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| Design Elements by http://www.shabbyprincess.com/ |
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| (design elements by http://www.shabbyprincess.com/) |
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I don’t know what it’s like to physically travel to a city to be counted for a census. Here in America, we send in our paperwork to be counted and that’s it. It’s simple. But it wasn't that simple for Joseph and Mary. They had to physically go to Bethlehem (Luke 2:4). As far as I can tell through some research, the mileage from Galilee to Bethlehem was around 70-100 miles (A three-four days journey). Today we don't consider the difficulty of traveling by horse or donkey through rugged terrain. We're so used to getting in our car and traveling down the road to our destination. We miss grasping part of the birth of Christ because we don't understand the rugged terrain Mary had to endure on her way to Bethlehem. "According to Roman law, all country people were to be registered in their 'own city'- meaning thereby the town to which the village or place, where they were born. In so doing, the 'house and lineage' were marked. According to the Jewish mode of registration, the people would have been enrolled in tribes, families or clans, and the house of their fathers."(The life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, pg 129) Jesus' birth was distinctly noted through the recording of the census. Old Testament Prophecy Announced: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans[ of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2) Old Testament Prophecy Fulfilled: “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[ ” (Matthew 2:5-6) “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,..” (Luke 2:4-6) As I ponder the birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem, I stand in awe of how perfect the scriptures are in that what God promised in the OT came to fruition in the NT. Friends, God is a God of promise. He can be trusted. His word is true. He doesn’t lie. The bible is proof of that. This Christmas season I thank God for proving through history that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and that his family was from the line of David. Our King has come and one day will come again. |
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| This design comes from http://www.shabbyprincess.com/ |
So who wrote "Hark the Herald Angels sing?" This is Charles Wesley. He wrote the hymn. Did you know he and John Wesley were brothers? The founded the Methodist denomination. In fact, Charles, seen here in the picture is #18 of 19 children. It is said that he wrote close to 6,000 hymns in his lifetime. Can you imagine! Wow! One of the other hymns he wrote that I love is "Come thou Long Expected Jesus." It's another of my favorites.
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| I thought I would get a little creative this year and what I came up with was a manger scene I absolutely cherish- so does my family! Hope you enjoy it and can consider ways you too can make a manger scene in your home to remember the birth of Jesus- Our Redeemer.! |
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"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28 |
Christmas is the time of year when people come out in droves. It seems getting around from one destination to the next can become a huge dilemma. Long lines, slow workers,traffic jams....it all can make a person's attitude, should I say it?....... 'testy.' It's easy to let the craziness and busyness inside and outside a store rub off on how you respond to people. Just this week I was at ToysRUs and saw a lady in the line come up and yell at one of the workers behind the counter about how long it took them to answer her question. She said, "I've been waiting for like ten minutes and you people need to take care of what I asked for." She looked frazzled. Both her babies were crying. Actually, they were both screaming.....loud. At first I thought, "I can't believe she was so rude to the workers." Then, as I watched her push her buggy full of two babies screaming back to the checkout counter, I realized that could have easily have been me. It could have been my attitude that was pushed to the brink. But it wasn't. I was standing there waiting in line patiently, not in a hurry, and my husband and son were at home. Then, I thought, "she is frazzled. she is frustrated. she is furious." Why does Christmas sometimes bring out the worst in us? The items are just toys that will break, get lost and become forgotten. Why do we let ourselves become frazzled during the Christmas season over petty things.
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| http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=advent The most important arrival the world has ever known was the arrival of Jesus, "Emmanuel, God with us." Advent celebrates the first "coming" of Christ, the first arrival of our Savior and LORD more than 2000 years ago. But it's also an anticipation of His second coming too. It's a time to prepare our hearts to remember His coming but also to expectantly await His second coming. So it's looking back and a looking forward at all Christ has done for us through salvation. It's more than observing a few weeks on the calendar. It's a mindset. An attitude. A way of living. I want to be continually considering the coming of Christ as I go about my daily routine of keeping house, running errands, raising children, growing a marriage, etc. I want to be thinking about the life-light Jesus brought into a dark world. To think about how He lights up my little world each new day. I could talk about more of the history of Advent today but I'm not. I want us to think about the word "come." Christ has come. He will come again. He came for us, (sinners against God) to live, die, be buried and rise again so we could know eternal life. Are we coming close to Him in our daily living? Advent officially in 2010 has already begun this past Sunday. But I won't be starting it in my home until this coming Sunday Dec. 5th. My church will start it this Sunday as well. So I'll be following along with them. Verses for the first Sunday of Advent are:
Here are some truths I am pondering from the passages above during the first week of Advent.
Isaiah 2:3 " Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”
Psalm 122:1, 4 "I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.” That is where the tribes go up— the tribes of the LORD— to praise the name of the LORD according to the statute given to Israel.
Romans 13:11-14
"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:44 |
Focusing on Advent helps place Christ back in Christmas by being deliberate to acknowledge Him first instead of thinking about the worldliness of the season. It helps your marriage by placing the focus on Christ instead of selfish desires. It reminds both spouses that Christ is the center of your marriage. It helps your parenting by teaching your children, by example, that Jesus means everything to your family and that Christ is Christmas.How are you keeping Christ in Christmas this year? I want to hear from you!
Blogging to remember, treasure and share the joy of Jesus.
All artwork for my posts and paintings displayed through pictures on this blog are created by me. They are not to be used without the permission of the artist of the Joy Treasure Blog. From time to time I do use digital images from shabby blogs, shabbyprincess, houseof3blogcouture and dreamstime.com. When I use any of these images I give credit to where it is due.
Thanks, Ashley.
"His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master."
Matthew 25:23
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