Advent - The Second Sunday

C4 has been asking for our "admint" time each day--and has been disappointed that we only light the candles and sing once a day.

The second Sunday in advent we light the purlple Bethlehman candle. (Or, as Hubby saus in a Shrek-like voice, "the Donkey candle.") These are the Bible passages we're reading this week.

Sun. Is. 11:1-10
Mon. Zech. 6:12-13
Tue. Mic. 5:2-4
Wed. Mal. 3:1-6
Thu. John 1:1-8
Fri. John 1:9-18
Sat. Mark 1:1-3

And this is one of my favorite Advent hymns, but one I always struggle to get the tune right. The link at the bottom leads to the tune as well as the words.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear Desire of ev'ry nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child, and yet a King,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all-sufficient merit
Raise us to thy glorious throne.

Trinity Hymnal #145

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Comments

We read the same passage from Isaiah last night. Tried to get the kids to sing the hymn, but had to settle for just playing it on the piano.
Posted by: Kim in ON at December 6, 2004 12:28 PM

Oh, we love to sing that one during Advent!

Hope you feel better soon,
Liza
Posted by: Liza Q at December 7, 2004 05:47 AM

THE DIVINE ENCOUNTER
November 1985 : Wise Men Still Seeking Him.
This is the true story of a simple and ordinary person and his modern-day encounter with the most extraordinary person in the history of mankind, the most extraordinary person ever on the face of the Earth and in the entirety of the Universe.

There was a time in my life when words like “love” had lost their power to fulfill my heart. Within me, in the most secret place of need for fulfillment, there remained only emptiness. The lust of the world and its riches were vanishing away, and the power and promises were diminishing day by day, as I became a mature man.

The holidays raced by each year on their appointed time to their destinations on the calendar, just on time, never too late, never too soon. With the passing of each year, my destiny and purpose in life seemed dimmer and dimmer. As a child, I had looked for simple things in life that brought me so much joy and gladness, but now the simple things in life were only a memory, fading further and further away from my remembrance. My heart had grown empty, my soul hungry, longing for an unknown something to fulfill that deep desire within me.

The year was 1985, and I found my refuge in silence. I did not even know how to complain. There was just this once when I raised to my feet, standing tall, and rushed to say, “Oh God, where are You when I need You? Why are You so far away? Why is this world so unfair? Why is there no hope in me? What is it about You that You do not care? Why should I believe that You are even there? Why should I believe that You are even true?”

An immediate stillness came in that moment of my cry and deep sorrow, and then suddenly an explosion of His voice thundered in my room. His voice thundered in my ears and broke the stillness of time with a bursting bang! Loud and clear, His voice said to me, “What about you? Do you really believe in Me?”

In fear and awe, my heart pounded in the silence, now the only sound I could hear. “No way!” I said. “God cannot hear! No one ever said that He can hear! Why should I believe?”

In the absolute silence, I once again took courage and without thinking, I rushed to say, “Who are You? Tell me why I should believe what You said? God, is that really You?”

My hearing was perfectly sound, but I just could not believe what I was hearing! My heart was racing, my blood pounding through my veins, but still, so deep within me, I could not believe. My mind argued that there was no way this could be truly happening. Yet, I wanted to believe. Somehow, I knew I had really heard that Voice.

“Is it really You?” I ventured to ask. “Is God real?”

~ ~ ~

The next thing I can recollect is that I was now sitting in my car, begging and pleading with God to just take me home to where He was. My life seemed to be of no value, no worth…something to be thrown away. In my despair, I was crying and hitting my head against the steering wheel. Suddenly a great warmth and presence filled my senses, and I became aware of a “Person” sitting next to me on the passenger side of my car. Immediately, I became very still, but I could not see anyone. In a moment of panic, I reached to the car radio, turned it up as loud as I could, but there was only silence. No sound came out. I looked at the dial, but it was now on a totally different setting. I noticed that the time was exactly 7:44 p.m. Finally, a voice broke through the silence, clear and loud, “If you believe in the name of the Son of God, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I shall give you eternal life forever.”

