HE has arrived!!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

(Luke 2:8-15)

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

There He is... the newborn King.

The Savior.

Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Shhhhh.... I think He's sleeping!)

...with the Shepherds...

...with the angels...

...with all of heaven and earth...

REJOICE!!

to God be the glory...

For some reason this song keeps running through my mind today...

Truly, great things He has done...for us... and highest on the list is sending His Son... for us...because He loves us so very much. What better song to sing this Sabbath day?! As we begin to prepare ourselves for Christmas--for the very coming to earth of our Savior-- may we sing loudly and from the depths of our hearts in praise of Who He is and what He has done!

To God Be The Glory
by Fanny Crosby

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

celebrate the Sabbath... in Christ alone...

In Christ Alone
by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my all in all--
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid--
Here in the death of Christ I live.

Ther in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine--
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death--
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home--
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

celebrate the Sabbath...meditating on the beauty of the Body...

How Beautiful

~Twila Paris

How beautiful the hands that served
the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.

How beautiful the feet that walked
the long dusty roads and the hills to the cross.

How beautiful...how beautiful...

how beautiful is the body of Christ.

How beautiful the heart that bled
that took all my sin and bore it instead.
How beautiful the tender eyes
that chose to forgive and never despise.

How beautiful...how beautiful...
how beautiful is the body of Christ.

And as He laid down His life
we offer this sacrifice that we will live just as he died:
willing to pay the price, willing to pay the price.

How beautiful the radiant Bride
who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes.
How beautiful when humble hearts give
the fruit of pure lives so that others may live.

How beautiful...how beautiful
how beautiful is the body of Christ.

How beautiful the feet that bring
the sound of good news and the love of the King.
How beautiful the hands that serve
the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.

How beautiful...how beautiful
how beautiful is the body of Christ.

celebrate the Sabbath... remembering Resurrection Sunday!

Let's celebrate together again this week... and be reminded...

HE TOOK THE SCARS

Words and Music by Hamm
(John 3:16, Heb. 10:19-23, Ephes. 2:18)

Sometimes I think about the cross that He endured
Laying down His life unselfishly
And how His suffering means I can rest assured
In His saving grace
Oh when He took our place…

Chorus:
He took the scars, felt the pain
Suffered loss so we could gain
This precious life,

precious love that we are feeling
He took our sin and the fall
Left His hope here for us all

Jesus took the scars
And left us with the healing,

left us with the healing

There is no brokenness that we could ever bring
That would ever be too much for Him to bear
Mistakes and failures don’t mean a thing anymore
That’s what He was dying for…

There was beauty in the tragedy
In His death we found new birth
It was unrelenting love
For every soul on earth

Thank You, Jesus,

for Your unrelenting love!

HE IS RISEN!!!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ~Mark 16:1-4

The stone is rolled away...

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ~Mark 16:5

The tomb is EMPTY...

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. ~Matthew 28:5-6

HE IS RISEN!!!

...and now we wait...

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. ~Matthew 27:57-60

...and so we wait...

with sorrow

and with hope...

it is finished.

This day... a King wears a different crown.

A crown not of gold and jewels...

but a crown of thorns.

... a crown ...

meant to signify royalty

turned into one of suffering

...worn not to announce His Kingship

but to proclaim His love

for me

and for you

This day... a King sacrifices everything,

including His very life,

endures unimaginable pain,

alone,

on a Cross...

He dies

because He loves

me

and you

more than anything in the universe.

IT IS FINISHED.

gathering of the darkness...

Maundy Thursday. Tennebrae. "The Gathering of the Darkness"

And what could be more dark than the night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Where You spent Your final night on earth.

Alone in the garden.

Well, You weren't actually alone. But it was as if You were. A couple of Your disciples, Your friends, were with You. But they couldn't stay awake while You drew away to pray.

You were so very deeply distressed and troubled--overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. And You did what You have taught us to do: You prayed. With all Your heart. With all Your soul. Until Your sweat fell like drops of blood.

