Everyone #Advent

•December 10, 2015 • Leave a Comment

ESRB 2013 Everyone

Everyone
will want to come,
to be here,
to gather,
to share,
coming to join you.

We come to worship,
to seek kindness,
to find hope,
to know God is on our side.

All are welcome,
every nation,
any tongue
all can come
and join.
In the Place of God,
the Day of Salvation,
the promise of hope.

Come and join.

The theme of the second week in Advent is The Day of Salvation.  We prepare for that day.

Zechariah 8:20-23 (CEV)

20 I tell you that people will come here from cities everywhere. 21 Those of one town will go to another and say, “We’re going to ask the Lord All-Powerful to treat us with kindness. Come and join us.”

22 Many people from strong nations will come to Jerusalem to worship me and to ask me to treat them with kindness. 23 When this happens, ten people from nations with different languages will grab a Jew by his clothes and say, “Let us go with you. We’ve heard that God is on your side.” I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken!

Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken

 

Posted in Advent, bible, community, faith, God, hope, Religion, theology
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Coming Home #Advent

•December 9, 2015 • Leave a Comment

Georg Michael Schneider 082
I’m coming back,
returning home,
living
where I always did.

But it’s not just for me
it’s a home for everyone
A safe place,
for all who need it,
the vulnerable,
the frail,
the innocent,
each and every one.

Welcome home,
to my home.

The theme of the second week in Advent is The Day of Salvation.  We prepare for that day.

Zechariah 8:1-8 (CEV)

The Lord’s Promises to Zion

8 The Lord All-Powerful said to me:

2 I love Zion so much that her enemies make me angry. 3 I will return to Jerusalem and live there on Mount Zion. Then Jerusalem will be known as my faithful city, and Zion will be known as my holy mountain.

4 Very old people with walking sticks will once again sit around in Jerusalem, 5 while boys and girls play in the streets. 6 This may seem impossible for my people who are left, but it isn’t impossible for me, the Lord All-Powerful. 7 I will save those who were taken to lands in the east and the west, 8 and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their God, faithful to bring about justice.

 

Welcome Home – a proper blast from my youth!

Posted in Advent, bible, faith, God, hope, Religion, theology
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Beauty #Advent

•December 8, 2015 • 1 Comment

Rose of sharon           Hypericum calycinum Tasmania

Hibiscus Syriacus

‘Love makes everything beautiful’, what a lovely title, what a beautiful thought.

The woman thinks she is nothing special, to the one who loves her she is the most beautiful person he has ever seen.  No one else compares to her, she is the one who gives him pleasure.  Such feelings are reciprocated by her to him – it is not a one way relationship.

Whether we read this as an expression of love between two people or between God and his people, it can’t help but make our heart sing.  In the context of God’s love for his people it is awesome – however we think and feel about ourselves to God we are beautiful, loved and cherished.  He sees us and sees not brokenness but beauty, and we are special to him.

The interesting thing I found researching the Rose of Sharon is that it is not just one specific flower, but refers to several different species.  Beauty does not have only one look.  Each of us has our own characteristics, all loved and beautiful before God.  I find that pretty awesome.

God loves me, however ordinary, cracked or unlovely I feel.

And ultimately, God promises he will take us to his banqueting hall and shower us in his love – a love story made in heaven.

The theme of the second week in Advent is The Day of Salvation.  We prepare for that day.

Song of Solomon 2:1-4 (CEV)

Love Makes Everything Beautiful

She Speaks:

2 I am merely a rose
from the land of Sharon,
    a lily from the valley.


He Speaks:

2 My darling, when compared
with other young women,
    you are a lily among thorns.


She Speaks:

3 And you, my love,
are an apple tree
    among trees of the forest.
Your shade brought me pleasure;
    your fruit was sweet.
4 You led me to your banquet room
    and showered me with love.

From The Sleep of Ages

Posted in Advent, faith, God, hope, love, Religion, theology
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