I ran from the car, to hide myself in the house, but the “Presence” followed me. In the darkened house, I shut all the doors and windows. I was shaken in the awesome power of God’s presence. Not knowing the difference, I thought the Angel of Death had come for me already!

Thoughts were rapidly running through my mind. “Maybe God IS real; maybe He really hears; maybe He wants me to hear Him. But why?” I did not know if I was going to die, but those words echoed deep within me like a rushing river, over-flowing my being, “If you only believe in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, you shall have eternal life.”

I jumped up and shouted loud! “Yes, yes, yes! I do believe, if that is what I need to believe! Please take me home now where You are! I believe!”

As soon as I said those words, I crumbled to the floor and surely died! I was dead as a dead man can be.

I saw my body collapsing. As my eyes closed, I saw angelic beings and arrays of demons fleeing from the “Presence” that was now embracing me. I was a flame of fire like a torch, and I was being saturated in a substance like hot honey pouring over me. The Spirit was smearing and immersing and covering me in the “Presence.”

It was hours later when I returned to life. I rushed out of the house late at night to tell everyone that I knew what had happened to me, but there was no need to speak. I was like a torch, a beam of fire, and a pure light was glowing from me just like Moses. I found myself unable to verbalize what had happened to me, so I ran back home to my hiding place.

I asked God, “What happened to me?” I did not recognize the person in the mirror. “Was this really me?”

Suddenly, a vision opened up to me, and I saw a Lamb crucified and hanging on a cross. I asked God, “What is this?” and He said to me, “This is your Lamb; your sacrificed Lamb for your forgiveness and repentance.”

I said to myself, “This must have something to do with Jesus.” I opened my just-received Bible, and the page opened to the picture of a man standing with His hand outstretched to another man on the floor. I read, “Unless I put my hands in His wounds and nail marks, I will not believe.” As I read on, I began to weep.

Finally, those very words that I read became my first honest prayer on my knees. “Jesus, may I please see Your wounded hands?” I slipped into bed but I slid right back out and onto my knees again. “Jesus, please…I do not want to be afraid if You do.”

So it was in the middle of the night, before the dark broke into dawn, that I heard His gentle voice calling me. As I heard my name, I gently turned and opened my eyes to see who was calling me. I had to shut my eyes very quickly in the presence of His great brilliant heavenly light. I was truly shocked and shaken, but I could not avoid the radiance of warmth and power and glory and true love. I felt His presence, so warm and so gentle, yet so powerful. I was stricken by the great awesome and unexpected presence of His Glory. I was nailed and frozen in my bed, sitting without moving, just watching. I could only hear my heart beat, and my heart was jumping out of my chest toward Him as if I was receiving a new heart transplant in my bed. Words cannot explain the power of the moment, nor could any tongue utter the words. Deep within my heart, I heard His voice. He said to me, “Do you want to see the wounds and marks on My hands?” He stood before me with both hands outstretched. I could not speak, but could only whisper in my heart, “Is that really You, Jesus?” He said to me, “I am He.” I knew immediately it was He, Jesus Christ my Lord. I said, “Ouch! Holy God, Lord Almighty, help me now! I must be really dead now.”

It did not seem that I could be in Heaven yet, since I pinched myself very carefully in the flesh. So I said these words to Him, “If this is really You, Jesus…” I said it very slowly…. “Then please give me something that I could always keep with me.” Then He raised His hands toward me, and gently got very close to me to touch me. As He was getting closer to me, I was moving backward. He said to me, “My peace I give to you. My peace you shall always have with you. Rest now, and remember that you have work to do for Me from now on. Do the work that I have for you. That is why I have come to you.”

So I have seen my Lord and Savior face to face. And I was put to rest in bed for the most memorable and beautiful, peaceful sleep of my life. How did He enter through the locked doors and windows and through the solid walls? No other way except through the door of my broken heart. There would have been no other way to enter, if that door had been locked within me.

Posted by: Noah at December 16, 2004 05:19 PM

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