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| Rejoice - courtesy photobucket.com |
Today
being the third Sunday of Advent, the Pink Candle was lit signifying Love (and
forgiveness.) Gleaning from the Sermon
today as Pastor Jerry read from Zephaniah chapter 3. Verse 17 was encouraging to remind us of
God’s eternal Love.
The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
A
reading from Philippians chapter four where Paul encouraged the Christians to
Rejoice, not to worry, and to stay focused on what is important.
The
then known world was going crazy. King
Herod had tried to kill the baby Jesus, and many times during his life Jesus
barely escaped death from his enemies. Eventually
Jesus was slain on the cross, and Christians were shaken and afraid. But death could not hold him and he is
alive. Paul knew times were extreme and madness prevailed, but he encouraged
believers to rejoice in the Lord and to press toward the goal of finishing their
race.
Forward to our day and the
world is still going crazy. Terror and
senseless killings cause us anxiety of heart.
What do we say to those who have experienced dreadful tragedy?
What about those who
criticize Christmas decorations and greetings?
Pastor shared about a neighbor who put up a Santa and a Chimney in her
front yard. The next day the Santa was
missing. The lady placed a white board
where Santa had been that said, “I curse the person who stole my Santa.” Pastor thought it might be better to read, “I
forgive the person who stole my Santa.”
Not everyone has happy
attitudes at Christmas and some try to tear away at our joy and create
unpleasantness.
Santa is fun, and there are pleasurable
cultural events in the Holidays, but the one who comes for the real Christmas
is Jesus. He offers Truth and Joy.
John the Baptist prepared the
way for the ministry of Jesus and when the people asked what must we do. He replied, “Share with others who have
nothing, do not cheat but be fair to those you serve, and be content with your
wages.
The angels proclaimed,
“Behold I bring you tidings of great joy.”
Even in turmoil we can rejoice.
To rejoice is a response to this good news, Jesus Christ the King is
born.
Joy comes with truth. Redemption is a gift that is offered, and we have the choice to receive.
Focus - - Focus on what is important.
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| Jesus is Born King courtesy photobucket.com |
This post is shared with Charlotte
3 comments:
Good and timely post. The world is going crazy and the answer is within the reach of everyone's spirit, yet they choose to not believe. It is the cause of the evil that has grown. And still He waits. His patience with a fallen and stubborn world is hard to grasp.
Forgiveness and the choice to receive. The beautiful gift of God that the world continues to ignore...
Focus on what is important - definitely good advice no matter the times...
You are right. Focusing on Him is the most important element we can move with. My personal belief is that significant trouble could invade our nation/world very soon, and, as Christians, we must be on alert. Can't slow down, settle in. Must always "be ready." That's my goal.
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