THE MESSAGE OF ADVENT

"As the King returns to His Holy City in victory, the voice in the wilderness calls out to clear the way. John's 'baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins' (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3), was a call to prepare every heart for Christ's coming. God's Law continues to call us to repentance so that His saving Gospel may reside in our hearts. Christ has conquered sin, death, & the power of the devil for us. Behold, He is coming again." (Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin) 

MAGIC

"The magic of a thankful spirit is that it has the power to replace anger with love, resentment with happiness, fear with faith, worry with peace, the desire to dominate with the wish to play on a team, self-preoccupation with concern for the needs of others, guilt with an open door to forgiveness, sexual impurity with honor & respect, jealousy with joy at another's success, lack of creativity with inspired productivity, inferiorities with dignity, a lack of love with an abundance of self-sharing." (Donald Demaray, Men's Devotional Bible)

GOD PROTECTS & SAVES

"Blessed be the Lord! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength & my shield; in Him my heart trusts, & I am helped; my heart exults, & with my song I give thanks to Him." (Ps. 28:6-7) "Facing personal crisis, David realizes he is unable to protect & save himself. He needs God to be his strength & shield. As sinners, we cannot save ourselves. We recognize our helplessness & need for God's grace. Our Savior comes, giving us His strength & protecting us from our enemies by paying the penalty for our sins." (Rev. Peter Jurchen, Engaging the Psalms)

THE PROMISED COMFORT OF HEAVEN

Matthew 24:30  Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, & then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, & they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power & great glory. "Christ will return at the last judgment, visible to all, to judge the living & the dead. Christian's are covered in Christ's righteousness, & shall rise to eternal, physical life." (Rev. Matt Harrison, The Lutheran Witness, Nov 2022)

EXPERIENCING GOD DAY-BY-DAY *

* Devotions by Henry & Richard Blakaby

Loving the Spectacular:  "The world loves the spectacular. God has proven that He is certainly capable of the extraordinary, but He often chooses to work through the ordinary & seemingly insignificant. In this way He demonstrates His love & His power . . . We seek spectacular displays of God's power. We must learn to view success as God does. God is interested in the heart; He is pleased with obedience."

Impossible Situations:  "There will be times when obeying God will lead you to impossible situations. If you look at your own skills, knowledge, & resources, you will become discouraged. However, when you became a Christian, God placed His Spirit within you. You now have the resources of heaven at your disposal. The success of your endeavors will not depend on the way you use your own resources but on how you obey the Spirit of God." MY COMMENT:  Lutherans believe that we become Christians--not when we ask God into our lives--but when we are baptized.

Access:  "As a Christian, you have everything you need to live a holy & abundant life (2 Peter 1:3-11) . . . Everything you need to live a victorious, joyful, & abundant life is found in the Holy Spirit who resides within you (Gal. 5:22-23). According to Peter, each Christian, by faith, has access to these qualities:  goodness, knowledge of God, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, & love . . . If we continue to lack self-control when God has made it available, we rob ourselves & those around us . . . The key to all that God has made available to us is our faith. We must believe that God wants to build those qualities into our lives . . . If you lack any of these qualities, ask God to work them into your character, so that you will be more like Christ." 

AN ADVENT PRAYER

"Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son, that by His coming we may be enabled to serve You with pure minds; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives & reigns with You & the Holy Spirit, one God, now & forever. Amen." Grace Lutheran Church Bulletin)

TODAY'S HYMN

"How Shall They Hear," Who Have Not Heard" (LSB 831, Sts. 1, 2, 4, 5)

"How shall they hear," who have not heard News of the Lord who loved & came; Nor known His reconciling word, Nor learned to trust a Savior's name?

"To all the world," to ev'ry place, Neighbors & friends & far off lands, Preach the good news of saving grace; Go while the great commission stands.

"Lord, here I am:"  Your fire impart To this poor cold self-centered soul; Touch but my lips, my hands, my heart, And make a world for Christ my goal.

Spirit of love, within us move; Spirit of truth, in pow'r come down! So shall they hear & find & prove Christ is their life, their joy, their crown.