Second Sunday of Advent

 Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel!

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee Oh Israel!

Christmas Eve

 Tonight on Christmas Eve, Advent is complete with the lighting of the Christ Candle.  It represents the light the Son brought into the world, God made flesh.

 The lighting of the Christ candle marks the moment of when prophecy turns to fulfillment.  The Christ Candle fills a similar function as the Paschal Candle at Easter. It represents the work of Christ to us, our light in the darkness through his birth, life, death, and resurrection.

As we begin the joyous celebration of Christmas, may we always remember that Christ is our light, our hope, our peace, our joy and our love.

 

  May the gift of God's precious son be yours this day and always.

Merry Christmas!

Third Week of Advent

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee Oh Israel!

     

This past Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday in numerous liturgical churches.  Gaudete is Latin for Rejoice.  In the Advent season Gaudete Sunday is when we begin to turn from reflection and towards celebration.  This week we light the rose candle of Joy. Rose is the liturgical color for joy. Also known as The Shepard's Candle, we remember the Angels came to them saying "Fear not! for I bring good news of great joy which will be for all people!' (Luke 2:10)

 

Jesus' birth brings salvation and throughout the Christmas story there are bursts of joyful proclamation!  Even John leaped for joy in his mother's womb when Mary came to visit Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39-45). Joy and salvation go hand in hand.  There is no true joy without salvation. 

The world often thinks of joy as just happiness and expectation.  We all know how fleeting that kind of joy can be.  True joy goes much deeper.  Like Peace, it is deep rooted and grounded in our very being and trust in the Savior. We can still know true joy even in the midst of sorrow or loss. "The joy of the Lord is my strength."

 

 Heavenly Father, in the midst of the excitement of family gatherings, the lights and the music of Christmas, even the giving to others in need, may we remember that true joy comes from the Savior, Emmanuel come down from his throne to dwell in the hearts all who seek him. May we with courage and conviction be willing to loudly proclaim that salvation message to the world.  Amen.

 

With Joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation           (Isaiah 12:3)

~~~~

 The first known publishing of this ancient song is around 1582 in the Piae Cantionese, a collection of sacred music from Finland/Sweden.

Gaudete, Gaudete! Christus et natus Ex maria virgine, Gaudete!	Rejoice, Rejoice! Christ is born Of the virgin Mary, Rejoice!
Tempus ad est gratiae, Hoc quod optabamus; Carmina laetitiae, Devote redamus.	The hour of grace Which we seek is here We offer with devotion Our songs of joy
Deus homo factus est, Natura mirante; Mundus renovatus est A Christo regnante.	God is made man,  a thing of wonder, The world is renewed By Christ who is King.
Ezechiellis porta Clausa pertransitur; Unde lux est orta Salus invenitur.	The closed gate of Ezechiel Has been passed through; From where the light rises Salvation is found.
Ergo nostra cantio, Psallat iam in lustro; Benedicat Domino: Salus Regi nostro.	Therefore let our assembly now sing, Sing the Psalms to purify us; Let it praise the Lord: Greetings to our King.

 Adieu!

 

 

Second Week of Advent

 Shalom!  Peace!

"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:14)  

 

Most of us when we think of peace we think of things like, the absence of war or maybe the absence of fear. That's how the world thinks anyway.  However, to the ancient Hebrews, peace, shalom, meant something so much more than this.  One definition I read stated it this way:

“Shalom” is taken from the root word shalam, which means, “to be safe in mind, body, or estate.” " True biblical shalom refers to an inward sense of completeness or wholeness. 

Although it can describe the absence of war, a majority of biblical references refer to an inner completeness and tranquility."

 

 

Adam and Eve walked in perfect peace with God until the fall.  But God in his mercy has provided us with a way back to perfect Shalom with him.

This second week of Advent we light the candle of Peace remembering that Jesus comes to us as The Prince of Peace.

 

Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set they 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.

 Peace is a gift from God.  It gives us a sense of inner tranquility even when the world around us is anything but peaceful. 

 John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

 

Heavenly Lord, please help us to find our perfect peace in you. Heal our hearts from the fears and anxieties and stress of the world around us.  Help us to exchange our weakness for your your strength.  May we trust in you for our guidance and protection.  May we be so filled with your perfect peace, shalom, that it overflows into the lives of others. For Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God." (Matt. 5:9) Amen

 

 

May the Lord bless and keep you in his perfect peace during this second week of Advent.

Adieu!

 

 

 

 

 

First Week of Advent

 Every year at this time I like to look back on all the things I have posted during the Advent season and Christmas following.  Like reading a diary, I have the chance to see where my heart was keeping in that, all too often, rush towards Christmas Day.  I hope I was and still am "keeping Christmas well" in the manner I aspired to years ago here.

This year I have worked hard to get as many of the tasks of the holiday season taken care of early. Once again, the decorations have been lovingly unpacked and placed in their traditional spots.

 

Christmas cards are addressed, while shopping and gift wrapping is almost complete.  There is still the tree to be done but that is for next week.

With all these tasks behind me I am trying to take in this Advent season without haste or distractions.
Advent is meant to be a time of anticipation, heart felt examination and preparation for the birth of the Christ child. I have chosen these books to use for part of my devotions. The prayers may be my own or come from various Advent sources.  I also found this beautiful Advent candle set.

 

For those of you who may not follow a liturgical calendar, we light one candle for each of the four weeks before Christmas.  Purple is the liturgical color for Advent. Purple represents repentance and fasting as well as signifying royalty.   Sometimes one candle,will be rose.  The white candle will be lit on Christmas Eve.  Each candle has a meaning.  This first week we light the Candle of Hope, also known as the Prophecy Candle. As we light it, we have assurance in the hope that God will fulfill the prophecies that were declared about Jesus in the old Testament. (Isaiah 9:6-7, Micah 5:2,)

It also signifies that we are awaiting in anticipation the second coming of Christ. (Hebrews 9:28)

 

Heavenly Father, Advent is a time for remembering and reflecting on the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that you will turn our hearts toward you as Christmas approaches. Let us not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season this year.  Help us not to dwell on the worries of these times and miss the chance to celebrate the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love, that you sent to us on that first Christmas.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel

May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Adieu!

 

 

Feast of Saint Lucia

  Today I had the opportunity to attend my very first Saint Lucia breakfast.  I know only a little of Saint Lucia, and while I had heard that it can be celebrated by both Lutheran and Anglican, I have never know anyone who actually did participate in this Swedish Christmas tradition.  Saint Lucia was an early Christian martyr  whom legend says would secretly bring food to the early Christians hiding in the catacombs  of Rome.  She would wear a crown of candles on her head to light her way and keep her hands free to carry what she had to share.  Lucia means light and her feast day is celebrated in Sweden on December 13, one of the shortest days of the year.

We were greeted at the door by the daughter of the house dressed as Saint Lucia.  The white robe is supposed to represent baptism and the red sash is for the blood of the martyrs. 

Our hostess shared lots of delicious food for everyone to enjoy.

 Later in the morning our Saint Lucia wore actual lighted candles on her head as she moved around the room.  Brave girl!

As our morning came to an end we were each given a hand-made Christmas ornament which I promptly took home and hung on my tree!

 The light of Lucia in the middle of Advent is supposed to be a reflection of the great light of Christ which enters the world on Christmas Day. Such a lovely reminder.

"Hear us Oh God our salvation as we rejoice on the feast of Saint Lucy, thy virgin and martyr, and grant us to learn the spirit of pious devotion." Amen.

 

Keeping Christmas Well

Like many people I truly love the Christmas Season.  But do I keep Christmas well?    I love decorating the house (you will be seeing pictures of that soon) and wrapping gifts in beautiful paper with shiny ribbon and placing them under the lovely tree that was chosen and cut by the whole family. I write Christmas cards and donate to the food bank.  There will be Christmas music and lights and laughter, good food and family time.  I put up my nativity sets every year.  Some years I even sing in the choir or ring the bells. And of course, the whole family will definitely attend the Christmas Eve Candlelight service.  But the question I keep asking myself is, "Do I keep Christmas well?"  I am trying to figure out what that means. This year I have been especially focused on Advent with daily readings and prayer trying to capture that true essence of "Keeping Christmas". 

I have also been going through some other readings from old stories written by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) famous for his writing of The Story of the Other Wise Man.  Below is a quote from his writing called Keeping Christmas.   

"There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day; and that is keeping Christmas.

...Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellows are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to admit that probably the only reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what your are going to give to life;...Then you can keep Christmas

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open--are you willing to do these things even for a day?  Then you can keep Christmas.

.Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world--stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death--and that the blessed life that began in Bethlehem two thousand years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?  Then you can keep Christmas.

And if you keep it for a day, why not always?  But you can never keep it alone."

Jesus The Savior

An Advent Prayer

Yeshua, my Saviour.  You are God forever and yet you became a little child.  Thank you for saving me from all my sins.  You reached down from on high to rescue me.  Help me to live with the continual awareness of my need for your saving grace, now and always. Amen

 

"Indeed, Jesus is Yahweh come to earth.  If you have ever pictured God as a distant, wrathful Being, you will have to reconsider that portrait in light of Jesus Christ, who is God bending toward us, God becoming one of us, God reaching out in mercy, God humbling himself, God nailed to a cross, God rising up from the grave to show us the way home.  Jesus, name above all names beautiful Savior, glorious Lord!"  

                                                                                         Ann Spangler

                                                          IMMANUEL, A Daily Guide to Reclaiming Christmas