You pleaded with Your Father--OUR Father-- to take away this terrible cup You were being asked to drink. This cup of suffering. This sacrifice You were being asked to make.

"Father," You prayed; "everything is possible for You. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what You will."

Even then You were bowing the will of Your flesh to the will of the Father. Even then You were thinking of me, loving me.

You prayed so very earnestly... while Your friends slept. While I slept.
And the darkness gathered...

And then, fully aware of the price You were about to pay, fully aware of the suffering You would endure, fully aware of the incredible agony You were walking toward, You rose from Your place of prayer, embraced the will of our Father, and set Your foot onto the way of the Cross.

You were betrayed...by a friend. Betrayed by me.
And the darkness gathered...

You were deserted...by those who vowed they would stay with You till the end. Deserted by me.
And the darkness gathered...

You were disowned...by one who loved You and whom You loved. Disowned by me.
And the darkness gathered...

All of this... all of this for me.
For me.
Before I even knew You.
Before I even loved You.

And the darkness gathered... in the shadow of the Cross.

The darkness gathered around the Light of the world...
as You walked the way of the Cross.

For me.

What wondrous love is this,O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse,
For my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse, for my soul.

~The Hesperian Harp, 1848, by Dr. William Hauser

passover....

Tonight is Passover...

This night we commemorate the "passing over" of the firstborn of Israel when God brought judgment on Egypt by killing all the firstborn in the land... the night when God made a way for His people... a way to FREEDOM.

The Israelites were told to paint the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb... a lamb without defect. A perfect sacrifice.

I paint the doorposts of my home with the blood of the Lamb... the Lamb without sin. A perfect sacrifice.

And a Way is made for me-- the Way to FREEDOM--through Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. By His blood, I, too, am "passed over" by death... and given LIFE.

For this, I am amazedly grateful.

stained glass windows quote about people

People are like stained glass windows:

they sparkle and shine when the sun is out,

but when the darkness sets in

their true beauty is revealed

only if there is a light within.

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

When times of darkness set in, I pray others would be able to see in me true beauty ... that created by the presence of the Light of the world...

and, as in the windows above, that we believers would show to the world a clear and beautiful image of the Savior....

(photos taken at Avalon Community Church, Catalina Island, CA)

the Shepherds' Song...

The Shepherds' Song

It was a dark and starry night; the shepherds quaked in fright
As a host of angels filled the cloudless sky.
They said, "Do not fear...Rejoice! for we are here
To tell you of a child that's born this night."

In Bethlehem He lay in a manger filled with hay,
For there was no room in any of the inns.
There His mother, Mary, smiled as she gazed upon the child,
For she knew that He was born to be a King.

For unto us is born in the City of David
The Son of God, Jesus Christ the King,
God Himself on earth, through a humble baby's birth
Has come to save all people from their sins.

So the shepherds quickly went to see this great event.
They found the baby as the angels said.
Though a king He would be, there were no signs of royalty--
No velvet robe nor a crown upon His head.

But the shepherds, they believed
the word of God which they'd received--
That the Babe would be the Savior of all men.
Messiah was born! The shepherds couldn't wait til morn;
They hurried off to tell the world the news right then.

For unto us is born in the City of David
The Son of God, Jesus Christ the King,
God Himself on earth, through a humble baby's birth
Has come to save all people from their sins.

Now, all who heard were amazed.
The name of God was greatly praised
For the glorious things the shepherds saw and heard.
The Babe, they could see, was fulfilling prophecy.
Once again, the Lord Jehovah kept His word!

So, like the shepherds we should be telling everyone we see
Of the love of God which He so freely gives.
Through forgiveness of our sins, the peace and joy of Christ begins
When within our hearts we let this Saviour live...

For unto us is born in the City of David
The Son of God, Jesus Christ the King,
God Himself on earth, through a humble baby's birth
Has come to save all people from their sins.

(song written by Sharilyn based upon the account in Luke 2:8-20)