Day 14 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,

Born to set thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's Strength and Consolation,

Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear desire of every nation,

Joy of every longing heart.

Born they people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King.

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit,

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all-sufficient merit,

Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Day 13 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Luke 1:46-55

Mary responded:

Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For he took notices of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.

Watch: You'll be shocked. I promise.

Day 12 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

We know this song by heart, but have we truly stopped to read the lyrics?  What a beautiful picture of the summary of that first Christmas.  Read through the lyrics to this song with fresh eyes and see before you the scenes found throughout Scripture.

The First Noel

The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields as they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from country far;
To seek for a king was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

This star drew nigh to the northwest,
O'er Bethlehem it took it rest,
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Then entered in those wise men three
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence
Their gold, and myrrh, and frakincense.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
That hath made heaven and earth of naught,
And with his blood mankind hath bought.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

Day 11 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

Zechariah and Mary.  Both are expecting babies that they can't fully comprehend they why or even the how.  Zechariah with his old age and his wife's old age and Mary by being a virgin.  When the angel, Gabriel, comes to both of them, he is met with a different responses given by each.

When Zechariah is told that he will give birth to a son, he doesn't say, "Okay."  He doesn't even say, "I don't understand how or why, but if you say it, I'll believe it."  I think Zechariah represents many of us today, in all honesty.  I don't know that my response would have been any different.  I would hope it would have been, but having met an angel, not so sure!  Zechariah's response is "please give me a sign."  So, God does....He takes aways his communication (but he gets by with the flailing of his arms). 

When Mary is told she will give birth to a baby boy, and oh, that baby's name will be Jesus by the way, she responds with "But how can this happen?  I am a virgin."  Gabriel then tells her how it would happen, with the Holy Spirit coming upon her.  Her final response? "I am the Lord's servant.  May everything you have said about me come true."

Two completely different responses.  When we are presented with tests of our faith, we have two options.  We can believe that God stays true to what He says or we can doubt.  Regardless, God is still God whether we choose to believe in Him or not.  Ann Stewart sums it up best: "Our lack of faith does not make God any less; we just fail to experience His power."

Day 10 of Preparing Your Heart for Advent

The Advent Wreath

This year, I finally found the Advent wreath that I wanted to use at home.  I had been searching for the past couple of years and finally found an Irish store (which is fitting since I'm part Irish) and decided that we'd get it.  I love it because it has the candles that are bigger than tealights but smaller than the candlestick.  They are the small and chunky ones and they sit in a vase.  I figured with kids around, that would be the best thing to get.

We light it every night before dinner and then B gets to blow it out after we eat.  Of course, after we light it, B insists that we sing happy birthday to baby Jesus.  One night he got upset because baby Jesus wasn't blowing out His candles but I told him that I was sure baby Jesus was okay with B blowing out the candles for him.

We have just celebrated the first week of Advent, so we lit the first candle.  That was the Prophecy Candle or Candle of Hope.  It signified that we have faith that God is/has/will continue to keep all of His promises that He has made to us that are found within the pages of Scripture.  The second candle that we will light starting today is the Bethlehem Candle or Candle of Preparation.  We are preparing to receive God and for His second coming.  It also reminds us of peace.  Next to be lit in the coming weeks will be three more candles.  We will light the Shepherd Candle or Candle of Joy, in remembrance of the joyfulness of Christ's birth and the angels that sang.  We will also light the The Angel Candle or Candle of Love, which reminds us to love others and most importantly, that God loves us so much to send His only Son to us.  Last to be lit on Christmas Day is the Christ Candle.  This reminds us of Jesus Himself and why He came in the first place.

With B being so little, this has opened up some great conversations for us to talk about Jesus.  Granted, he can't go deep, but he can understand the basics.  If you don't already have an Advent wreath, consider getting one.  It's probably my favorite part of the day when we light it and talk about what the candle means each day.

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.