Here's A Little More Christmas! And a New Christmas Adventure at Pamela's Victorian Cottage!

This beautiful LED Nativity scene was a late Christmas gift from a family member. Isn't it beautiful?

I wonder how many of you are still enjoying the sights and sounds and joys of Christmas? I always like to take my time and revel in the wonder of the Christmas story...it doesn't just stop at midnight on December 25th.  That's really when the story fully begins and continues on into our lives forever.  Jesus' birth was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah over 700 years prior to His birth, and He was called "Immanuel", which means, "God with us."  That word or name is not past-tense. It is present tense, or continual, meaning that God is always with us.  

Isaiah 7:14  KJV

"14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, 

and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Matthew 1:18-25

"18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

"Matthew 1:23 is a pivotal Bible verse where the prophet Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin birth is fulfilled in Jesus, stating, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which translates to "God with us," signifying Jesus's divine presence among humanity. It highlights Jesus as the promised Messiah, God made flesh to dwell with His people.

In essence, Matthew 1:23 declares that Jesus is not just a great teacher but God Himself, coming to be with His people in human form."  (AI overview via internet)

John 1:14 ESV

"14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

For further reading, check this LINK "Why Is Jesus Called "Immanuel", by Mary Van Weelden.

So Christmas doesn't stop at midnight on December 25th. Christ's presence continues on with us every day, forever! Immanuel, God with us!  And that's very good news!!

And sometimes Christmas gift giving doesn't stop at midnight on December 25th either.  As you saw at the beginning of this post, that lovely LED nativity was a gift from my hubby's brother and family. We had a pre-scheduled family gathering on Saturday with hubby's brother and family and my sister and her hubby at a restaurant 1/2 way between our homes, since we live about 2 hours apart. Sadly, by then my hubby was feeling pretty sick with this cold/flu bug, so he was unable to go.  Since I was already a week into it, I felt like (hoped) I wasn't contagious anymore and felt well enough to make the trip with Benton and Rose. I just tried not to get too much into anyone's face and I pray no one else will get this bug. Here's a few pictures from our time together:

Our whole gang at the table. 

Yours truly with Benton and Rose

My hubby's brother Bill and wife Peggy and son Nicholaus. Sadly, their daughter Shannon was unable to attend as she was not feeling well either.

My sweet sister Doris and me.   I call her my "little big sister", because she's my big sister, but she's littler than I am!  

And sweet Doris and her hubby Art, who we missed at Thanksgiving because he was not feeling well. 

That's why we try to get together every chance we can, because we are all getting older and it's just really hard to get us all together at once due to health and/or other issues.

The restaurant also provided a little cookie/candle for Rose and sang Happy Birthday to her, as her birthday is coming up this week (tomorrow, actually!).  She was pleasantly embarrassed and thankful.

We exchanged some special gifts with each other, (which we took home and opened later) and one thing that has become a tradition with my sister in law Peggy is that she usually sends a special gift for Lily Grace! (Yes, Lily Grace is a well loved little member of our family!) There's just something about a cute little doll that brings out the child in all of us!

It was an adorable little Poodle Skirt and top with a pair of saddle oxford shoes!  Lily was duly appreciative and sent a thank you message to Aunt Peggy right away when we got home.

And if you've been following along for very long, you also know that my sister Doris usually gives me a new addition to the little family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage every year for Christmas!  Thankfully, this year was no different, but we both had a bit of a surprise/shock when she purchased the gift:

Notice it says on the box top: "30th and FINAL in the Madame Alexander Series!"

What???? 30th and FINAL???? Does that mean what we think it means? This is the last time they will be making the Madame Alexander doll Christmas ornaments? Oh my goodness! It has been my sister's tradition for the last 12 years to give this special ornament gift to me on Christmas! And now there will be no more. Apparently they have been doing this for 30 years, but we didn't start at the beginning, so there are a few missing, with the exception of the two I purchased recently from our friend Sue at Photowannabe, which I already wrote about HERE recently.  I do not have any intention of trying to complete the collection by looking for others, and will be thankful and content with the little family that I already have living at Pamela's Victorian Cottage. But it's just kind of sad to think that my sister and I won't have this special little tradition to look forward to anymore. However, I am just thankful that I still have my sister, and that is special enough a gift for me!! 

