Monday Morning Devotion-December 2, 2013
Tis the Season
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light---a light that will shine on all who live in the land where death casts its shadow. Isaiah 9:2
This
past Sunday the first candle of Advent was lit in our church service. This purple candle is the Prophecy Candle. It
is the appropriate way to start the Advent Season because our hope is in the
Lord who was prophesied to come hundreds of years before he was born.
Amidst all the laughter and happiness, all the wrappings
and decorations, and all the gifts given and received the greatest gift comes
to us this month in the birth of a baby.
That baby was born with a heavy burden on his shoulders. He would be the Savior of the World.
The color purple represents the royalty of this King of
Kings, the Christ child. It is the
candle of hope. Our hope is in the Lord
and that is what makes his birthday so special.
Sure we get wrapped up in what we get and what we
give. Especially with children in the
family the focus seems to get directed to those fancy gifts under the brightly
lighted tree. It is with great
anticipation that the children longingly eye those packages and find it
difficult to wait until Christmas Day to unwrap them.
After another week of planning, shopping, going to
parties, listening to Christmas carols we will come to the second Sunday of the
Advent on December 8, 2013. On that
Sunday the second candle will be lit. It
also is purple and is the Bethlehem candle.
It is the Candle of Peace
It's purple color reminds us
that the prophets foretold the birth of Jesus in the manger.
But you, O Bethlehem Epathrath are only a small village
in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will
come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. Micah 5:2.
After this service at our church we will have a little
fun celebration called: "Cookies, Cocoa,
etc. The children will be putting on a
Christmas show. I'm especially
interested in the presentation by the puppet class, since my granddaughter is
in that one. But, the entire Children's
ministry will be involved in different presentations during the Christmas
season. The involvement of the children in the celebration adds special meaning
to the real reason we are celebrating.
Sunday, December 15, 2013, is the Third Sunday of the
Advent. The lighting of the Pink
Shepherd's Candle---the Candle of Love---.
It calls attention to God's love and faithfulness. God sent angels to proclaim his arrival. They appeared to shepherds signifying "His
arrival to the common man and reminding us that He still uses ordinary people
today to spread the good news of Christ." (www.marypages.com)
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the
village, guarding their flocks of sheep.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them and the radiance of
the Lord's glory surrounded them. Luke
2:8-9
On the fourth Sunday of advent, December 22, 2013, the
Angel's candle is lit. "The lighting of
this candle reminds of the heavenly hosts that proclaimed Christ's arrival
saying: 'Behold, I bring unto you good tiding of great joy." This candle is also purple to remind us that
it was a King's birth the angels were announcing.
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds
said to each other, 'come on let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has
happened, which the Lord has told us about." Luke 2: 15
The fifth and final candle will be lit on Christmas Day
or at our church, since Christmas is on Wednesday this year, we will light this
candle in our Christmas Eve Service.
This white candle is the Christ Candle.
It is the way we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
It was promised by the prophets long ago that Jesus would come to us again; and
with along with the shepherds, we are filled with wonder and amazement.
It reminds us that the Savior was born in a stable in
Bethlehem and as the shepherds were told, the way they would recognize Him
is:
You will find a baby lying in a manger wrapped snugly in
strips of cloth. Luke 2:12
I like this prayer that can be offered up at the lighting
of the Christ Candle:
"Lord, you come as a tiny, fragile baby; yet we know that
you are God and you are with us. May the
flame of this candle remind us that you are the light of the world and that if
we follow you, we will never walk in darkness, but will have the true light of
life. Come Lord Jesus, come. Amen.
The entire Advent Season is filled with anticipation and
hope. We remember all the way back to
our childhood. The anticipation that
excited us and seemed, at times, to be so far away. The morning of joy, Christmas day, when we
could finally open those presents and see if we had received what we hoped for.
The five Sundays that constitute Advent are marked by "a
spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, and of longing."
(www.cresourcei.org). "It has a double focus: the past and the future. It
symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they
affirm, that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that
He will come again in power."
Advent represents a season of Joy. It is a time of preparation keyed by
prayer. Our advent prayers tend to be
marked by humble devotion and awe at the amazing gift of God to us. These are prayers of commitment, submission
and prayers that we will see a great light that will lead us out of the
darkness.
"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel! "
Darkness no more.
The season of Advent reminds us we have come out of the darkness into
the light because of the birth of a special baby.
Monday
Prayer: Thank you Father for the birth
of the Christ Child. Amen.
***author's
note: Enjoy the Christmas Season as you share the joy of the birth of Christ.