Advent Week Four - Friday
By Pat Lee | December 23, 2011
Friday - December 23rd: The shepherds praised and glorified God for all they had heard and seen
Scripture: (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-2; Micah 5:2-4). Psalm 97:1-6, 11-12 Luke 2:15-20
Reflection: The first to hear the good news of the Saviour’s birth were not the rulers and religious leaders of Israel who were robed in riches and power. The angels came to humble shepherds to announce the birth of a king who was born in poverty and was now lying in a manger made for animals. After the angels had sung their hymn of glory in the presence of the shepherds, the shepherds went to adore the newborn king and sing their hymn of glory.
In the Christmas Season each year we commemorate past events – the birth of the Messiah—and we celebrate the present reality – Jesus Christ our redeemer who reigns in heaven also lives in our hearts through the gift the Holy Spirit received in our baptism and is in our midst when we gather in his name. We thank God for sending Jesus to us to offer us forgiveness for our sin and a new redeemed life as we try to continue Jesus’ mission and ministry as his church.
We thank God for the fact that, in Jesus, God became one of us–in order to offer us forgiveness and a healed redeemed relationship with God in the Kingdom of God.
In the Christmas Season Angels and Archangels and the whole company of heaven join with us in a song of praise for the good news proclaimed by the angels: Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).
Ultimately the joy of Christmas is not just for a day or a season. It is the joy that comes with knowing that Jesus is present in our hearts and in our midst through the Holy Spirit received in our baptism. This a joy which no pain nor sorrow can defeat, and which neither life nor death can take away.
“Lord our God, with the birth of your Son, your glory breaks on the world. As we celebrate his first coming, give us a foretaste of the joy that awaits us when the fullness of his glory has fills the earth and your kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.”
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Advent Week Four - Thursday
By Pat Lee | December 22, 2011
Thursday - December 22rd: Nothing is Impossible with God
Scripture:2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16 Psalm89:2-5,27,29 Luke1:67-79
Reflection: John the Baptist was born shortly before Mary delivered her son, Jesus. When John was circumcised on the eighth day according to the Jewish rite, his father Zechariah was “filled with the Holy Spirit” and with great joy. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he spoke a prophetic hymn of blessing for the work of redemption which God was about to accomplish in Jesus. He discerned the immanent fulfillment of God’s promise to David and through the coming of the Messianic King (2 Samuel 7:16) who would establish justice and peace.
We sometimes think of peace as the absence of war but the peace that Jesus brings is the peace that can only come through accepting forgiveness and the offer of a redeemed healthy and life-giving relationship with God.
The Holy Spirit gave Zechariah a vision for his son John as a prophet who would prepare the way for the Messiah. The Holy Spirit can give us a confidence in the knowledge of God’s merciful love which he offers us through his Son Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to prepare the way that leads to faith in Jesus.
In sending the Messiah God has come to us as one of us to redeem us. At Christmas we celebrate and give thanks for God’s gift of Jesus. In Advent we pray that the Holy Spirit inspire us to proclaim, in word and deed, the good news of redemption offered by Jesus.
“Lord, you have been gracious and merciful towards your people. Fill us with your Holy Spirit that, through what we say and do, we bear witness the gospel of Jesus.”
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Advent Week Four - Wednesday
By Pat Lee | December 21, 2011
Wednesday - December 21st: Joyful Anticipation of the Messiah
Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-18 Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21 Luke 1:39-45
Reflection: Mary was given the “blessedness” of being the mother of the Messiah, the Son of God.
When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary’s womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God’s promise to give us a Saviour. God fills not only Elizabeth’s heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother.
The Holy Spirit, given to us in our baptism, enables us to know and experience the presence of God and the power of his kingdom in our day-to-day lives. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God acts today in and through Jesus’ church. In Advent we reflect on the reality of God’s presence with us through his Holy Spirit.
“Lord Jesus, touch me with God’s Holy Spirit and help me to experience you more deeply. Increase my faith in your promises and help me to love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength and to love my neighbour as myself.”
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Advent Week Four - Tuesday
By Pat Lee | December 20, 2011
Tuesday - December 20th: “He will save his people from their sins”
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm 24:1-6 Matthew 1:18-24
Reflection: Mary was asked to assume a tremendous responsibility. It had never been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural father and she was asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of nature. That required faith and trust in God nd in his promises. Second, Mary was not yet married. Pregnancy outside of wedlock was not tolerated in those days. Mary was espoused to Joseph, and such an engagement had to last for a year. She was asked to assume a great risk. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God’s promises.
Joseph, a righteous man, did not wish to embarrass or punish his espoused wife, Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. To all appearances she had broken the pledge to be faithful to one another. Joseph was not hasty to judge or to react with anger. God provided him with assurance that God had called Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require faith, confidence, and trust in God. Joseph believed and obeyed and took Mary as his wife and accepted the child in her womb as the promised Messiah. Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful servant of God’s offer of redemption. Are we ready to believe in the promises of God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable problems? God has not left us alone, but has given us his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are invited in Advent to prepare to celebrate Christmas by renewing our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming work.
“Lord Jesus, you came to save us from the power of sin and death. May we always give thanks for the forgiving love of God revealed in you and trust in your will to redeem your world”.
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Advent Week Four - Monday
By Pat Lee | December 19, 2011
Monday - December 19th: “For with God nothing will be impossible”
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12,14,16 Psalm 89:1-5,27-29 Luke 1:26-38
Reflection: God keeps his promises (Psalm 89:2-4). David wanted to build a house for God. God reassured him that he would build David a house that would last forever (2 Samuel 7:12,16). God promised an heir to David’s house, – a Saviour and King who would bring a new era of healing, pardon, and peace.
Christians see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the events leading up to the birth of the Messiah. This new era (The Kingdom of God) begins with the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. The child to be born is the fulfillment of God’s promises. He will be named “Jesus”, which means “the Lord saves”. The angel repeats to Mary, the promise made to David: “…he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33).
Mary responds with trusting faith. Mary’s prompt response of “yes” to the angel makes her a model of faith for us all. She believed God’s promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing to do God’s will, even if so doing seemed impossible. God trusts that we will respond to what God asks of us with the same sort of willingness, obedience, and trust that Mary did. God also promises to give us, through the Holy Spirit received in our baptism, the strength, and means to do the things God trusts us to do. We are created with free-will and we can decide to say “Yes” to God. We also have the freedom to decide to say “No” to God and go our own way. Advent invites us to ask if we believe in God’s promises and are we prepared to say “Yes” to God?
“Heavenly Father, you offer us grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son Jesus. Help us to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you our unqualified “yes.”
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