This was another gift from my sister last Christmas, and it's still so true today!

 

That being said, of course, every new addition to Pamela's Victorian Cottage means that there must be a story behind it! Since this is going to be the last new member to the family, the story needs to be extra special.  Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be any more stories from Pamela's Victorian Cottage...just no new members to the family...(unless there are "adoptions" or special "visitors" along the way...you never know).  So, without further adieu, let's shift the stage and head over to the little village surrounding Pamela's Victorian Cottage and see what's going on, shall we?  

When we last saw the family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage, they had just welcomed two new "cousins" from across the country, Miss Winter Wonderland, and Miss Amy March.

They had taken quite a long walk through the country to find the Cottage, and met several interesting people along the way, who helped point them in the right direction.

At the close of their journey to meet the family, they all gathered together at the little church in the country and were amazed to see the Nativity of the new born Baby Jesus.  It was quite an awesome sight and they all bowed down and sang a song of adoration to the Baby Jesus before heading back home while singing "Silent Night" and preparing their hearts for Christmas and wondering at all they had seen and heard.

Little did they all know, while they were preparing for their Christmas celebration, God had another surprise in store for them. 

Throughout the years, the lovely "Auntie from the City" has always brought special gifts and surprises to her sister, "the little Mother", and the family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage. The family was looking forward to her visit as always, and wondering what wonderful gifts she might bring this year. 

But it seemed as though she was delayed for some reason, and they were beginning to become concerned that something might have happened to her.

The little mother told the family that they would not become alarmed, but they would pray for her and certainly God would bring her safely home in due time.

Little did they know that the Beautiful Auntie was having her own adventure out in the woods near the old country church...

As she was hurrying along her way through the woods she came across a very beautiful young girl, waiting there amongst all the wildlife and woodland fairies and friends.

When Auntie saw her she asked how she came to be there, and the little girl answered that some beautiful ladies brought her and told her to wait and someone would soon come along to take care of her! She wasn't sure who the beautiful ladies were, but they were very kind and they assured her that she would never be alone, and that very soon she would belong to a wonderful big family filled with much love and joy.  And she said, "And look at all these wonderful little friends I have found! They've all been so kind and they wanted to introduce me to this amazing family here in the stable!  They said the baby's name is Jesus, and these are His parents Mary and Joseph, and that they also have traveled a long way and came here when it was time for the baby Jesus to be born. And guess what? They said that the Baby Jesus came here to save us all and live right here in our hearts! Isn't that wonderful?" "Oh, and one more thing," she said, "the beautiful ladies said that they also call the baby by the name of "Immanuel", which means, "God With Us!", and that He will never leave us alone!"

Then they looked up and saw the "beautiful ladies" that the little girl had seen before, 

and they began singing with all the rest of the woodland creatures, 

"Joy to the World! The Lord is come! 

Let earth receive her King! 

 Let every heart prepare Him room, 

and heaven and nature sing, 

and heaven and nature sing, 

and heaven, and heaven, and nature sing!"

(you can sing along here if you wish)

2. Joy to the Earth, the Savior reigns;

Our mortal songs employ,

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains,

Repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of his righteousness,

And wonders of his love.

"Oh! That was so beautiful, wasn't it?" the little girl exclaimed.  

"Yes, it certainly was wonderful! We've been witnesses to something very extraordinary here tonight, that is for sure!" cried the Beautiful Auntie from the City.  "However now it is getting very late, and my family will be very concerned that I have not yet arrived, so I must be going. But what about you? Where are you headed? Do you have family expecting you?"

The little girl looked around at all the woodland creatures and the little Holy Family, and she said, "Well, I guess this must be my new family.  But I'm not sure. The Beautiful ladies said that someone was coming for me and that he or she would take me to my new home..."  

