Day 9 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Today I share with you a song that we all know and love because it has the fun "Gloria" part. In fact, I think that's the part that most kids learn first! I want you to read the lyrics to this song and see a neat perspective in each verse.

The first verse has to do with the angels and their perspective on Jesus' birth. Then it moves to the shepherds and what some must have asked of them because they were so excited and the Bible says that "All who heard the shepherds story were astonished. The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them." (Luke 2:18, 20)

Moving on to the third verse, we hear the answer from the shepherds. They are telling them to come to Bethlehem, see Him, adore Him. The song ends with the picture of the birth, complete with Jesus lying in a manger (just as the angel had told the shepherds).

How amazing is this song! I love looking at Christmas carols in a new light and a fresh perspective. It makes these songs that much more meaningful when I sing them. Sing this song today and if you have children, teach them the "Gloria" part.

Angels We Have Heard on High

Angels we have heard on high sweetly singing o'er the plains
And the mountains in reply echoing their joyous strains
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Shepherds, why this jubilee, why your joyous songs prolong?
Say what may the tiding be, which inspire your heav'nly song?
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

See within a manger laid, Jesus, Lord of heav'n and earth!
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, With us sing our Savior's birth.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

Day 8 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

I love reading and re-reading the Bible. I'm always amazed at the fresh perspective God gives me as I study His word, no matter how many times I've studied a passage before. This can certainly be said of the Christmas story. How many times have we read this story? I mean, I think many of us know it so well that we often skim over parts of it because our brain recognizes it. This year, I've slowed down and purposefully have been studying it through a Bible study that I'm doing. In case you haven't guessed, I'm sharing little pieces that I've been studying throughout. Take a look at this passage below.
"A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, 'God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." (Luke 1:39-42)

Backing up to earlier in the passage, an angel comes to tell Zechariah that he will have a son, call him John the Baptist, and will turn many Israelites to the Lord, among other things he says. Zechariah, who is by this time old and whose wife, Elizabeth, is old and has been unable to bear children, doubts what the angel tells him. He asks for a sign. So since he has doubted, he is made silent until John the Baptist is born. An angel then goes to Mary and tells her she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. She believes and responds with "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (v.38)

Now that we have a little background, we pick up with the passage quoted above. Mary travels 80-100 miles, which is believed to be about a 4-day journey, while pregnant, to see her relative Elizabeth. When Elizabeth hears Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped. How incredible if you think about it.

How did John the Baptist know Mary? Well, John had the Holy Spirit in him from before birth, according to verse 15b where an angel tells Zechariah "He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth." Then the passage above tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus and saw that prophecy was being fulfilled. It was a neat realization to see that these women and children were the first to have the Holy Spirit.

Now this is not a life-changing revelation, but it is something truly awesome to think about and to ponder. They knew Jesus and believed and were a part of the prophecy being fulfilled. Do we believe or do we doubt?

Day 7 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Colossians 1:15-20

(15) Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. 

He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation.

(16) for through him God created everything in the heavenly reams and on earth.

He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

Everything was created through him and for him.

(17) He existed before anything else,

and he holds all creation together.

(18) Christ is also the head of the church,

which is his body.

He is the beginning,

Supreme over all who rise from the dead.

So he is first in everything.

(19) For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ

(20) and through him God reconciled everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

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What is it that I want you to notice in this passage?  I want you to notice the attributes of Jesus.  Who does this passage say that Jesus is?  Now, think about how Mary must have felt to carry Jesus, who was everything that the Bible states that He was.  How amazing!  Yet, in some way, I wonder if she was a little nervous knowing that He would see her shortcomings and knowing that He would see all of her mess ups and know her heart.  How humbling! 

The other thing to notice is the place that Jesus takes in this passage.  Is it first or second?  If you said first, then you'd be correct.  How does Jesus rank in your life?  And seriously?  Are you passionately consumed with Jesus so much so that you are COMPELLED to share the Gospel with others?  Do you feel that it is your duty?  That you MUST share whether you really want to or not?  We should be compelled to take the Gospel to those who don't have it.  Are you?

