COME LORD JESUS ! ADVENT 1

First Sunday of Advent
(November 27, 2011)

But in those days, after that suffering, the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in
clouds with great power and glory. But about
that day or hour no one knows, neither the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Keep alert, for you do not know when the time
will come…in the evening, or at midnight, or at
dawn. Keep awake. (Mark 13:24-26, 32, 33, 35, 37).

Such amazing things happen in the sky to
herald the return of the Son of Man:
…Jesus, coming in the clouds
…the sun grows dark
…the moon doesn't shine
…and stars fall from the heavens

So different from that first coming more than
2000 years ago:
…with angels singing of God's glory and peace
on earth
…with the single star guiding the way to the
manger
…with shepherds and wise men -- rich and
poor -- coming to worship

And so we watch, and wait, and stay alert,
waiting again for the coming of Jesus.
And we light a single candle in preparation for
that glorious day.

[Light the first candle on the Advent wreath.]

…And even if the sun should grow dark
…even if the moon refuses to shine
…even if the stars should fall from the sky

…we will have Jesus, the Light of the World, to
shine brightly in our hearts, lighting our way.

COME, LORD JESUS. AMEN.

PLEASE READ BEFORE THANKSGIVING DINNER

When you celebrate Thanksgiving this year
remember this and pray:

The poor maybe thankful for:

SMALL THINGS:
Maybe it is earning 25 cents
today, or having electricity for an extra hour,
or having a pencil to take to school this morning,
the extreme poor are grateful for little things that
come their way. What we take for granted, some
poor are giving thanks to God for them.

DAILY PROVISION:
When you don’t have a refrigerator,
a bank account, or a regular paying job the fact
that there is food for you and your children to eat
is not overlooked. Waking up in the morning, We
don't give much thought about where our next meal
will be coming from, but for the poor, today’s
challenge is providing today’s meal. My Pastor
would always pray before each meal “For what
we are about to receive, may we be truly thankful”.
Amen.

STANDING BEFORE GOD:
In our society today we shun
the poor, we look down on them, and often choose
to forget about them. When we see them we look
away from them. When no one respects them
The poor are thankful for the love and respect shown
to them by God.

PROTECTION:
A slum community is one of the most dangerous
places on earth. Drunkenness, drug use, and gangs
make slums a violent and volatile place to live.
1 Peter 5:7-9 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your
great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring
lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against
him, and be strong in your faith…”. No one feels more
vulnerable to the “enemy” than a person with no
savings, no job, and no home. God is their fortress
and their trust is in Him for protection.

HEALTH:
In a poor community a cold can easily turn into
pneumonia, a cup of water can bring dysentery,
a cut can become infected and lead to other more
serious illnesses. Doctors and medicines are hard
to come by so when you are healthy you give thanks
to God.

JESUS:
He is our Savior and friend. For the poor, faith in
Jesus gives hope for eternity. Never having to live in
a garbage dump or shanty house again, and knowing
your future house is a mansion with streets of gold
and no more illness, suffering, or death. There is a
wonderful hope.

The life of a poor person is hard; I don’t think I could ever
survive. It is awful and grotesque, but out of these horrible
conditions come some of the Godliest people. They love,
trust and thank God for simple things that we take for
granted almost every day.

Thanksgiving is about sharing food with friends and family.
But more importantly,Thanksgiving is about sharing with
those in need. It’s about helping those suffering from
hunger and poverty.
More than 46 million Americans are living in poverty today,
As you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and
family, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T FORGET ABOUT
THE LESS FORTUNATE. REMEMBER THEM IN PRAYER
AND PROMISE GOD THAT YOU WILL HELP THEM
TO RELIEVE THEIR SUFFERING
AND THEN PLEASE MAKE GOOD ON YOUR PROMISE!

