Advent & Christmas

PrinceOfTheWest

PrinceOfTheWest

Knight of the Stone Table
Royal Guard
Emeritus
The weeks leading up to Christmas are known to the Christian calendar as Advent. For many years now, we've had a thread in which people could post meditations on the seasons of Advent and Christmas, so I'm continuing the tradition.

Interestingly, the First Sunday of Advent is the first day of the Liturgical Year. So, if you want a Christian "New Year's Eve", it's today, December 1st, 2012. In keeping with Jewish and early Christian tradition, the Liturgical day begins at sunset (which is why some churches have Vigil services in the evening that count for the Sunday obligation), so dinnertime tonight marks the start of the Liturgical New Year.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
 
Okay, I'll go first:D

This Friday, I hosted my usual weekly Bible Study, and I chose to focus on the parable of the sower, using the text in Matthew, since Matthew is my favorite Gospel. I related the seeds to the good news of Christ and connected that to the giving of a great gift, since it was near Advent, and I wanted to focus people on being grateful even after Thanksgiving.

The sower I obviously connected to Jesus, as the giver of the gift, and the seeds that fell on the hard ground were people who refused to accept the gift of salvation offered by Christ, and were then eaten up by the birds representing Satan and his minions. The seeds that fell on shallow ground were those who received the gift enthusiastically, but then left the gift get destroyed because they lacked a strong faith foundation. The seeds that were swallowed by the thorns were to me the people who received the gift but then forgot it, and forgot to be happy and grateful about it, because they were so caught up with everything in their lives that made them miserable. The seeds that fell on the good ground and flourished, however, represented those who received the gift, felt real gratitude, and were inspired to give many gifts of their own. I felt like it was a sort of fun holiday way of interpreting Scripture consistent with the explanation that Jesus gives His apostles.

On another note, some friends and I went caroling this evening, as we do every year in early December. At first, we were a little disappointed, because there were less people home than normal, so we didn't get to sing to as many people as normal, but then, God entered our lives in a special way.

A lady came out on her porch before we could even ring her bell, and she asked if we were out singing carols. When we said that we were, she asked if we would sing her "Silent Night" because it is her favorite Christmas song, and she had just gone through a rough divorce, and she needed something to make her happy. We sang her "Silent Night" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." She was crying tears of joy by the end, and she was so thankful. I knew then that God really was using us to spread His joy and love, and I didn't feel so disappointed by the lack of people answering doors. I knew that He was making sure we reached the people we needed to reach. I knew that was Him, the extraordinary, entering into our ordinary lives to make them extraordinary:D
 
Here's a point that always thrills me: when Jesus is speaking to His disciples, and seems to almost burst out with
Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
(Luke 10:23-24, parallel Matthew 13:16)​
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That makes me think about how blessed we are to live on this side of the Incarnation. Advent recalls the decades and centuries and millenia of waiting that men did for the revealing of the Messiah. Our parish Bible study is currently going through Isaiah, which contains so many foretellings of His coming (the Immanuel prophecies, the shoot of Jesse, the Suffering Servant, and so forth.) Yet those prophecies were made six hundred years before Christ's coming. Many generations still had to pass before the fulfillment of those prophecies, generations when men pondered and prayed and hoped and waited.

Yet we have the unspeakable privilege of living after the fulfillment of the Promise. We have the words of God directly from His mouth, and the sacramental presence of Jesus with us constantly. As Michael Card puts it so well:
For a thousand years the dreamers dreamt, and hoped to see His love
But The Promise showed their wildest dreams had simply not been wild enough.​
Perhaps that's why commemorating Advent is such a prudent thing to do. Let's imagine ourselves back in those days, before Bethlehem, before the Word became Flesh and pitched His tent in our midst (the most literal interpretation of John 1:14). Let's immerse ourselves in the Old Testament prophecies and promises, and try to recapture the anticipation and hope. Let's not rush to Bethlehem just yet, for if we linger in the twilight, we can better appreciate that indeed, blest are our eyes and ears to see and hear what we do.
 
During Advent we are waiting for God, awaiting Christ's arrival ...

I can't put myself back as far as you suggest, PoTW, but I will go back as far as the shepherds and wise men ... They were on their way to Christ, and He was already there, He was waiting for them.

So it is with us! We are commemorating the wait, but in truth, Jesus is waiting for us, already He has arrived, and is waiting for us to notice, to come and adore Him. We're on the way ... we're trudging those long miles with the wise men, or walking those dusty hills with the shepherds ...

