Dear Readers,
We have
decided to give ‘Gramps’ the month of December as a time for recharging and
getting ahead, since we will be returning to Voice of the Martyrs soon. Soo, these will be from Gma. When we do things
together I am the ‘facts person’, ie play by play, and Gramps the’ color
commentator’ – I don’t do stories very well but I so enjoy books and
stories. Jesus used stories to inscribe His
truths on our hearts.
Those of you
who know us personally know that you will find “Christmas’ all year long at our
house; there are nativity sets upstairs and downstairs we have over 400 square
feet of lighted platforms - mostly ceramic
and wooden things we have made. For
years this was our Christmas card to our community, now it is up year
round. You are welcome to call and come
and see, if you are in the area.
We plan to
share Christmas thoughts in these next few weeks. During all the years at the Village I
endeavored to share with each one the real meaning of Christmas – in Scripture,
songs/carols, drama, and stories. (I have book shelves and file drawers of
materials.) One year I made Advent
Calendars for each of our Homes and a Devotional Booklet to be used daily, as
they moved the star across the dates. (If you are interested you can purchase
Advent calendars in many stores.) I plan
to share some of these with you as they relate to the weekly themes. But, keeping these short will be a task.
Sooo, to
keep us on the same page, we will begin with the word ‘Advent’, and I hope you
will do some research on your own. ‘Advent’ is a Latin derivative meaning
‘coming’ or ‘coming in’. Through the Old Testament and still today Jews look
for their promised Messiah, as recorded
by the prophets. As Christians, we use
this time to refocus our hearts on Jesus and His birth that brought the Kingdom
of Heaven to us. .
Many
Churches designate the four weeks before Christmas as ‘Advent Season’. Churches and families have wreaths of greens
with candles and light one each of the four Sunday’s. Often a theme is chosen for
the week. Themes vary, candle colors
vary, (usually 4, but I use a 5th a white candle in the middle
representing Christ and light it on Christmas Day) but the symbolism is quite
standard:
Wreath /circle - represents
God and His love, without beginning or end.
Evergreens - represent
on-going growth and learning, new life
Candles - represent light, and various other things in Scripture. JESUS
is the Light of the world.
Purple is for Royalty – Baby
Jesus is coming King.
Red -represents the blood
Jesus would shed for your sin penalty and mine.
White is for purity – Jesus,
Son of God without sin came to take away the sins of the world.
“He left His
place to come to my place to die in my place to take me to His place!”
For our
purposes here we will designate a theme for each week and select devotionals
for each one.
Week I –Anticipation to the coming of Messiah; Cleansing was
important when coming into the Tabernacle or Temple, thus forgiveness for
selves and others is important.
Week II –Caring for others with symbols of peace, joy and love.
Week III – We will look at the lights.
Week IV –Gifts to Jesus and conclude with God’s greatest gift to
us, His Son.
JESUS, the light of the world Has come with love and hope and glory…
He came to show us how much God cares, And that’s the Christmas
Story. --Roy
Lessin
Soooo,
family and friends , young and not so young… be blessed this Advent Season as
you anticipate celebrating the earthly birth of Jesus. It is a good time to reflect on your
relationship with others and
JESUS as Savior. Is your
heart clean??
JESUS as Lord. Are you in
His word? Do you know Him and follow his
teaching?
JESUS as King. Does he rule
and reign in your words and actions? Are you a bond-servant of the King? Is your life a place of welcoming for the
Holy Spirit of God??
Blessings,
Gma
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