Peace be within you
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
(Psalm 122, NRSV)
Let us go to the house of the Lord!
Does this not bring you joy, to be in the presence of other believers, with your family in Christ. To be in the place where love will prosper and security is always there?
So sing His praises and be glad to go into the house of the Lord!
Dark
valley of decision
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake. But the LORD is a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. So you shall know that I, the LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy mountain. And Jerusalem shall be holy, and strangers shall never again pass through it. In that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the stream beds of Judah shall flow with water; a fountain shall come forth from the house of the LORD and water the Wadi Shittim. Egypt shall become a desolation and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood. But Judah shall be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem to all generations. I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty, for the LORD dwells in Zion. (Joel 3:14-21, NRSV)
Multitudes in the valley! Can you picture it?
The day of decision is here. It is not a day far off, or even days away, it is here and now, and we need to decide what we will do.
Where will you go, and whom shall you serve?
I am with Joshua on this one, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!
I know that God is my stronghold and my protection. He will be my shade and my shelter, and in Him I can trust.
So I have decided to follow God.
What is your decision?
Look
left or taken
Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them—it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.” Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” (Luke 17:22-37, NRSV)
Which is better to be taken or to be left?
We always hear about the end and read in the gospels that one was taken and one was left, and from extra biblical sources we hear that it is better to be taken, but these passages are unclear as to which is better, to be taken or to be left.
But here is the real kicker, it doesn’t really matter which is better. You see if we are following after Jesus and focusing on Him, we will be in the right spot.
The other example in our reading on this is Lot’s wife. They were told not to look back as they left, but she couldn’t help it. And because of that, she turned into a pillar of salt. (Now guess which shaker she is in the picture!) We are to focus on Christ and follow where He leads us, not looking back, but always pressing forward with Christ.
Remember to make the most of Advent
As I was thinking about what to write for my newsletter article I did a little internet search and found this. I thought it was very appropriate to share at this time of year and is a good reminder to us all. Let us let this Advent season be one that points us to the real meaning for the season, the baby coming to us in the manger.
THE ADVENT SEASON, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, are perhaps the busiest, most hectic times of the year. In the breathless rush to make the most of the season, it is easy to forget that this sacred season is less about “holiday cheer” and more about a “holy child.” Advent is our opportunity to re-orient ourselves to receive the gift of Jesus. Here, in descending order, are the Top 10 things not to do during Advent.
- Do not forget your rituals:
Be careful not to treat Advent as just another busy time of the year. When we enter the Advent season, life is supposed to be different. Rituals in your personal and/or family life, can help you slow down and prayerfully ponder the gift of the Incarnation, the Son of God made flesh. Take time daily to relax, meditate or pray.
- Do not add to the frenzy:
If you are a parent, try not to add to the craziness of this season by being frantic yourself about last minute shopping, entertaining or decorating.
- Do not forget your Bibles:
What Bible passages point to Advent themes of preparation, promise, hope, expectancy, God’s enduring faithfulness, the time when God’s kingdom will be fulfilled? Advent is an excellent time of the year to familiarize yourself again with the Bible’s stories that lead up to the birth of Jesus.
- Do not try to be perfect for the Holidays:
Believe it or not, it’s not the end of the world if the Christmas tree has a bare spot on one side, if a bulb in one of the window candles is burnt out, or if you cannot find just the perfect gift for Uncle Bob. The holiday season can be stressful enough without allowing the drive for perfection to overwhelm you.
- Do not over do your schedule:
Learn to say “no” to some of the demands or events that may beg for your presence, however enjoyable or good they may be. Know your limits. As the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is still too much.”
- Do not overdo gifts:
I recently heard of a study that indicates children on average receive 60% more for Christmas than they expect. Very good news for parents, right? But it also indicates that while parents need to be very clear with their children about expectations, ever more important is that they themselves need to be consistent with these expectations in their own gift giving. Remember, the focus is Jesus, God’s supreme gift to us, not our gifts to others.
- Do not go into additional debt:
Perhaps this is easier said than done. However, it is important to remember that the gift-giving of Christmas is supposed to spring from and be a sign of our gratitude to God for his gift-giving of Jesus. Rather than large grandiose, expensive gifts, consider giving smaller, more thoughtful items.
- Do not expect the culture to follow your lead:
A truly Christian approach to the month of December will inevitably be counter-cultural. If you embrace much of this list, have faith in what you are doing. Christmas is not about Martha Stewart-quality centerpiece, the gourmet Christmas feast, or getting the “hot toy of the year.” Our spiritual health depends on our resisting the cultural message that we need to get out and “shop till we drop.” Jesus came into the world to die for a different reason.
- Do not forget the less fortunate:
Remember that the real Christmas story is not set in a warm and cozy house, tastefully decorated and filled with more gifts than can fit under the tree, however wonderful that all may be. The real Christmas story is set amidst those who know enduring poverty and danger. What more loving witness could you offer than to seek out some holiday opportunity to identify with the poor and downtrodden as God does?
- Do not wait until Christmas Eve to come to Church!
Avoid the holiday rush and join us for worship in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Worship in the church is beautiful this time of year, with beautiful and powerful Advent hymns. Join us for Advent worship and allow it to bring you back to a sense of expectancy and alertness for the coming of God into our world, into your very life.
Find
faithful servant
“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:45-51, NRSV)
How will Jesus find us when He returns?
Will He find faithful servants dutifully doing the work Jesus set before us?
Or will He find us distracted by our own desires and gratifying the flesh?
We are the hands and feet of Christ, the Body of our Lord here and now. What are we doing to help other see Him and His love?
Near
aSacredRebel 