Friday, December 25, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dear Jesus

“ ‘ Glory to God in the highest, .

and on earth ,peace, goodwill to men!’ ’’

Luke 2:14 (NKJV)





Several years ago, my mother brought me a collection of recipes she purchased at a craft sale. In looking thorough the pages, I found the following:



“In all the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas, we may forget we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To help our children place the right importance on the Christmas holiday, we can explain what the birth of this special Baby means to us. Make a birthday cake for Jesus, a “Jesus Cake.” All little children know the importance of birthdays and birthday cakes. The cake symbolizes His love for us.



Make a round cake.(chocolate to symbolize our sins)

Cover with white frosting (His purity coves our sins)

Top with a yellow star (a guide to those searching for the new born King)

Put an angel on top (bearer of the first glad tidings)

Place 12 (Christ our light through12 months of the year) RED (for his shed blood for us) birthday candles on top.

Encircle the cake with evergreens. (symbolizes everlasting life.)

************************************************************************************


I include this post as my way of telling you, my readers, I wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas. When I input these Advent posts I realized that this one is my 200th post. I thank you all for your time and effort to read my attempts to magnify His name this Advent season.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Lord of Lords

“On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19;16( NIV)



In the practice of feudalism in the Middle Ages, the land owners were referred to as “lords”, those that worked the land were called “serfs.” The lords of feudalism were harsh taskmasters, relying on the work of those beneath them but not being kind or caring to those of lesser standing.

In the United Kingdom today, two houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, comprise the Parliament. In British peerage, the term ‘Lord’ is a generic term, sometimes a term of courtesy.

The term Lord of Lords fits our Savior. He is superior to all. He cares about those in His Kingdom, looking after, loving, protecting, and comforting His children when necessary, The Son of God does all these works far better than the feudal lords.

When He comes again, “at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”(Philippians 2:1011 NIV)

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A Friend Is Gone

This is a departure from my Advent postings but I wanted to write a tribute to a dear friend's husband.



While I was Christmas shopping yesterday afternoon, I stopped past the church office. Kathy told me they tried to call me but we weren't home. They had received a call from the daughter of a close friend of ours. Our friend, Mary Emma had lost her husband, Bernard. He died through the night Sunday.

Bernard served in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He was a cook in the CCC and also cooked during his tour of duty in the US Army during World War II. He turned 91 years old last July. He is the last of his siblings to die.
He and Mary Emma were married for 65 years. They came to the Midwest in 1946. They each got hired by factories here in town. He retired from his job. She worked until they knew they were going to have a baby. They had a daughter, then they had a set of twin girls. They moved back to their home state of Virginia a little over 15 months ago.

Bernard liked to fish. About the time he retired,they bought a trailer at a lake in the northern part of Indiana. After we got to know them, we discovered he was a Chicago Bears fan. If the Indianapolis Colts were playing and he knew the Bears were playing, he'd drive up to their trailer to watch his team play.

Before ill health took over, Bernard would walk around the lake at the city park in our area. They lived like two blocks from the park. The lake is actually two lakes connected by a waterway. It's about 3 miles around it. (I'm guessing the distance.)

In his better days, Bernard planted a garden. Sometimes with another man. He always shared the vegetables he harvested. He brought us tomatoes. He introduced us to the multi-colored ones. He called them Pineapple tomatoes. I enjoyed the yellow ones, as well.

One day he drove past our house. He saw us doing something around a car. Our son was going on vacation. A few minutes later, our phone rang. It was Mary Emma. “Did Roger (our son) get a new car?” I answered, “NO, he rented a car to go on his vacation.” Well, she told me Bernard was excited when he got home. He told Mary Emma that Roger had gotten a new car. I still chuckle when I think of that.
 
We are thankful his struggle is over.

Monday, December 21, 2009

King of Kings

“I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame

until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will

bring about in his own timeGod, the blessed and only Ruler,

the King of Kings. . . who is immortal and who lives in unapproachable

light. To him be honor and might forever, Amen. I Timothy 6:13c16 (NIV)



While we don’t have kings ruling the United States, I picture rulers of nations dressed in their long erminetrimmed robes, seated on massive thrones. Bright crowns adorn their heads. People in audience with the royalty bow before them.



Jesus is called the King of Kings by Paul in his first letter to Timothy and by John in Revelations for a total of four times. I have often wondered what the name means.

In history a king ruled over a definite area. Jesus’ kingdom is endless. Also, a king reigned from the time of his coronation until his demise. Jesus’ tenure is timeless, eternal. Historically, the rulers of some nations were considered despots or tyrants. Jesus and His Father are just.



When we see Jesus, He will be arrayed in splendor, “dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were like wool and as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire, his feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of rushing water. Rev 1:13b15 (NIV)

God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...