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Longing for Messiah
May the earth be FILLED with the knowledge of the Lord! Let Advent longing rise up in each of us! A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of…
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Thoughts on Prayer — Henri Nouwen
Praying means to stop expecting from God that same small-mindedness which you discover in yourself. To pray is to walk in the full light of God, and to say simply without holding back, “I am a man [or a woman] and you are God.” At that moment, conversion occurs, the restoration of the true relationship. Man is not the one…
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Thought for the day — Henri Nouwen
Through the Spirit we have an opportunity in this moment to see something powerful happen. May we hear the Spirit and act accordingly.
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What kind of people
From today’s Scripture for our service: 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt…
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Advent and worship
Isaiah 1:10-20 can be a reminder… SHOULD be a reminder of HOW we come before the Lord. In all honesty, I think we need to evaluate our worship in this light. There are times I think the American evangelical church just comes with noise and thinks it’s worship. Are we coming with our hearts and lives ready to HEAR from…
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First Sunday of Advent — TRUST
Advent is about longing. In light of Ferguson, MO, and the fresh reminders of justice, mercy, and the battles we still face as a nation, the first Psalm I read this morning with my Advent Reading is a great reminder: 3 Don’t trust leaders; don’t trust any human beings— there’s no saving help with them! 4 Their breath leaves them, then they…
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Advent, Longing, Justice, and Ferguson
We come to the first Sunday of Advent. It is a season of longing. We think of the longing in Israel as they wanted Messiah to come. We also reflect on the desire we need in our own lives to anticipate Jesus and his return. It is in that sense of longing we also need to reflect on what we…
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The Power of His Coming
4 But when the fulfillment of the time came, God sent his Son, born through a woman, and born under the Law. 5 This was so he could redeem those under the Law so that we could be adopted. 6 Because you are sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore, you are no longer a slave…
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The Power of God WITH Us
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord…
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The prayer of longing in Advent
I saw this prayer by Walter Brueggemann on Margaret Feinberg’s site: We give you thanks for the babe born in violence. We give you thanks for the miracle of Bethlehem, born into the Jerusalem heritage. We do not understand why the innocents must be slaughtered; we know that your kingdom comes in violence and travail. Our time would be a…
Category: Advent