Book Review: Baby's Little Bible

Small and filled with Bible stories ranging from the Old Testament to the New Testament, this little Bible is perfect for little hands.  Both my 3-year-old and my 1-year-old carry this Bible around and is often the source of many arguments!

I received the pink Bible for girls and it is full of pictures and short sentences, which make it easy to read in the short segments that a child allows.  And priced less than $10, around $8 in most places, it makes it a great book to give for baby showers or birthdays.

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I received this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Day 6 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Helping to Prepare Your Child's Heart for Advent

I always thought that most kids grew up playing with nativity sets.  I've since learned that I was not the norm.  Most families apparently didn't have stuffed cloth nativity sets that are child-friendly and that are still played with today by my children.  It was a complete set and we knew the Christmas story at an early age, thanks to those cloth representations.  Apparently the norm, I've learned, is that most families have non-playable nativity scenes.  I won't lie.  I love those beautiful nativities because they are so pretty to look at.  However, that and child play equals disaster.

One thing that we've done in our family to help prepare our children's hearts for Advent is to purchase a Little People Christmas Nativity and of course, the VeggieTales Nativity.  Our kids love playing with them and B is absolutely in love with baby Jesus.  He knows all of the names and who followed a star to see Jesus and to worship Him.  He knows about the shepherds and why they had to have Jesus in the stable.  He has a  hard time understanding why Jesus was in the stable and not a house, though.  His brain can't comprehend that, yet.  Baby M just likes to play with the nativities and put the angels on top of the stable.  I'm okay with that.

You see, our kids don't just play with the nativities.   Daddy T or I or any one of their grandparents will normally sit down with them as they are playing with it (a good 30 minutes, by the way) and tell them the Christmas story over and over.  We do keep it biblical!  We don't say that the wise men came in the very same day and the shepherds were waiting outside the doors!  Come on, who hasn't thought that at some point growing up?  We feel that play is a good way to learn and what better way to learn about Jesus and the reason for Christmas than through the nativity sets.  Since they are so little, they can't fully grasp everything but we are doing all we can to lead them to Christ so that they will be ready to come to Jesus when they understand what He did for Him on the cross.

Book Review: The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson

This was my first introduction to Melody Carlson.  I must say that I really enjoy her style of writing, if her books are all written like this one.  When I first started this book, I thought this would be a cute little store that sold Christmas items and that had a happy feel inside of it.  I was surprised when it wasn't what I thought it was!  (The picture on the front of the book also helped me form my opinion about a cute little shop!)

The Christmas Shoppe is a store that looks like a place no one would want to visit.  However, when people went in there, they came out with something far more important than they could ever imagine.  Matilda has a way about her that seems to teach those who enter into her shop what the meaning of Christmas really is. 

This book is a short little book, but it's a great Christmas read.  I would definitely recommend this book as a stocking stuffer or a book for that friend of yours who loves to read!

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Day 5 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

"O Little Town of Bethlehem"

O Little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie

Above they deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by

Yet in they dark streets shineth, the everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above

While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wandering love

O morning stars together, proclaim the holy birth.



And praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.

How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given

So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven

No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enteres in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray

Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today

We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell

O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

25 days of Family

Last year, I put together a little Christmas calendar that was full of family activities for us to do.  It was a good way to get us in the habit to make sure that we do something together as a family everyday.  It doesn't always happen that way, but I find that Christmas is a good time for us to focus on being together as a family and being very purposeful about it. 

So, along with our focus on Advent, we are also going to be doing the following things.  I love the chance we have to be together as family and to make memories, even if they are just playing duck, duck goose!

25 Days of Family

1-Watch a VeggieTales Christmas movie.

2-Play Duck Duck Goose.

3-Bake cookies and take some to neighbors.

4-Put together a puzzle.