Auntie looked around and knew something deep inside her heart...she knew that she was supposed to take the young girl with her and introduce her to her new family...the wonderful little mother and family at Pamela's Victorian Cottage. She knew that they would welcome her with open arms, and would give her a happy new home...but that these special little friends in the woods and the Baby Jesus would always be a part of her life from then on as well.  

And so Auntie looked at the little girl and said, "I believe you are supposed to come with me! There's a wonderful family waiting for you just over the hill."   And so they said good bye to all the woodland creatures and the little Holy Family, but they all said, "We will see you again! Don't worry! We will ALWAYS be here for you!"  

And soon they arrived at the wonderful home that the Beautiful Auntie told the little girl all about.  She knew the family was already waiting for her to arrive in time for Christmas, so they marched right in through the back door and Auntie called out, "Hello! We're Here!"   All the family came running and the Little Mother exclaimed, "Oh, Sister, I thought you'd never get here! We were all praying for your safety! I couldn't imagine where you must be!  But Oh! Who is this you have here with you?"

Auntie replied, "It's a most remarkable  story! You see, I found her in the woods by the old church, and the Angels were there, and all the woodland creatures, and there was the Baby Jesus right there with His family!  And the angels said that she should wait there for someone to meet her and take her to her new home, and I knew that I must be the one they were waiting for, and well, here we are, and I never even asked her name!"

"Oh Dear!", the little Mother said, Well, since she came to us on Christmas, we will name her "Noel".  

"Noel! the little girl cried with joy!, "What a beautiful name!, But what does it mean?"  

"Well, the little mother replied, "It means, Christmas, or Birth, or a shout of joy heralding the Savior's Birth!  It is a very happy word, calling to us to "come and see what God has done!"  

"Oh, I love that!, cried Noel. "I want to always tell everyone what God has done! He rescued me and brought me to a safe and happy place where I can live happily ever after!"

Suddenly everyone gathered around and they started singing this most beautiful song entitled,  "Noel"...it was a new song that many had not heard before, but it seemed as though the angels were singing it with them and soon they were all wanting to sing about Jesus' Birth and share the joyous news with everyone!

You can sing along with us too, if you want...

Love incarnate, love divine

Star and angels gave the sign

Bow to babe on bended knee

The Savior of humanity

Unto us a Child is born

He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of amazing love!

The light of the world, given for us

Noel

Son of God and Son of man

There before the world began

Born to suffer, born to save

Born to raise us from the grave

Christ the everlasting Lord

He shall reign forevermore

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of amazing love!

The light of the world, given for us

Noel

Noel, Noel

Come and see what God has done

Noel, Noel

The story of amazing love!

The light of the world, given for us

Noel, Noel

All too soon the song was over and the angels flew back to their special places until they were needed again to help someone else.  Noel got to meet all her new family members and was welcomed with open arms into her forever home.

What a wonderful Christmas it was for everyone!

Noel! Come and see what God has done!!

Immanuel...God With Us!

Amen.

Noel: Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Chris Tomlin / Edward Martin Cash / Matthew James Redman

Noel lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing

I hope you enjoyed this little adventure at Pamela's Victorian Cottage. Christmas only comes once a year, but Jesus lives with us always and forever!  Amen!

The Third Sunday of Advent...Mary Magnifies the Lord, and Joseph Has A Dream...

Happy Third Sunday of Advent! 

 

(Photo from a previous year in our former home)

Today's readings for Advent:

"And Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has looked with favor on the lowliness of His servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.'" Luke 1:46-49

Today we remember Mary, innocent and powerful, sacred and scared, worried and waiting as the Savior of all grows in Her womb.  She sings boldly when she might be meek; she bears her role in history with the confidence of a warrior; she is the beginning of a mighty revolution as the proud are brought down and the lowly lifted up.

Today we give thanks for the Mary's among us, who step out of the roles society has planned; unintended pioneers determined to do as God asks; fearless and fearfully stepping out in faith, and beckoning us to do the same.