THANKSGIVING, SAYING THANKS

Scripture:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! . . .
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. —
Psalm 107:1-2

Unexpressed Gratitude
by Cindy Hess Kasper

The whole reason for saying thanks is
to let the giver of a gift know how much
you appreciate something. Author
G. B. Stern once said, “Silent gratitude
isn’t much use to anyone.”

When our son was young, he sometimes
needed to be reminded that avoiding eye
contact, looking down at his feet, and
mumbling some unintelligible words was
not an acceptable “thank you.” And after
many years of marriage, my husband and
I are still learning that it’s important for us
to continually express our gratitude to each
other. When one of us feels appreciative,
we try to verbalize it—even if we’ve said it
many times before about the same thing.
William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling
gratitude and not expressing it is like
wrapping a present and not giving it.”

Showing our gratitude is obviously important
in human relationships, but it’s even more
essential in our relationship with God. As
we think about the many blessings we have
received, do we express our thanks to Him
throughout the day? And when we think of
the amazing gift of His death and
resurrection for forgiveness of our sins, do
our hearts bubble over with awe and
thanksgiving? (Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15).

Take the reminder in Psalm 107:1 to heart
each day: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He
is good!”

How great should be our gratitude
To God our unseen Friend!
The volume of His gifts to us
We cannot comprehend. —Hess

GOD'S HIGHEST GIFT SHOULD
AWAKEN OUR DEEPEST
GRATITUDE.

ESPECIALLY ON THANKSGIVING
GIVE THANKS TO GOD!

(Our Daily Bread)

I TOOK HIM IN

Scripture:

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the
least of these My brethren, you did it to Me"
(Matthew 25:40).

HORSE-TRADER

There is a wonderful story about a horse-trader
in the hills of West Virginia. He was a sharp
dealer but he always justified his horse-trades
by quoting the Bible. He knew just what passage
to use in each case. On one occasion, he had
a very sick horse on his hands. He tried to sell
it but everybody in the area knew the horse was
sick and they wouldn't touch it. Then a stranger
came along and it was't long before he was
riding out of town on the sick horse, as the
horse-trader counted a thick wad of bills. This
upset the horse-trader's wife very much. "Don't
tell me you sold that sick horse to someone?"
"Yeah," he said. "A preacher passed through
and I sold him the horse." "Really, a man of
the cloth! You would do this to a clergyman?"
she asked. "Oh, it's alright," he replied. "As
the Bible says, 'He was a stranger and I took
him in.'"

I hope this made you smile a little, but there
is a truth here and it is:

"As you did it to one of the
least of these My brethren, you did it to Me"

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

What will be your legacy?

"I will not die, but I will live to tell
what the Lord has done."
Psalm 118:17 NLT


"John Wycliffe lay dying in Lutterworth,
England. The year was 1384, and most
of his influential friends in church and
state had deserted him. Many thought
he had gone too far.

For one thing, Wycliffe had dared to
translate the Bible into English. He also
urged a separation of church and state
in order to reform the church. He
attacked the corruption and the abuses
of power that he observed — particularly
among the friars. But most of all he
preached that the Bible should be made
available in every language.

It sounded like heresy, and since Wycliffe
was now at the point of death, some felt
he should reconsider his statements. So
four friars and four senators crowded into
his bedroom. They spoke sternly to him,
reminding him of all he had advocated.
Now was the time to confess the error of
his ways.

Wycliffe was surprisingly alert. He asked
if he could be raised in his bed so he could
speak more clearly. Then he summoned
all his remaining strength to quote
Psalm 118:17, or at least part of it:
"I will not die, but I will live, and will again
declare the evil deed of the friars."

