Joy to the World

Reading: Luke 2:1-7

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive Her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room."

There was no room for them in the Inn. So He, the King of all heaven and earth was born in a stable to simple peasants. Through the ages since His Coming, millions have prepared room for Him in their hearts across the face of the earth.

Joy pierced through the darkness of sin and entered the world as a baby, beginning the gathering of heaven and earth into one and the reconciliation of God and man. Though the Creator came unto His own creation, most did not recognize Him. But that did not keep heaven from rejoicing and those in whom His light has shown from worshiping the infant King.

He is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords. Even Caesar obeyed Him by ordering a census that all the Roman Empire should be registered. In so doing, it required Joseph, of the lineage of David to return to his ancestral home of Bethlehem, the city of David. It was during this time that Christ was born in Bethlehem, just as foretold by the prophet Micah. He is the King promised to David, one from His own lineage who shall reign over his kingdom forever!

Advent is a time for us to slow down and ponder the fullness of God coming into this world as a baby, an infant King!

Joy to you this Christmas Season, our Lord IS come.
I pray you have opportunity to empty your heart to prepare Him room and receive your great King.

Zechariah's Prophecy for His Little Son

Luke 1:67-80

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, praised God for His faithfulness to keep His promises to His people.  He spoke a prophecy over his John, and Messiah saying,

"And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.

Because of God's tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven
is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and
in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace."
Luke 1:76-79 NLT

God's Answer to David

In Luke 1:31-33, Gabriel told Mary,

"... you will conceive... and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus. 

He will be Great and called Son of the Most High; 

and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His Father David...
and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

These verses fulfill a promise made to King David in 2Samuel 7:11-14. David was dwelling in his beautiful house of cedar and decided to build a house for the arc of God. He told this to Nathan the prophet who then said to do all that was in his heart for the Lord. But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan saying,

"Go and tell my servant David, '
Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?...

"The Lord tells you that 

He will make you a house. 

"I will set up your seed after you,

who will come from your body,

"Go and tell my servant David, '

Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?..."

Christs Birth Announced to Mary

Luke 1:26-38

Mary was a humble young woman, born to a peasant family who lived in difficult times. Imagine as you read , being Mary, just a teen and being visited by the angel Gabriel She must have been frightened. When Gabriel see's her concern and says: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. " She must have been blessed knowing she has favor with God. 

But how confusing for her to hear she will give birth to a son. "How can this be since I do not know a man?" She must have wondered what Joseph and her parents would think. What would happen to her, to be pregnant without a husband during that time in Israel?

John's Birth Announced to Zacharias

As you read Luke 1:1-25 consider the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They had no children because she was barren and now they were getting old. The dream of having a child had long faded away leaving traces of sorrow for what could have been. See through the eyes of Zacharias' as he walks into the temple, perhaps the air is heavy with the scent of frankincense and light is filtering through the haze. There is a sense of holiness and of the glory of God is thick. Then something extraordinary happened, something that would rock his faith to the core. The coming of a son, an extraordinary son who plays an integral roll in the Promise and Coming of the King. Experience the awe of this amazing story.  Here are the verses foretelling the life of John that stood out to me:
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Abraham's Son of the Promise

Genesis 15- 22

Reading: Genesis 15-22

Long ago, there was a man named Abram, who had a wife named Sarai. They were childless and were getting very old. Abram cried out to God:
'O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since You have given me no children;... a servant in my household will inherit all my wealth.'  And then the Lord said to him, 'No your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir. Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him,

'Look up into the sky, and count the stars if you can. 

That is how many descendants you will have.' 

And Abram believed the Lord, 

and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith."
Genesis 15:1-6 NLT

The Fall of Humanity

Genesis 2,3 NLT, Isaiah 9:2, Romans 5:18, 12 -19

In yesterdays post, God Created, we learned about how God created the heavens and the earth. The first thing he did was speak light, beautiful glorious light into existence. If you remember, in our first Advent post, A Great Light will Shine Isaiah is quoted:

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light." 

Isaiah 9:2 NLT

Adam and Eve Expelled from the Garden

 What did he mean by that? Where did this darkness come from? We will see in this post. Strangely, it is part, a very important part of the story of the Coming of Jesus Christ. It tells us why He came.

Read More:

God Created

Today's Reading: Genesis 1

Advent is the story of the coming of Jesus the Christ. It starts with the very beginning in the Bible on the first page of the book of Genesis and extends to the very last page of the book of Revelation. In fact, there are many places in the New Testament that speak of Jesus being right there in the beginning of creation with God. In the book of John he refers to Jesus as the Word and says,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. 

He was in the beginning with God. 

All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made." 

John 1:1-3 NKJ

In the beginning is very reminiscent of in the first words in Genesis:

 "In the beginning God created 

the heavens and the earth. 

The earth was formless and empty, 

and darkness covered the deep waters. 

And the Spirit of God 

was hovering over 
the surface of the waters. 