On this third Sunday of Advent, we light this candle a symbol of Mary, mother of Christ, bearer of the Way.

Won't you sing along with us today as we sang 

"Hark The Herald Angels Sing"

Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.

Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful all ye nations rise. Join the triumph of the skies

With th'angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Christ, by highest heav'n adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of the Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th'incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Hail, the heav'n born Prince of Peace! Hail, the Sun of righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by, Born that men no more may die,

Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing

Glory to the newborn King

Today we learned about the angels talking to Joseph regarding the birth of Jesus and to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, as well as warning Joseph in a dream later to take the child Jesus and His mother Mary to Egypt to flee the wrath of King Herod.  (Matthew 1:18-2:18)

So thankful that Joseph was a righteous and obedient man of God. This is a wonderful story.

Click HERE for a previous post about this same topic from a couple of years ago...different Pastor's message, but still the same wonderful story!

We are getting closer to Christmas day each day.  I love this time of preparation of our hearts and minds to receive the Christ Child into our hearts and lives anew.

This past week our church ladies had a Christmas gathering to celebrate the birthday of Jesus.  I was happy that I was able to participate and that the Lord was with us as we fellowshipped together .

We sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" as this beautiful cake was presented in His honor:

We exchanged gifts with one another:

This was in our church Parsonage, which is currently not being used by our Pastor, and so the ladies have decided to make it our special place for Bible Studies and our UMW fellowship each month. It is a lovely place and we are thankful to have it since we are using our church Fellowship Hall for our worship services currently due to the need for social distancing and our sanctuary is too small to do that properly.

As is the norm at any church gathering, there is always more than enough food...

This was actually our first such gathering in almost a year, and we were so thankful to be together.

God has been very gracious to our church group and we are very, very thankful.

Today, let us be like Mary and "magnify the Lord" and boldly trust God when He leads us in a strange new direction, for He had done great things for us, and He will not lead us astray.

And let us also be like Joseph, and obey the Lord when He shows us His plan, no matter how unusual it may appear to be at the time. 

Have a blessed Advent season.

 

Third Sunday of Advent & Sermon Notes "Joseph's Dreams"

Our Home Advent Wreath for the Third Sunday of Advent

Click HERE for "The Angels Were Talking" from our home advent service.

This morning in our church worship service we were blessed to have the children from "Children's Church" sing for us.  This was my view from behind them in the choir loft as they were singing...

And this was the view of them after they were finished singing and headed to Children's Church for their own service...

Aren't they wonderful?  It is always such a blessing to see the children in church and to hear them sing. We are so blessed to have so many sweet and wonderful children...and the willing workers who do so much to teach them from God's Word.  Thank you, Lord, for these blessings!!!

Then we settled back down and began our regular service with the lighting of the Advent Candle. This week's candle was reflective of Christ as our Light and the source of our JOY.

We read responsively:

"In the season of Advent, we celebrate with Joyful hearts.
Christ is our light and the source of our joy.
We count our blessings, and give thanks for God's goodness and grace.
Christ is our light and the source of our joy.
We strive to search for the good in neighbors near and far.
Christ is our light and the source of our joy.
We remember that God has promised us full and joyful lives.
Christ is our light and the source of our joy."

As the third Advent Candle was lit, the Pastor prayed:

"Gracious God, as we continue our Advent journey, we ask that you open our eyes to the beauty and goodness around us, and fill our hearts with grateful joy.  Remind us that Christ is our light and the source of all joy, and that we are here to serve You and to spread that joy to others. Amen."

Following the sermon and during our Communion service, I was blessed to sing the following song in a quartet.  What a beautiful message about our Savior, Who is the very "Breath of Heaven".

Our message today was about "Joseph's Dreams", which came from portions of Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew 2:13, Matthew 2:19, and Matthew 2:22.  I commend these scripture portions to your reading while I share the interesting points from therein.

