Advent & Christmas

I went to Advent Lessons & Carols at my parish last week.
I've also been listening to various versions of O Come, O Come Emmanuel on repeat (usually before or after I do the daily office) and I'm ludicrously excited for midnight mass.
 
Light a candle
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4th CANDLE – (purple) THE ANGEL CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF LOVE – The angels announced the good news of a Savior. God sent his only Son to earth to save us, because he loves us! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
 
The candle of love! That's fantastic.

I've been reading a couple of Advent devotionals on You Version. So one of them featured the passage from the Gospel of John about " ... Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us ... and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (Young's Literal Translation).

Of course we know Jesus is the only "begotten" Son of the Father, but as I was doing my lectio divina and asking Jesus about this passage, I felt like He was reminding me that God is Love, so where we see His name in Scripture, we can read love there. So, "Love became flesh and tabernacled among us, and we beheld Love's glory, the glory as of the only thing God can beget: Love."

It's a new way to look at the passage, because it implies that God, who is Love, can't beget any other kind of being except a being of Love, so Love was born in human form in Bethlehem that night ... and today, when we accept that Love by faith in the death and Resurrection of Jesus, that Love is born (or begotten) inside us.

In our way, we become bearers of the only begotten, just like Mary, because God's Love is born in us ...

That's all my wackiness for now. Love you! :)
 
5th ADVENT CANDLE – “CHRIST CANDLE” – The white candle reminds us that Jesus is the spotless lamb of God, sent to wash away our sins! His birth was for his death, his death was for our birth! “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!‘” (John 1:29)
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.‘” (John 3:1-8)
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Hope you had a great Christmas!

Now we are rushing toward Epiphany, what a great holiday! The revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, right? I think it commemorates the wise men coming to find the baby. I was reading their story in the Bible and thinking, that would make a great movie --

They have this arduous journey to get to Palestine, where they ask for help from the King who secretly wants to DESTROY the baby they're looking for. Then they realize what's what, and they're in a pickle -- they've been commanded to go back and report to Herod where the baby is, but they know that Herod will just slaughter the child ... but how will they escape without telling him where they found the King of the Jews?

It could be real suspenseful, and maybe they could help Mary and Joseph escape even as they're trying to make their own escape, with Herod's henchmen in hot pursuit ... Next time some Christian filmmakers want to do a movie, they should think about that story ...
 
Oddly, I just finished a long-anticipated project: a novelization of the journey of the Magi. I've submitted it to my publisher for consideration. It's quite an adventure story. I began with the Matthew text, which poses far more questions than it answers, and drew from it the two biggest questions: 1) what did these mysterious characters see in the skies that impelled their journey, and 2) why should a bunch of pagans care about the King of the Jews?

My daughter put me onto a fascinating talk regarding the first topic: that the ancients saw a set of unprecedented conjunctions in the heavens. The researcher, F.A. Larson, points out that we moderns presume there was something dramatic and extraordinary, because that's what it would take to draw our attention off our television sets and to the skies. But the ancients were quite familiar with the skies, and things like conjunctions and planetary movements were things they would notice and try to read. Mr. Larson used sky mapping software to scroll back in time to the time of Christ's birth, and found... well, I'll let you watch the video.

The second question involved a bit of speculation on my part, but it involves the prophecies of Daniel, the ancient city of Susa, and a school of scholars. It's a novelization, but I wanted to make it plausible. I got some assistance from my brother, once ParthianKing on the forum here, who is quite knowledgeable about the ancient East.

At any rate, the working title of the novel is From Afar. I'll let people know if it makes it to print.
 
We are looking forward to your next book PotW.
I don't consider it the end of the Christmas season till Candlemass. It is not till then that I take down the last of my Christmas decorations. :D
 
It's Christmas time again. What is your opinion of this miminalist attitude toward Christmas. Starbucks and their red cups. How do retailers expect people to get into the festive mood and spend money if the retailers give us this miminalist attitude. It's merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays. It is mistletoe, Christmas trees, lights, and Christmas music, not just some green, red, and white contruction paper. It's Christmas, not recognize the Hungary flag day. Let people know it is the holidays and that you are not just changing the color scheme.:)
 
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You make me laugh; you say it so well.

Everyone is getting ready to celebrate something big. I do hope all of these people come to see Who it really is they're celebrating! Hint hint, it's not a guy in a red suit with a big beard.

Well, here's a good way to get in the Advent mood. This is the link to Michael W. Smith's song written for Amy Grant last year: "Almost There." If you've never heard it check it out now; it's beautiful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ClYL3pKCwI
 
Thank you for the song, Tirian. It gave me chills to imagine the hopes and thoughts on the road to Bethlehem.

This past weekend I visited my family and childhood friends out of state, and had the joy of hand delivering some advent calendars and advent prayer guides. And so the season begins... Come Lord Jesus :)
 
The First Candle - This candle is occasionally called the candle of prophecy. The candle of prophecy is called so, as it symbolizes the promises that the prophets delivered as messages from God; promises that foretold the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. Others consider the first candle to be a symbol of hope that we have in Christ and so it is also known as the Hope candle.
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The first Christmas was tiring, stressful, scary, difficult and awkward.
Yet because God was with His people it was amazing, blessed, miraculous and unforgettable too.
As we lift up our tiring, stressful, scary, difficult and awkward cares and burdens to the Lord
may He transform us to see His amazing, blessed, miraculous and unforgettable presence among us:
Emmanuel, God with us.
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p.s. This painting was done by my daughter
 
I'm finding myself in a half-Grinch, half-festive mood this year. I haven't even put up a tree in my own house (and won't most likely)! There's so much "to do" this time of year that I almost just can't enjoy things. It doesn't help that I might be moving in the next 2-3 weeks, which if that happens, means I most likely won't get to spend Christmas with my family as I've done since...well, since I was born. I like getting presents as much as the next person, but some years, I just wish that being with family was enough. No presents required. No monetary spending and trying to equalize everything. No stress of having to buy before December 25th, have it wrapped up and topped with a pretty bow.

Benisse thank you for what you said above. It's indeed an incredibly stressful time for me right now!
 
i agree Christmas is a little bit tough this year

i agree with you avaris,, Christmas is kind of tough this year for me & my parents, even though Christmas trees are not the true meaning of Christmas this is the first year we will not have one, but this mourning before i went to church i put up the nativity scene :)
 
2nd CANDLE – (purple) THE BETHLEHEM CANDLE or THE CANDLE OF PREPARATION – God kept his promise of a Savior who would be born in Bethlehem. Preparation means to “get ready”. Help us to be ready to welcome YOU, O GOD! “As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God’s salvation.‘ (Luke 3:4-6)
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P.S. Sorry I didn't get this up earlier. I haven't been able to get on the forum all week.
 
thank you for posting about the 2nd candle :)

thank you for posting about the 2nd candle timothyofoz :) i never knew the meaning of these candles :) last Sunday the fellowship of believers where i attend lit this candle as well :)
 
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