Then God said 'Let there be light,' 

and there was light. 

And God saw that the light was good. 

Then he separated the light 
from the darkness. 

God called the light 'day' and the darkness 'night'.
  Verses 1-3 NLT

God created the heavens and the earth, light, plants, the sun, the moon and the stars. And He said that everything was good. Consider the beauty and wonder of the universe, a star-lit sky, a full moon casting shadows across your lawn, the rain pouring down on your roof, a glorious sunrise or sunset. What does this say about what God is like? I see a God of magnificent beauty and profound love.

God created living things,

"great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, 

every sort of bird"... He also created all sorts of animals, 

"livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals... 

and God saw that it was good." 

Verses 21-25

Consider the beautiful, varied and intricate creation of all the animals and various creatures that He made, from the tiniest bug that can fly around in your yard, to the greatest whale in the sea. He said that everything He created was good. He is good and we see His goodness, His character in His creation.

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead... " 

Romans 1:20 NKJ

When you look at creation, what do you see of the character of God?

"Then God said, 
Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;

In the image of God He created them; 

male and female He created them. 

Then God blessed them and said 

'Be fruitful and multiply. 

Fill the earth and govern it. 

Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, 

and all the animals that scurry along the ground." 

Verses 26-28 NKJ, NLT

God created Adam and Eve, the very first human beings. He created them in His own likeness. These first people are different than all the other animals in all of creation in that they were made in the image of God. He blessed Adam and Eve, then told them to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth with people and He assigned them to rule over the earth and the creatures who live on it. David spoke of how God created him:

"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb. 

I will praise You, for I am fearfully made; 

Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 

My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, 

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. 

And in Your book they all were written, 

The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.  

How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God!" 

Psalm 139: 13-18 NKJ

Consider the love and care of God expressed in David's words. David found joy, peace and comfort knowing the God who loves Him.

God said,  "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. It's plural... Jesus was there, in the very beginning. :-) Thus our story of this child begins.

Come before God in prayer and thank Him for His beautiful creation; 
and see His eternal power and the beauty of His character in what He has made.

A Great Light will Shine

Reading: Isaiah 9:2-6

Already people have been scurrying about at the malls shopping for the big day... CHRISTMAS! Thoughts whirling through our minds of Christmas music, yummy food, a Christmas tree, lights, families gathering together to celebrate the big event... the coming of Santa Claus. What? The Coming of Santa Claus? Is Santa what Christmas was originally all about? Some people don't realize that before Christmas was celebrated with Santa, people celebrated Christmas, honoring Jesus Christ by celebrating Advent: which means the coming or the arrival of Jesus.

What is Advent? Advent is a 4 week season just before Christmas to prepare our hearts for the Coming of Christ. Followers of Jesus from all over the world have celebrated Advent for hundreds of years. During Advent we celebrate His first coming as a baby long ago. I love the story of the Coming of Christ as it is written in the Bible through the ages, from beginning to the end. It is my hope to share this joy from the best of my understanding, as an act of worship to Him. It is in His Story that we find the true meaning of Christmas, The Promise of the King.

Tonight is the first Sunday, the first day of the first week of Advent. Many people celebrate Advent by lighting Advent Candles, one for each week of Advent.  For more info on the candles, the advent wreath and other resources visit Advent for Kids, a blog I started for my grandkids.

Tomorrow Advent Begins

Tomorrow is the first day of Advent. We will put up an Advent reading every day for you to drop by and enjoy. If you have time, a comment will be welcomed with joy.

Also we have an Advent Blog for kids and families called Advent for Kids. It is set up to give idea's and devotions to share times together as a family and start a new tradition to bring meaning into their Christmas Season. Check it out and send the link to someone who will enjoy this with their children.

Tomorrow is the first day of Advent when you light the first candle. 

"The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation" the Hope found in Prophecy. "This draws attention to the anticipation of the coming of an Anointed One, a Messiah that weaves its way like a golden thread through Old Testament history. As God’s people were abused by power hungry kings, led astray by self-centered prophets, and lulled into apathy by half-hearted religious leaders, there arose a longing for God to raise up a new king who could show them how to be God’s people. They yearned for a return of God’s dynamic presence in their midst."

This week we will look at the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis. We will see Christ in creation, the creation of people and then evil and why it was necessary for Jesus to come.  We will also see Noah, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, Samuel and King David... all relating to the coming of Christ.

For tomorrow, on Journey with Jesus, I will put up the same post as Advent for Kids for you to see. The following day, the posts on Journey with Jesus will be much more indepth. Whereas the posts on Advent for Kids will be similar but more kid/ family friendly. Enjoy this Season with your Lord and family. Blessings ~ Sheri

PS. Do you have your candles yet? I am going out today to buy some, put them in candle holders and arrange them around a simple Christmas wreath. I use red for the first four around the wreath and white in the center for the arrival of the Christ Child. This year I used four gold for the coming of our King and white for His pure holiness. Various traditions use other colors as well.