This is the first Sunday in Advent; the genesis of preparing
for the coming King.
But there will be
no more gloom for her who
was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the
way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The
people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who
live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. You
shall multiply the nation, You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when
they divide the spoil. For You shall break
the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of
their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian. For
every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult, And
cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire. For a child will be born
to us, a son
will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty
God, Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.
There will be no
end to the increase of His government or of
peace, On the throne
of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and
righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will
accomplish this (Is. 9: 1-7).
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All
things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being
that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the
Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
it…There was the true Light which,
coming into the world, enlightens every man. And the Word became flesh, and [k]dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the
Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:1-4; 10, 14).
When we truly prepare for the coming of Christ, He fills us
with Hope. The Messiah was the hope
of Israel; and He silently crept into our chronos in the quiet of the night, in
humble surroundings of a stable; The beauty of the incarnation.
We too, have the same Hope
with Christ's Second coming, where He will interrupt our chronos with a glorious Kairos.
Angels pronounced His birth at the first advent and the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet of God (see 1 Thess. 4:16).
Rest this Sabbath in the Hope of His coming; the Hope that
He came once and the Hope that He will come again. Prepare for His coming and
be ready.
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 every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
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.
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 every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
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.
Charles Wesley
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