5-Game night!  Pick a game to play.

6-Color a Christmas picture.

7-Watch a VeggieTales Christmas movie.

8-Drive to see Christmas lights.

9-Bake cookies and take some to neighbors.

10-Put together a puzzle.

11-Play Duck Duck Goose.

12-Make a foam Gingerbread house.

13-Make a Christmas place mat.

14-Movie night!  Pick out a Christmas movie to watch and pop popcorn.

15-Break out the crayons and color a picture.

16-Write a letter to Santa.

17-Bubble bath!

18-Roll up some socks and have a "snowball" fight.

19-Puzzle time!

20-Movie night!  Pick out a Christmas movie to watch and pop popcorn.

21-Bake cookies and take some to neighbors.

22-Play miniature golf!

23-Write a Christmas story.

24-Movie and game night!  Oh, don't forget to feed Santa and Rudolph and bake Jesus a cake!

25-Christmas Day!  Read the Christmas story together in Luke 1-2.

Day 4 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Over 400 years. That's what separated the Old Testament from the New Testament. That's quite a long time of silence from God. Can you imagine what the Israelites might be thinking? If it was me in that place, I might be wondering if God was still there. Did God really care? Did God give up on us and leave us completely after all of the screw ups we had made? Why isn't God talking to us anymore like He had done before? I'm sure I would have many more thoughts than just these, but these are the ones that come into my head when I first think about it.

Now, take that same 400+ years. That's how long the Jewish people had waited on the arrival of the Messiah. Did you catch the main word? Waited. Can you imagine the anticipation they felt. I wonder if it's anything like what we experience today as we await the Second Coming. There's that longing to worship the King of Kings. So, with all of this anticipation, can you imagine their disappointment when Jesus came as a "babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?" That's it? They waited on some baby, in a manger, with parents who were just plain people, and in a city that is not known for royalty? Where was this majestic king who was going to make everyone bow down to Him and would come with a grand presentation?

After thinking about the time span and the anticipation, I can see how some might feel a little disappointed with just a baby. But I see the bigger picture because we have the Scriptures now, which they didn't have then. We know that the baby was Jesus, the Son of God. Philip Yancey says, "Among people who walled off a separate sanctum for God in the temple and shrank from pronouncing or spelling out the name, God made a surprise appearance as a baby in a manger. What can be less scary than a newborn with his limbs wrapped tight against his body? In Jesus, God found a way of relating to human beings that did not involve fear."

But the anticipation is the part that I keep lingering on. Isn't that part of the reason why we celebrate Advent? I think that Ann Marie Stewart said it best. She writes, "The Latin word for "advent" means "the coming." The advent season was instituted as a time of fasting for holy living, and it remains a time of inward preparation for the coming of Christ. It's much more than a one-day celebration, it's a month to be still and remember the God of our past, present, and future. In anticipating His first coming, we celebrate His presence in the present and prepare for His second coming to earth."

So, my friends, I ask you...are you anticipating Christ the King during this Christmas season or are you anticipating the gifts and the things of this world?

Day 3 or Preparing Your Heart for Advent

"About 800 years after Jesus was born, an unknown monk, schooled in prophecy, wrote a scripture-filled carol, linking the Old and New Testaments.  "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" taught many aspects of the Messiah during a time when average people had little access to the Bible.  The words were coupled with a fifteenth-century Franciscan processional entitled "Veni Emmanuel."  After missionary john Neale discovered and then translated the Latin chant into English in 1851, this hauntingly beautiful carol became popular."--Ann Marie Stewart

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

CHORUS:

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  Emmanuel.

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

(Isaiah 7:14)

O come thou rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of hell they people save

And give them vict'ry o'er the grave

(Isaiah 11:1-10)

CHORUS

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits by thine advent here

And drive away the shades of night

And pierce the clouds and bring us light

(Malachi 4:2)

CHORUS

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

(Isaiah 22:22)

CHORUS