Author: Mark

DAY 4 Christ Was Born for You.

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DAY 4 Christ was born for you.

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”  (Luke 2:10-11)

In the clutter and busyness of what Christmas has become, we often forget this simple truth.  Christ was born for each and everyone of us.  “For unto you is born…”  He was born to be the ultimate gift to mankind.   He accomplished for mankind what we could never accomplish for ourselves.  He is our Savior, Christ, and Lord.

 Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Infant holy, infant lowly, For His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the babe is Lord of all.
Swiftly winging, angels singing, Bells are ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the babe is Lord of all! Christ the babe is Lord of all!

Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping Vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story, Tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, Praises voicing, greet the morrow:
Christ the babe was born for you! Christ the babe was born for you!

DAY 3 I AM

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DAY 3 I AM

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

(John 8:58)

He spoke and the universe came into existence.

By his Word his creation is sustained.

Without him nothing could be that is.

He says of himself, “I AM WHO I AM.”

Now, the majestic God, is cradled in the arms of his creation.

The awesome mystery of the incarnation of I AM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARY, DID YOU KNOW

 Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you’re holding is the great “I am”

DAY 2 Open Wide Our Heavenly Home.

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DAY 2 Open Wide Our Heavenly Home

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us.).” (Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14)

Israel longingly waited for the advent of Emmanuel. He came and human history was altered forever.  We eagerly wait for the fulfillment of Emmanuel’s promise when he came,  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3) May you be filled with inconsolable longing as you wait for his second advent.

“Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;”

 
OH, COME, OH, COME, EMMANUEL

 Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come O Rod of Jesse’s stem,
From ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save;
Bring them in vict’ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav’nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Day 1 What Child is This?

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DAY 1

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  (John 1:14)

On this first day of advent this question must be answered.  “What child is this?”  If this question remains unanswered, this season will only be a walk down memory lane with the spirit of Christmas Past as our guide.  It will only be a secular festival of material lust and glutton.  It will be a moment to put on a face of kindness and then return to the way we were.

“What child is this?”  He is the One whom the prophets foretold.  He is the Word made flesh.  It is he who borne our sins on the cross. He is Christ the King of kings.

Come with loving hearts and enthrone him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT CHILD IS THIS

 What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross he borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

 

COME INTO THE BROAD COUNTRY

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Trust in God

Recently, I saw a young lady wearing a black t-shirt with two English words emblazoned on it in white letters.  The words caught my eye because of their large bold print.   In Cambodia, where I live, t-shirts with English phrases are very popular.  Oft-times though, these shirts are printed in non-native English-speaking countries, so the phrases do not always make sense, or they are grammatically incorrect.  I have had many good side-splitting chuckles over such blunders as these, but this phrase was correct in its spelling and grammar.  It communicated clearly.

On occasion, people will wear a shirt that has an English phrase on it and they have no idea what it means.  The shirt is worn simply because they like how it looks.  One time I saw a young guy wearing a zip up hoodie with three phrases in bold print across it.  It stated, “I’m grouchy, I’m uncomfortable, I’m pregnant.”  I had a good laugh over that one.  The young man had no idea what it said.  Incidentally, the guy was not pregnant.  I do not know if the young lady I saw wearing the black t-shirt with the two words knew the meaning of the phrase she was touting or not.  I did not ask her because she was a total stranger.

What was the phrase on the shirt that this young lady was wearing?  It was only two words in bold white letters.  They were two simple words with only a total of ten letters.  I am sure the lady thought it was cool and some would call it edgy.  The phrase was easy enough to understand but I think it was total nonsense because it is entirely unlivable.  The phrase simply stated, “NEVER TRUST.”

I say this phrase is unlivable because it is impossible to do much of anything without trusting others.  I go to the store and buy a bag of sugar.  I trust that when I get home I will not find out that it is salt instead.  I go to the bank and put money on deposit with the bank.  I trust that when I need it, the money will be available for withdraw.  If I were to have a heart-attack and needed surgery, I must trust that the doctor has the education, know-how, and experience to perform the surgery.  Even if we stay at home and never go out and interact with people, we still require the need to trust. We must have some level of trust in those who built our home that they are competent builds and that the house will not collapse on us.

You might state that, “Yes, it is true that we trust people in our daily lives, but they often break our trust.”  This is totally true.  We get home from the store and find that our sugar is actually salt.  Bankers through misuse of funds or embezzlement cause banks to go under but thankfully in this case most banks have insurance that will cover our deposits.  Sometimes doctors through their negligence cause greater injury or even death.  Builders through use of substandard materials or incompetence are the cause of homes and buildings collapsing.  The point is this, if we start from a place of mistrust, it is difficult to get much accomplished.

A problem arises when we translate this mistrust into our relationship with God.  Our ancient enemy whispers in our ear, “Did God actually say…” and “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:1, 4; ESV).  But we must trust in God.  Our very lives depend upon it.  The writer of Proverbs 3:5-6 states it this way, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (ESV) Proverbs is the book of wise living.  Godly wisdom begins as we learn to trust our entire life to him.  Trusting in God begins by not leaning on our own understanding but upon his infinite understanding.