Wycliffe died, but his message and work
lived on: the English Bible available to the
common people. People die, but what they
have begun is not halted by death. The trail
they have left behind them goes on ahead
of them."

adapted from The One Year® Book of
Psalms with devotionals by William J.
Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale)
entry for October 1

(from God's Daily Promises)

ANGER

And "don't sin by letting anger control you."
* Don't let the sun go down while you are still
angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27, NLT

Reflection:

The Bible doesn't tell us that we shouldn't
feel angry, but it points out that it is important
to handle our anger properly. If vented
thoughtlessly, anger can hurt others and
destroy relationships. If bottled up inside, it
can cause us to become bitter and destroy
us from within. Paul tells us to deal with our
anger immediately in a way that builds
relationships rather than destroys them.
If we nurse our anger, we will give Satan an
opportunity to divide us. Are you angry with
someone right now? What can you do to
resolve your differences? Don't let the day
end before you begin to work on mending
your relationship.

Life Application Daily Devotion

CHANGING YOUR ATTITUDE

Scripture:

Jesus said: "You have learned how it was
said to our ancestors: 'You must not kill'...
But I say this to you: anyone who is
angry with his brother will answer for it
before the court" (Mt. 5:21).

"Thou shalt not kill" is not just a simple
command against murder as we normally
define it (the letter of the Law).

Reflection:

It is a call to divest us of all traces of
hatred and mercilessness (the spirit of
the Law). For all of recorded history, man
has promulgated laws against murder yet,
to this day; the crime of murder remains a
major social ill. Christ teaches us the
lesson that law in itself is not the answer.
He describes His mission as one of
bringing the law to fulfillment, that is, to
change those human attitudes, which make
laws necessary in the first place. In other
words, to change those human attitudes,
which enable evil to prevail over goodness is
to answer the question, once and for all,
"What does it mean to be good?" ...

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GOD'S WORD TO THE RICH

1 Timothy 6: 6-10, 17-19

6 But godliness with contentment is
great gain. 7 For we brought nothing
into the world, and we can take nothing
out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing,
we will be content with that. 9 10 For the
love of Those who want to get rich fall
into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge
people into ruin and destruction. money is
a root of all kinds of evil. Some people,
eager for money, have wandered from
the faith and pierced themselves with
many griefs.

17 Command those who are rich in this
present world not to be arrogant nor to put
their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain,
but to put their hope in God, who richly
provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
18 Command them to do good, to be rich in
good deeds, and to be generous and willing
to share. 19 In this way they will lay up
treasure for themselves as a firm foundation
for the coming age, so that they may take
hold of the life that is truly life.

REMEMBER "WEALTH IS A RELATIVE
STATE"

NOT FOR A MILLION DOLLARS

Scripture:

"The greatest among you must be your
servant" (Matthew 23:10).

"Anyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, and anyone who humbles
himself with be exalted" (Mt. 23; 11-12).

A newspaper reporter had been assigned
to do a story on an unusual inner-city
Church project. A young doctor, in
gratitude to God, had decided to give two
years of his life ministering to people in
need. With the Church's help, he
established a health clinic in the inner-city.
The volunteer staff included two nurses
who had decided to join the doctor in his
ministry of service. The reporter doing the
story was in the clinic one night when a
man was wheeled in on a stretcher. The
man was a homeless alcoholic. He was
dirty and his body gave off an unbearable
stench. The man had suffered a very
serious leg injury which had gone
untreated and the infection contributed
to the terrible smell. One of the nurses
immediately knelt beside the stretcher.
She began cleaning the man's wound,
getting him ready for the doctor to examine.
The reporter watched the nurse for a few
seconds. It was all he could stand. He
began to feel sick and, as he turned away
to leave the room, he said to the nurse,
"I wouldn't do that for a million dollars!"
And the young nurse replied quietly,
"Neither would I."

Jesus symbolizes His servanthood by
stooping to wash the disciples' feet (in
those days the task of a slave). When he
comes to Peter, Jesus says, "At the
moment you do not know what I am doing,
but later you will understand." Peter replies,
"You shall never wash my feet." Jesus
answers, "If I do not wash you, you can
have nothing in common with Me"
(Jn. 13:6-8).

"IF I DO NOT SERVE YOU I DO NOT
HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON WITH
JESUS"

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