I wonder how many of us realized just how often God actually communicated with Joseph, Mary's espoused husband, regarding not just the birth of Christ, but also regarding His safety and protection to preserve His young life.  I think we are all aware of that first encounter that Joseph had with the Lord in a dream (Matthew 1:18-25), when Joseph was thinking about having Mary "put away secretly" because she was "found with child of the Holy Spirit" before they had come together as man and wife.  Joseph was obviously concerned and afraid of what people would think when they found out his betrothed was already pregnant.  He knew that he was not the father of her child...so what was he to do?

But "an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream," (vs. 20), telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, "for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." The angel goes on to explain to Joseph that her Son will be called "Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." The Angel further explains that this Child, who is to be born of a virgin, shall be called "Immanuel", which is translated, "God with us."   

Joseph awoke from his sleep, and did exactly as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife...and did not know her (as his wife in a physical sense) until she had "brought forth her first-born Son.  And he called His name Jesus."

• Joseph obeyed God in spite of the stigma, the possible ridicule from others, and probably loss of respect for both of them.  He did not hesitate to do exactly as the angel had commanded him.

Then we go to Matthew 2 and see the story of the Wise Men who came from the east in search of the King of the Jews.  This was most likely about two years or more after the birth of Christ. They had seen the star in the sky back at the time of the birth of Christ, but they traveled many, many miles in search of this King.   When they finally reached Jerusalem, they asked King Herod where they might find this "King of the Jews."  Herod was rather troubled by this news, but nonetheless, he told them that according to prophecy, (Micah 5:2), the "Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel" would come out of Bethlehem. When the Magi went on their way, the star reappeared and led them to the Christ Child Jesus, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and then went on their way.  

Joseph was once again warned in another dream by an angel of the Lord (Matthew 2:13) to

"Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

• Joseph arose, "he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt."
• He obeyed the word of the angel again explicitly...and saved the life of the young Jesus.

You can read for yourself in verses 16-18 what King Herod did to all of the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years old and under.  Had Joseph not obeyed the angel of the Lord, Jesus would have been killed.

But the story doesn't stop there.  In Matthew 2:19, after news came to Joseph that Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph while they were still living in Egypt.  In verse 20 he said to Joseph, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."

• Joseph again obeyed and arose, "took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel."
• Verse 22:  "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. "And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
• Verse 23:  "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

The thing that stands out in all of these events between Joseph and the messages from angel of the Lord is that Joseph never questioned the angel of the Lord once.  Instead, Joseph awakened from his sleep, got up, and obeyed the word of the Lord.  He did not object or argue or  question.  He obeyed. He said "yes" to God.  God said it, and Joseph obeyed.

What did Joseph get out of this whole experience?  We really don't hear a lot about Joseph from this point on in Jesus' life, but we do know that Jesus later was known as "The carpenter"...(see Mark 6:1-6), so he apparently had taught Jesus his trade as a carpenter.  And in Luke 2:41-52, when Jesus  was twelve years old and the family had gone to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, Jesus stayed behind in the Temple...and Joseph and Mary were very concerned when they could not find him...and it says in Luke 2:51-52 "Then He (Jesus) went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them...", "and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."  Joseph had the opportunity to give appropriate training, discipline and guidance to the young boy Jesus.  Joseph was a major player in the story of Jesus' life, all because he obeyed God even in the face of possible ridicule, danger, and fear for their own lives.

What does this story have to do with us?  Well, in what ways has God asked us to obey Him? We may not have such an important role in life as Joseph did...but then again, maybe we do. When we choose to obey God, we get to see God restore broken lives, relationships...and we are rewarded with the joy of living a life of peace with God.  We are given the opportunity for eternal life when we choose to obey the Lord...and we may be instruments for leading others into a personal relationship with Christ...when we obey the Lord.

We are invited to adopt this attitude of obedience as a part of our Christmas time of worship and celebration.  In what ways is God asking me to obey Him today? What about you?

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL., Pastor A.C. Myers, 12/16/2018

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.