What about it? Are you waiting for God, or is He waiting for you?
 
POTW, it's neat that you should mention the prophecies about the Messiah in Isaiah, because I am signed up to receive a daily Bible verse to my email, and today's Bible verse was Isaiah 9:6, "For onto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

Inkspot, thanks for mentioning the shepherds and wise men. It's amazing that two such different groups of people could be brought before Jesus' manger by two wonderful miracles. I think that really shows how God is always ready to reach all kinds of people in a special way.
 
At my church, there is a bulliten board located just right next to the gym that says "Santa's Stockings of Kindness." There are paper stockings. Depending on who you are (you know, an adult, grandparent, child etc.) you pick one that says who you are. Then, it says something that you could do, both church-wide and family-wide. For example, you could make cookies for the people at a local shelter or something like that. Everyone got into it, even toddlers!

Sadly, I had to leave because my family and I had to do some errands, but it made me smile.

All of the kids in my neighborhood, who never get along with each other, too, are singing Christmas carols.

This season make me think about the meanings of Christmas, the miracles and acts of kindness, because the season is a time of joy. Miracles happen during this season, especially the Birth of Christ! :D
 
We had a Sunday school session discussing the "peace" aspect of Advent themes. I made sure to assert that God's idea of "peace" DOES NOT mean letting every evildoer have everything his own way all the time in defiance of God and at the expense of the rest of us.
 
That's right, CF. We were just reading in Isaiah 30 today, and toward the end of the chapter are those reassuring verses about the voice behind you to guide you, telling you when to turn right and when to turn left. But the full context is a strong encouragement for Israel to stop being so willful and stubborn, choosing their own way over obedience to God's laws. The end of the chapter is a fierce invective against those who rebel against God and endanger His people, along with a vivid description of what awaits them.

The Lord is always beside us, quick to save and ready to help, but woe to us if we presume on that mercy and grace! Our attitude needs to be deep humility, thankfulness, and awe. We by no means deserve the blessings He offers - what we deserve is destruction. Only His mercy saves us, and that calls for a response of humble obedience!
 
Copperfox said:
We had a Sunday school session discussing the "peace" aspect of Advent themes. I made sure to assert that God's idea of "peace" DOES NOT mean letting every evildoer have everything his own way all the time in defiance of God and at the expense of the rest of us.
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I read something of Buechner's, I think, that God's "peace isn't the absence of conflict, but the presence of love." That, I think, is a quite profound thought, and sort of an embodiment of the arrival of the Prince of Peace, isn't it? He was born into a land under domination, and then he sparked a conflict by his very birth that caused such violence ... but he himself was (and is) love. Not the absence of conflict, but the presence of love.

Here is a drawing of last year's Advent -- I like to draw scenes from my life and add some little verse that illuminates them. That's me with the shepherds ... and my calligraphy ... :eek: I am a poor artist and not that great a calligrapher! But I like it.
 

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Lovely artwork, Inkspot. Thank you for sharing it with us:D

Also, insightful thought about Jesus not being the absence of conflict but the full presence of love. I agree with you.
 
SunshineRose said:
Lovely artwork, Inkspot. Thank you for sharing it with us:D

Also, insightful thought about Jesus not being the absence of conflict but the full presence of love. I agree with you.
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thank you! i am a terrible artist but i enjoy the process. :)

it was fred buechnner's idea that peace isn't the absence of conflict, but the presence of love, and i agree ... i am a peace-filled person because of jesus, even though i have my share of conflicts in life ...
 
I have been busy making ornaments that are related to True Christmas for gifts this year. Here are some samples:
miniature (1.5 inch) ribbon wreath
woven/beaded Jesus-in-the-manger emoticon: i)X
sewing lace wings on a (2 inch) Guatemalan doll to make it into an angel ornament
 

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Wow, that's so cool Benisse!

here is my blog from today -- for Advent I am reading the Gospel of John's "Christmas" story ...

Tuesday December 11


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The same was in the beginning with God.All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5, KJV).



In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3)



Because John begins His Christmas story "in the beginning," I wanted to compare it with the original "in the beginning" story. In each case, "light" plays an important role. It was among the first things God created ... and among the first gifts John says Jesus gives to us at His coming.

You also find it in the other Christmas stories --

A star leads the wise men to the Christchild ... a light in the darkness that guides them to the true light!

The shepherds were alerted to the miraculous birth by a choir of angels -- "the glory of the Lord shown round about them" -- you have to believe that was quite a light show!

