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| Taking back Christmas - Isa 9:2, 6&7 |
The People walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the lands of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isa. 9:2 NIV)
Norman Sawchuck and Rueben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for all who seek God” write,
”Advent marks the beginning of the church year and lays before
us the pathway of faith for the year ahead. Advent initiates
once again remembering, retelling, and celebrating the whole
drama of God's Revelation.
Four weeks is the limit to this season that declares the truth
about a God whose love and resourcefulness have no limits.
"Advent" has its roots in the Latin word "adventus," or
coming. This season proclaims the coming of Christ in the
Birth of Jesus, in the Word and Spirit, and in the final
victory when God's kingdom shall be complete.
Our privilege as Christians is to receive the gracious gift
of God's presence in Christ. Our task is to prepare for His
Coming, so that we will not miss life's greatest gift.”
The Advent Season 2005 is upon us. Already the rush and bustle of the season has begun. We are busy preparing our gifts for family and friends as an expression of our love. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.
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The Advent Season focus on the gifts that Jesus brings to us. We take back Christmas by celebrating the spiritual meaning of the event and discover anew the spiritual truth of the coming of Jesus into our world as God’s gift of love to us. This year accept the gifts that Jesus brings and share His love with others.
Taking back Christmas must be intentional on our part. It challenges us to rewrite our schedules to reflect the true meaning of the event. As the year draws to a close, family schedules and personal agendas fill with engagements, programs, parties and annual obligations. The carol “Silent Night” could not have been written at the end of the twentieth century. The title evokes a peace and stillness we can only imagine.
To reclaim Christmas we need to draw close to God who became flesh and lived amongst us. It is difficult to harmonize meditation and car pooling. How do we carve out moments of quiet and worship and open ourselves to God’s Presence? Perhaps we have to lower our sights from hours spent around hearths, Christmas trees, decorated halls and festivities to schedule quiet times when the family can sit together and contemplate what Christmas is all about.
The first theme of Advent is Hope. It is the first gift that Jesus brings to us. It is a bright light in a dark world. (Isa 9:2, 6&7) We continue to hope in God’s promise that Christ will come again to fill our world with love, joy and peace.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, speak to my heart during this season as you spoke to your prophets. Remind me again of the journey you call me to make and the work you would have me to do.
I am your servant, O Lord. Speak to me in this holy season and turn my eyes to watch for your coming.
About the Author
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Pastor Earl Batstone has pastored for more than forty years. He retired as General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Nfld in 2002. He and his wife Lily are presently active in Short Term Missionary work. They reside in Paradise, Newfoundland and may be reached at: earlbatstone@nl.rogers.com |
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Examples of Fasting
Moses
Exodus 24:18
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 34:28
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Deuteronomy 9:9
When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, [even] the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water:
David
2 Samuel 12:16
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Elijah
1 Kings 19:8
And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 20:3
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
Ezra
Ezra 8:21-23
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us
Daniel
Daniel 10:2, 3
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks….I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
Jonah
Jonah 3:5-8
So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered [him] with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused [it] to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that [is] in their hands.
Jesus
Matthew 4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Early Christians
Acts 13:2
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
Acts 14:23
And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed
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