Tag: Advent ABC

Advent ABC: time out for JOY!

Joy to the World, sung by Celtic Women

Isaiah 61:3, 7, 10 To all who mourn, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning. … Everlasting joy will be yours. … I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.

Joy is the theme of the third week of Advent, when we light the pink candle along with the first one, hope, and the second, faith. There are various ways of naming these candles—yours may be different—but I believe all traditions emphasize joy on this third week.

Isaiah takes us to the depths of despair as he foresees overwhelming harm resulting from injustice. He also raises us to the heights of joy when he envisions the day when the Savior of the world will put everything right. His book overflows with joy!

Isaiah says his good news will “strengthen those who have tired hands and encourage those who have weak knees” (35:3). So take five minutes to read Isaiah 35 today, out loud if you can!

Joy to the World, sung by Phil Wickham for The Chosen

Advent ABC: Noel (Born of God)

Galatians 4:4 (Isaiah 9:6) But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

I didn’t know until now that Noel means “born of God.” Did you? Unto us a child is born … The incredible mystery of the incarnation. God made man, born, living, and dying in our fractured, messy world. “The visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).

When she was 13, Karis imagined what it would be like to be a pregnant teenager, bearing God’s Son. We ran across this story while sorting through her things and made it into a booklet. Several who have read it have told me that for them now, “this is how it happened.”

If you would like a copy of Mary’s Diary, let me know! debrakornfield@gmail.com

Noel, Chris Tomlin (featuring Lauren Daigle)

Advent ABC: Mighty One

Isaiah 33:21, 24 (Ephesians 1:19-20, Hebrews 1:3) The Lord will be our Mighty One. He will be like a wide river of protection that no enemy can cross, that no ship can sail upon.

Jesus’s love would mean less uncoupled from his power to act on behalf of his beloved, and his authority over everything in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Listen to the author of Hebrews: The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command (1:3).

I need this word today, as I grapple with the severity of my brother-in-law Bill’s injuries from being hit by a car while riding his bike. Only the Lord has the power to sustain Bill and his family against the enemies of despair, anxiety, and depression. Please pray with us for Jesus’s mighty power to prevail against these enemies. Thank you.

Bill’s first check-up x-rays yesterday, two weeks after surgery to insert a rod to secure the two fragments of his tibia considered worth trying to save. This is a guy who normally rides his bike 15-30 miles daily. His left foot also suffered several broken bones.

In what way today do you need to see Jesus’s power at work?

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Holy One, your Savior. … Do not be afraid, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:2-5).

Mighty God (Another Hallelujah), Elevation Worship

Advent ABC: King of kings

1 Timothy 6:15 (Isaiah 32:1, Revelation 17:14, 19:16) For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Handel and Isaac Watts and Chris Tomlin say it better than I could.

He Shall Reign Forevermore, Chris Tomlin

Jesus Shall Reign, by Isaac Watts, sung by Kristyn Getty

The Hallelujah Chorus, George Frideric Handel

Advent ABC: Immanuel (sometimes spelled Emmanuel)

Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:23) The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

Shutterstock: Anneka

With us.

We’re not abandoned.

Not alone.

Not rejected.

Not forgotten.

Not ignored.

Not invisible.

Immanuel: God—the sovereign Creator, King of kings and Lord of lords, is with us.

Incarnate God taking on our humanity, our frailty, our vulnerability, our mortality.

He understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:15-16).

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness (John 1:14).

Immanuel, Michael Card

Advent ABC: Holy One

Isaiah 29:19 (40:25, 57:15, Proverbs 9:10), John 6:69 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One.

My husband’s brother Bill and his family spent Thanksgiving with us. The next Tuesday, riding his bike home to Plano from For the Nations in Dallas where he volunteers, Bill was hit by a car, which shattered his legs and broke a rib, collapsing a lung. Last night on the phone he told Dave, “It’s an amazing thing. As I lie here, I feel like I’m in the presence of the Holy One. I feel joy.”

This is more than I usually write for Advent ABC, but I want to tell you my three year old granddaughter Talita, who had been thrilled with all the attention Uncle Bill gave her while he was in Pittsburgh, told me, “I’m sad about my boy Billy who got hit by a car and broke his legs like my Vovó [her Brazilian grandmother Luciene, who is walking now!].” Today I was able to tell Talita her “boy Billy” is home from the hospital, determined, he says, to walk in nine months.

Joy. May it be so.

Holy One by Paul Mwai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKDZSpy10Ew

Advent ABC: First and Last

Isaiah 41:4 (44:6, 48:12, Revelation 2:8) Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the Lord, the First and the Last. I alone am he.

In Bogotá in October, we were heartened to see the enthusiasm of the “new generation” for discipling and pastoring of pastors. Their energy and their sense of calling ignited ours. Imagine all the generations from the beginning of time calling faithful people to worship and serve him.

The “nueva generación” from several countries and their mentors at the DPP (Discipling and Pastoring of Pastors) Leaders and Co-leaders retreat in Bogotá, Colombia, October 2023

The First and the Last, Hillsong

Advent ABC: Everlasting Father

Isaiah 40:28-29 (9:6, Genesis 21:33) Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

There are several worship songs on the theme of Everlasting Father. I chose this one because it invokes Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son—which in turn reminds me of Rembrandt’s painting.

In the novel I’ve just submitted for publication, Facing the Faeries 1906, there is a “homecoming” chapter in which one of the characters, who has lived as an orphan, discovers he is loved and cherished by family. Thus, today’s theme is particularly moving for me. So many of us have lived “fatherless.” The Everlasting Father invites us home.

Everlasting Father, Elevation Worship

Advent ABC: Beloved

Matthew 12:17-21 (Isaiah 42:1-4) This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jesus: “Look at my Servant whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.

I love this description of Jesus, bringing justice with the gentleness that comes with true strength, a love song the Father sings over his son, whom he sees and profoundly knows. It’s a glimpse into the tender affection shared by the Trinity from before time—a relationship that we, incredibly, are invited into.

Jesus My Beloved, Jonathan Ogden