First Advent Sunday – FORGIVENESS / HOPE

Prayer ~ Dear Jesus, help us to focus on You as the Reason for this Advent Season and prepare our hearts daily for the celebration of Your birth and of Your return—whenever. Thank you for coming to earth…and for the forgiveness that we receive only because of Your sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. Our hope is in You. 

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. 2 Timothy 1:9-10

 

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.

 

In the New Testament the 'advent' of Christ is not only that which has already taken place, but is His presence and power appear in the saving light He has shed upon mankind; and also, that illustrious return from heaven to earth hereafter to occur. See 2 Timothy 1:10 (note the word φωτίσαντος in this passage); 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Titus 2:12-13. 

 

Is advent important to you?

Advent begins! This is the beginning of the Christian Year. Everyone is counting down the weeks and days until Christmas. The Eastern Christian Church actually has a 40 day fast—The Nativity Fast—so opposite that of the European-American custom of chocolate treats in an Advent Calendar. These are days of preparation in the four weeks before Christmas. Advent means "Coming" in Latin. To some people, these weeks are just getting their homes decorated and presents made or bought to put under their tree. There is more to it than that...or there should be more to it. Prepare your heart and remember the real reason for Christmas. Jesus came to earth as our Savior. The four weeks are symbolized using people and places to remind of the event:
     Prophecy – Forgiveness / Hope
     Bethlehem - Peace 
     Shepherds - Joy
     Angels – Love  

As you prepare to celebrate the coming holy days…and the future that God has planned for you, celebrate with faith—for God Himself is faithful and forgiving.

Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9

His love, shown in forgiveness, is further demonstrated in the hope that God provides for us.

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:12-13

I recently discovered that some churches even use this Advent time to get ready for the Second Coming of Christ! I'm all for that! Jesus told us to be prepared. We won't know the hour nor the day of the wrath of God—before Christ returns, but we should be able to tell the signs of the times. There were people in Jesus' time who missed acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah because they didn't pay attention to the Prophets who gave specific predictions about Him. Look up these scriptures for yourself.  More details and additional scripture can be found online at sites like the CBN.com website.
     Born in Bethlehem - predicted in Micah 5:2 and fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6
     Born of a virgin - predicted in Isaiah 7:14 and fulfilled in Matthew 1:20-23
     The Messiah as a Prophet - predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15 and fulfilled in John 7:40-42
     Messiah tempted by Satan - predicted in Psalm 91:10-12 and fulfilled in Matthew 4:5-7
     Messiah enters Jerusalem triumphantly - predicted in Zechariah 9:9 and fulfilled in Matt 21:8-11
     Messiah rejected by His own people - predicted in Isaiah 52:1,3 and fulfilled in John 1:10-11
     Messiah tried and condemned - predicted in Isaiah 53:8 and fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-2

     Messiah crucified - predicted in Psalm 22:14-16 and fulfilled in Mark 15:20ia
     Messiah died as a sin offering - predicted in Isaiah 53:5-6, 8, 12 and fulfilled in John 1:29
     Messiah's Resurrection - predicted in Psalm 16:10 and fulfilled in Matthew 28:5-7
Jesus Himself said that He would return. See John14:2-3. Wait and see. Don't miss Jesus' return. Be ready spiritually. 

 

Verse of Salvation ~ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:3-8 (Underlined for emphasis on this first Sunday of Advent.)

 

25 Days Until Christmas

 

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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