In John 14:1, Jesus is offering comfort to his disciple amid their confusion and dismay at his words that he will soon be leaving them.  Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts bee troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.” (NIV).  Some English translations render this as, “Believe in God; believe also in me.”  I prefer the translation “trust” over “believe.”  The word believe can be a bit nebulous.  Trust on the other hand compels us to act.  I can say all day long that I believe you to be an honest person, but if I trust you to mind my wallet that has $1,000 in it, that puts teeth into my belief.  As the hymn writer states, “Trust and obey, for there’s not other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

Jesus taught that we are to love God and to likewise love our neighbor.  The order is important.  Love for God begets love for our neighbor.  We can never hope to love our neighbor aright until we learn to love God.  Our love for him flows into our love for others.  Likewise, I would contended, that trust for God will beget trust for others.  Maybe the reason we can not trust others is because we fail to trust God.  People will disappoint us.  They will break the trust we have afforded them.  But God will never break the trust we give to him.  He is eternally trustworthy.

So, to the young lady with the black t-shirt with two bold words in white, I say, “What a load of tosh.”  You say, “Never Trust.”  I say, “I pity you if you truly believe that.”  Not only is the statement unlivable, but it will both isolate you from God and from any meaningful relationship.  David states it well in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”  Come out of the dark pit of mistrust into the bright broad country of trusting in the Lord.

Trust in the Lord

A NONTHORNY SUBJECT

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DAY 29

A NONTHORNY SUBJECT

Christmas day has arrived.  I hope that wherever you find yourself that you will embrace the gift of joy that we celebrate on this day.  Joy is not simply a feeling we have but a person who has us.  Our joy is in Christ and our life lived in him.

In the song “Joy to the World,” there is the phrase, “No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.”  This is a very fitting phrase for a Christmas song.  It brings to my mind the curse that God pronounced on Adam and all mankind.  In Genesis 3:17-18, God curses Adam saying,

 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.

 After the dust settles from all of your Christmas festivities, remember the very specific reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  He came to turn this curse and death on its ear.  His birth marked the beginning of the end for death and the curse.  We eagerly wait this Christmas for our Lord’s second advent when he will bring to completion what he began on his first advent.

This Christmas Day, remember that Christ came to reverse the curse!

JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world! The Lord is 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 and wonders of His love

 

LOVE’S PURE LIGHT

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DAY 28

 LOVE’S PURE LIGHT

“Silent Night” is probably one of the most known and recognized Christmas carols.  I think many like this song because of the peaceful atmosphere that it creates.  With quiet music, dim lights, and candle your busy life cannot help but slow down.

The second stanza states, “Son of God, love’s pure light.” Love is one of the most abused words today.  Everyone has a definition of what love means.  If you truly want to know what love is, you must go to its source.  Our human efforts at love are always tainted by the fallen state that we live in but Jesus is the source of pure love because he is God.

1 John 4:7-12 states,

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

This Advent season, let us go back to school and learn once again what love is from its source.

 

SILENT NIGHT

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth
Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake, at the sight
Glories stream from heaven above
Heavenly, hosts sing Hallelujah.
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.

LONGING FOR HOME

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DAY 27

 LONGING FOR HOME

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  The words and music always create in me a longing for home.  Home, not being a geographical point on a map, but home, the place I was made for.  As long as we are in this world we are aliens.  Jesus himself became for us an alien in this world so that he could make the way for us to get home.  In the meantime, here we wait living in exile in a foreign land.

1 Peter 20:10-12 declares,

Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

This Advent season, let this song wash over your heart, mind, and soul and create in you a longing for our true home.  In this celebration of Christ’s first advent we eagerly anticipate his second.

O COME, O COME, EMMANUEL

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice!  Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Adonai, Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

ON’RY PEOPLE

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DAY 26

 ON’RY PEOPLE

When is the last time you heard the word on’ry.  On’ry is a contraction of ornery which is a contraction of ordinary.  It means: ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper; stubborn; low or vile; inferior, common or ordinary (www.dicionary.com).  The folk Christmas song “I Wonder as I Wander” uses on’ry to describe those who “Jesus the Savior did come for to die.” He came to die “for poor on’ry people like you and like I.”  Would you describe yourself as on’ry?  Most of us might respond, “Well, I am really not all that bad.” But the truth is apart from Jesus Christ we are “poor on’ry people.

In Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul declares,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.   But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 This was the state of affairs before Christ came into our life.  We were all in desperate need of a Savior and Christ satisfies that need.  Now the state of affairs is different!

In this Advent season, as you wander through all of the trappings of Christmas, stand in wonder that Jesus came “for poor on’ry people like you and I.”

I WONDER AS I WANDER

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor on’ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

While shepherds were watching their flocks one dark night

There came angels singing, a glorious sight

And high in God’s heaven a star shining bright

For the promise of ages was born on that night
When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God’s heaven, a star’s light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God’s Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die
For poor on’ry people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

REMEMBER THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

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DAY 25

REMEMBER THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

I found this video while searching on YouTube.  I thought it would be good and appropriate to add it in for my Advent posts.  It is chant in Arabic.  It is very different than what most of you will be used to.  It shows different images from the Middle East.  If you watch it to the end it tells what the images are.  I decided to add it into these Advent posts because of the persecution our brothers and sisters in the Middle East face today.  These are the lands where our Savior was born and where the church first took root.  From here the good news about Jesus spread throughout the world.  We owe a debt of gratitude to our brothers and sister who through the fires of adversity have continued to hold onto their faith.

Revelation 6:10-11

They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

This Advent season, remember the persecuted church worldwide.  Christians are the most persecuted people in the world today.