Second Sunday of Advent

Here we are again...the 2nd Sunday of Advent...and in our home tradition we usually light the "Bethlehem Candle"...

(picture from our home Advent Wreath, 2017)

As we lit the Second Advent Candle we read the following:

"Today we light the Bethlehem candle.  It is symbolic of preparation.  The prophecy in Micah 5:2 that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem has significance because it indicates how God prepared even the last detail of the coming of Christ."

The following scriptures were read:

Micah 5:2

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,

Yet out of you shall come forth to Me

the ONE to be Ruler in Israel,

Whose goings forth are from of old,

From everlasting."

Matthew 2:1-6

"Now after Jesus was born in BETHLEHEM of Judea 

in the days of Herod the king,

behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,

he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him,

"In BETHLEHEM of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

"But you, BETHLEHEM, in the land of Judah,

are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel."

This was followed by the singing of another beloved Christmas Carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem"

Don't you sometimes wonder why God chose Bethlehem for the birth of our Savior?  Perhaps because God wanted us to realize that He is able to make something marvelous and magnificent come out of someplace seemingly small and somewhat insignificant. Much like what He does with us, we are seemingly small and insignificant in the eyes of the world...but Psalm 139:13-16 tells us we are "fearfully and wonderfully made"...and that God had a plan for our lives before we were even born.

"For you created my inmost being;

    You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    Your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be."

The marvelous thing about Advent and the Christmas story is that God sent Jesus, His Only Begotten Son, down to earth in the form of a tiny baby, to be born in an animal stable in the insignificant little town of Bethlehem, so that He could save ME (YOU) from all our sins. Read the following from the book of Matthew, chapter 1: 18-25 for more information...

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

"YOU ARE TO GIVE HIM THE NAME JESUS, BECAUSE HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS."

We are the people that He has come to save...little, insignificant you and me...because the God of Heaven loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us...this is really significant...really big news!  And THIS is why we celebrate Christmas!

Nativity scene at our church - 2018

Today at our church Advent service, we lit the candle of PEACE.  This was our responsive reading and prayer after lighting the second candle:

In this season of Advent, we pray for God's peace.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We witness the hostility between nations and neighbors.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We see a world full of fractured relationships and unforgiving hearts.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

We seek relief from our own inner turmoil and restlessness.

Christ is our light and the source of our peace.

"Gracious God, as we continue our Advent journey, we thank You for sending the Prince of Peace into a world filled with unrest and strife.  We ask that You quiet our restless hearts and instill in each of us the calm assurance that tells us You are in control so we need not worry. Give us the tools we need to serve as You would have us serve, and make us willing instruments of Your peace. Amen."

Our choir sang the following "Calypso Lullaby", written by Jester Hairston, and arranged by Joel Raney.  You can listen and sing along here:

https://soundcloud.com/hope-publishing/calypso-lullaby-marys-little

It really doesn't matter if your church lit "The Bethlehem Candle", the "Peace Candle", or no candles at all...what matters is that we are each preparing our hearts for Christ to enter our lives, homes, churches, and world anew at this Christmas time. Try to forget about the gifts we need to buy or wrap or make...try to put aside all of the stress of doing this or that or how much money we are going to spend to make sure everyone gets a "good Christmas".  Can we just focus our thoughts and minds on Jesus, and how He came to save us from our sins and give us PEACE and HOPE and JOY?  And can we share this good news with someone else this week?  It is too good to keep to ourselves!

(This post will take the place of our usual Sermon Notes for this week)