness, and the dance of the
moons around planets, planets around stars, and
stars inside galaxies! God created all those for our use
and our enjoyment!
Merry Merry Christmas! Happy Happy Christbirth! How many days left? Is it a prime number? : >)
Alone in the Rockies.
Gloryteller 