The prophet Simeon, who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen Messiah, held the baby Jesus and prayed to God, "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:30-32).

Jesus came as a light to a darkened world, and His arrival here brought us life that is light for all humanity! How has His life brought light to your world? If it hasn't yet; if you don't feel that sense of wonder, joy and elation at the coming of Christ to meet you with renewed mercies each morning ...

Then I think you haven't yet come to know Him the way He wants you to know Him, to experience His love the way He wants to pour it out on you. When that happens, then you'll realize how you've been stumbling in darkness, and what it means to be bathed in His glorious light!
 
I have been remiss: here is the wreath for this week -

Advent_Wreath_2.gif
 
Cinnamon Dough recipie for decorations

ok so this is the thread for Advent & Christmas so i'm going to post a craft dough recipie for decorations

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

5 t. cinnamon

3/4 to 1 cup warm water

bowl

cookie sheets

mix flour & cinnamon in bowl, make a well in center, pour in water, mix with hands until dough forms a ball, knead on lightly floured surface until dough is smooth for about 5 mintutes, wrap in plastic and refridgerate for 20 mintutes until ready to make decorations, bake in oven 350 1 hour until dough turns hard
 
THE QUEST OF FAITH

(Written by me for an Advent devotional book)

Quite often in my Scouting career, I have put my faith in a compass to carry me through the challenges of the wilderness to my final destination. I pause now to consider the faith that the Wise Men placed in a Star to carry them through the challenges of the wilderness to find the King of Kings.

Through deserts and meadows they rode, to find the fulfillment of a prophesy written in the skies. Along the way they saw wonders…high walls, grand palaces, mighty mountains, lush valleys. The glories of man and nature they passed…not yet, not yet! If not sheltered in marble halls or mountain majesty, where would they find the King of Kings?

And then the star stopped above a lowly stable. They had reached their destination. They found a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Before him they placed their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and bowed in silent worship.

Each of us has to place our faith in something that will carry us to our final destination. Too often our pursuits will lead us astray. We look for an answer in money, power, security or reputation. What we find may give us fleeting pleasure, passing contentment, but in the end we realize that we are lost in the wilderness of a fallen world. It is not too late…lo, a star shines in the night! O come let us adore Him!
 
Thanks!

Thanks for the recipe, short angel -- i am not too crafty so i probably won't try it, but that's a good idea.

ES, thanks for the lovely devotional! It's so true, you know? Makes you wonder what the wise men were thinking, or expecting ... and whether they were tempted to think that they had been led astray when all they found was a regular middle-class family and their new baby ...

This reminds me of my blog post from the other day, contemplating the "Christmas" story in John chapter 1, about how we sometimes miss the light even when we think we're walking in it.
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The same was in the beginning with God.All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5, KJV).


It seems so obvious to us now, looking back through 2000 years of Christendom, Jesus was the light of the world!

Had we been there in Bethlehem, of course we would have recognized and worshiped Him. Right?

But would we, really? This was something totally new and unexpected. Joseph didn't get it until an angel told him what was happening. The wise men would have missed it if their astrology had not pointed it out. The shepherds, too, had to have heavenly intervention.

And think of all the people who did miss it, the people of Bethlehem who turned Joseph and Mary away because they looked like just another tourist couple and weren't their problem.

Sadly, they're not the only ones who miss the light. I know, because I was a Christian for many years, and yet I still stumbled in darkness. The "true light that was coming into the world," as John will soon call it, was something I was very near every day and yet never beheld.

Because I didn't recognize it. I thought the Christ life was that you asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and then you tried to behave. When you did well, Jesus was happy, and when you failed, He was there to forgive you, again. It was, as John Eldredge says, the "Gospel of Sin Management"

The big payoff was promised later, after death, in heaven, when everything would be wonderful. If I could just keep the sin thing under control until then.

Little did I know, the true light was already shining, heaven had already come to earth -- for me -- if I would just embrace it!

Heaven for me began when I finally began to realize the way Jesus loves me, and the complete responsibility He takes for me, regardless of my behavior... the light finally dawned!

And it can, for you too, this Christmas!
 
And here's the wreath for this Sunday:

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It's Gaudete Sunday! Gaudete is Latin for Joy, and it's when we celebrate that Advent is at least halfway over. Though the candle looks pink, the technical color is "rose", which is formed by mixing purple (symbolizing penance and self-examination) with white (symbolizing purity and holiness.)

Have a joyful Gaudete Sunday, and remember that our King is coming soon!
 
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